Human Rights review: submissions asked from LGBT community
Sunday March 29, 2009

Human Rights review: submissions asked from LGBT community

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Currently the human rights review chaired by Frank Brennan is touring the country. It has been put to me forcefully, for example by Dr Alan Berman, that LGBT people ought to be engaged in the process and advocate for a bill of rights or a charter of rights, because LGBT people have been and continue to be discriminated against.

In the last few days I received an email from “Alanah” which I set out below. It speaks for itself.

Alanah’s email

Hello,

The Human Rights Commission is currently taking submissions for human rights needs. They compile and refer these submissions to the federal government for possible law amendments.
The GLBTI community needs to have their voices heard.

I am asking that you ask each member to submit a submission saying the current marriage laws contravene anti-discrimination laws (treating a person less favourably based on their sexuality) and deny a large portion of Australians access to a basic human right (the right to get married).
Please have your members reiterate that we are not asking for access to religious ceremonies, we are asking for the basic legal right to have an authorised, recognised, legal marriage.
Marriage is a basic human right, and it is discriminatory to exclude access to this on the basis of sexuality.

We need as many submissions as we can get in order to have our voices heard.This is an excellent opportunity. Submissions do not need to be long or professionally written (can be a paragraph).

They are due by the 15th of June and can be written and submitted via this website:
https://www.humanrightsconsultation.gov.au/www/nhrcc/nhrcc.nsf/Page/HaveYourSay_SubmissionForm
Thank-you.
Regards,
Alana

Request an Appointment
Fill in the form below to find out if you have a claim.
Request an Appointment - Stephen Page
Things to Read, Watch & Listen
Adoption From Foster Care: Why QLD Kids Are Missing Out

Why adoption has become “institutionally invisible” in Queensland

Queensland’s child protection system is facing an urgent and deeply troubling question: why are children who cannot safely return home being left in state care for years, often moving from placement to placement, without genuine consideration of adoption? The recent Child Safety Inquiry has put that question squarely on the table. Its findings are confronting.… Read More »Why adoption has become “institutionally invisible” in Queensland

Sperm Donor Family Limits: QLD's Impact on Same-Sex Couples

Queensland sperm donor family limits explained

  Queensland’s new sperm donor family limits were meant to provide sensible safeguards for children conceived through donor treatment. Instead, Queensland Health has adopted an interpretation that appears to split a female same sex couple into two separate families. That position is difficult to reconcile with the law, common sense, and the lived reality of… Read More »Queensland sperm donor family limits explained

Surrogacy Agreements South Australia: Lawful or Unlawful?

South Australia surrogacy agreements: are they unlawful?

South Australia takes a distinctly narrow approach to surrogacy agreements. The issue is not simply whether a proposed arrangement is altruistic, or whether everyone involved has acted with the best of intentions. Under the Surrogacy Act 2019 (SA), the first question is whether the arrangement falls into the category of a lawful surrogacy agreement. That… Read More »South Australia surrogacy agreements: are they unlawful?

Family Law Section Law Council of Australia Award
Member of Queensland law society
Family law Practitioners Association
International Academy of Family Lawyers - IAFL
Mediator Standards Board