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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-11-12 Daily Xml
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Decriminalisation of Homosexuality

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (15:15): My question is for the Deputy Premier in his capacity as Attorney-General. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in South Australia, will the Attorney-General inform the council about the recent book launch he attended for co-authors Narelda Jacobs and Karina Natt on rainbow families?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Deputy Premier, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (15:15): Thank you, sir, and thank you for you stewardship of this chamber. It is remarkable—just remarkable. I want to thank the Hon. Reggie Martin for his question today. As we have talked about in this place, both during questions in question time and in a motion that was unanimously supported and had heartwarming contributions, it is the 50th anniversary this year of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in South Australia.

In this context, it was a distinct pleasure last week to attend the book launch of If Queers Weren't Meant to Have Kids…, co-authored by Narelda Jacobs OAM and Karina Natt and illustrated by Molly Hunt. This heartwarming book celebrates families of all kinds and is best described both as a satirical book for adults and a love letter to rainbow families. This beautiful picture book is a loud and proud celebration of chosen family, written by renowned Whadjuk Noongar journalist, presenter, commentator, speaker and MC, and someone I am proud to call a friend, Narelda Jacobs, and also Karina Natt, Narelda's wife, who is a communications specialist, a former lawyer and journalist, with illustrations by award-winning First Nations artist Molly Hunt.

The launch event was a fantastic night with lots of laughs and joy to celebrate an incredibly rich and resilient community. It added to the list of many important events that I and I know so many others have attended this year, as I said in the year that recognises the 50th anniversary of decriminalisation. I would like to acknowledge and thank Narelda, Karina and Molly and everyone else who was involved in bringing this book together for their continued championing of both Aboriginal and queer people's rights across the country.

It was particularly appropriate, as I have said, to launch a book that celebrates rainbow families in this year celebrating the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in South Australia, the first jurisdiction of Australia to do so. As we were recently reminded in this chamber, under the premiership of Don Dunstan and the Attorney-General in South Australia, Peter Duncan, a bill to abolish offences in relation to male homosexuality was introduced into this parliament 50 years ago. It also equalised the age of consent.

That much overdue reform followed in the wake of the tragic murder of Dr George Duncan. To think that such a hateful homophobic crime and the full decriminalisation of homosexuality happened only five decades ago is a stark reminder of how much our communities have had to fight for equality and basic safety but also how far we have come in that time.

I want to pay tribute to all those who continue to be a loud and proud voice for our queer community. I am proud to stand alongside and support them as a continuing voice for them in this place as well.

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