Protect us from discriminationin NSW

Protect Us

40 years after the decriminalisation of homosexuality, NSW still has some of the worst laws in the country for LGBTQ+ equality.

In 2024, NSW Parliament passed the amended LGBTIQA+ Equality Bill – the largest package of LGBTQ+ 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;
Allowing better recognition of rainbow families, and;
Removing stigmatising language about HIV and AIDS from the law.

Removal of reforms

Unfortunately, to guarantee the support needed from the Government for the Bill to pass, some reforms, including discrimination protections for staff and students in religious and private schools had to be removed.

There is currently an independent review underway that will examine NSW discrimination laws and provide an opportunity to achieve this reform as early as 2025.

Equality Australia will continue our work to ensure that we are all protected, equally.