The
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
is regarded as one of the country's most progressive jurisdictions with respect to the
rights
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical the ...
of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
) people.
Laws regarding homosexuality
Buggery was a crime in Victoria from 1958 until December 1980, when the
Hamer Liberal government repealed the state's
sodomy
Sodomy () or buggery (British English) is generally anal or oral sex between people, or sexual activity between a person and a non-human animal ( bestiality), but it may also mean any non- procreative sexual activity. Originally, the term ''sodo ...
laws, with the death penalty being on the books for sodomy in Victoria until 1949.
The law passed 72–7, and went into effect in March 1981. The
age of consent
The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is unable to legally claim ...
for homosexual acts was set at 18.
However, a loosely worded "soliciting for immoral purposes" clause, inserted by dissident Liberals, saw police continue to harass homosexual men until the late 1980s.
Homosexual activism in Australia, mainly for gay men, was founded in Victoria. This is particularly prominent in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. The Melbourne-based
Daughters of Bilitis (Australia)
The Australian arm of the Daughters of Bilitis was formed in Melbourne in 1969, and is considered Australia's first gay rights group. It was inspired by the American Daughters of Bilitis movement. After a few months, the group rejected the increa ...
, inspired by the American
Daughters of Bilitis
The Daughters of Bilitis , also called the DOB or the Daughters, was the first lesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States. The organization, formed in San Francisco in 1955, was conceived as a social alternative to lesb ...
group, was Australia's first openly homosexual political organisation, although it was short-lived. It was followed by the gay rights organisation
Society Five, which formed in 1971.
Additional rights organisations followed, including the Homosexual Law Reform Coalition in 1975 and the Gay Teachers Group in the late 1970s, both of which were also based in Melbourne.
The Victorian LGBT community monitored events in South Australia surrounding the decriminalisation of homosexuality which took place between 1972 and 1975. In 1976, ''
The Age
''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'' reported that police had used entrapment to make mass arrests at Victoria's Black Rock Beach which angered the LGBT community and gave the issue wide public attention across Australia. Amidst the storm of protest and debate, widespread support for the decriminalisation of male homosexual acts surfaced within the political mainstream.
The age of consent for homosexual acts was equalised to 16 in 1991 by the ''Crimes (Sexual Offences) Act 1991''.
Implemented by
royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
on and since March 1, 2022 (now an Act) - any remaining draconian legislation banning sex between consenting adults in private within Victoria were finally removed and repealed. In May 2022, the recently implemented legislation went into effect.
HIV transmission law repeal
In April 2015, the
Andrews Government announced it would repeal Section 19A of the ''Crimes Act'', a law which singled out intentional
HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
transmission for harsher penalties of up to 25 years imprisonment, in contrast to the maximum penalty for
manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...
which was 20 years.
As a result of the reform, intentional infection of HIV is now considered under existing criminal offences such as "causing serious injury".
[ The ''Crimes Amendment (Repeal of Section 19A) Act 2015'' passed the ]Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
on 28 May 2015 and received royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
on 2 June 2015, before immediately going into effect.
In April 2022, a bill passed both houses of the Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
and the Governor of Victoria
The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and the ...
granted royal assent became an Act - that repeals all HIV legislation within Victoria on mandatory public health disease notifications, blood donations and also human tissue services. The law goes into effect from February 15, 2023, or by proclamation sooner.
Historical convictions expungement
Victoria was the first state in the nation to pass legislation creating an expungement scheme for historical homosexual sexual offences that were no longer a criminal offence. The legislation was one of the final Acts of the Napthine Government, and passed the Parliament with bipartisan support on 15 October 2014. The scheme came into effect on 1 September 2015, and since that date an individual or an appropriate representative of a deceased person can apply to expunge historical convictions for homosexual sexual activity, that is no longer a criminal offence.
Applications to expunge a conviction can be made to the Secretary of the Department of Justice & Regulation. After a conviction is expunged the individual can claim not to have been convicted or found guilty of that offence, ensuring they will not be required to disclose such information and that the conviction does not show up on a police records check. Without the law, men who were convicted have had to deal with consequences, including restrictions on travel and applying for some jobs.
Schemes of this nature now exist in all other jurisdictions of Australia.
On 24 May 2016, the Victorian Government issued a formal apology, delivered in Parliament, to the LGBT community, specifically men, who had been charged with homosexual offences in the state prior to its decriminalisation in 1981. Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
Daniel Andrews
Daniel Michael Andrews (born 6 July 1972) is an Australian politician serving as the 48th and current premier of Victoria since December 2014. He has been the leader of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since December ...
said in a speech to the Victorian Parliament
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...
