Equality Tasmania has warned that Tasmania risks being the last state to ban conversion practices after the South Australian Government released its draft conversion bill today.

 

Spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said,

 

“When South Australia's conversion ban passes, the only states without such bans will be Western Australia and Tasmania.”

 

“We urge Tasmanian law-makers to make banning conversion practices a priority so that our state does not become a haven for conversion practitioners tornw out of the other states.”

 

Mr Croome went on to welcome Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese’s, commitment to legislation making it a criminal offence to urge violence against LGBTIQA+ Australians.

 

The commitment came in response to a question from Tasmanian Independent MP for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, in question time this afternoon.

 

Mr Wilkie asked what the Government intends to do to prevent LGBTIQA+ vilification and human rights abuses (for text, see below).

 

Mr Croome said,

 

“We welcome Mr Albanese’s commitment to extending existing federal criminal laws against incitement to violence so they protect LGBTIQA+ people along with other groups vulnerable to violence.”

 

“But this will not protect us from incitement to hatred in the way other groups currently are.”

 

“We call on the Albanese Government to extend existing vilification protections in federal discrimination law so LGBTIQA+ people are protected from incitement to hatred as well as incitement to violence.”

 

Mr Wilkie also asked about the appointment of an LGBTIQA+ Equality Minister and Human Rights Commissioner. Mr Albanese did not committed to either.

 

"We thank Mr Wilkie for asking the question and for keeping Parliament focussed on equal protections for LGBTIQA+ Australians", Mr Croome said.

 

 

 

 

For a copy of this statment on the web, click here