The Parliament of New South Wales has passed new legislation that will allow people convicted under the country's old laws criminalizing homosexuality to have their records expunged. Initially introduced by Bruce Notley-Smith, a member Australia's Liberal Party, the bill was endorsed by members of both major parties and made it through the legislative body with no amendments or hiccups.
“These people should never have been convicted – it was wrong,” Notley-Smith told the Pink News. “[Recognising] the devastation it's had on their lives, albeit very late in the day we can correct some of the wrongs of the past.”
Though homosexuality has been decriminalized in Australia for 30 years, the impacts of the country's homophobic past still haunt many living there. Currently, people charged with the law before 1984 are forced to disclose their histories and personal lives as homosexuals when applying for jobs or housing
“Consensual sex between two consenting adult males should never have been considered a crime.” said Notley-Smith. “This is another step in correcting some of the wrongs of the past.”
