On 21 May 2018, the LGBTIQ Justice Working Group held its third meeting.
The list of members, terms of reference and communiques are available.
Specific matters considered
Representatives from Justice Health, in the Department of Justice and Community Safety attended the Working Group meeting to discuss the development of a health care policy for trans, gender diverse and intersex youth in the youth justice system. Working Group members welcomed Justice Health’s early engagement with the Working Group, and members are looking forward to contributing their expertise to the development of the health care policy. Working Group members previously provided input into the development by Justice Health of the health care policy for prisoners who are trans, gender diverse or intersex.
Representatives from Family Safety Victoria also attended the Working Group meeting to provide members with an update on the implementation of recommendations from the Royal Commission into Family Violence Report, relating to the justice area, in particular recommendation 169. Recommendation 169 recommends that the ‘Victorian Government, in the context of its commitment to review equal opportunity and birth certificate laws, examine the need to clarify relevant provisions of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) to remove any capacity for family violence accommodation and service providers to discriminate against LGBTIQ Victorians’. Family Safety Victoria briefed members on non-legislative approaches being undertaken to support family violence accommodation and service providers to provide non-discriminatory services to LGBTIQ Victorians. In addition, they updated members on a range of justice-related initiatives they are involved in, including with Victorian Courts, to improve responses to LGBTIQ community members experiencing family violence or using family violence services.
Working Group members considered a draft work plan and discussed possible priority areas of focus for the remaining term of the Working Group. Members also noted the upcoming joint meeting between the Justice Working Group and the LGBTIQ Health and Human Services Working Group, scheduled for 1 June 2018, which is the first time the two groups have met jointly. The purpose of the meeting is to share and discuss initiatives of interest to both Working Groups.
Working Group members welcomed the progress through Parliament of the amendments to the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1996, which remove the requirement that a person be unmarried to apply to the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages for the record of the person’s sex in the person’s birth registration to be changed[1].
Next meeting
The Justice Working Group will reconvene for its next meeting on 23 July 2018.
[1] The amendments have passed the Victorian Parliament, and will come into operation on 12 October 2018, unless commenced earlier.
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