:
Opposition leader Matthew Guy
Matthew Jason Guy (born 6 March 1974) is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal Party of Australia Member of the Parliament of Victoria since 2006, representing Northern Metropolitan Region in the Legislative Council (2006–2014) an ...
said the following:
Recognition of same-sex relationships
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage became legal in Victoria, and in the rest of Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, in December 2017, after the Federal Parliament
The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor-gen ...
passed a law legalising same-sex marriage.
Municipal relationship registers
In April 2007, the City of Melbourne
The City of Melbourne is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central city area of Melbourne. In 2018, the city has an area of and had a population of 169,961. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. The ci ...
set up a Relationship Declaration Register for all relationships and carers, and the City of Yarra
The City of Yarra is a local government area (LGA) in Victoria, Australia in the inner eastern and northern suburbs of Melbourne. It is the second smallest LGA in the state with an area of , and in June 2018 it had a population of 98,521, ma ...
launched its Relationship Declaration Register the following month. Under the programs two people may declare that they are partners and have this declaration recorded in the Relationship Declaration Register. Though the register does not confer legal rights in the way traditional marriage does, it may be used to demonstrate the existence of a de facto relationship in relation to the ''Property Laws Act 1958'', the ''Administration and Probate Act 1958'' and other legislation involving domestic partnerships. Both local governments discontinued the registers in 2018, after the federal legalisation of same-sex marriage.
Domestic partnerships
Since 2008 Victoria has allowed same-sex couples to register their relationships as a domestic partnership
A domestic partnership is a legal relationship, usually between couples, who live together and share a common domestic life, but are not married (to each other or to anyone else). People in domestic partnerships receive benefits that guarantee r ...
, referred to specifically in the legislation as a "domestic relationship". The
Relationships Act
' passed the Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
on 10 April 2008 and received royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
five days later. The law, introduced by the Bracks Government, allowed same-sex couples to register their relationship with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and amended 69 other pieces of legislation, ensuring equal treatment for registered relationships in most areas of Victorian law. The legislation was subject to a conscience vote
A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are allowed to vote according to their own personal conscience rather than according to an official line set down by their political party. In a parliamenta ...
in both houses of parliament; it passed the Legislative Assembly on 12 March 2008 by a vote of 54 to 24 before passing the Legislative Council by a vote of 29 to 9 on 10 April 2008. The law came into effect on 1 December 2008.
In October 2015, the Andrews Government announced it intended to make Victoria the fourth state in the nation to recognise the marriages and civil partnerships of same-sex couples performed overseas, in the state's relationships register. The government introduced the ''Relationships Amendment Bill'' to the Parliament on 6 October, before it was passed by the Legislative Assembly on 12 November 2015. The bill passed the Legislative Council on 10 December 2015, with a key amendment attached creating a provision for the register to "conduct a ceremony in connection with the registration of a relationship".[ The Assembly re-worded the amendment, though retained the ability for the register to conduct a ceremony in connection with a registered relationship, and the bill formally passed the Parliament on 16 February 2016.][ The bill received ]royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
on 16 February 2016 and became the ''Relationships Amendment Act 2016''. Portions of the law that; provided for immediate recognition of a domestic relationship for unions entered into in different jurisdictions, removed the previous 12-month living requirement for couples, and recognised de facto relationships, overseas same-sex marriages and civil union
A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...
s on death certificate
A death certificate is either a legal document issued by a medical practitioner which states when a person died, or a document issued by a government civil registration office, that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death, as ...
s, went into effect on 1 July 2016. Under the commencement provisions of the legislation, the entirety of law went into effect on 1 October 2016.
De facto relationship recognition legislation
In August 2001, the Statute Law Amendment (Relationships) Act 2001 and the Statute Law Further Amendment (Relationships) Act 2001 amended 60 Acts in Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
to give same-sex couples, called domestic partners, some rights equal to those enjoyed by de facto couples, including hospital access, medical decision making, superannuation, inheritance rights, property tax, landlord/tenancy rights, mental health treatment, and victims of crime procedures.
Civil union proposal
In March 2006, openly gay independent Victorian MP Andrew Olexander proposed a private member's bill to allow civil partnerships in the state, but the Bracks state government did not support it and did not allow it to be drafted by the parliamentary counsel.
