02 May 2023, 14:14
Victorian Legislative Council, Melbourne
Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan):
My constituency question is for the Minister for Equality. My constituent is a resident of the City of Kingston who was upset and disappointed that a children’s Easter event was shut down after a group of anti-LGBTIQ+ fringe activists threatened to stalk drag performers. In this instance the business owner and her staff were also threatened. This type of conduct appears particularly prevalent in south-eastern metropolitan Melbourne, where protest activity is organised online and has led my constituent to feel concerned for the safety of their friends in the LGBTIQ+ community. My constituent asks: how is the minister addressing the concentration of this fringe hate speech in the south-east?
Written Answer
Received: 11 October 2023
Hon Harriet Shing MP
(Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality)
The Government has reaffirmed support for LGBTIQ+ communities, by raising the trans and pride flags outside Treasury Place and announcing $900,000 to support eight organisations to respond to surging demand on their services due to recent events.
This funding to support LGTBIQ+ Victorians and their families will go to Mind, Transcend, Transgender Victoria, Switchboard, Zoe Belle Gender Collective, Thorne Harbour Health/Equinox, Rainbow Families Victoria and Drummond Street Services’ Queerspace. These services are available for those across Melbourne, including in the south-east.
Councils are also supported in making decisions in the interests of safety, following advice from Victoria Police. In response to these disruptions and protests, Victoria Police arranged a state-wide LGBTIQ+ Youth Event Safety meeting in April 2023 that was attended by 80 Council employees across dozens of Local Government Areas. The aim was to give councils advice on how to host LGBTIQ+ Youth events safely. By preparing adequate safety plans and risk assessments.
Victoria Police encourages event organisers to engage with local police as early as possible to ensure their events proceed safely and as planned. To streamline this process, a local event questionnaire/notification form is being prepared to help event organisers arrange police support or services for their event.
This support further builds on the work of Victoria’s nation-leading whole-of-government 10-year LGBTIQ+ strategy, Pride in our future, that is informing changes to laws and policies, strengthening state-based services, and supporting LGBTIQ+ organisations and events to drive meaningful change across the state.
A number of the recommendations from the Inquiry into Anti-Vilification Protections specifically relate to LGBTIQ+ communities, including extending Victoria’s anti-vilification protections (in both civil and criminal laws) to cover the attributes of race and religion, gender and/or sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression, sex characteristics and/or intersex status, disability, HIV/AIDS status and personal association.
On 2 May 2023, the Victorian Attorney General confirmed that the next phase of work to expand anti-vilification laws to protect LGBTIQ+ and other vulnerable Victorians from hate crimes will occur over the next 18 months.
Written Answer
Received: 23 January 2024
Hon Harriet Shing MP
(Minister for Housing, Minister for Water, Minister for Equality)
I thank the Member for South East Metropolitan Region for their question.
The Allan Labor Government stands with all LGBTIQA+ Victorians. We will always support you and respect you, and your safety is not negotiable.
The Victorian Government has reaffirmed its support for LGBTIQA+ communities and provided a $22.5 million investment in critical reforms in the 2023-24 State Budget. This investment will ensure Victoria’s ten-year LGBTIQA+ Strategy, Pride in our Future, helps to build a state where all Victorians feel safe, are healthy, have equal human rights and can live wholly and freely.
On 18 November 2023, I announced an Australian-first transgender and gender diverse hub and support centre in Melbourne. The hub is an inclusive space run by Transgender Victoria where trans and gender diverse Victorians can connect, empower and celebrate community. The hub was supported through funding provided to Transgender Victoria in March, as part of a $900,000 package to eight trans and gender diverse support organisations in response to an increased demand for supports following anti-trans protests and media.
We support Councils in making decisions in the interests of safety, following advice from Victoria Police. In response to these disruptions and protests, Victoria Police arranged a state-wide LGBTIQA+ Youth Event Safety meeting in April 2023 that was attended by 80 Council employees across dozens of Local Government Areas. The aim was to give councils advice on how to host LGBTIQA+ Youth events safely through preparing adequate safety plans and risk assessments. Victoria Police continues to engage with communities directly through the LGBTIQA+ Liaison Office networks to support local groups to put on safe events.
On 7 December 2023, the third annual Town Hall event ‘Keeping LGBTIQA+ Young People Safe’ will involve an open panel conversation about how Victoria Police engages with the LGBTIQA+ community now and in the future.
A number of the recommendations from the Inquiry into Anti-Vilification Protections specifically relate to LGBTIQA+ communities, including extending Victoria’s anti-vilification protections (in both civil and criminal laws) to cover the attributes of race and religion, gender and/or sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression, sex characteristics and/or intersex status, disability, HIV/AIDS status and personal association.
To further promote community safety, the next phase of work is underway to expand anti-vilification laws that would protect LGBTIQA+ Victorians from hate crimes. The Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) is considering feedback from a public consultation process on strengthening these laws, which closed in October 2023.
Hate conduct and vilification challenges the very core of Victoria’s social cohesion through its inherent divisiveness and unequal distribution of power and the Victorian Government firmly believes that vilification has no place in our community.
Victoria is an inclusive state where equality is non-negotiable.
[ENDS]
