Labor
- General Overview of Same Sex Policies / Views
2007:
FEDERAL Labor
Gay Rights Group Welcomes a Labor Win
(26/11 Out in Perth (a Gay focus Website | " ... Gay rights group Australian Coalition for Equality has welcomed Labor’s election victory this week. Labor candidate Kevin Rudd defeated incumbent John Howard in the election for Prime Minister, and Labor picked up seats in both houses of Parliament. The Australian Labor Party has promised throughout the year to change the 58 federal laws identified by the Human Equal Rights and Opportunities Commission in their Same Sex: Same Entitlements report earlier this year and eliminate discrimination on the federal level against same sex couples. This platform consistently earned Labor better election scorecard marks then Liberals, who said they would consider changing legislation on a case by case basis.
.... The Australian Coalition for Equality said the election a Labor Government opens up greater possibilities for GLBTI law and policy reform.
Spokesperson, Rod Swift, said that ACE will work to ensure Labor acts as quickly as possible to implement its commitment to the removal of discrimination against same-sex couples in most national laws.
‘Australia has fallen far behind other western countries and now it’s time for us to catch up’, Mr Swift said. ‘As soon as a new Attorney-General is appointed we will seek a meeting to set a timetable for reform.’
Mr Swift said ACE is also keen for the new Government to establish formal liaison with the GLBTI community to oversee policy reforms in areas like education and health.
‘We want to ensure that Labor’s focus on health and education extends to removing discrimination against sexual and gender minorities in the nation’s class rooms and medical services.’
‘Our job will be to keep Labor to its promises, and to ensure it fulfills the great hopes it has raised for reform.’
(13
August 2004) Sexuality Vilification
- Labor Policy
“A Latham Labor Government will ensure
that gay and lesbian Australians are
given legal protection from discrimination,
harassment and vilification.”
Original Link: http://www.alp.org.au/policy/otherkeypolicies/samesexreform.php Note: This page no longer exists.
From
Senator Ludwig’s speech (main speech
for Labor) in the Senate on the Marriage
Amendment Act, 13 August 2004 :
Senator
LUDWIG (Queensland) (2.03 p.m.) —
. . . Extracts … “Let me recap on
Labor’s major commitments. The recent
focus solely on same-sex marriage,
as covered by this bill, has largely
ignored the extensive commitments
Labor has made to ensure that loving
and caring relationships within the
same-sex community are acknowledged
and respected.
Labor is committed to pushing ahead
with the reforms it prioritised in
consultation with representatives
of the gay and lesbian community well
before this Howard government bill
was even raised.
Only Labor will immediately introduce
antidiscrimination laws based on sexuality
and introduce protection from harassment
and vilification.
Only a federal Labor government will
deliver to same-sex couples equivalent
status to heterosexual de facto couples,
following an audit of all Commonwealth
legislation similar to exercises already
conducted by many state and territory
governments.
The
purpose of the audit is to identify
where, among the thousands of pieces
of Commonwealth legislation, discrimination
against same-sex couples exists. Labor
will then amend legislation to remove
discrimination against same-sex couples
in all areas such as taxation, social
security, superannuation and immigration.
2002:
Excerpts from a letter by Brendon Entrekin,
Vice-Convenor of
Gay and Lesbian Equality (WA) to The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), San Francisco, USA - April 23, 2002
" This is the single largest gay and lesbian law reform Bill in Australian history and will take Western Australia from being the worst State in Australia for gay and lesbian human rights, to the best.
The legislation was passed by the Labor Government (elected last year in Western Australia), with the support of the Greens in the Upper House. A few dozen supporters burst into applause as they left the Legislative Council (Upper House) when the Bill passed on 21 March 2002"
Included in the Bill are measures that:
Equalise the age of consent at 16 for everyone (previously it was 21 for male-male sex and 16 for everything else);
Repeal the Decriminalisation of Sodomy Act 1989, which contains a preamble that states the Western Australian Parliament’s disapproval of homosexuality and a ‘proselytising’ clause that is based on Britain’s Section 28, and attempts to prohibit the promotion or encouragement of homosexuality;
Repeal the archaic Gross Indecency Law—that only applies to male-male sexual activity in a public place;
Include Sexual Orientation in the State’s Equal Opportunity Act 1984, prohibiting discrimination against homosexual, lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual people in employment, education, accommodation, sale of land, club membership, sporting associations, professional associations, trade unions and access to goods and services;
Allow same-sex couples and single people to adopt children (the first State in Australia to allow same-sex couples to jointly adopt);
Allow lesbians and single women who are infertile access to IVF treatment (they already have access to other reproductive procedures);
Allow a same-sex couple to be jointly registered as the birth parents of a child born through artificial conception to one of the women in a same-sex relationship;
Recognise same-sex couples for inheritance, State Superannuation (State public servants only), State Parliamentary superannuation and disclosure responsibilities, cremation decisions and human tissue transplant decisions; and other associated changes.
A further Bill is being introduced in a few months that will amend all other Acts and Regulations in Western Australia to recognise same-sex couples for all legal rights afforded to married and heterosexual common-law couples.
A Bill is also in Parliament that will allow same-sex couples access to the Family Court for property disputes and custody matters on the breakdown of a relationship. All other States and Territories of Australia come under federal legislation in relation to the Family Court, and same-sex couples are therefore generally denied access as the federal Howard Government has refused to extend access. Western Australia will be in a unique position to allow same-sex couples access to the Family Court due to it being the only State in Australia with its own Family Court legislation.
You can access the Bill that has just passed at www.parliament.wa.gov.au in the "Bills" section. It is the first Bill listed—the Acts Amendment (Lesbian and Gay) Law Reform Bill 2001. The Family Court Amendment Bill 2001 is also listed there.
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Gay Rights Group Welcomes a Labor Win
2007 Election: 
Labor is committed to pushing ahead
with the reforms it prioritised in
consultation with representatives
of the gay and lesbian community well
before this Howard government bill
was even raised.