Australian Greens

Principles

The Australian Greens believe that:

1. Freedom of sex, sexuality and gender identity are fundamental human rights.
2. Acceptance and celebration of diversity are essential for genuine social justice and equality.
3. People have the right to their self-identified gender which is integral to people’s lived experiences as citizens and members of the community.
4. Discrimination and vilification on the basis of sex, sexuality and gender identity is a significant cause of psychological distress, mental illness and suicide.
5. The health needs of all Australians should be provided for without discrimination of any kind; everyone has the right to have their specific health needs met with equity and respect.
6. Society should be free of harassment, abuse, vilification, stigmatisation, discrimination, disadvantage or exploitation on the basis of the actual or assumed sex, sexuality or gender identity of a person or someone they are associated with.

Aims

The Australian Greens want:

7. The legalisation of marriage between two consenting adults regardless of sex, sexuality or gender identity.
8. All de facto relationships to have equal status in law and government policy regardless of sex, sexuality and gender identity.
9. Equal access, regardless of sex, sexuality and gender identity and marital status, to adoption and fostering, and assisted reproductive treatment.
10. The education system to provide age-appropriate information about the diversity of sexuality.
11. Access to the full range of medical and health services required by people with needs related to their sex, sexuality and gender identity.
12. Accurate information, appropriate referrals and counselling for individuals, parents and carers of young people, in relation to issues of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.
13. Accurate information, appropriate referrals and counselling from the intersex community for intersex people and their parents and carers.
14. To ensure that intersex and transgender people are able to alter their sex on all official documents, consistent with how they live and identify, and irrespective of their marital status.
15. Permanent medical intervention for people born with an intersex condition to occur only when they are able to make the decision for themselves, unless it is determined to be in the best interest of the child based on cogent medical reasons.
16. Governments and their agencies to consult with communities and representative groups of people with diverse sexual orientation and gender identities, on the development of policies and programs relevant to them.
17. Nationally consistent age of consent laws, in which there is no distinction between heterosexual and homosexual sex.
18. The removal of convictions for homosexual acts between consenting adults from legal records.  Where a person has been charged under laws in the past against homosexual acts, that are now legal, this should be removed from the criminal record.
19. Legislative action to end the incitement of offensive and indecent behaviour.
20. Adequate funding for services to support and protect young people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identities; in particular, suicide prevention, peer support, coming out, counselling and housing services and programs.
21. The granting of political asylum on humanitarian grounds to people persecuted in their own countries on the basis of their sex, sexuality or gender identity.