Protect us from discriminationin NSW
Protect Us
In 2024, NSW Parliament passed the Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Act 2024 – the largest package of LGBTIQA+ reforms in the state’s history.
The passage of the Equality Bill brought NSW into the 21st century by:
- Removing cruel and unnecessary barriers to gender recognition;
- Protecting our community from unique forms of violence, including threats to 'out' a person's sexual orientation, gender history, HIV+ status or sex work;
- Parentage orders for overseas commercial surrogacy can be granted;
- Laws clarified to ensure being trans or gender diverse isn't a mental health condition;
- Protections for LGBTQ kids in state care legislated;
- Extra time to register a birth for babies with variation in sex characteristics legislated;
- Laws preventing sex workers from using funds to support others repealed;
- Allowing better recognition of rainbow families;
- Removing stigmatising language about HIV and AIDS from the law;
- And more.
Removal of reforms
To secure the support needed from the NSW Government for the Act to pass the parliament some parts of the legislation were removed, including discrimination protections for staff and students in religious and private schools.
There is currently a review of NSW anti-discrimination law underway that provides an opportunity to achieve this reform as early as 2025.
Equality Australia has already made a submission to this inquiry and will continue to work to ensure that we are all protected, equally. We will also be working to ensure the full implementation of the Equality Act.
