Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I'm proud to have been named the Australian Greens LGBTIQA+ spokesperson. I take on this role at a time of great challenge for the community. To quote Alastair Lawrie, a hugely respected advocate:

There has been a disturbing rise in anti-LGBTIQ prejudice, including hate speech as well as threats of intimidation and violence …

Alastair notes:

The Commonwealth Government has been missing in action on anti-LGBTIQ extremism.

One example of that is its failure to appoint a LGBTIQA+ human rights commissioner. While Labor speaks a lot about support for social cohesion and has rightly spent tens of millions of dollars on the safety of faith communities in Australia, it has been silent on extremist attacks on LGBTIQA+ events and has failed to invest the same kind of money protecting the safety of LGBTIQA+ people. It has also failed to keep its promise to prohibit discrimination against LGBTIQA+ people by faith based schools and services, a decision that sends the message that mistreating LGBTIQA+ Australians is okay.

After marriage equality, LGBTIQA+ Australians and their allies had the legitimate hope that things would get better. They have not. In my new role, I will work to restore that hope. Tasmania was the last state to decriminalise homosexuality, but it now has some of the best LGBTIQA+ laws and policies in the world. We face the challenge of anti-LGBTIQA+ discrimination head on, and Tasmania is a far better place for having done so. I'm going to bring that Tasmanian spirit to my new role and will work to finally end discrimination against queer folks and right some of the egregious wrongs of the past.