Tasmanian LGBTIQ advocates have written to Premier, Peter Gutwein, seeking his intervention after a Supreme Court decision refusing Ben Jago the opportunity to take a discrimination case about the failure of the Coroner to recognise him as his late partner’s next of kin.
Equality Tasmania has written to the Premier asking for an apology to Ben, redress for the trauma he has suffered and reform to the Coroners Act ensuring anti-LGBTIQ discrimination never happens again.
On Friday supporters of Ben Jago gathered outside the Coroner’s Office to show support for him and to protest against the Coroner’s discriminatory treatment of LGBTIQ partners.
Equality Tasmania spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said the Tasmanian Premier needed to act.
“LGBTIQ+ Tasmanians want the Government to apologise for what Ben has been through, redress for the trauma he has experienced, and amend the Coroner’s Act to ensure no-one else suffers this kind of mistreatment.”
“We have written to the Premier asking him to intervene decisively, just as the former South Australian Premier, Jay Weatherill, acted decisively when a same-sex partner who was visiting Australia was not granted next-of-kin status in that state in 2016.”
“Today’s action outside the Coroner’s Office showed the LGBTIQ+ community stands with Ben Jago, and refuses to accept the violation of our legal rights by any public official including the Coroner.”
Outside the Coroners Office Jago thanked everyone who has shown their support since the Supreme Court decision was announced. Rodney Croome said the Tasmanian Attorney-General, Elise Archer, had contacted him to arrange a meeting to discuss the case.
“We look forward to discussing our concerns with the Attorney-General”, he said.
Tasmanian same-sex partners have had equal spousal rights, including next-of-kin rights, since 2003. In the 2017 marriage postal survey, Tasmania returned a Yes vote for marriage equality that was above the national average.
Source: Media Release, Images: Rod Spark
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