Felicity Caldwell reports in the Brisbane Times (11.5.17) on the statement by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk apologising on behalf of Queensland’s Parliament to the hundreds of men who were convicted in the past of gay sex offences in this state.
‘Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has apologised to people charged under historic gay sex offences.
‘In Queensland, homosexuality was a crime until 1990, and people could be charged with offences ranging from indecency, to unnatural offences and sodomy.
‘But despite no longer being a crime, many men who had been charged were still forced to admit they had a criminal record when applying for a job.
‘Ms Palaszczuk delivered a historic apology in the Parliament on Thursday afternoon, with a motion supporting the move passing with bipartisan support.
‘… Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath then introduced a bill to allow people to apply to have the historic charges expunged from their records.
‘Ms D’Ath said the law reform to decriminalise the offences in the 1990s did not remove the stigma faced by people who still had the convictions on their record.’
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