The Victorian government will formally apologise to those convicted under the historic anti-homosexual laws. Premier Daniel Andrews will address the gay community in Parliament on Tuesday in what is considered a world first.

Before homosexuality was decriminalised in Victoria in 1981, convicted people faced up to 15 years in prison. Even consensual homosexual relationships were considered illegal, with authorities using public morality offences as basis. In September 2015, the State expunged convictions under the old law.

The Andrews Government took it a step further on Tuesday, formally apologising to those who were affected by the old anti-gay laws.

“They were state-sanctioned homophobia. And this wasn’t a century ago. This happened on my lifetime, possibly yours,” Andrews said. “Today we are going to apologise on behalf of parliaments and governments past on the laws we made then, the lives we ripped. In what is a first full and formal apology of its kind anywhere in the world, and it might not make things right, but it’s the right thing to do.

“Because in our state, equality is not negotiable.”

Andrews will make the formal apology at 2 p.m. in the parliament.

Welcoming the state’s apology is 84-year-old Noel Tovey, a celebrated Aboriginal dancer and choreography who was convicted of homosexuality in 1951. He was charged with the “abominable crime of buggery,” which had a maximum sentence of 15 years.

Tovey was crucified in the Melbourne press, and his mother was abused by their neighbour for having a homosexual son. He served time in Pentridge Prison.

“Eventually I would have been forgiven by everyone if I had murdered Max,” he said, referring to his partner, “but no one could forgive me for having sex with him.”

Since his release from prison, he has become an activist for the gay community and Aboriginal rights.

“They’re going to be able to point to the law and say to their mother or father or parents that the Government now accepts homosexuality,” he said of the State’s apology (via the ABC). “The apology means finally the Government is recognising homosexuals as human beings.”

No formal apology for Queensland

Queensland, on the other hand, will not be offering any formal apology to the gay community until after the law commission report on the scrapping of convictions were in place. The government started the process of scrapping of convictions under the anti-gay laws, which were decriminalised in 1991 in the state, in January.

RELATED STORIES