Page 1919 - Week 07 - Thursday, 13 August 2020
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
self-esteem and social isolation. Survivors report that it can take an entire lifetime to undo the damage caused.
Conversion practices are not supported in the medical or psychological professional communities. These practices have been condemned by peak national medical bodies, including the Australian Medical Association, the Australian Psychological Society and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.
The ACT government is committed to the prevention of harm and supporting equality and diversity within our territory. As part of this commitment, we are working to make Canberra the most LGBTIQ+ welcoming and inclusive city in our nation.
In keeping with these objectives, Meegan Fitzharris, the former minister for health, committed to a conversion practices ban in 2018, and in the first action plan made under our capital of equality strategy the ACT government committed to banning conversion practices by the end of 2020. This bill delivers on these commitments.
To ensure that this legislation will operate effectively in practice, the ACT government has engaged with stakeholders across the education, disability, religious, health, LGBTIQ and legal sectors.
Acknowledging that this is an emotive and incredibly sensitive issue for many people, I express my deep gratitude to all who have engaged with us, across the spectrum of opinion, in this process. But most particularly I acknowledge the survivors of conversion practices who have shared their stories with us.
Madam Speaker, this bill is not about banning religious expression. This bill is, though, about protecting vulnerable people from harm. The ACT government recognises that faith is an important part of many people’s lives, and we seek to create a community where LGBTQ people can practise their own faith in a way that includes and supports them in a safe way.
With the passage of this bill, religious individuals and institutions will still be able to teach their faith and provide guidance on how to abide by religious tenets. They will only be prohibited from carrying out those practices directly targeted at changing an individual’s sexuality or gender identity. This prohibition aims to prevent harm caused by conversion practices to people who do not consent to them or who consent on the basis of misleading or deceptive claims about the efficacy of conversion practices, which are thoroughly discredited and have no place in a modern society.
Madam Speaker, this bill vests the ACT Human Rights Commission with a new complaints jurisdiction to deal with conversion practice complaints. In recognition of the right to privacy and the right of individuals to practise their religious beliefs, only an aggrieved person, or their agent, can bring a complaint to the commission. This means that an individual who has chosen to be subject to conversion practices can make their own choice as to whether to make a complaint about the practice. The commission will also be able to conduct a commission-initiated consideration if that is appropriate in the circumstances.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video