Skip to main content Skip to main navigation

From 2006-2018, the Human Rights Law Centre operated a dedicated program of work to progress the rights of LGBTIQA+ people in Australia.

We used a combination of expert legal action, advocacy, research, education, and UN engagement to:

  • End discrimination in the law

  • Improve legal recognition

  • Provide redress for past wrongs

  • Protect LGBTIQA+ people from harm

  • Promote equality and respect for LGBTIQA+ people

In 2018, a new national organisation dedicated to advancing the rights of LGBTIQA+ people was formed. Equality Australia grew from the campaign for marriage equality and is led by former Human Rights Law Centre Legal Director, Anna Brown OAM.

The Human Rights Law Centre continues to work in partnership with Equality Australia and other LGBTIQA+ organisations to progress human rights and fight against new forms of discrimination.

What we achieved

  • We played a key role in the campaign for marriage equality.

  • We launched a High Court challenge to stop the harmful and divisive marriage equality postal survey, then campaigned for a strong Yes vote to secure marriage equality for Australia.

  • We played a pivotal role in ensuring the passage of the legislation to deliver marriage equality, by resourcing MPs across party lines to vote through a fair bill without amendments aimed at winding back long-standing anti-discrimination protections.

  • We intervened in the test case which removed unnecessary court involvement in transgender teenagers accessing life-saving medical treatment.

  • We worked alongside local trans advocates to ensure birth certificate reforms removing discriminatory barriers to legal recognition passed in South Australia.

  • We secured legislation in Victoria, NSW, the ACT, Tasmania and Queensland to erase unjust criminal records imposed on gay men for having consensual sex when homosexual conduct was illegal, and historic state apologies for the harm caused by these unjust laws of the past.

  • We created an Expungement Legal Service to provide free and confidential help to people seeking to have an unjust criminal conviction for homosexual activity overturned.

  • We helped our client Canon to pursue a discrimination complaint against Centrelink, which led to training for Centrelink staff and the creation of new policies that no longer discriminate against trans and gender diverse customers.

  • We passionately advocated for the reform of discriminatory parenting laws in Victoria and SA, and adoption equality across all of Australia.