*Age Of Consent & Legal Sexual Activity for the State of
12th
August 2005 Email
to the Attorney-General Linda Lavarch referring to the May 2005 Non-Government
Report on the Implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights Of
the Child In Australia which clearly calls
for reform of the Queensland Sodomy Law. I also point out that the National Children’s & Youth Law Centre have been lobbying for our state to join the rest
of Australia in setting 18 as the age of an adult under criminal law (currently
it is 17 in Queensland). I suggest that these two reforms are linked in that
they help protect and support youth and that they should be enacted
simultaneously.
----- Original Message -----
From: John Frame
To: Attorney-SMTP
Sent:
Subject: further information re request for
meeting on Sodomy Law reform
To the attention of Hon Attorney-General Linda Lavarch MP,
(Cc to James McDougall ncylc@unsw.edu.au of the National Children’s & Youth Law Centre)
I refer to my telephone calls to your office on
Significant information came into my hands yesterday in that support for this reform is also clearly expressed in the May 2005 "Non-Government Report on the Implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights Of the Child In Australia":
http://www.ncylc.org.au/croc/images/CROC_Report_for_Web.pdf
That Report refers to concern on the Queensland Age Of Consent and the Sodomy Law on page 8:
"Age
of consent
The discrimination faced
by gay and lesbian young people was raised during the consultation process for
this report.
makes all sexual contact
with a person under the age of 16 illegal, with one exception - anal
intercourse, for which the
age of consent is 18
years of age. The law is expressed without any reference to gender. However,
advocates are
concerned at the level of
ignorance in the community about the law and the level of community belief that
homosexuals
have a different age of
consent."
with the Recommendation:
"That State, Territory and Federal Governments review relevant anti-discrimination legislation to ensure that the right to freedom from age discrimination in all areas of life is protected. That the Federal Government review and repeal exemptions currently included in Age Discrimination Act 2004 (Cth) that permit age discrimination across a vast range of areas and conduct an education program specifically targeted at children. That states and territories give urgent consideration to revising the relevant education and Anti-Discrimination Acts to require that private schools be subject to State and Commonwealth antidiscrimination legislation."
I have also become aware
that the National Children’s & Youth Law Centre http://www.ncylc.org.au
have been calling for the Queensland Government to reform the Criminal Code to
bring the age of an adult under Criminal Law in line with every other
Current Queensland Law
presents the appalling situation where a 17 year old who chooses to engage
in anal intercourse may face criminal conviction under
I urge you to consider a Amendment to the Criminal Code which simultaneously eliminates the Sodomy Law and raises the age of an adult to 18. Both of these reforms are long overdue, urgently required and are justified on the grounds of equity alone.
I look forward to receiving your advice as to when a representative group meeting can be arranged or alternatively your advice that a meeting is not necessary due to the impending enactment of these reforms.
I note that my e-petition, which drew 740 signatories, has been officially tabled and forwarded to you for attention. I attended the Public Gallery of Parliament on the morning of Tuesday 9th August hoping to witness the presentation. I look forward to reading your response to that e-petition.
With sincere regards,
John
Frame
presenter
of Queer Radio www.queerradio.org
on community radio 4ZZZ fm102.1
Ph: 07 3350 1562 / 0409 501 561
Post:
Full Queensland Sodomy Law Reform details and correspondence are stored at www.queerradio.org/AgeOfConsent.htm
----"There is no substitute for equality"----