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1998 Introduction Expected
Australian Anti-Bias Law Will Include TGs
By the Australian Associated Press
Contributed by Elizabeth Parker
CANBERRA
December 2, 1997
Laws outlawing discrimination on the basis of
sexuality would be introduced into parliament next year, the Australian
Democrats announced today.
The Democrat's Sexuality and Gender Discrimination Bill would be a
refined version of the Sexuality Discrimination Bill introduced two years
ago by then Senator Sid Spindler, and referred to the Senate Legal and
Constitutional References Committee last May.
Victorian Democrat Senator Lyn Allison said in a statement the new
legislation would include recommendations from the subsequent committee
report, tabled in parliament today. Senator Allison said the new bill would
ensure that no Australians were discriminated against in the key areas of superannuation, insurance,
employment, education, industrial relations or the provision of goods and
services.
"Hysteria and prejudice often accompanies these issues but in the end
what we've put forward is a simple and fair proposition - Australians
shouldn't be discriminated against on the basis of their sexuality," Senator
Allison said in the statement.
The committee report listed 32 recommendations to amend the 1995 bill,
including broadening the discrimination provisions to include harassment of
homosexual and transgender individuals, including transsexuals, and their
partners or of people perceived as homosexual or transgender.
The committee proposed a new gender-neutral definition of a domestic
partnership or relationship, to accomodate for same-sex couples, and that
all couples achieve legal recognition under the Commonwealth.
Rather than directly recommend changes to existing legislation though,
the committee called for a working group to be set up to review all
Commonwealth legislation.
The working party would give priority to social security, taxation,
superannuation, health and family services and family law matters
legislation with the view to amend it in line with the new sexuality
discrimination bill.
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