*Age Of Consent & Legal Sexual Activity for the State of
From the website of Queer
Radio, the gay & lesbian
Community Radio program on 4ZZZ
fm102.1 in
Correspondence Summary List…
Items
are in reverse chronological order
- from the
most recent back to
Click the date of
each item to go to the FULL TEXT of that document (with hyperlinks to jpeg images of the original
documents):
12th April 2008 Email to Premier Anna Bligh and to Attorney-General Kerry
Shine referring to my 12th April 2008 email to the Courier Mail
and their 12th April
2008 cover story “School bans gay couples” (by Robyn Ironside).
The same journalist also wrote a complementary page 2 article “Teenagers well aware of
their sexual preferences”- which included the unequal age of consent.
12th April 2008 Email to Editor of the Courier Mail regarding their 12th April 2008
cover story “School bans gay couples” (by
Robyn Ironside). The same journalist also
wrote a complementary page 2 article “Teenagers well aware of
their sexual preferences”- which included the unequal age of consent.
3rd April 2008 Email to Editor of the Courier Mail (C.c. Premier Anna Bligh,
Attorney-General Kerry Shine, ADCQ Commissioner Susan Booth). "Bligh
should be as proud as Goss of our Anti-Discrimination Act". I refer to a recent statement on the ABC TV’s 4 Corners by former
Premier Wayne Goss that he counted the Anti-Discrimination Act as one of his
proud achievements as Premier. I point out that it is now nearly 3 years since
Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth wrote to the Premier
and Attorney-General calling for urgent equal age of consent reform. I state
that: “The Bligh Government ought to prove that it continues to respect and
take pride in our Anti-Discrimination Act by finally responding to the
Commissioner's recommendation - with the knowledge that they will be doing
a great good by allowing necessary legal equity for all Queensland youth.”
22nd March 2008 Email to Editor of the Courier Mail (C.c. Premier Anna Bligh,
Attorney-General Kerry Shine) regarding the
19th January 2008
Email to all
5th December 2007
Letter from
Premier Ana Bligh in response to my 26th October 2007 email. The problems with this letter are:
(a) it misrepresents the nature of the needed reform – which is in fact
about allowing equal support and protection for all youth at age 16, and
NOT about ”lowering the age of consent for sex between males”. This shows that the Government is as ignorant as those in
the general public who assume that the act of anal intercourse virtually
defines “sex between males”. The truth is that the current law makes anal
intercourse the only sexual activity
which is illegal for any person (of
any gender or sexuality) if aged under 18. Widespread ignorance leads many to
assume that ALL sex between males is illegal if either of them is aged under
18. A truly equal age of consent is
necessary in order to remove the current resulting discrimination against
same sex attracted youth and also to enable the maximum protection and support
of all youth.
(b) it does not address the two specific Equal Age Of Consent questions
which required urgent answers. They were:
1. "Exactly what are the specific reasons for the Queensland Government's failure to enact a truly equal age of consent, especially in light of the specific July 2005 recommendation (as repeated in full further below) by its Anti-Discrimination Commissioner that urgent action was necessary.
2. "Considering that it has been at least three years since every other Australian state and territory enacted a truly equal age of consent, by which year will Queensland finally allow that same vital act of equal support and protection for youth?
NB: On 7th January 2008 I phoned Deputy Chief
Of Staff Stephen Beckett’s office, hoping to discuss the above points. He was
not available. On 9th January 2008 I received a call from Jessica, a
worker in his office. She took details of my concerns and assured me that
someone with legal authority would phone me in the near future.
2nd December 2007 Email to ABC Radio 612 announcer Madonna King regarding
her blatant attempt to sabotage my “talk back” question for Premier Anna Bligh
on 30th November
2007 on the issue of Equal Age Of Consent Reform. On the eve of World AIDS Day, I particularly wanted The
Premier to address the fact that the current law actively impedes adequate
relevant safe sex education for 16 and 17 year olds. Sadly ABC presenter
Madonna King allowed The Premier to get away with an answer which was pure
obfuscation.
