*Age Of
Consent & Legal Sexual Activity for the State of
25th May 2010 Letter from Opposition
Leader John-Paul Langbroek. In response to my 10th May 2010
letter to each individual Member of Parliament which included a copy of the 3rdFebruary 2010
statement by Michael Kirby. NOTE: Mr Langbroek writes that the Liberal/National Party
views the unequal age of consent as being fair, because it technically applies
to any person. That misperception was an
intended consequence of the original Section 208 and 209 re-wording of the
Criminal Code in the Bill which decriminalised sex between men in November
1990. Anal intercourse had traditionally been a virtual synonym for “homosexual
sex” and that’s precisely why the Parliamentary Criminal Justice Committee made
the following majority Recommendation in their 1990 Report No 2, on Reforms In
Laws Relating to Homosexuality: “RECOMMENDATION 7:
THE AGE OF CONSENT FOR HOMOSEXUAL ACTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF SEXUAL
EQUALITY AND ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BE THE SAME FOR MALES AS IT IS FOR FEMALES,
IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER THE SEXUAL ACT IS HETEROSEXUAL OR HOMOSEXUAL.”
View
a 150dpi jpg image scan of the original letter here (300k)
Text via OCR:
John-Paul Langbroek
Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Liberal National Party
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Mr John Frame
Queer Radio
82 Main Avenue
Wavell Heights 4012
Queensland
Dear Mr Frame,
I refer your recent letter received in my office on 18 May 2010.
Thank you for writing to me to express your thoughts in relation to the laws
governing the sexual age of consent in Queensland. I appreciate this is an
issue which deeply concerns many Queenslanders. Your submission provided
several points of interest and I have taken on board your comments and views on
this matter.
However, the LNP has no policy to change the laws governing the age of consent;
and no such policy is on the table for discussion.
Further, we do not accept the assertion that Section 208 of the Queensland
Criminal Code of 1899 is specifically prejudicial to gay men, as the
legislation clearly refers to the specific act of sodomy as unlawful, without
commenting on the sex or sexual orientation of the ‘person’ performing it. In
particular, in subsections (1) (b) and (1) (d) the code nominates that under
the law, the offence may apply to ‘him or her’. Taking this exact reference to
both males and females into account, we believe that the law, as written,
pertains to all persons under the age of eighteen equally.
Once again, I appreciate the effort you have taken to bring your views on this
important matter to my attention.
Yours sincerely
JOHN-PAUL LANGBROEK MP
Member for Surfers Paradise
Leader of the Opposition
JPL:cc
Address: Parliament House
Alice Street Brisbane
Queensland 4000
Australia
Telephone: (07) 3406 7997
Facsimile: (07) 3221 1496
Email: leader@opposition.qld.gov.au