LGBTIQA+ rights group Just.Equal Australia has released its wish list for the 2025 federal election.
The group has written to the major parties and independents seeking commitments to a range of reforms.
Spokesperson, Brian Greig, said the current government had failed to act on many issues they committed to ahead of the last election.
“The Albanese Government has failed to act on reforms it promised before the last election including a ban on LGBTIQA+ discrimination in religious schools and the appointment of an LGBTIQA+ Human Rights Commissioner.”
“Meanwhile, we are concerned Peter Dutton’s Coalition may go down the path of the Trump Government by persecuting trans and gender diverse people and rolling back existing reforms.”
“That is why we are seeking commitments, not only to a raft of overdue reforms but also to not rolling-back existing protections.”
Greig said the list of priorities comes from Just.Equal’s repeated surveys of the LGBTIQA+ community’s priorities.
Among Just.Equal’s election priorities are:
- A prohibition on discrimination against LGBTIQA+ people in faith-based schools and services
- A prohibition on anti-LGBTIQA+ vilification
- An LGBTIQA+ human rights commissioner and an Equality Minister
- No roll back of existing legislative rights and protections, regulations or programs
- No roll back of gender affirming care for young trans and gender diverse people
- A public campaign to challenge rising discrimination and hate against LGBTIQA+ people
- Counting all trans and intersex people in the Census
- Support for legislation to protect the human rights of children with innate variations of sex characteristics in medical settings
- Support for legislation prohibiting all conversion practices
- Medicare rebates for gender affirmation treatments
- Medicare rebates for commissioning parents in surrogacy arrangements
- The removal of the current ban on blood donation by sexually-active gay men, and bisexual men and trans women who have sex with men
- The establishment of LGBTIQA+ reference groups in health, education and across the whole-of-government with a transparent, merit-based nomination and selection process
- A national Human Rights Act
The federal election is expected to be in May, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has not announced the specific date yet.
