Gender and Sexual Orientation

The majority voted in favour of a motion introduced by Greens Senator Janet Rice (Vic), which means it succeeded.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) a new political lobbying organisation called Binary Australia was launched this week,

(ii) this organisation is a rebrand of Marriage Alliance (MA),

(iii) MA, during the marriage equality debate, circulated misleading and damaging material about transgender and gender diverse Australians,

(iv) the organisation has stated that they will target and campaign against critical and life-saving anti-bullying and LGBTIQ+ centered programs that work to protect LGBTIQ+ young people in schools, and

(v) since becoming Prime Minister, Mr Morrison has consistently attacked and devalued the rights of trans and gender diverse Australians, most recently in relation to Tasmania's proposed removal of gender from birth certificates;

(b) condemns the anti-transgender sentiment displayed by Prime Minister Morrison and organisations such as Binary Australia;

(c) commits to including transgender and gender diverse voices, particularly transgender and gender diverse people of colour and Indigenous people, in policy making;

(d) recognises the importance of anti-bullying and LGBTIQ+ centred programs for young people, including in schools, physical and mental health care services;

(e) supports the provision of essential health, social, cultural, and community services and programs for transgender and gender diverse people and their families, delivered with the meaningful input and involvement of these communities; and

(f) commits to:

(i) promoting standards for healthcare providers, that ensure transgender and gender diverse people receive appropriate treatment, and

(ii) ensuring that best-practice healthcare is widely available within the public health system without unreasonably long delays or waiting lists.