Equality Tasmania has accused critics of Tasmania’s proposed bill prohibiting conversion practices of not being serious about ending the deadly practices.
Anti-transgender and feminist group Women Speak Tasmania has released correspondence from state Attorney-General, Guy Barnett, in which he claims the proposed Greens’ bill risks criminalising conversations in families and prayers in church, and is the most extreme in Australia. Barnett asked “what exactly is the problem the Greens seek to fix?”
Equality Tasmania spokesperson, Rodney Croome said the problem is very clear.
“This bill is about prohibiting treatments that don’t work for a condition that doesn’t exist undertaken by people who aren’t qualified on victims who will be deeply harmed.”
“National and local studies, including research commissioned by Guy Barnett’s own government, show that 1 in 20 LGBTIQA+ Tasmanians are duped into conversion practices and that as a result they have PTSD and attempt suicide at 3 to 4 times the rate of other LGBTIQA+ people.”
“The problem the bill is trying to solve is that conversion practices purport to ‘heal’ vulnerable LGBTIQA+ people but actually deeply harm and sometimes kill them.”
Rodney Croome said the Tasmanian bill is made up of elements from existing legislation in other states where none of the problems Mr Barnett fears have come to pass.
“The Tasmanian bill is made up of provisions from legislation in Victoria and NSW where no-one has been convicted for a conversation or a prayer, as Mr Barnett claims would happen in Tasmania.”
“The sky hasn’t fallen in in the other states and it won’t fall in here either.”
“Mr Barnett’s conversion bill, unveiled in 2023, had so many holes it would have encouraged conversion practices rather than ended them.”
“His ill-informed attack on the key provisions of the current bill shows he isn’t serious about ending conversion practices and the harm they inflict.”
Equality Tasmania say it is concerning that both Barnett and Women Speak Tasmania have called for a further inquiry, despite a comprehensive Tasmanian Law Reform Institute inquiry released in 2022, and despite a consultation on Barnett’s bill in 2023-24, and despite the Greens’ extensive consultation on their proposed bill which has just concluded.
Croome said there was a a point that consultation just became a delaying tactic.
“There comes a point when further consultation is just about delaying what is an already overdue reform.”
“Tasmania risks being the last state to prohibit conversion practices just as we were the last state to decriminalise homosexuality.”
THe Attorney-General’s public declaration that he has concerns about legislation that would ban conversion therapy practices appears to put him at odds with Premier Jeremy Rockliff who has vowed to take action on the matter. The premier has said members of his team will be permitted to have a conscience vote on the issue.
Western Australia does not have legislation against conversion therapy, but Attorney-General Dr Tony Buti has committed to introducing the legislation in the near future.
