Some 10,000 plus submissions were received by the consultation. Sadly, many of these submissions are reported to be opposed to strengthening human rights in Australia.

However, there is still one week to have the opportunity to have your say online. The consultation committee has setup an online blog that closes on Friday, June 26.

The consultation has been asking three key questions since December last year:

1) Which human rights and responsibilities should be protected and promoted?

2) Are human rights and responsibilities sufficiently protected and promoted?

3) How could Australia better protect and promote human rights and responsibilities?

Many people take the basic right of having sex with their partner for granted. But until 12 years ago, same-sex relations in Tasmania were illegal – with or without your partner. In Queensland we still have unequal age of consent between gay men (18) and heterosexual men (16).

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has only just in the past few months changed its policy to allow transgender people to receive a passport.

Victoria recently allowed gay and lesbian people to be recognised as the legal parent for children born through IVF or surrogacy, though many states still don’t. And in most states we can’t adopt our children born through any means.

The Rudd Government continues to remind us that marriage is a heterosexual institution only.

There are many everyday things Australians take for granted. Unfortunately not everyone gets a ‘fair go’. Strengthening human rights is one path down the road to equality.

In the Australian Coalition for Equality’s (ACE) submission, ACE went in-depth on the issue of anti-discrimination laws by submitting a model bill, along with a policy paper and discussion on the issue of exemptions. The Federal ALP has supported anti-discrimination legislation in its platform for the past seven years, yet has not introduced any since coming to office.

Discrimination, harassment, inciting hatred or threatening violence because of someone’s sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, intersex, lawful sexual activity, relationship status or the identity of someone’s partner is not acceptable in 2009.

In many of the current federal discrimination laws, organisations that receive federal government funding are exempt; that is, they can lawfully discriminate. Such organisations are often religious affiliated organisations.

A religious school could legally terminate a staff member because they are LGBTI, even after years of faithful and outstanding service. Aged care homes are funded by federal money, but without a federal anti-discrimination law LGBTI seniors can be left vulnerable when they need protection the most.

So will you take ten minutes out of your day and put a few words on a blog? The more people who log on in support of equality, the further down the road we’ll be. Even if it’s just a quick “I support equal laws and discrimination protections for Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex Australians.”

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