30th November 2007 Email to Premier Anna Bligh re her ABC Radio 612 dismissal, earlier this day, of my own
question on the issue of Equal Age Of Consent Reform. On the eve of World AIDS Day, I particularly wanted The
Premier to address the fact that the current law actively impedes adequate
relevant safe sex education for 16 and 17 year olds. Sadly ABC presenter
Madonna King allowed The Premier to get away with an answer which was pure
obfuscation.
Listen to the question and
response here as an mp3 ( 570k, 1m 40s).
Please note: Madonna King did
her level best to sabotage my question. On 26 October 2007 I had spoken off-air only with her show’s producer
and I was advised that they do not allow more than one question to the Premier
on any one topic – and that my only option would be to phone back on 30
November and take my chances with every other caller at getting to put my
question to the Premier.
I had asked:
"Regarding the fact that Queensland,
since 2003, it's been the only state or territory Australia which has an
unequal age of consent and that leaves Queensland's 16 and 17 year olds in a
situation where they're not getting adequate relevant safe sex education, why
is the Queensland Government not willing to change the law so that Queensland
16 and 17 year olds are treated with equal protection, equal support -
especially regarding HIV infection - as is every other youth around
Australia?"
I had clearly stated that 16 and 17 year old youth were not
getting “adequate relevant” safe sex education – I did not say that the current
law blocks all safe sex education. It
seems clear from the experience of both Peter R. On 26 October 2007 and myself on this day, that Premier Bligh cannot be
expected to give a straight answer to any question on this issue.
2nd November 2007 Email from the office of Hon. Attorney-General
Mr. Kerry Shine in reply to my 24th September 2007 email. The Attorney-General ignores the issue I had
raised of the increasing risk of HIV for youth as a result of the current law
and once again merely repeats the Government’s standard line of “no … plans for reform in
this area”.
1st November 2007
Letter from
Premier Ana Bligh – still no action. The Premier
acknowledges my 10th
October 2007 email in which I referred to
newly published data on increased incidence of HIV infection in
Premier Bligh notes the contents of my email but continues
Peter Beattie’s stance of leaving all responsibility for official decision
making on this matter with the Attorney-General.
26th October 2007 Email to Premier Anna Bligh re her declaration, earlier this day on ABC Radio 612,
that her Government is not even considering the issue of Equal Age Of Consent
Reform.
On 26th October 2007
Premier Anna Bligh spent just seven seconds on ABC612’s “Madonna King”
program dismissing a 19 year old gay
Peter of Taringa was told by the show’s producer that he
had to keep his question to the Premier succinct, so he asked:
“I was wondering when the Queensland Government was going
to change the age of consent laws between differing sexual activities from 18
for anal intercourse to 16 to be in line with vaginal intercourse?
Premier Anna Bligh’s response was:
“Peter, our Government has no plans to consider that
issue. So I guess that the answer to your question is that there is no time
frame because we have no plans in relation to that.”
When I heard this I immediately
phoned the ABC in the hope of asking Premier Bligh for exact reasons why her
Government is not considering this reform, but I was told that they do not
allow callers to ask questions on matters which had “already been dealt with”.
I then sent this email to Premier Bligh expressing my disappointment at her
display of indifference, and also posing the 2 questions that she needs to
answer in detail.
10th October 2007 Email to Premier Anna Bligh (C.c. Attorney-
General Kerry Shine and the Editor of the Courier Mail) referring to newly published data on increased incidence of
HIV infection in
The Government has been refusing
to commit to reform, and has also been refusing to declare why they won’t act -
claiming that “The issue of the age of consent is a vexed one and one
in which there are deeply held and opposing views.” (Attorney-General 22nd March 2006 )
24th September 2007 Email to our new Premier, the Honourable Ms.
Anna Bligh (C.c. Attorney- General Kerry Shine) urging
the announcement of a fixed time-frame for equal age of consent law reform –
ideally with a date of effect before 1st December 2007 (World AIDS
Day), in order to prove the Bligh
Government’s commitment to fighting the spread of HIV for all Queenslanders,
and their commitment to the equal protection and support of all youth.
