Premier Daniel Andrews Has Apologised For Victoria's Historical Criminalisation Of Homosexuality

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has conducted an Australian first by apologising to Victoria’s homosexual community for historical gay convictions.

Earlier, Premier Andrews posted a video to his Facebook page explaining “today, we’re going to do something very important.”

“Homosexuality used to be illegal in Victoria," he said.

"Homosexual acts were routinely and ruthlessly punished by the government, police and the courts.”

(Gay men could be convicted of offences that include buggery, loitering for homosexual purposes, gross indecency and offensive behaviour until as recently as 1981.)

In Victorian parliament today, the Premier took the step of apologising to those who had been convicted of such historical sex offences, ABC News reports. It marks the first apology of this kind in Australian history.

Dozens of men have gathered at #Springst to hear the @VicGovAu historic apology @abcnewsMelb pic.twitter.com/Ggoanm5BMr

— Stephanie Anderson (@skateanderson) May 24, 2016

“There was a time in our history when we turned thousands of ordinary young men into criminals. It was profoundly and unimaginably wrong,” he said.

One of those men was Tom Anderson, who was charged with two counts of gross indecency and one count of buggery in 1977, after reporting sexual abuse by a male employer. He was 14 years old.

Another is Aboriginal dancer and choreographer Noel Tovey, who was convicted of homosexuality in 1951, and even served time in Pentridge Prison.

“It is the first responsibility of a government to keep people safe. But the government didn’t keep LGBTI people safe,” Andrews said.

“The government invalidated their humanity and cast them into a nightmare. And those who live today are the survivors of nothing less, nothing less than a campaign of destruction, led by the might of this State.”

Six men convicted of historical sex offences have been able to expunge their record since last September, when Victoria made it possible to do so. New South Wales and the ACT have similarly introduced schemes to expunge these offences from records, while Tasmania and Queensland are yet to legislate such schemes (although they have publicly committed to them).

Tasmania will be next to follow in Victoria’s footsteps and apologise to the gay community.

Premier Andrews, who has also championed the Safe Schools program, added the following for all LGBTQI Victorians: “you have a government and a parliament that is on your side”.

"If you're a member of the LGBTI community, and there's someone in your life that you love, a partner or a friend, then do me a favour: next time you're on a tram in Melbourne, hold their hand," he said.

"Do it with pride. And defiance."

Photo: Facebook.