The NSW government will this year introduce into parliament laws that ban gay conversion therapy practices after backlash from LGBTI+ groups who were concerned Labor was delaying the introduction of the legislation until 2024.
The proposed laws will help bring NSW in line with the rest of the east coast states, which have all got some form of ban on the practices.
While the government never claimed it was delaying the introduction, the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) had told its supporters in an email last week that the Labor legislation had “been put on pause” following pressure from the group.
In the email, the ACL said members had made more than 8000 calls to MPs expressing concern with the legislation, The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported.
Following the publication of the Herald article, the government put out a statement that said while the bill may not be voted on in 2023, the legislation would be introduced.
“The aim of this policy is simply to protect people from harmful and damaging practices, so it is important that we get this landmark legislation right,” the government said.
The legislation was an election promise by Premier Chris Minns, who has insisted on the government drafting its own LGBTI+ equality bill despite independent MP Alex Greenwich introducing his own bill to parliament earlier this year.
The government has not said why it will not support Greenwich’s bill, which would make gay conversion therapy illegal in NSW and ban discriminatory practices against LGBTI+ teachers and students in private schools.
Greenwich has continued to advocate for his own bill, and has welcomed the Minns government’s commitment to introduce a bill this year.
“Important social reforms like this should ideally be government legislation, and I look forward to working with the government to ensure it is as consistent as possible with my bill and passed as soon as possible,” he told the Herald.
Just this week, the heads of three peak gay conversion survivor groups wrote to the NSW attorney-general urging support for Greenwich’s bill, saying it “strikes the right balance and is sensitive to the needs of all affected stakeholders”.
An audit of more than 500 laws in NSW by Equality Australia recently found NSW ranks last in the country when it comes to LGBTIQ+ equality.
Equality Australia’s chief executive Anna Brown told the Herald she was happy the government would look at the legislation this year, but said that any Labor proposal must be robust.
“Any scheme to end conversion practices will only be effective if it is inclusive of all practices that seek to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including health and religious settings, and include a civil scheme focused on stopping conversion practices before they cause harm,” she said.
Gay Sydney News reporter