31st August 2007 Email from the office of Hon. Attorney-General
Mr. Kerry Shine in reply to my 27th July 2007 email (to the Editor of the Courier Mail, C.c. to the
Attorney-General) in which I had quoted Peter Beattie from 1990 to support the
need for an equal age of consent to help prevent HIV infection of our state’s
youth. The Attorney-General advises “I agree that
we need to ensure young people have access to safe sex information, and an
attitude of openness, honesty and frankness will facilitate this.” However he then repeats the
stock Government line that “the issue of the age of consent is one in which there are
deeply held and opposing views. The Government has no plans to alter the
applicable law at this time…”
27th July 2007 Email – letter to the Editor of the Courier
Mail (C.c. to the Premier, Attorney-General and
Neil Roberts MP) – with the heading “Beattie
Government leaves
16th July 2007 Email sent as a “letter to the Editor” of the
Courier Mail (not published):
“National
same sex couples equity debated while
“While media has recently focused attention on the unequal treatment of same sex Australian couples, I believe that most Queenslanders would be outraged to learn that since 2003 we have been the only state or territory which does not allow equal treatment of our same sex youth.
In a 1990
PCJC Report, Peter Beattie declared his support for the majority
recommendation of a truly equal age of consent, so exactly when will his
Government enact reform to allow all
2nd July 2007 Letter to the Leader of The Opposition, Jeff
Seeney in reply to his letter dated 26th
June 2007.
Confirming the message delivered
in my 29th June 2007 phone call to his Parliament House office. I
point out that Mr. Seeney has clearly been given inaccurate advice regarding
the majority recommendations in the 1990 all-party Parliamentary
Criminal Justice Committee Report on Reforms in Laws Relating to Homosexuality. I include a copy of page 49 of that Report (pdf file page
52) in which Recommendation 7 is very plainly in favour of a truly equal age of
consent.
The text for Mr. Seeney’s letter
had apparently been copied (word for word in the last 3 of four paragraphs)
from a 24th January 2006 letter which was sent to me by Lawrence
Springborg (then Leader of The Opposition). In my reply I include a copy of the
27th January 2006 letter which I had sent to Mr Springborg. That
letter remains equally relevant in addressing, in detail, the Leader of The
Opposition’s assertion that no circumstance has arisen since 1990 to justify
any reconsideration of their position.
26th June 2007 Letter from The
leader of the Opposition, Jeff Seeney acknowledging
receipt of the DVD-Video/CD-ROM pack “6 Statements of Support for Equal Age Of
Consent Reform in
Mr. Seeney states that the
Nationals stance is that they do not support an equal age of consent. However he then wrongly claims
that the all-party 1990 Parliamentary Criminal Justice Committee (chaired by
Peter Beattie) had made a majority recommendation in Report favouring an unequal age of consent. Mr Seeney has clearly been given inaccurate
advice – because the Majority Recommendation number 7 of the Committee’s
1990 Report (on report page 49) was that: “THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT 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. (THIS PRINCIPLE IS
HIGHLIGHTED IN POINT ONE ON PAGE 60 OF THE COMMISSION’S REPORT.)”
I phoned the office of the Leader
Of the Opposition on Friday 29thJune 2007 to explain this factual error
in Mr Seeney’s letter – and I was advised that my message would be passed on to
Mr. Seeney, but that the attitude of the Opposition would be unchanged. I said
that I believed the Opposition are enititled to their opinion, but that it
should be based on factual grounds.
26th June 2007 Letter and DVD-Video/CD-ROM package sent to the Chief of Staff, The Courier
Mail newspaper. After receiving the 22
June 2007 letter from Attorney-General Kerry Shine advising continued inaction
on reform, I contacted the Courier mail by phone and sent them (by Registered
Mail) a detailed package of printed
information as well as the same DVD-Video/CD-ROM package as was sent to every
Queensland Member of Parliament. I wrote that “I believe that
Premier Beattie will be content to remain inactive on this reform, for as long
as he knows that there is no pressure from mainstream media. He should be
forced to explain exactly why his Government has been refusing to allow equal
protection and support of all
22nd June 2007 Letter from the office of Hon. Attorney-General
Mr. Kerry Shine in reply to my 18th May 2007 letter and DVD-Video/CD-ROM pack. The Attorney-General merely
repeats the Beattie Government’s standard line of “no … plans for reform in this area” – with absolutely no
justification for that inaction. This is in spite of the fact that the six
statements on the DVD made it very clear that the current law should be
reformed urgently because the law has a severe negative impact on the health
and well being of youth – and also because the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner
has declared that the law is blatantly discriminatory.
