SA law changes to cut LGBTI discrimination

The South Australian Government has announced it will remove or change up to 14 pieces of law that discriminate against the LGBTI community.

Laws that discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex South Australians will be removed or changed, the state government has announced.

Premier Jay Weatherill says an omnibus bill is being prepared to modify or repeal up to 14 pieces of legislation, such as the Wills Act, that discriminate against the LGBTI community.

The announcement comes after a report to government by the University of Adelaide's South Australian Law Reform Institute recommended outdated laws be removed.

"For instance, a person who identifies as a woman but is not legally recorded as such may be prevented from taking a position on a government board," Mr Weatherill said on Thursday.

"There are also pieces of legislation, like the Wills Act, that discriminate by treating married couples differently from those couples or individuals who are not or who cannot get married."

University of Adelaide's Dean of Law John Williams said the law changes could be achieved simply by changing the language used.

"You can define things not in rigid, binary terms but in much more open terms," he told ABC radio.

"Often you can do it by instead of saying the `opposite' sex you can just say a `different' sex."

The government's omnibus bill comes as South Australia marks the 40th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality, the first Australian state to do so.


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Source: AAP


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