Christian Schools Australia and Adventist Schools Australia have lodged a joint submission on behalf of member schools to the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute inquiry into Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Conversion Practices, see details in our earlier Briefing.
The submission proposes a definition of "conversion practices" that would be universally supported as the basis of legislative reform, a definition that is constructed to target physically abusive or coercive practices aimed at altering sexual orientation.
After addressing a number of the weaknesses in the Institute's Issues Paper, which is heavily reliant on the claims and 'data' provided by activist groups, the submission calls upon the Institute to:
- Suspend current plans to develop proposals for legislative reform,
- Focus on determining a clear, evidence based and commonly acceptable definition of the practices to be addressed, and
- Once such a definition is determined, engage in further consultation regarding possible legislative responses, including full and detailed consideration of the impacts on other human rights.
The superficial consideration of the impact on other human rights, as it was not within the Terms of Reference proposed by 'peak Tasmanian LGBTQA+ stakeholder bodies and representatives' , clearly not part of their agenda, was also addressed in the submission.
A full copy of the submission is available below.
Joint Submission to TLRI Inquiry