Archive Article

Groundbreaking Reform for WA

Female Convenor
Alex Sosnov

Male Convenor
Anthony Schembri

Secretary
Andrew Pickles

Treasurer
Jenny Mann

Committee Members
Grant Colquhuon
Luke Gahan
Shane Garland
Nadine Lutherborrow
Gillian Mahoney
Nikki Maloney
Jenni Millbank
Anthony Powell
Kathy Sant
Naomi Sharp
Suzy Tay

To Contact Us:
Phone: 02 9360 6650
Fax: 9331 7963
e-mail: glrl@rainbow.net.au

On 14 November last year the Acts Amendment (Lesbian and Gay Reform) Bill 2001, the most progressive set of gay and lesbian law reforms ever seen in Australia, was introduced into the WA State Parliament.

Damian Meyer, Convenor of Gay and Lesbian Equality, said the introduction of the Bill was a “historic occasion”.

“Never before have we seen such a comprehensive reform package,” he said. “When passed, gays and lesbians will no longer be treated as second class citizens by the law in a whole range of areas.

“This Bill covers areas as diverse as equality on age of consent in the Criminal Code, so that young gay males will finally not be treated as criminals where their straight friends aren't. It provides coverage for sexual orientation under the State’s Equal Opportunity laws, with all the same exemptions that exist currently for other grounds.

“It allows all women who are medically infertile access to IVF, removing the current restriction to married couples and heterosexual de factos who have been in a relationship for five years.

“It allows gay and lesbian couples with children from previous relationships or from donor insemination processes to co-adopt those children, providing for continuity of primary care should the biological parent die or become incapacitated.”

WA Attorney General Jim McGinty said the widespread discrimination against gays and lesbians condoned by existing Western Australian laws could not be tolerated in a modern society.

“It affects everything from their employment and financial security, through to parental rights and basic protection from harassment,” the Attorney General said.

Specifically, the new laws will:

The legislation implements many of the recommendations from the Lesbian and Gay Law Reform Report released in August 2201, although the extent of discrimination identified in the report was so comprehensive that a further Bill is planned next year to address remaining issues not able to be covered in the present time frame.

The balance of power in the Upper House of the WA Parliament is controlled by the Greens, including lesbian MLC Giz Watson. The Bill is expected to pass when it is debated in the Legislative Council later this month.