June 2007 A DVD-Video/CD-ROM
package entitled “6 Statements of Support for Equal Age Of
Consent Reform in
Since early 2000, when I started pursuing
this reform, the Premier and his various Attorneys-General have all refused (or
failed) to meet with a representative group in order to discuss the need for
urgent reform. So I decided to bring the people to them via the medium of
DVD-Video. Filmed between February and May 2007, the six contributors are Qld
Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth, QAHC General Manager Paul Martin,
Brisbane PFLAG President Shelley Argent, ARCQ spokesperson Rod Goodbun, Queer
Radio presenter Felix Kellett and psychologist/psychotherapist Tim Klein. I
believe that the combined statements constitute a compelling argument for
urgent reform.
This link
goes to the covering letter which was personalised for each recipient and below that you’ll find the image of
the cover art as well as all six
statements as embedded YouTube videos
– and links to each full transcript.
NB: The June
edition of
(click
the image for full text plus link to a full size jpg of the article)
18th May 2007 DVD-Video/CD-ROM package entitled “6 Statements of Support for Equal Age Of Consent Reform in
This file is the covering letter specifically worded for
the Attorney-General and includes the full video interview transcripts. I sent
this a couple of weeks before any other packs were made up because I had hoped
for a timely positive response of commitment to reform action. I received a letter from the Attorney-General’s Senior
Policy Advisor Paul Bini, dated 28th
May 2007, stating “The Attorney-General has asked me to advise you that he is
seeking further information and a full response will be forwarded to you
shortly.” No further response has been received from his office.
See full details of the DVD-Video/CD-ROM pack – including covert art and YouTube videos of all six
statements at: AOC_June_2007_DVD_CD-ROM_pack.htm
16th January 2007 Email to Hon. Attorney-General Mr. Kerry Shine acknowledging his 22 November 2006 emailed
message and urging him to accept the
consideration of an equal age of consent as being a totally separate matter to
issues affecting same sex couples. I advise that his department already
posesses all the arguments necessary in order to justify urgent enactment of an
equal age of consent. I am concerned that there would most likely be a very
prolonged process of consultation involved in identifying and justifying a range
of reforms which affect same sex couples (for example adoption, fertility
clinic access etc). An equal age of consent is a youth-specific issue, just as
is the age of an adult under Criminal Law (17 in
30th November 2006 Courier Mail article by feature writer Jane
Fynes-Clinton. In this detailed and concise feature, especially related to
World AIDS Day, Jane connects many of
the more important issues related to Queensland’s unequal age of consent –
including that the current law places youth at increased risk of HIV infection.
She personalises the story with bookended references to Keith Phillips, an openly
gay year 10 student at Alexandra Hills State High in
22nd November 2006 Email from newly appointed Attorney-General,
Hon. Kerry Shine acknowledging my more
recent emails and stating “I advise that at some point in the near future, I plan to
meet with groups interested in these and other same sex couple issues to
discuss them further.”
In the past six and a half years
of pressing the Beattie Government for equal age of consent reform, this is the very
first contact from either the Attorney-General or the Premier which expresses a
willingness to meet with relevant groups in order to discuss the issue. I hope this means that the Beattie Government is also
considering declaring a timeframe for action on reform. Urgent
action on reform had been strongly recommended in July 2005 by Queensland
Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth.
