The Victorian government has announced that it will introduce legislation allowing men who have convictions for gay sex to apply to have their conviction’s erased.
Victorian Premier Dr Dennis Napthine made the announcement at the opening of the city’s Midsumma Festival. Dr Napthine is the first Premier to open the celebration in it’s twenty six year history.
“This is a good piece of legislation,” Dr Napthine said to reporters in Melbourne. “I’m surprised it’s taken this long but this is fair and reasonable.”
Homosexuality was legalised in Victoria in 1981 by the Hamer Liberal government. Prior to 1981 men could be charged with offenses including buggery and loitering for homosexual purposes. Many of the people charged with offenses would be classified as victims of sexual assault by today’s standards.
The conservative British government expunged all convictions for gay sex in September 2012.
In Western Australia homosexual sex was outlawed until March 1990, however the age of consent remained at 21 for gay men until 2002, when it was lowered to 16 years of age.
OIP Staff, image:stockimage/yaymicro/yuiyui
