Gather, dream, amplify—the WorldPride motto was certainly upheld last week at the Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference in Sydney. The conference upheld a wide variety of issues, but four key pillars were: community and culture, justice and freedom, health and wellbeing, and visibility and inclusion.
The keynote speaker, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the United Nations independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, reminded us all that, while human beings are all born free and equal in dignity and rights, in many countries, LGBTQIA+ people continue to face persecution simply because of who they are. So, today, on International Women's Day, it's important to highlight the links between the drivers of gender based discrimination and violence and the drivers of this same discrimination against LGBTQIA+ communities.
We heard from many speakers, LGBTQIA+ leaders, ambassadors, parliamentarians, First Nations people, health experts, youth, researchers and rights activists from intersex and trans communities the world over. The trauma that communities have faced in oppressive nations is very real. It's a result of rejection, exclusion, violence and discrimination, worsened by opportunistic and deliberate scare campaigns.
While we were reminded of how much we still must do, we were heartened by the Australian government's groundbreaking announcements, including the new equality fund and the 10-year National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQ+ People. I thank Equality Australia for their incredible vision and their success in hosting this conference.
STATEMENTS BY SENATORS - Sydney WorldPride 2023 09/02/2023
Sydney WorldPride of 2023 is almost upon us As the excitement and momentum grow, I stand to acknowledge the hard work of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, who were successful in securing Sydney as the host city. Bringing WorldPride to the southern hemisphere for the first time is a fabulous achievement.
The festival is being curated with wonderful care. It has a broad and diverse program with input from communities from right around the world, with a particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region. It's a wonderful opportunity for us to learn together and to share with LGBTIQ+ communities from all over the world—communities who are often forgotten and marginalised, or silenced, among the many human rights abuses they are subjected to.
The Australian government's role in promoting LGBTIQ+ rights will be an important theme at WorldPride. Importantly, we have an opportunity to hear from the oldest living culture in the world, Australia's First Nations people, who will highlight their interests at the conference also. I'm particularly looking forward to the human rights conference and I thank Equality Australia for their hard work. We're excited to embark on this new chapter, and it's a great contribution to— (Time expired)