17th October 2006 Email to Premier Peter Beattie and Attorney
General Linda Lavarch directing their attention to the 16th October
2006 announcement by the Hong Kong Government that they will no
longer contest their High Court’s decisions that an equal age of consent for
sexual activity must apply to all citizens at age 16. I ask that the Premier
and Attorney-General find the Hong Kong decision to be inspiration for finally
enacting a truly equal age of consent of 16 in
*** a brief letter has been received from the Office of The
Premier, merely advising that this matter falls under the responsibility of the
Attorney-General. However in his several terms as Premier Mr Peter Beattie has
often enough been known to publicly declare that he would be instructing the
Attorney-General to take action in reform of the Criminal Code. He cannot claim
that his role as Premier precludes influencing the actions of the
Attorney-General.
8th October 2006 Email to Premier Peter Beattie (Cc
Attorney-General and editor of Sunday Mail) suggesting
a strong link between the negativity contained in the article “Teen failed for stand on gays” in the Sunday Mail on this
date and the current unequal age of consent (which exacerbates misinformation
and anti-gay sentiments).
*** a brief letter has been received from the Office of The
Premier, merely advising that this matter falls under the responsibility of the
Attorney-General. However in his several terms as Premier Mr Peter Beattie has
often enough been known to publicly declare that he would be instructing the
Attorney-General to take action in reform of the Criminal Code. He cannot claim
that his role as Premier precludes influencing the actions of the
Attorney-General.
10th September 2006 Email to Premier Peter Beattie and Attorney
General Linda Lavarch acknowledging the return
of the Beattie Government with a massive
majority and suggesting that can now feel safe
in enacting age of consent reform. I also point out that since there is no Hansard record of
any Member of Queensland Parliament ever speaking either for or against the
unequal age of consent, there is little likelihood of opposition to reform.
7th September 2006
Email to Premier
Peter Beattie, Attorney General Linda Lavarch and my local Member Neil Roberts highlighting a 6th September 2006 article in the Courier
Mail which states the high risk of suicide in same sex attracted youth. I suggest that, since we
all do know the definite link between oppression of same sex attracted youth
and the drastically higher rate of suicide for them, the very least the
Beattie Government can do is to immediately reform the one basic flaw in
current Criminal Law which is known to actively impede the acceptance and
support of same sex attracted youth - namely the unequal age of consent.
12th
June 2006 Email to all
31st May 2006
Letter from
Premier Peter Beattie – still no action. The Premier
acknowledges my 10th April 2006 letter and my 5th May 2006 email.
However he addresses not one of the issues that I had raised in those
communications – which had included asking how the Premier morally justifies
his inaction. I am advised that the Premier “appreciates your ongoing efforts to keep him apprised of
your views on this issue.” However the Premier
is well aware that these are not my views alone – they are shared by the
Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth, the management of the
Queensland AIDS Council, Brisbane Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays and
by 740
NB: I believe that the Premier perceives an advantage in
trying to portray me as being a “lone voice”. There is no doubt that the lack of community action is primarily due to the
current lack of a broadly focused local LGBT rights group, and to the almost
complete disintegration of university student action groups. The other major
problem is that there is only one statewide newspaper – The Courier Mail – and
their senior editors have so far refused to print any relevant article on this
overdue reform.
5th May 2006
Email to Premier
Peter Beattie (with C.c. to Attorney General Linda Lavarch and the Editor of
the Courier Mail) referring to Mr. Beattie’s
appearance on ABC Television’s evening news in
which he stated that he had been asked to comment on the inaugural Civil Union
of two women which was performed that day in the British Embassy, Brisbane. Mr.
Beattie stated that he supported equal treatment for gays and lesbians, but did
not support gay marriage. In my email I remind the Premier that his refusal to
enact an equal age of consent in
11th April 2006 Email to my local Member of Parliament Neil Roberts (Member for Nudgee) – regarding the 10 April 2006 letter which I posted to the Premier in reply to the Premier’s letter dated 5 April 2006. I included copies of both these letters for Neil’s reference, and I express my concern that “If the Labor Party doesn't care enough about youth to enact something as basic as an equal age of consent, then how can they be trusted to care about anything else in our community?"
