Last night the Tasmanian Parliament's Lower House passed the nation’s first financial redress scheme for those convicted under former laws against homosexuality and cross-dressing.

 

The scheme was introduced by Greens’ leader, Rosalie, Woodruff, and supported by Labor and independent MPs, during debate on Liberal Government legislation updating the state’s legislation allowing criminal records for homosexuality and cross-dressing to be expunged from outward-facing government records.

 

Equality Tasmania spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said,

 

“The redress scheme is long overdue recognition of the trauma and suffering of those people convicted for being who they were. “

 

“Often they lost jobs, family and community, with many leaving the state and some taking their own lives.”

 

“Financial redress for historic gay convictions is available in some European countries but this is the first time in Australia.”

 

“Tasmania was the last state to decriminalise homosexuality and the only state to criminalise cross-dressing, so it is appropriate we are leading the nation and we hope other states will follow.”

 

“We thank Greens’ leader, Rosalie Woodruff, for championing this amendment as well as her Green colleagues, Labor and cross-bench independents for strongly supporting it.”

 

The redress scheme was recommended by a review of the expungement legislation and has been advocated by Equality Tasmania and other groups including the Tasmanian Council of Social Services and Civil Liberties Tasmania.

 

The Government did not support the redress scheme but its bill updating 2017 expungement legislation widens the definition of crimes that can be expunged to include crimes, such as resisting arrest for homosexuality and cross-dressing, which would not have occurred if homosexuality or cross-dressing had not been illegal.

 

The bill also provides for greater promotion of the expungement scheme.

 

Homosexuality was decriminalised in Tasmania in 1997 and cross-dressing in 2000. Tasmania's cross-dressing laws were disprortionately enforced against transgender women. 

 

The bill now goes to the state’s Upper House.

 

A photo of Rosalie Woodruff and Rodney Croome with the redress amendment outside the Tasmanian Lower House is attached. 

 

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