I, and also on behalf of Senator Pratt and Senator Boyce, move:
That the Senate-
(a) notes that:
(i) today, 81 countries worldwide have legislation criminalising consensual same sex activities between adults, with over half of these countries being members of the Commonwealth (43 of 53 Commonwealth nations), and furthermore, 17 of these countries (of which 14 are members of the Commonwealth) are our near neighbours in the Asia Pacific region,
(ii) even in cases where discriminatory laws criminalising consensual same sex relations are no longer enforced, the decriminalisation of homosexuality is essential if lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people are to live lives of dignity and equality,
(iii) even where homosexuality is not a crime, LGBTI people still face violence, eviction from their homes, dismissal from their jobs and estrangement from their families - the enactment of anti-discrimination legislation would help to combat this,
(iv) international human rights law requires states to respect the freedom and dignity of all people regardless of their sexual orientation, intersex status, gender identity and gender expression, and
(v) the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status) Act 2013 (a bill introduced by Labor in 2013) contains measures to extend protection from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex status;
(b) recognises the efforts of activists and advocates internationally seeking to advance the human rights of LGBTI people, including the work of the Australian Kaleidoscope Human Rights Foundation in advancing the human rights of LGBTI people in the Asia Pacific region;
(c) calls on the Australian Government to take all available steps to:
(i) support the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality in accordance with the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
(ii) support and defend the human rights of LGBTI people around the world, and
(iii) support a Commonwealth charter which defends LGBTI rights in accordance with international law in all Commonwealth countries; and
(d) calls on the Attorney General to refer to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights a future inquiry on issues affecting the human rights of LGBTI people.
Question agreed to.
