Australia is following suit in Changing Sex laws to Erase “Historic’ Gay Sex Convictions
The ACT Government is set to erase all historical gay sex convictions, Attorney-General Simon Corbell has announced.
Homosexuality was illegal in the ACT up until 1976 and people convicted before that date still hold a criminal record.
Mr Corbell today announced that the laws would be changed to allow men convicted of consensual homosexual acts to have their conviction expunged.
"It is important that the ACT provides equality and access to justice for men who were convicted of a crime that by modern day standards is no longer considered a criminal act," he said.
Mr Corbell said men could have been charged with offences including attempted buggery, buggery on a male person and indecent assault on a male person.
"The number of men with a criminal conviction for homosexual sex is not known, however it is estimated a small number of relevant convictions do exist in the ACT," he said.
"Several jurisdictions have made or are considering schemes to erase convictions for consensual homosexual acts."
He said the Government would be guided by the schemes developed in Victoria, New South Wales and the United Kingdom when developing their own scheme.
In October last year, Victoria became the first Australian jurisdiction to begin erasing gay sex convictions.
Last month recently elected ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said he would advocate for gay rights and push for same-sex marriage legislation as the first openly gay head of Government in Australia.
Mr Corbell said the Government would introduce the bill later this year.
"The ACT Government is ensuring that territory laws do not discriminate on the basis of sexuality," he said.
"Erasing historic offences is a complex and sensitive area of criminal law and any changes must be made after careful consideration of all relevant issues, including the process to abolish convictions.
"As these details are considered I look forward to consulting with stakeholders about the best way to achieve justice for Canberra's gay community."
Former Federal Attorney-General Kep Enderby, who introduced the bill to decriminalize homosexuality in the ACT, died on Wednesday night aged 88.
ABC News
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