Adoption and parenting rights
Adoption
Victorian law has allowed same-sex adoption since 1 September 2016. In May 2014, the state conference of the Victorian Labor Party unanimously approved a change in the party's platform, in support of full adoption rights for same-sex couples. After Labor won government at the November 2014 state election, the newly appointed Equality Minister Martin Foley
Martin "The Viper" Foley (born 24 November 1952) is a well-known Irish criminal. He rose from a street drug dealer to become an associate of Martin Cahill. Foley has 40 convictions, and is considered a key figure in the McCormack-Foley crime fami ...
promised to amend the ''Adoption Act 1984'' to allow for adoptions by same-sex couples. Foley said Labor would also tackle other inequalities, including the inability of a step-parent to adopt their partner's child and the inability of a gay couple to jointly adopt a child conceived through IVF. A review of Victoria's adoption laws, commissioned by former chief parliamentary counsel Eamonn Moran QC, handed a final report to the Minister on 8 May 2015.
A bill to give same-sex couples adoption rights was introduced to Parliament on 6 October 2015. The bill, subject to a conscience vote
A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are allowed to vote according to their own personal conscience rather than according to an official line set down by their political party. In a parliamenta ...
for the Liberal/ National
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
opposition, was passed by the Legislative Assembly by 54 votes to 26, with 7 abstentions. No Liberal MP voted in favour of the bill, however six of the eight National MPs supported the legislation. The bill proceeded to the Legislative Council. On 12 November 2018, the Council passed the bill by a margin of 31 to 8. Despite passage, the government failed to attract sufficient support for a clause in the bill which prevented faith-based organisations from being able to refuse adoption orders for same-sex couples, as conservative Liberal/National and minor party
A minor party is a political party that plays a smaller (in some cases much smaller, even insignificant in comparison) role than a major party in a country's politics and elections. The difference between minor and major parties can be so great ...
councillors voted against it.[ Only one adoption agency (Catholic Care Victoria) had reportedly threatened to cease providing adoption services if it was compelled to assist adoptions to same-sex couples. The amended bill returned to the Legislative Assembly on 9 December 2015, where it was promptly passed. The bill received ]royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
on 15 December 2015 and came into effect on 1 September 2016.
Prior to that reform, same-sex couples could only be appointed as foster parents or guardians in Victoria, and they did not have the right to adopt a child together, even if that child had been in their care for years. In response to a 2007 Victorian Law Reform Commission
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...
report into assisted reproduction, surrogacy and adoption, the Brumby Government stopped short of granting same-sex couples full adoption rights.
A Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state.
The Supreme Court comprises ...
decision in 2010 concerning the '' Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006'' granted individual gay men and lesbian women some adoption rights by concluding that the state's ''Adoption Act 1984'' "permits one person in a same-sex couple to adopt", opening the door to step-parent adoption for some couples. The Liberal Government Liberal government may refer to:
Australia
In Australian politics, a Liberal government may refer to the following governments administered by the Liberal Party of Australia:
* Menzies Government (1949–66), several Australian ministries under S ...
of 2010–14 briefly examined the issue of same-sex adoption in the later stages of its term in office, though despite Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
Denis Napthine
Denis Vincent Napthine (born 6 March 1952) is a former Australian politician who was the 47th Premier of Victoria. Napthine was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, representing the electoral district of Portland from ...
expressing an openness to reform, the issue was never substantially tackled by the Government.
Between 2017 and March 2023, only five same-sex couples within Victoria had been formally approved to adopt children. The convenor of support group Gay Dads attributes the low number to the long drawn-out bureaucratic process involved in adopting children (by anyone) in Victoria. Also, research has shown that for various reasons there has also been a national trend away from adoption, and permanent care is more common than adoption.
Assisted reproduction and surrogacy
In May 1988, Victoria became the first state in Australia in which a child was born by use of IVF surrogacy
Surrogacy is an arrangement, often supported by a legal agreement, whereby a woman agrees to delivery/labour for another person or people, who will become the child's parent(s) after birth. People may seek a surrogacy arrangement when pregnan ...
. In July 1988, sections 11, 12, and 13 of the ''Infertility (Medical Procedures) Act 1984'' were commenced to prevent a repetition of IVF surrogacy in Victoria, by prohibiting the use of IVF technology on women who have not been diagnosed as infertile and rendering commercial and altruistic surrogacy arrangements void. In addition, only women who were married were allowed to access IVF treatment. Then in 1997, women in de facto relationships with men were allowed access to IVF treatment under the ''Infertility Treatment (Amendment) Act 1997''.
