This article was originally published by the Star Observer. You can find the original article here.
After many delays the highly anticipated Equality Bill, introduced by Alex Greenwich, has passed NSW Parliament overnight.
In particular the bill has granted landmark changes for the NSW transgender community.
Changes also include amendments to recognise children born via overseas commercial surrogacy arrangements.
Equality Bill passes NSW parliament
The Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023 also known as the Equality Bill has now officially passed NSW Parliament.
Introduced by NSW Independent MP Alex Greenwich the bill is designed to strengthen LGBTQIA+ rights in NSW.
Following ongoing discussions Greenwich recently made amendments in consultation with the Labor party to ensure the bill would pass.
On Thursday night the bill officially passed the upper house with 15 votes to 12, with the majority of the NSW Liberal Party voting against the bill.
Alex Greenwich celebrated the passing of the bill, indicating there was still much to be done for the LGBTQIA+ community in NSW.
“We’ve got more work to do and we start that work now with new confidence from these significant wins for our community” he said.
The Equality Bill now grants landmark rights to the NSW transgender community allowing individuals to change their birth certificate without undergoing gender affirming surgery.
This now brings NSW in line with other states around the country.
Further to this non-binary will now be a gender option for future birth certificates.
Other protections also include threatening to “out” an LGBTIQA+ person as an offence.
The bill also includes protections for LGBTQIA+ parents whose children are born in overseas surrogacy arrangements.
Ashley Scott, spokesperson for All Kids Are Equal welcomed the changes in the bill.
“Children should be equal before the law regardless of the circumstances of their conception, and criminalising the actions of parents for bringing their children into the world is clearly not in a child’s best interests” they said.
“No loving and caring family should be unequal under the eyes of NSW law and so we support the Government’s decision to prioritise children’s rights and create a fair and inclusive society.”
Heated debates as bill passed Parliament
Whilst the Equality Bill passed with 15 – 12 votes, there was still support from the opposition for the aims of the bill.
Liberal MP Jacqui Munro, the NSW Liberal party’s first openly LGBTQI+ female parliamentarian, who was not present in the chamber for the final vote spoke in support of the bill.
“I believe that gender fluidity and expression without medicalisation or formalised labels can and should be accepted without fuss” she told Parliament.
However her colleage Susan Carter spoke against the arguing that it would threaten women’s spaces.
“This could create significant issues for single-sex schools, including boarding schools, change rooms, boarding teams, women’s refuges [and] correctional facilities,” she stated.
However most notably Liberal MP, Felicity Wilson, MP for the North Shore, crossed the floor to support the bill in the lower house on Wednesday night.
“Just because your party doesn’t have a conscience vote doesn’t mean you don’t have a conscience,” she told ABC Radio.
Penny Sharpe, leader of the government in the upper house supported the bill and maintained that there was nothing to be scared about.
“This bill does not impact on women’s rights” she affirmed.
