Liberty Victoria, together with Pride in Law, is proud to present our joint submission to the ‘Inquiry into anti-LGBTIQA+ hate crimes in Victoria’.
Our submission examines the challenges and limitations of existing legal frameworks and mechanisms available to respond to anti-LGBTQIA+ hate crimes, highlighting critical gaps in current systems and recommending reforms to better support victim-survivors.
While Victoria’s legal framework provides multiple compensation pathways, structural barriers continue to prevent many victim-survivors from accessing meaningful redress. The submission also explores how the positive duty under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) could be used to require social media and digital platforms to proactively address discriminatory and abusive behaviour on their services.
Further recommendations include strengthening the powers and resourcing of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, removing automatic religious exceptions under the Act, and addressing ongoing failures in the recognition, reporting, and enforcement of LGBTQIA+ hate crimes across the criminal justice system.
Read the full submission here: Pride in Law & Liberty Victoria Joint Submissions to Parliamentary Enquiry into Hate Crime