On 28 July 2000, re ''McBain v State of Victoria'', Justice Sundberg of the Federal Court of Australia concluded that the Victorian legislation infringed the prohibition on discrimination found in section 22 of the ''Sex Discrimination Act''. This eliminated any marriage requirement, but did not clearly address the medical needs requirement. This legal decision opened the door for lesbian couples to use IVF procedures.
In June 2007, the Victorian Law Reform Commission
A law commission, law reform commission, or law revision commission is an independent body set up by a government to conduct law reform; that is, to consider the state of laws in a jurisdiction and make recommendations or proposals for legal chang ...
released its final report recommending that the laws be modified to allow more people to use assisted reproductive technologies and to allow same-sex couples to adopt and be recognised as parents to their partner's children. The proposed changes would also mean drastic reforms to surrogacy which, while technically legal, was practically impossible in Victoria; a woman would no longer have to be clinically infertile to be a surrogate mother. In addition, parents who have children through surrogacy would be able to go to the County Court
A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions (subnational entities) within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of ''county courts'' held by the high ...
and apply for a substitute parentage order for legal recognition. Birth certificates could use the word parent instead of mother and father.
Victoria adopted most of the 202 recommendations of the Victorian Law Reform Commission in legislation which was introduced to Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
in September 2008. This made IVF legal for all women (except sex offenders), and gave parents of surrogate children, including female same-sex partners, greater parenting rights. Altruistic surrogacy would become legal, while commercial surrogacy would remain illegal.
The lower house voted 47–34 in favour of the ''Assisted Reproductive Treatment Bill 2008'', with all Coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
members voting against it. After passing the upper house by just two votes, the bill was amended and forced back for another vote in the lower house, where it passed. The bill subsequently received Royal Assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
on 4 December 2008 and became effective from 1 January 2010.
In July 2021, a loophole
A loophole is an ambiguity or inadequacy in a system, such as a law or security, which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system.
Originally, the word meant an arrowslit, a narrow verti ...
in Victorian legislation was discovered and used recently to legally "withdraw consent contracts of their sperm donation and embryos to certain recipients or groups (e.g. singles and same-sex couples)". Victoria is the only jurisdiction within Australia to legally do this. In September 2021, the ''Assisted Reproductive Treatment Amendment Bill 2021'' was introduced and passed in the lower house in the same month to remove this loophole
A loophole is an ambiguity or inadequacy in a system, such as a law or security, which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system.
Originally, the word meant an arrowslit, a narrow verti ...
. It passed the upper house with an amendment in October 2021. The ARTA bill went straight back to the lower house for another vote passed again a week later, due to an amendment. The bill eventually passed both houses and received royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
by the Governor of Victoria
The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and the ...
in the same month. The legislation went into legal effect on August 15, 2022.
Rainbow birth certificates
In July 2020, it was reported by the Australian media Star Observer
The ''Star Observer'' is a free monthly magazine and online newspaper that caters to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities in Australia. Since 20 June 2019 the ''Star Observer'' is owned by media company Out Publicatio ...
that "rainbow" birth certificates
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a person. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuin ...
became available for same-sex parents since March 2020 - due to the 10th anniversary of the Victoria government passing laws on IVF and surrogacy equality back in January 2010. Victoria has made changes to their rules to allow a child's birth registration to recognise both parents as "mother" or "father" or "parent". The new rules came into force earlier this year in March 2020. The rules will also allow families to correct previously issued birth certificates. Since March 2022, NSW also has a similar schedule where rainbow birth certificates are available.
Vilification laws
Victoria has no vilification legislation, however does have "inciting violence towards individuals within Victoria" - as an explicit serious offence listed under the Crimes Act 1958
The Crimes Act 1958 is an Act of the Parliament of Victoria.
The Act codified most common law
In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial ...
. In June 2022, a bill formally passed and assented to became an Act legally banning "any public display" of Nazi symbols with an explicit 1-year jail sentence and a $22,000 fine - a first for a jurisdiction within Australia. The legislation does not single out characteristics and/or groups of individuals. It contains however - a listed exemption for educational, religious and/or artistic purposes. Several individuals have been charged and arrested already within Victoria. In 2023, there were deep concerns within the LGBT community that rising hatred, misinformed and rhetoric towards transgender individuals and drag queens—orchestrated by extreme right-wing groups and/or neo-nazi organizations within Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
on several occasions right in front of the Parliament of Victoria
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...
