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Queensland to catch up on age of consent laws for anal sex

Amy Remeikis reports in the Brisbane Times (25.5.16) on the state government’s moves to bring Queensland’s age of consent laws for sexual acts into line with the rest of the nation’s.

‘After decades of inaction, the Palaszczuk Labor Government will introduce legislation to standardise the age of consent, bringing an end to one of the state’s most discriminatory laws.

‘Under current legislation, the age of consent for vaginal sex is 16, but anal sex, which is still referred to as sodomy under the Criminal Code, remains illegal until a person is 18.

‘It has meant that teenagers, particularly young gay men, have had issues accessing safe sexual practice information, with practitioners forced to inform those seeking information on anal sex, about the illegality of the act.

‘Queensland is the only jurisdiction where the ages of consent are different and Health Minister Cameron Dick said following advice from an expert panel, it was the only course of action the government could take.’

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