President's message | June 2026

Dear friends,

Celebrating Pride Month and defending LGBTIQA+ rights

It’s Pride Month, when we celebrate LGBTIQA+ communities, recognise the progress that has been won in protecting their rights and the challenges that remain.

Advancing the rights of LGBTIQA+ Australians is an important part of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s work. This year, as we mark 40 years since our establishment, we’re looking back on some of this work like our 2007 Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Report.

This report followed a 2004 decision by the UN Human Rights Committee, which criticised the Australian Government for laws which discriminated against couples on the grounds of sexual orientation. The case concerned Edward Young who was denied a dependent’s pension and bereavement benefit after his long-term partner Larry Cain, a decorated war veteran, died. Under Australian laws at the time, eligibility for these benefits did not extend to same-sex partners of war veterans.

After this decision, the Commission held a national inquiry into discrimination against same-sex couples in federal laws. We identified 58 laws across taxation, superannuation, migration, veterans’ affairs, social security, child support, aged care, employment and more that excluded same-sex couples and their children. Our report Same Sex: Same Entitlements captured the financial and emotional cost of this discrimination and was a catalyst for sweeping reform. Within a year, federal laws were amended to recognise same-sex couples as de facto couples, extending critical rights and protections. These reforms were also a stepping stone towards marriage equality in 2007. You can watch a short video on the report and read stories about it and other past LGBTIQA+ rights work.

Today, while we can celebrate the progress on LGBTIQA+ law reform in recent decades, it’s important to recognise that significant inequality persists. There are many examples showing the need for further change and to prevent regress on hard-fought gains:

• Our recent Equal Identities report documented widespread discrimination, harassment and violence against trans and gender-diverse people. It highlighted the serious impacts on their safety, access to services and full participation in our society.
• In February this year, the ABC exposed a string of violent homophobic attacks on gay and bisexual teenagers in Sydney, some inspired by Islamic State.
• Children with intersex variations are still at risk of being exposed to medical interventions that could safely be delayed until they are old enough to participate in decisions about their own bodies.
• LGBTIQA+ students and teachers still lack protection from discrimination in religious schools and other bodies under federal law, despite successive Prime Ministers promising to address this.

So as we celebrate Pride Month and the LGBTIQA+ community, we also reaffirm our commitment to equality and to achieving a better society - a society where people don’t have to hide their sexuality; where love is respected and embraced in all its forms; and where everyone is safe, valued and free to thrive without fear of discrimination, bullying, harassment, or violence because of who they are.

Hugh de Kretser

President

Hugh de Kretser has played a critical role in advancing human rights in Australia for more than 2 decades.

Learn more about Hugh de Kretser