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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-05-15 Daily Xml
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International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (15:28): I remind the chamber that this Friday marks International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). It used to be called IDAHO, but they added the BIT to the end of it to make it a much more inclusive day. It is indeed a lengthy name, but the message is pretty simple: no person deserves to be discriminated against for their innate characteristics and nor should they be targeted for daring to be who they are. Indeed, it takes quite a bit of courage, sometimes, to identify in the wider community who you really are inside, and that is a very important struggle that many people go through for many years, and some, Mr President, as you may well be aware, do not come to a result of that struggle until their later years of life.

I have spoken many times in this place about discrimination suffered by LGBTI people and, sometimes, discrimination suffered by elders in our community and the insidious effects that discrimination has on their lives. Also, I have meditated on the actions that we have taken as a community to fight that discrimination and what sort of actions we are expecting to take next.

One of the actions that I think we need to focus on in this state now is one of the most insidious and harmful practices that I have ever been exposed to being inflicted on the LGBTIQ people, and that is so-called conversion therapy. Last year, the Australian Human Rights Law Centre released a report entitled 'Preventing harm, promoting justice'. It was a detailed account of conversion therapy practices in Australia, particularly in Victoria, and gave recommendations on how to stamp out such practices in that jurisdiction. The report makes for some difficult reading. On page 30, it describes:

Media headlines have focused on the most immediate and shocking of conversion therapy practices including 'exorcism' and electro-shock aversion therapy. However, for most of our respondents it was the insidious and unrelenting ex-gay messaging that ate away at their wellbeing and self-worth.

The report describes so-called counselling and advice where religious counsellors would tie same-sex attraction or transgender identity to perceived trauma in a person's upbringing or other issues in their childhood. To be same-sex attracted or transgender, according to this mantra, is to have something wrong with you and that there must have been something done to you in your upbringing that is creating these symptoms that need to be stamped out and controlled.

Victims have described the self-hatred and shame they have felt because of this awful treatment. They were barred from their faith communities or they were made to live as if they were something they were not. That was the only choice that was given to them. Many were isolated from their relationships of any kind, other than with their faith community, which was harming their mental health. Too many suffered depression, thoughts of self-harm and suicide, and deep psychological scars.

The Human Rights Law Centre has documented the abuses of this so-called conversion therapy for the first time. We know that so-called conversion therapy continues to harm people right up to this day. Last month, I was pleased to host—'pleased' is not exactly the right word but I was honoured to host—a forum here at Parliament House where survivors of conversion therapy told their personal life stories. They explained to us just what it felt like to be told you were broken, that you were wrong and that you need fixing. They explained what it is like not only to be told that but to be made to believe it as well.

It has been heartening to see moves being made towards ending these practices in many jurisdictions across this country. Victoria has led the way under the Andrews Labor government, initiating an investigation by the Health Complaints Commissioner and pledging to ban these practices. New South Wales Labor was not far behind, taking a policy of banning conversion therapy to their recent state election. Most recently, the federal Labor Party has announced that a Shorten Labor government will outlaw these dangerous practices nationwide.

The contrast is pretty important. Federal Labor has acknowledged the facts laid out before them and taken a stand to prevent further abuse of vulnerable people. Compare this with the position of the Prime Minister, who last year said that conversion therapy was 'not an issue' for him. When pressed on the issue, after Labor's announcement, Mr Morrison would only say that it was not his problem and he wanted to leave it to the states and territories to decide. If that is the case, I hope there will be a change of government on Saturday so that the federal Labor Party can put in practice its promise to ban this outrageous abuse of people.

The Human Rights Law Centre's report contains a full page of recommendations for the federal government to take action against conversion therapy practices. The time for action on so-called conversion therapy practices is well and truly upon us. I note very happily that the Leader of the Opposition in this place has recently expressed his support for a review of conversion therapy in our state, as in Victoria, and for legislative action if required, which is the same model being successfully followed by the Victorian government. I look forward to a change of government on Saturday to implement a ban on conversion therapy and I look forward to us doing so in this state as well.

Time expired.

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