Australia State to Modernize Consent Law
365Gay.com,
May 6, 2003
By Peter Hacker, Sydney, Australia Bureau
Sydney—The government of New
South Wales has announced plans to harmonize age of consent laws for gay sex
with the rest of Australia.
NSW and the Northern Territory still make it illegal for
gays to have sex under the age of 18. In the rest of Australia the age of
consent for both gay and straight sex is 16 in the Capital Territory and 17
elsewhere.
A 1998 attempt to modernize the law was voted down in the
upper house by 20 votes to 19.
“This is not a radical proposal,” Attorney-General
Bob Debus told parliament.
“It’s a reform that would see NSW simply catch up
with other states and jurisdictions around the world.”
Labor and Liberal MPs will be allowed a conscience vote
“Studies have shown that young gay men are 300 per cent
more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers,” said Debus.
But Christian Democrat MP Gordon Moyes said lowering the
age of consent would only allow more sexual assaults on children.
The AIDS Council of NSW (ACON) also embraced the move,
calling it overdue.
“Equal age of consent will help reduce barriers for
young gay men accessing sexual health services including information about
HIV/AIDS and safe sex resources,” ACON president Adrian Lovney said.
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