Page 3918 - Week 12 - Thursday, 29 October 2015
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Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
Spent Convictions (Historical Homosexual Convictions Extinguishment) Amendment Bill 2015
Debate resumed from 17 September 2015 on motion by Mr Corbell:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
MR HANSON (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (5.44): I indicate that the opposition will be supporting this legislation today and may I say that I am very pleased to do so. It deals with extinguishing spent convictions for historical homosexual convictions. In my view, and I am sure that of everyone in this place, there should never have been any convictions in the first place. However, that is a matter of record. I am sure that for all of us it is abhorrent to think that any of our friends or our colleagues could be convicted simply for being gay.
This is a good action here in the Assembly. I do not know how many people will be affected by this legislation but, to be frank, I do not care. I am very happy to support this legislation to send a very clear signal that this should never have occurred and that we are very proud to be able to make this stand in the Assembly today.
I commend the government for bringing this forward. I thank the minister for bringing this forward. I am sure for many of us this is an issue that we would ruminate on. I acknowledge, Chief Minister, that this is an issue that I can understand you feel passionately about, and rightly so. Chief Minister, on this issue, and with your team for bringing this issue forward, we stand united as an assembly.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Urban Renewal and Minister for Tourism and Events) (5.46): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his generous remarks and for his support of this legislation.
I know this is a significant piece of legislation for a number of people. I agree and echo Mr Hanson’s comments in relation to not being absolutely certain as to how many people will be impacted by this, but I do know that, for those who are, the passage of this legislation today represents another significant step forward for this community.
When I became Chief Minister I indicated a very strong passion to ensure that this city is the most LGBTI-friendly city in Australia. We are supporting a range of activities that will enhance that reputation and we are continuing what has been now a decade-long process of law reform in order to ensure that our city’s statute books are fair and that those last vestiges of discrimination have been removed. It has been
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