Stephen Bates (Brisbane, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The LGBTIQA+ community has always been subjected to hate, threats and extremism. But my community is strong. We persist and stay true to ourselves and build community and family in the face of adversity. Twenty twenty-three has seen the hate, threats and extremism towards our community increase in intensity. We have witnessed a national hate tour and Neo-Nazi rally against trans and gender-diverse Australians, and attacks and threats of violence against drag story times and artistry. We are experiencing a storm of social media abuse and a harmful national debate about our right to simply exist and live with equality, respect and safety.

It is in this environment that the Australian Labor Party has released its draft national platform, one which proposes to significantly cut back on its commitments to protect my community. The draft platform removes Labor's commitments to introduce anti-discrimination, vilification and harassment laws on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics; expand health and support services available to queer Australians, including to remove barriers to gender-affirming healthcare services and to end discrimination against queer people when accessing the PBS, Medicare and other government services. It also removes the support to intersex-led organisations to provide support to intersex persons and their families and advocate on intersex issues, and to review documentation requirements, including the use of passports and birth certificates, as they affect transgender and intersex people.

Labor's purposeful omissions in updating its national platform should be condemned. It is also deeply concerning that these changes could be the basis of Labor introducing their version of the Morrison-era Religious Discrimination Bill next year. It is not enough for the Prime Minister to attend Mardi Gras earlier this year and to just wave a rainbow flag, to now withdraw support for our rights from the government's own national platform. This goes beyond disappointment. It is a complete betrayal.

As the Greens spokesperson for LGBTIQA+ issues, I am appalled by Labor's draft national platform. It comes as an insult, and particularly as it was announced on the first day of Pride Month. Our community deserves better than this government's erasure of our identities and struggles. This draft platform suggests that the Greens are the only party truly committed to advancing queer rights. These rights are non-negotiable. The Greens will always stand in solidarity against hatred and bigotry. We deserve to feel safe, respected and valued, living our lives treated as equals and free from discrimination.