The lCLC welcomes new laws introduced by the NSW Goverment to protect LGBTQIA+ people from hate crimes.
The ICLC urges the NSW Government to now fund a dedicated LGBTQIA+ legal service, as exists in QLD and Victoria
Currently, the NSW Government has not funded a dedicated LGBTQIA+legal service for the State.
The Inner City Legal Centre (ICLC) has welcomed the NSW Government’s announcement of stronger laws to combat hate crimes against LGBTQIA+ people, but says the reforms must be matched with funding for a dedicated statewide LGBTQIA+ community legal service.
ICLC CEO Katie Green said the legislation introduced to Parliament today sends a welcome and important signal that violence, intimidation and abuse targeting LGBTQIA+ people will not be tolerated in NSW, but that the government needs to go one step further.
“Strengthening penalties for hate crimes and giving police and prosecutors better tools to hold perpetrators to account is a vital step in protecting LGBTQIA+ people.
“To ensure these reforms deliver real protection on the ground, LGBTQIA+ people also need access to culturally safe legal help when they experience discrimination, vilification or violence and that’s where a dedicated LGBTQIA+ community legal service for NSW is critical.”
The Inner City Legal Centre has been providing specialist legal support to LGBTQIA+ people for more than four decades and is widely recognised as NSW’s de facto LGBTQIA+ legal service. However, the Centre has never received dedicated government funding to provide a statewide service.
“Our staff and volunteers stretch every dollar to meet overwhelming demand, but without dedicated funding, we’re forced to turn people away.
“Right now, LGBTQIA+ people in regional and rural parts of NSW are often left without access to safe and culturally appropriate legal support.”
ICLC’s recent report A Blueprint for Equality: Resourcing LGBTQIA+ Community Legal Centres found that NSW is falling behind other states in supporting LGBTQIA+ legal services.
“Victoria and Queensland both fund standalone statewide LGBTQIA+ legal services. NSW has no equivalent service, despite being the most populous state in Australia with a large LGBTQIA+ community.
“LGBTQIA+ people face distinct legal challenges, including discrimination, vilification, housing insecurity and barriers to accessing identity documentation. Many avoid seeking help because mainstream services are not culturally safe or do not have the specialist knowledge required.”
Ms Green said the NSW Government’s commitment to equality and inclusion must be backed by investment in community-based legal support.
“In addition to the legislation before Parliament today, the Government has taken important steps in recent years, including banning conversion practices and introducing equality reforms.
“Funding a dedicated LGBTQIA+ community legal service is the logical next step to ensure those reforms translate into real protection for people on the ground.
“If NSW truly wants to be a national leader on LGBTQIA+ equality, it must ensure our community has access to the specialist legal support it needs.”
Inner City Legal Centre CEO Katie Green is available for comment, radio grabs and long form interview
Media contact: Darren Rodrigo 0414 783 405
VOICES FOR A DEDICATED LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICE FOR NSW
Jeremy Moineau, a transgender woman from remote NSW, said that the ICLC’s advocacy for major reforms that finally allow trans people to update their birth certificates without surgery.
“The Inner City Legal Centre is the essential link between legislation and community impact. They’re out there tirelessly on the front lines, meeting trans people where they’re at and making sure no LGBTQIA+ person is left behind.
“The ICLC is helping ensure every trans person can update their documentation to truly reflect their identity and be recognised for who they are.
“That has a profoundly positive domino effect in the lives of trans people and their futures. That is how you bring legislation to life.
“Right now, there are already some trans people having to make the impossible choice between paying the rent and accessing gender-affirming healthcare.
“Being forced to pay a fee on top of that to amend their birth certificate is a flaw in the legislation that was designed to support them.
“No one in Australia should have to rob themselves of healthcare to pay for government ID, and the ICLC is out there solving that issue. Birth certificates are essential to everyone in our society, especially trans people.
“They are the first key that unlocks the door to accessing all other IDs. When your documents align with who you are it means feeling safe while travelling, feeling confident applying for jobs, or even simply knowing your ID won’t out you next time you’re having a drink at your local bar.
“The ICLC is the only dedicated legal service the LGBTQIA+ community has right now in NSW. They’re the champions who are committed to bringing these reforms into reality. Legislation will continue to change, sometimes for good and other times not.
“But the steady ICLC impact, helping people gain dignity, safety and the ability to walk in their truth, that’s something that leaves a lasting positive impression, forever.
“The government has acknowledged that there is still much more work to do to ensure equal rights for the LGBTQIA+ people of NSW.
“One powerful step they can take today is to ensure dedicated funding for the organisations, like the ICLC, that make sure their new laws are more than just a Hansard entry and a headline.”
Charley Allanah, a transgender sex worker, was supported by ICLC to report a serial sexual offender, leading to one of the first prosecutions under NSW’s updated consent laws and speaks about how vital the ICLC has been in supporting trans people to access the correct identity documents.
“The work the ICLC does is invaluable to trans people.
“Getting your identification documents to align with the way you wish to present yourself to the world is so critical to your dignity and your participation in everyday life. Without it, trans people are locked out of so many basic things others take for granted.
“It’s a major safety issue, too. For trans people, something as simple as showing your ID can turn dangerous. A whole venue can turn on you in an instant, and that can be terrifying.
“Trans people still face higher risks of violence, discrimination and poverty. The work ICLC does isn’t just important; it can be life-saving.
“The ICLC has been absolutely invaluable in helping trans people navigate what can be a very complex and expensive process in changing government documentation.
The ICLC is also a deeply trusted and well-known part of our community. They understand us and stand with us, and that’s not something many trans people have found in the broader legal profession or in law enforcement.
The ICLC are an invaluable, trusted ally. The work they have done has literally saved lives.
They make our rights real.”
Contact details:
Darren Rodrigo - 0414 783 405 or [email protected]