. One major example also was at the Monash City Council building of certain individuals yelling abuse, being spat on and hatred to council members at a metro about the Library motion - "proposal of children at the drag queen story hour" in the future. This was formally cancelled. Even including rural areas of Victoria, such as Wangaratta
Wangaratta ( ) is a city in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, from Melbourne along the Hume Highway. The city had an estimated urban population of 19,318 at June 2018. Wangaratta has recorded a population growth rate of almost 1% annually ...
.
Discrimination protections
Overview of laws
Since 2000, Victoria prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity under the ''Equal Opportunity (Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation) Act 2000'' – which amended the ''Equal Opportunity Act 1995''.
Since 2010, the ''Equal Opportunity Act 1995'' has been repealed and replaced with the ''Equal Opportunity Act 2010'' - that still includes both sexual orientation and gender identity. Since 2021, new laws implemented went into effect that explicitly added "sex characteristics" to the Act - alongside sexual orientation and gender identity. In September 2022, the "Justice Legislation Amendment (Police and Other Matters) Bill 2022" was formally passed by both houses within the Victoria Parliament - that explicitly legally protects Victoria Police officers serving on duty, from discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill became an Act on assent and went into effect immediately within the same month.
Federal law also protects LGBT and Intersex people in Victoria in the form of the ''Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status) Act 2013''.
Attempts to remove religious exemptions from employee protections
In December 2014, the Labor Government promised to rewrite equal opportunity laws to make it harder for faith-based organisations, such as schools, to discriminate against certain employees because of their sexual orientation and religious beliefs. On 31 August 2016, the government introduced the ''Opportunity Amendment (Religious Exceptions) Bill 2016'' to the Legislative Assembly. The bill amended the ''Equal Opportunity Act 2010'' and sought to reinstate an "inherent requirements test", which would mandate that a religious body or school
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...
could only discriminate
Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, reli ...
against employees in circumstances related to the employment
Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...
of a person where "conformity with the body or school's religious doctrines, beliefs or principles is an inherent requirement of the job, and, because of a particular personal attribute, the person does not meet that inherent requirement". The bill passed the assembly by 44 votes to 36, with the Coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
Opposition
Opposition may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars
* The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band
* ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comed ...
voting against the bill. The bill then proceeded to the Legislative Council, where the second reading stage began on 11 October. The bill was rejected by the Council on 6 December 2016, the vote tied at 19 votes-all.
In August 2020, the media Star Observer
The ''Star Observer'' is a free monthly magazine and online newspaper that caters to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities in Australia. Since 20 June 2019 the ''Star Observer'' is owned by media company Out Publicatio ...
reported that discrimination is the top LGBTIQ+ legal issue within Victoria.
In September 2021, the government announced it would introduce legislation to remove the exemption for religious schools and organisations "discriminate against an employee because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or other protected attribute". Furthermore, government-funded religious bodies will also be prohibited from refusing services to people based on their sexual orientation or gender. Schools and organisations will be allowed to make employment decisions based on an employee's religious beliefs where it is critical to the job, such as hiring a religious studies teacher. In October 2021, the ''Equal Opportunity (Religious Exceptions) Amendment Bill 2021'' was formally introduced to the lower house. The Greens attempted to amend the bill to prevent privately funded religious organisations from being able to discriminate against LGBT staff, clients and students, and to limit faith-based schools ability to discriminate against students on the grounds of religious belief or affiliation to only at first enrollment, but failed when the Labor party and coalition voted to defeat the amendment. In December 2021, the bill passed both houses of the Parliament of Victoria
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...
. The Liberal party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
, the National party, the Liberal Democratic party, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party
The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (SFF) is an Australian political party. It primarily advocates for increased funding and services for rural and regional Australia, protecting the right to farm, enhancing commercial and recreational fishi ...
, and the independent MLC Catherine Cumming voted against the bill. The bill became an Act on royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
by the Governor of Victoria
The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and the ...
in the same month and formally went into legal effect since June 15, 2022. In February 2022, it was announced that if the federal government implements it's religious discrimination laws that would override state and territory equal opportunity law - a lawsuit
-
A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
to challenge the federal government would be conducted by the Victorian government. Despite the bill passing the House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
with the support of the coalition and the Labor party, the government withdrew the bill over disagreements within the party on protections for transgender students in faith-based schools.
Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities
In July 2015, Minister for Equality Martin Foley
Martin "The Viper" Foley (born 24 November 1952) is a well-known Irish criminal. He rose from a street drug dealer to become an associate of Martin Cahill. Foley has 40 convictions, and is considered a key figure in the McCormack-Foley crime fami ...
announced the appointment of the inaugural Gender and Sexuality Commissioner, Ro Allen. The Commissioner has a broad role aimed at integrating the advocacy of LGBTI rights within the Government; some of these initiatives included streamlining federal and state laws to ensure passports and birth certificates align with a person's affirmed gender, and strengthening anti-discrimination protections in the workplace for transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
workers. The role of Gender and Sexuality Commissioner was later renamed the Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities.
Victorian conversion therapy law
In February 2016, the government announced it would promptly introduce legislation to "crack down" on gay conversion
Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and clin ...
therapists in the state. On 9 February 2016, the ''Health Complaints Bill 2016'' was introduced to the lower house of the Victorian Parliament
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...
. The bill creates a Health Complaints Commissioner with increased powers to take action against such groups; these powers ranging from issuing public warnings to banning them from practicing in Victoria. The bill passed the lower house on 25 February 2016, passed the upper house on 14 April 2016 with minor amendments and passed the lower house with the attached amendments on 27 April 2016. Royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
was granted on 5 May 2016. The law went into effect on 1 February 2017. The law creates a new health watchdog in the state, which provides the Commissioner with powers to issue temporary or permanent bans on health providers who aren't registered under law such as those providing 'gay conversion therapy'. A specific and targeted investigation was launched by the watchdog into the practice in May 2018, raising the spectre of financial punishment and criminal prosecution for rogue operators.
In February 2019, the newly re-elected Labor Government announced it would introduce legislation at a later date that would clearly and unequivocally denounce conversion practices and prohibit them in law – following a recommendation issued by the Health Complaints Commissioner.
On 11 November 2020 state premier Daniel Andrews
Daniel Michael Andrews (born 6 July 1972) is an Australian politician serving as the 48th and current premier of Victoria since December 2014. He has been the leader of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since December ...
and the Australian Labor party
The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...
announced the ''Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Bill'' denouncing conversion practices as cruel, harmful and deceptive. The introduced legislation will outlaw the 'therapy' with fines up to approximately $200,000 (AUD) or up to 10 years jail time. Along with the introduction of this legislation the government will provide increased support for those who have already been forced to experience the harmful practices. The Victorian bill to ban conversion therapy was introduced and printed in November 2020. In December 2020, the Victoria lower house passed the bill by a vote of 55-0 (with the Liberal opposition leaving the chamber).
On 5 February 2021 - by a two-thirds supermajority
A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority ru ...
vote of 27–9, the bill passed the Victoria Legislative Council. The 9 votes against were from the Sustainable Australia
The Sustainable Australia Party (officially registered as Sustainable Australia Party – Stop Overdevelopment / Corruption), formerly the Sustainable Population Party, is an Australian political party. Formed in 2010, it describes itself as being ...
party, the Liberal Democrats, the Justice Party, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party
The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (SFF) is an Australian political party. It primarily advocates for increased funding and services for rural and regional Australia, protecting the right to farm, enhancing commercial and recreational fishi ...
, the independent MLC Catherine Cumming, and two Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
MLCs. It goes into effect 1 year from the date of royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
(February 2022). The bill was debated for 12 straight hours within the committee of the whole
A committee of the whole is a meeting of a legislative or deliberative assembly using procedural rules that are based on those of a committee, except that in this case the committee includes all members of the assembly. As with other (standing) c ...
and passed the third reading
A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature.
In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming, ...
, beginning around 11am. This bill was reported to be the most comprehensive conversion therapy
Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cli ...
bill passed at that time.
It was reported that the Australian Presbyterian Church has come out and said and quoted it would "ignore this law" that passed in Victoria.
In September 2021, the center-right Liberal party (as the opposition) made a formal announcement by promising to repeal
A repeal (O.F. ''rapel'', modern ''rappel'', from ''rapeler'', ''rappeler'', revoke, ''re'' and ''appeler'', appeal) is the removal or reversal of a law. There are two basic types of repeal; a repeal with a re-enactment is used to replace the law ...
the conversion therapy law - if they win government in November 2022 (at the Victoria state election). In October 2021, the Liberal party again reversed their position regarding the issue on the conversion therapy law - by not repealing the current law.
Transgender rights
Birth certificates and drivers licenses (which have no gender marker recorded) are within the jurisdiction of the states, whereas marriage and passports are matters for the Commonwealth. Victoria legally recognizes a person's gender transition. In the past it has required the person first undergo sexual reassignment surgery
Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and alle ...
and divorce if married.
