Queensland to clear historic gay sex offences under proposed law
Men previously convicted of gay sex offences in Queensland, Australia could soon apply for their crimes to be wiped from their records.
The Queensland Government has put forward draft laws which will allow individuals to apply to remove the convictions.
The law would allow men historically punished for ‘gross indecency’ for engaging in homosexual acts to have their convictions expunged, and would also stretch to certain crimes against ‘public morality.’
Homosexual sex between consenting male adults was only legalised in Queensland in ’91.
Other governments within Australia already have similar expungement rules in place, and Queensland follows New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory in introducing similar legislation.
Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath announced the proposed bill in Parliament today, after the Government referred the issue to the Queensland Law Reform Commission in January.
Ms D’Ath told Parliament the legislation would be introduced in “the early part of 2017” after undergoing a period of consultation.
“This is a chance for some closure for Queenslanders who continue to be hurt by the legacy of decades-old discrimination,” she said.
“As a Parliament we should apologise to those Queenslanders for these historic wrongs and for the hurt that followed them in the decades since.”
Ms D’Ath said applications would be considered “against available official records and appropriate criteria”.
