Vicki Ward On VIC’s New Anti-Vilification Bill, LGBTQIA+ Protections & A Fair Go For All
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‘Vicki Ward On VIC’s New Anti-Vilification Bill, LGBTQIA+ Protections & A Fair Go For All ‘ is an op-ed by Victorian Minister for Equality Vicki Ward.
Last week the Labor Government in Victoria passed nation-leading anti-vilification reforms.
More than 11 per cent of Victorians identify as part of the LGBTIQA+ community – our family members, neighbours, friends and colleagues. Yet we see divisive and mean-spirited rhetoric around LGBTIQA+ people and their rights in sections of our community, occasionally right in the heart of our Parliament.
Certainly, we are at a crossroads as a state and a nation with our fundamental Australian values of the ‘right to a fair go’ being tested.
As I visit communities across Victoria, I hear the stories of LGBTIQA+ Victorians, some of which are heartbreaking; young people afraid of being harassed at school, parents who lie awake worrying about the affects of hateful words on their children, trans and gender diverse people who have felt unsafe in their communities because of their gender expression.
The ugly retreat from inclusion unfolding across the United States is a warning to us all about how quickly rights can be lost, particularly how trans and gender diverse communities can be weaponised for no purpose other than an increasingly harmful culture war.
These fears escalate when a rebranded political party runs anti-LGBTIQA+ ads on mainstream television and on the front page of our major newspapers.
Despite this, a recent poll by RedBridge showed 89 per cent of Australians believe LGBTIQA+ people deserve to live with dignity and respect, while 86 per cent don’t want trans and gender diverse issues used for political gain.
The Labor Government here in Victoria believes something very simple and very powerful: Whoever you are, whatever faith you follow, wherever you’re from and whoever you love, you deserve to be safe in our state – free of hate.
This belief is at the core of our Anti-Vilification & Social Cohesion Bill. These reforms are needed now more than ever – and have been won off the back of decades of activism, community consultation, and a parliamentary inquiry.
We’ve ensured that protected attributes include race, religion, sex, sex characteristics, gender identity, sexual orientation and disability. These reforms also protect people from vilification for associating with a person with a protected attribute.
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In Victoria, we’ve worked hard to build a society where everyone gets a fair go. We’ve removed barriers so that trans and gender diverse people can have a birth certificate that reflects their identity, and were the first state to establish a Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ Communities and a Minister for Equality.
It’s disappointing that Brad Battin’s Liberals missed the opportunity to join with the Parliament and make laws to protect Victorians from hate. I am sure many will long remember how they stubbornly refused to support Victoria’s diverse communities.
The culture-war infighting in their party room has overruled their belief in the rights of the individual.
Meanwhile, we’ve stood up to those who want to cause harm to so many Victorians.
Equality is not negotiable in Victoria. Whoever you are, whomever you love, whatever you believe in and wherever you are from, we will always fight for the dignity and respect you deserve.
After all, “a fair go” means nothing if it doesn’t include everyone.
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