Protections
Gender identity
Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the i ...
is a recognized and protected attribute under Victorian anti-discrimination law
Anti-discrimination law or non-discrimination law refers to legislation designed to prevent discrimination against particular groups of people; these groups are often referred to as protected groups or protected classes. Anti-discrimination laws ...
, meaning a transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
person cannot be discriminated against in employment and in other areas of life. However, exemptions in the Equal opportunity act (2010) allow religious organisations, such as adoption/fostering agencies and charities, that do not receive government funding to discriminate against and reject LGBT employees and clients.
Birth certificates
Birth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a person. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuin ...
s are issued by the state Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. For many years, Victorian law required a person be unmarried in order to change the sex recorded on their certificate. The requirement was set to lapse in December 2018 following the federal legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2017, however the Victorian Parliament
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...
amended state law to this effect in May 2018.
2016 failed reform effort
In August 2016, the Andrews Labor Government sought to pass legislation removing the unmarried requirement and also the requirement for transgender people to undergo sex reassignment surgery
Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and alle ...
before amending their birth certificate. If passed, the legislation would have allowed parents to alter the gender descriptor of their child, with the child's informed consent and would also have simplified the existing administrative corrections for intersex
Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical bina ...
people. The Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment Bill 2016 was introduced to the parliament on 18 August 2016 and passed the Legislative Assembly by 45 votes to 35 on 18 September 2016. The bill proceeded to the Legislative Council though was rejected by the council on 6 December 2016, following a 19-19 tied vote.
Removal of unmarried requirement
In March 2018, the government sought to address the unmarried requirement. It introduced the ''Justice Legislation Amendment (Access to Justice) Bill 2018'' on 27 March 2018, which removed the unmarried requirement from state law. The sexual reassignment surgery
Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and alle ...
requirement remained unaffected. The bill passed the Parliament on 22 May 2018. The bill received royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
on 29 May 2018 and the portion of the law relating to birth certificates went into effect on 12 October 2018.
2019 legislation
After returning to office at the November 2018 election, the government re-introduced legislation abolishing the sexual reassignment surgery
Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and alle ...
requirement. The legislation allows applicants to self-nominate the sex listed on their birth registration as male, female, or any other gender diverse or non-binary descriptor of their choice. Children are also able to apply to alter the sex on their certificate, but only with the backing of their parents and a supporting statement from a doctor, psychologist or another prescribed person. An approval process, similar for offenders changing their name, whereby a supervising authority needs to consider the reasonableness of the application, and security and welfare issues associated with it, is incorporated in the bill.
The legislation was introduced to the Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
on 18 June and passed the Assembly
Assembly may refer to:
Organisations and meetings
* Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions
* General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...
by 56 votes to 27 on 15 August 2019.[ The bill moved to the Legislative Council, where it passed by 26 votes to 14 on 27 August 2019.][ The legislation received ]royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
on 3 September 2019 and went into effect on 1 May 2020. The bill was debated along partisan lines in the Parliament. The Labor Party, the Greens and some crossbencher
A crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and the Parliament of Australia. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and oppositi ...
s were supportive, though Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
/National
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
members voted against the legislation, citing alleged concerns regarding the safety of women in single-sex spaces and the potential for applicants to abuse the system.[
]
University of Melbourne speech policy
In June 2021, a new speech policy has been implemented to protect transgender individuals within the University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...
.
Victorian Pride Centre and aged care facilities
The Victorian Pride Centre opened in July 2021 in St Kilda, providing several facilities for LGBTIQ+ Victorian organisations. The LGBTIQ+ organizations is housed at the centre include the Victorian Pride Lobby, Thorne Harbour Health
Q+Law
Minus18, Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council, Australian Queer Archives
The Australian Queer Archives (AQuA) (formerly the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives - ALGA) is a community-based non-profit organisation committed to the collection, preservation and celebration of material reflecting the lives and experienc ...
, JOY94.9, Transgender Victoria
Transgender Victoria (TGV) is a voluntary organisation for transgender people, their partners, families, and non-binary individuals. It promotes equity, and health and community services for transgender people in Victoria, Australia. In Decembe ...
, and the Melbourne Queer Film Festival
The Melbourne Queer Film Festival is an annual LGBT film festival held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Held in November, the festival is regarded as the largest queer film event in the Southern Hemisphere. The festival a ...
.
