Key points to tell your MP

• The so-called Equality Bill is one-sided because it was drafted by lobby groups
• Women’s groups were not consulted
• Lesbians will be worse off
• Equality Australia claims the Equality Bill will deliver equal access to health care & legal equality, but it has far-reaching negative impacts for women, lesbians, gays and bisexual people
• The Equality Bill will remove women’s rights to
  • Single-sex sports
  • Protection against pimping
  • Protection from exploitation by commercial surrogacy
  • Call a male person a man (in person and online)
  • Single-sex spaces
• Laws drafted by lobby groups are unbalanced and do not work

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• When Alex Greenwich conducted community consultation on the bill, he described it as “a comprehensive omnibus bill to address all legislative barriers to LGBTIQA+ health and wellbeing”.
• The draft text of the bill was not made available during consultation
• Women’s groups were not consulted in the drafting of the so-called Equality Bill

Lobby groups drafted the Equality Bill

• Lobby groups advocate from a single perspective
• Politicians are supposed to weigh the needs of special communities against the broader community needs
• Allowing lobby groups to draft legislation creates unbalanced laws that don’t work

Greenwich thanked a number of pro-trans activists and charities for helping draft the Equality Bill:

• Equality Australia – lobbying organisation with strong links to ACON. 
• Teddy Cook from ACON – Teddy Cook is a trans-identified female. Cook is the author of several online resources including Grunt.org.au (a website encouraging women to access gay male sexual spaces) and TransHub.org.au (a website that facilitates access to gender medicine).
• ACON is a NSW charity that receives in excess of $17 Million per annum from government grants to manage the AIDS crisis, and operates a paid workplace advisory scheme with some 70+ government participants each paying $6k per annum. ACON influences the culture of “inclusion” at ABC, SBS, Channel 10, and many government and private enterprises. 
• Morgan Carpenter and the team from Intersex Human Rights Australia – Morgan Carpenter was the photographer for Grunt.org.au (a website encouraging women to access gay male sexual spaces)
• Eloise Brook from the Gender Centre – The Gender Centre operates outreach, connecting minors with medical treatment for gender transition. 
• BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation and CEO Shane Sturgis, 
• Public Interest Advocacy Centre
• The Greens – The Greens have expelled several women for the “transphobia” of defending sex-based rights of women

Equality Australia Downplays the Impact of the Bill

• Equality Australia only advocate for the “Trans and Queer” perspective
• They do not take the needs of women (including lesbians) into account

Equality Australia worked closely with Alex Greenwich to draft the Equality Bill. They make a number of one-sided claims about the state of “LGBTIQ+” rights in Australia but they do not acknowledge the conflict between LGB and TQ+ rights.

Equality Australia downplays the serious consequences of the Equality Bill

For instance, they say “the Bill also removes legal stigma against people with HIV and sex workers”. In reality the Bill will remove all legal protections against pimping, and will elevate “sex worker” as a protected occupation.

Equality Australia claims that the Bill will allow people to “seek protection from being outed”. In fact the Bill will criminalise women’s right to correctly state when she sees a man (even if that man identifies as a woman). This will extend to online communications on Facebook and Twitter, and may see women criminalised for correctly-sexing men they interact with via the Internet.

Influence

Equality Australia worked closely with Alex Greenwich and ACON to draft the Equality Bill.

ABC’s Media Watch has explored the undue influence that ACON has over the ABC (our national broadcaster), SBS (our other national television station), over 70 government agencies and 300 private companies.

ABC’s Media Watch episode on the relationship between ACON and the ABC highlights the dangers of allowing lobby groups to make and implement policies and laws in government.

Further News Articles

• A number of news outlets have raised concerns with the influence of lobby groups over government policy

• The Australian Workplace Equality Index and Trans inclusion (broadcast) – ABC
• Concerns raised about government relationship with LGBTQ group – Government News
• Media Watch: ACON & the ABC – ABC Media Watch
• ACON: Trans lobby group advises removing ‘mum’, ‘dad’, from work policy to be more inclusive – Julie Cross, Daily Telegraph
• ABC chairwoman Ita Buttrose regrets ‘serious editorial lapses’ in trans sport story – Clarissa Bye, Daily Telegraph
• ACON pride in diversity scheme changing workplace culture for the worse – Clarissa Bye, Daily Telegraph
• ACON is giving advice to Prime Minister’s Office, ABC, government departments, universities, police – Julie Cross, Daily Telegraph