10th April 2006 Letter to Premier Peter Beattie in reply to his letter dated 5 April 2006 which had suggested that the correct information which is displayed on the Youth Advocacy Centre website constitutes an effort made by his Government toward adequately informing the public in regard to age of consent and legal sexual activity. In my reply I advise that it was own persistence from July 2000 in lobbying the YAC which resulted in their decision to amend their displayed information in December of that year and that the YAC are not really a representative Government body.
I remind the Premier of other highly relevant points in
support of reform, including his own proven involvement in the history of the
Queensland Sodomy Law, and I ask “How can the
current law be considered moral or just? How can your Government justify its
ongoing failure to enact reform?”
5th
April 2006 Letter from Premier Peter Beattie – regarding the Youth Advocacy Centre. The Premier is
responding specifically to my 1st December 2005
emailed comment that “When I interviewed you on
In my 10th April 2006 letter of reply to the Premier, I detail why the Youth Advocacy Centre’s correct information is mainly a result of my own persistent efforts in 2000 – rather a result of any action by the Queensland Government.
22nd March 2006 Official Ministerial Response posted by
Queensland Attorney General Linda Lavarch to Parliamentary
E-Petition Number 421-05 (which was finalised on
In preceding weeks the Courier Mail had reported that Peter Beattie was actively negotiating with the conservative religious Family First Party to secure preference deals for the upcoming state election (hoping to split the conservative vote). Successive polls had shown the Nationals to be almost certain to win at the next election. Nationals Leader Lawrence Springborg has clearly stated that they will not support an equal age of consent.
21st February 2006 Email to Attorney-General Linda Lavarch – (with copy to local MP Neil Roberts) expressing concern that Beattie Labor must act urgently on Sodomy Law Reform while it still holds a clear majority of Members of Parliament. Today’s Courier Mail ran an article which states that the results of two recent polls indicate a landslide victory for The Nationals in the next state election (which may be as early as November 2006). When previously in power in ‘96/’97 the National Party not only reinstated the Sodomy Law, but also simultaneously changed the terminology (“anal intercourse” to “sodomy”), raised the minimum age (from 17 to 18) and doubled the penalties (from 7 to 14 years gaol). The Nationals leader Lawrence Springborg has clearly advised that they do not support any reform of the Sodomy Law.
7th February 2006
Letter from
Premier Peter Beattie which ignores the
vital matter of actually reforming the Sodomy Law and refers instead to a
consideration of whether or not the Government might have done anything to
educate the public effectively in regard to the current law. In my 1st December 2005 email I had written: “When I interviewed you on
27th
January 2006 Letter to
24th January 2006 Letter from
Mr Springborg also attempts to dismiss the validity of Sodomy Law Reform by claiming that “No circumstance has arisen since that time to justify any reconsideration of this position.” See my 27th January 2006 response.
19th January 2006 Email to all Queensland Members of Parliament – on the fifteenth anniversary of the commencement of the Sodomy Law I wrote to all MP’s calling for support of urgent reform and drawing their attention to the written opinions of support from Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth (15 July ’05), from Brisbane Parents & Friends of Lesbians And Gays (14 July ’05), from over twenty respected Community Groups (MidOctober ’05) and from 740 signatories to the Parliamentary E-Petition (tabled 9 August ’05).
1st December 2005 Email to Premier Peter Beattie on this World AIDS Awareness Day: pointing out that it is a sad state of affairs for the Beattie Government to persist with inaction on Sodomy Law reform, when they know that this law places youth at increased risk of HIV infection.
I refer in this email to my telephone conversation on
23rd November 2005 Letter from Attorney-General Linda Lavarch, in reply to my 20th October 2005 letter in which I had:
(1) requested an official Ministerial response to the
finalised Parliamentary E-petition
calling for Sodomy Law Reform, which had been referred to her office on
(2) requested a response to several earlier requests for a representative community group meeting with the Attorney-General.
However the Attorney-General’s response fails to address either of these points and merely reiterates that “the Government has no plans to alter the applicable law at this time.”
