Media Release

Sunday May 22nd 2022

 

- Religious Discrimination Bill now dead

- anti-transgender campaign backfired

- community priorities to be blueprint for moving forward

 

Just.Equal Australia has welcomed the results of yesterday's election saying Australia has a unique opportunity to move forward on LGBTIQA+ human rights.

 

The group says the defeat of a Liberal Party that devised the discriminatory Religious Discrimination Bill, the thumping defeat of anti-transgender candidate, Katherine Deves, and the victory of Green, teal and independent candidates with strong commitments to LGBTIQA+ equality, all show Australia wants an end to LGBTIQA+ discrimination.

 

Spokesperson, Sally Golder, said,

 

"The true winners in this election have been equality, inclusion and acceptance for LGBTIQA+ Australians."

 

"Like many Australians, we are relieved the discriminatory Religious Discrimination Bill is now off the table."

 

"We welcome the election of teal, Green, independent, Liberal and Labor candidates who opposed this Bill and who support greater equality and inclusion for LGBTIQA+ people."

 

"We also welcome the failed election bids of anti-trans candidate, Katherine Deves, and perpetual opponent of LGBTIQA+ equality, Eric Abetz."

"It is disappointing to see the defeat of some moderate allies within the Liberal Party."

"Post-election the Liberal Party will need to demonstrate that it values our community."

Just.Equal spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said Labor went to the election with modest and sometimes ambiguous LGBTIQA+ policies.

 

"We look forward to Labor protecting LGBTIQA+ students from discrimination by faith-based schools, but it did not offer the same protections for teachers, which is something we will campaign for."

 

"We will also be pressing Labor to protect young people with variations of sex characteristics from unnecessary, non-consenting medical interventions, to provide more resources to improve the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ people, to ensure Medicare covers the costs of gender affirmation, and to remove the current gay, bisexual and transgender blood bans."

 

"These and other priorities were identified in our LGBTIQA+ election survey which we will now use as our blueprint for LGBTIQA+ reform under an Albanese Government."

 

The Just.Equal survey found the most pressing issues include:

Mr Croome went on to say,

 

"Apart from marriage equality, there has been all-too-little progress on LGBTIQA+ equality at a federal level in the last decade."

 

"We now have a unique opportunity to change that and move forward."

 

The LGBTIQA+ policies of two successful teal candidates can be found here:

https://www.equal.org.au/2022_responses_from_the_minor_parties_and_independents

 

The response of the Greens to Just.Equal's election survey can be found here:

https://www.equal.org.au/australian_greens_response_to_the_just_equal_australia_2022_federal_election_survey

 

The Just.Equal LGBTIQA+ election priorities survey can be found here:

https://www.equal.org.au/2022_election_survey_results

 

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