On the evening of the 28^th of May, the NSW Parliament commemorated the 30^th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality. The “Matter of Public Importance” had the support of all sides of the NSW Legislative assembly with Independent Alex Greenwich, Labor’s Carmel Tebbutt, and Liberal member Bruce Notley-Smith all acknowledging the importance of decriminalisation and committing to further reform.

Independent Member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich, said:
 
“This historic milestone reminds us of how far we have come, and strengthens our community’s resolve to keep fighting”
 
“For decades LGBTI community leaders have worked tirelessly with MPs to bring about change for our community. This continues today, and thankfully we have a growing number of members of parliament standing up for the LGBTI communities”
 
During his speech Mr Greenwich called for an end to religious exemptions that discriminate against the LGBTI community and on the Sydney Morning Herald to apologise for publishing the names and outing the gay men and lesbian women arrested during the first Mardi Gras. Labor’s Carmel Tebbutt reflected on the contribution of the late Lex Watson and spoke about the need for marriage equality, and Liberal Bruce Notley-Smith shared the personal impact decriminalisation had on him and committed to legislation to expunge the criminal records of gay men charged prior to decriminalisation.  

The full transcript of the debate can be found HERE:
 
For further information contact Alex Greenwich on 9360 3053.