In September 2020, an aged care facility just for LGBTIQ+ clients and residents was fast-tracked for construction within Prahran
Prahran (), also pronounced colloquially as Pran, is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City ...
.
Intersex rights
In June 2016, Organisation Intersex International Australia
Intersex Human Rights Australia (IHRA) is a voluntary organisation for intersex people that promotes the intersex human rights, human rights and bodily autonomy of Intersex rights in Australia, intersex people in Australia, and provides educatio ...
pointed to contradictory statements by the Victorian and other Australian governments, suggesting that the dignity and rights of LGBT and intersex
Intersex people are born with sex characteristics (such as genitals, gonads, and chromosome patterns) that "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies". They are substantially more likely to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual ...
people are recognised while, at the same time, harmful practices on intersex children continue.
In March 2017, representatives of Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Support Group Australia
Intersex Peer Support Australia (IPSA), also known as the Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Support Group Australia, is possibly the oldest known intersex organization, established in 1985. It provides peer and family support, information and advo ...
and Organisation Intersex International Australia
Intersex Human Rights Australia (IHRA) is a voluntary organisation for intersex people that promotes the intersex human rights, human rights and bodily autonomy of Intersex rights in Australia, intersex people in Australia, and provides educatio ...
participated in an Australian and Aotearoa/New Zealand consensus "Darlington Statement" by intersex community organisations and others. The statement calls for legal reform, including the criminalisation of deferrable intersex medical interventions
Intersex medical interventions, also known as intersex genital mutilations (IGM), are surgical, hormonal and other medical interventions performed to modify atypical or ambiguous genitalia and other sex characteristics, primarily for the purposes ...
on children, an end to legal classification of sex, and improved access to peer support.
In October 2021, both the Star Observer
The ''Star Observer'' is a free monthly magazine and online newspaper that caters to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities in Australia. Since 20 June 2019 the ''Star Observer'' is owned by media company Out Publicatio ...
and the ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
reported that the Victorian government plans to legally ban intersex surgery on babies and infants. No bill has been formally introduced yet.
Gender-neutral bathrooms
In April 2021, all workplaces within Victoria under an order-in-council
An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''Kin ...
are legally required to have policies of gender-neutral bathrooms access to be provided for any individual - regardless of sex or gender identity.
In September 2021, the Victoria Youth Parliament passed a bill to implement gender-neutral bathrooms and toilets. The Victorian Youth Minister and MP Ros Spence
Rosalind Louise Spence (born 16 December 1970) is an Australian politician. She has been a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since November 2014, representing Yuroke from 2014 to 2022, then Kalkallo from 2022 onwards.
...
has the final say on whether it becomes officially and formally Victoria legislation.
Victoria police trust
In November 2021, it was reported and revealed that 80% or 4-in-5 individuals of the LGBTIQ community do not trust the Victorian police within surveys.
Grants funding
In May 2024, the Victorian Government announced 800k grants funding to several LGBTIQ community organizations and charities within Victoria.
/ref>
Summary table
See also
* Transgender rights in Australia
Transgender rights in Australia have legal protection under federal and state/territory laws, but the requirements for gender recognition vary depending on the jurisdiction. For example, birth certificates, recognised details certificates, and dr ...
* Intersex rights in Australia
Intersex rights in Australia are protections and rights afforded to intersex people through statutes, regulations, and international human rights treaties, including through the ''Sex Discrimination Act 1984'' (Cth) which makes it unlawful to d ...
* LGBT rights in Australia
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Australia have advanced over the latter half of the twentieth century and early twenty-first century to make Australia one of the most LGBT-accepting countries in the world, with opinion ...
* LGBT rights in Queensland
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Queensland have advanced significantly from the late 20th century onwards, in line with progress on LGBT rights in Australia nationally. Private consensual sex between men has been lega ...
* LGBT rights in New South Wales
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the Australian state of New South Wales have most of the same rights and responsibilities as heterosexual cisgender people.
Laws regarding sexual activity
Private consensual sex betw ...
* Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey
The Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey was a national survey designed to gauge support for legalising same-sex marriage in Australia. The survey was held via the postal service between 12 September and 7 November 2017. Unlike voting in e ...
* Same-sex marriage in Australia
Same-sex marriage in Australia has been legal since 9 December 2017. Legislation to allow same-sex marriage, the ''Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017'', passed the Australian Parliament on 7 December 2017 and receiv ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lgbt Rights in Victoria (Australia)
Rights
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical the ...
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
Victoria (state) law