On the afternoon of the day I received this letter,
17th
November 2005 Email to Premier Peter Beattie referring to his statement in the ABC television special
“Political Football” (
2nd November 2005 Letter from
Shelley concludes by saying: “The AIDS Medical Unit,
HIV/AIDS Report of 2004, states that HIV and sexually transmitted diseases are
on the increase in
25th October 2005 Letter from Attorney-General Linda Lavarch, in reply to my 25th July 2005 email in which I had referred to the letters by ADCQ Commissioner Susan Booth15th July 2005, Brisbane PFLAG 14th July 2005 and I also welcomed a favourable response the Parliamentary E-petition which was just about to close at that time.
In this letter the Attorney-General acknowledges the key points and correspondence, but advises:
“I agree that we need to ensure young people
have access to safe sex information and that our laws operate fairly and
justly. However, the issue of the age of consent is a vexed one and one in
which there are deeply held and opposing views. The Government has no plans to
alter the applicable law at this time.”
24th October 2005 Emailed “letter” to
the editor of the Courier Mail in response to their feature article
“AIDS battle not yet over” (Jane Fynes-Clinton, CM 24 October 2005, P9). The
article addressed rising rates of HIV infection in
20th October 2005 Letter to
Attorney-General Linda Lavarch requesting a
Ministerial response to the finalised Parliamentary E-petition
calling for Sodomy Law Reform, which was referred to her office on
Mid October 2005 Community Services Group letter to the Beattie Government calling for urgent reform of the Queensland Sodomy Law.
Over twenty highly respected health and welfare community groups and organizations co-signed this letter which had been initiated by the (1) Open Doors Youth Service, (2) Brisbane Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays, and (3) peak HIV health body the Queensland AIDS Council. Troy Hakala of the Qld AIDS Council advises that the letter was posted to the five respective Ministers in mid-October.
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.
2nd August 2005 Email to
Attorney-General Linda Lavarch confirming my
25th July 2005 Email to the newly
elected Attorney-General Linda Lavarch asking for her favourable
support for urgent reform of the Sodomy Law. I inform her regarding the
important letter of opinion sent by Queeensland
Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth and of the Parliamentary
E—petition which will be presented in Parliament on
15th July 2005 Letter from
Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth to Attorney-General Rod Welford and to Premier Peter Beattie declaring that
The Commissioner concludes by stating that “It is now imperative that
14th July 2005 Letter from Brisbane Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays to Premier Peter Beattie calling for urgent reform of the Sodomy Law. This letter expresses the great concern of parents for the health and well-being of their same sex attracted children, just as for their heterosexual children – and highlighting the critical risks to same sex attracted youth which are perpetuated by the Sodomy Law. “PFLAG parents want the government to provide the same rights for our gay youth as our heterosexual youth.”
6th July 2005 Letter from Attorney-General Rod Welford, advising that he has considered my 21 June 2005 email and my 6 June 2005 letter with attachments in which I had highlighted the severe and increasing risk of HIV infection which is presented to youth as a direct consequence of the Queensland Sodomy Law. Regardless of the risk to youth, the Attorney-General reiterates that “The Government has no current plans to amend these laws.”
4th July 2005 Letter from Attorney-General Rod Welford, advising receipt of a forwarded email from Education Minister Anna Bligh ( she had advised me she would do this). I was given some hope by the Attorney General’s advice that “I have noted the contents of your email and will bear the information in mind in the context of any discussions I may have on the subject with my Cabinet colleagues.”
21st June 2005 Email to
Attorney-General Rod Welford, Premier Peter Beattie and Health Minister Gordon
Nuttall advising them that I had been interviewed on ABC Radio 612 by Steve Austin on
6th June 2005 Letter with attachments to Attorney-General Rod Welford, Premier Peter Beattie and to Health Minister Gordon Nuttall calling for urgent action on Sodomy Law reform in the light of two significant publications during May 2005:
(1) a Queensland Health announcement that HIV infection rates continue to climb in our state (by 19.% in 2004), and
(2) a detailed report by
(1) Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Hon Rod Welford (go to Word file copy)
(2) Health Minister Hon Gordon Nuttall (go to Word file copy)
(3) Minister For Child Safety Hon Mike Reynolds (go to Word file copy)
3rd June 2005<