*Age Of Consent & Legal Sexual Activity for the State of Queensland, Australia - A campaign to remove our Sodomy Law (which was enacted in 1990).

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29th May 2009 Email to Premier Anna Bligh, Attorney-General Cameron Dick, my local MP Neil Roberts and to the Courier Mail. I point out that I have discovered that, since at least 2008, Queensland Labor’s official Policy Platform has included written support for equal age of consent reform: Section 7.9 of the Justice and Governance Chapter has been: "7.9 Labor will ensure uniformity of age among laws relating to the age of consent for lawful sexual activity;". Also on 18th October 2008 Queensland Labor’s Kingston Regional Conference officially called for the Attorney-General to act on that policy, but there was no response from the Attorney-General.

 

I ask “Since it is clearly Queensland Labor's own written official Policy to act on equal age of consent reform, when will the Queensland Government bring this state into line with the rest of Australia in allowing equal protection and support of ALL youth by amending the Criminal Code to define a truly equal age of consent?”

No response was received.


 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: John Frame

To: Attorney General ; Premier Anna Bligh ; Nudgee Electorate Office

Cc: cmletters@qnp.newsltd.com.au

Sent: Friday, May 29, 2009 3:14 PM

Subject: Qld Labor official Policy Platform is for Equal Age of Consent reform - why no action?

 

To: Attorney-General Cameron Dick, Premier Anna Bligh and Neil Roberts MP (my local MP)

C.c. the Courier Mail

 

Re: Qld Labor's official Policy Platform is for equal age of consent reform, why has there been no action or even a commitment to action on this reform?

 

Dear Premier, Attorney-General and Mr Roberts,

 

You will each be well aware that since early 2000, nine full years now, I have been coordinating community support for bringing Queensland into line with the rest of Australia in allowing equal protection and support of ALL youth through amending the Criminal Code to define a truly equal age of consent.

 

For the last few years the only responses I have received from you have repeated that you have "no plans for reform", and you have refused to offer any reasoning for that stance. You have also refused to be interviewed on the matter and refused to meet with any representative group. You have also refused to follow the clear July 2005 written advice from Qld Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth in which she called for urgent reform action. 

 

It has recently come to my attention that since at least 2008 in Qld Labor's Policy Platform, Section 7.9 of the Justice and Governance Chapter has been: "7.9 Labor will ensure uniformity of age among laws relating to the age of consent for lawful sexual activity;"

 

I note also that on 18th October 2008 Qld Labor's Kingston Regional Conference passed a resolution calling for the Government to act on that Policy - and the online record shows that a response is still outstanding:

 

 

 

Age of Consent for Lawful Sexual Activity


18 Oct 2008, Sent to relevant State Minister, Awaiting response

Kingston Regional Conference

 

 

Justice and Governance – pg 82 (Anti-Discrimination Legislation), Section 7.9

Given that the Queensland Labor – State Platform Document 2008 – states:

7.9 Labor will ensure uniformity of age among laws relating to the age of consent for lawful sexual activity;

this Kingston Regional Conference calls upon the Queensland Attorney-General and Minister for Justice to legislate within the term of the current Parliament to remove any anomalies preventing uniformity of age among laws relating to the age of consent for lawful sexual activity – as was recommended by the Parliamentary Criminal Justice Committee when it was chaired by Peter Beattie MP.

 

 

 

With all due respect I ask, since it is clearly Queensland Labor's own written official Policy to act on equal age of consent reform, when will the Queensland Government bring this state into line with the rest of Australia in allowing equal protection and support of ALL youth by amending the Criminal Code to define a truly equal age of consent?

 

The last attempt that Queensland Labor made to fix this law was in their 1995 Revised Criminal Code, which set a truly equal age of consent at 16. It is truly tragic that the Code was repealed in 1996 by the Borbidge Nationals led Coalition - who then reinstated and regressively revamped the 1899 Code. After 14 years it's time Labor made one more determined effort to fix this law - especially when you consider that a truly equal age of consent is what was one of eight majority recommendations in the all-party Parliamentary Criminal Justice Committee's October 1990 Report on Reforms In Laws Relating to Homosexuality which were specifically supported by the Committee's Chairman Peter Beattie.

 

I welcome your response and urgently request your action.

 

All my information, resource data and correspondence since 2000 is stored via:

http://www.queerradio.org/AgeOfConsent.htm  

 

Yours sincerely,

 

John Frame
jvframe@ozemail.com.au
http://www.queerradio.org/JohnFrame.html
Ph: 07 3350 1562 / mobile: 0409 501 561
Post: 82 Main Avenue, Wavell Heights 4012, QLD, Australia.
 
----"There is no substitute for equality"----