Ahead of International Human Rights Day, national lobby group, Just.Equal Australia, has highlighted the double standard of the Albanese Government appointing an international advocate for LGBTIQA+ human rights but still refusing to appoint a dedicated Australian LGBTIQA+ Commissioner.
International Human Rights is marked today and was first celebrated in 1950.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Penny Wong, has announced that former Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, will be Australia’s Special Envoy for International Human Rights.
The Foreign Minister said one of the areas Dreyfus would tackle in his new role was LGBTIQA+ rights on the global stage.
“As Special Envoy, Mr Dreyfus will renew Australia’s tradition as a global champion for human rights – a role we have played since we were an original signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
“In particular, Mr Dreyfus will take a special advocacy role for the abolition of the death penalty, as well as for the rights and protections of children, older persons, people living with a disability and LGBTIQ+ individuals – all issues on which Australia has a long record of international leadership.” Wong said in late November.
Just.Equal spokesperson, Brian Greig, described Australia’s “leadership” on LGBTIQA+ human rights as “weak”, and that as Attorney-General in the Albanese Government, Dreyfus had presided over a number of key failings in this area.
“Only last year the Albanese Government abandoned its promise to protect LGBTIQA+ students in faith schools. This was despite the inquiry from the Australian Law Reform Commission, which the Attorney General called for, recommending reform.”
“Mr Dreyfus has also repeatedly ignored calls for the federal government to appoint a dedicated LGBTIQA+ Commissioner to the Australian Human Rights Commission, despite this having been Labor policy in 2016.”
“It is a double standard for the Government to appoint an LGBTIQA+ human rights advocate to other nations but refuse to create the same role in Australia.”
In 2016 Senator Penny Wong said talked up Labor’s committment to an LGBTIQA+ Commissioner.
“The commissioner will address structural discrimination, work towards ensuring our schools, workplaces and communities are free from discrimination, continuing Labor’s tradition of removing discrimination and creating a more fair, more equal Australia.”
Greig said that almost a decade later this appointment had still not been made.
“The federal government has also been silent on the rising tide of hate-speech and vilification against transgender and gender diverse persons, and has failed to grasp the need for education campaigns to counter the harmful misinformation directed at this vulnerable community.”
“As we mark International Human Rights today, Just.Equal calls on the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Attorney General, to demonstrate the best standards of human rights by firstly applying them here at home.”
“As a nation we would be in a much stronger position to speak to LGBTIQA+ human rights overseas, if we first get our own house in order,” he said.”
Following Labor’s defeat at the 2016 and 2019 election, the party’s platform was significantly reworked with large sections on LGBTIQA+ rights removed before the 2021 election that saw the Albanese government come to power.
Not long after he was elected to the leadership position Albanese told OUTinPerth that he remained committed to the party’s goals for LGBTIQA+ rights despite it no longer being in their manifesto.
