HREOC CONGRATULATES TECHNOLOGY GIANT ON COMMITMENT TO GAY AND LESBIAN EMPLOYEES
By Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
Jan 31, 2008
Human Rights Commissioner, Graeme Innes, congratulated technology and consultancy company, IBM, today for their commitment to equality in employment through providing its gay and lesbian employees with the same benefits and entitlements available to heterosexual employees. The Commissioner made the comments in his closing address to the Rainbow Conversations Conference on gay, lesbian, transgender and intersex human rights in the Asia Pacific region in Melbourne today, for which IBM is a conference partner. The conference is part of the 1st Asia Pacific Out Games for which IBM is also a major sponsor.
In 1984, IBM became the first major company to add sexual orientation to its U.S. non-discrimination policy. The same approach also applies to Australian employees.
In his address, Commissioner Innes contrasted IBM’s EEO policy with discriminatory Australian Government legislation.
“Many of you would know that there are federal laws in Australia which prohibit discrimination against women, older people, people with disability and people of different races - unfortunately, there is not yet a federal law that prohibits discrimination against gay and lesbian people,” Mr Innes said. “It might further surprise many of you, that there is a raft of laws on Australia's books which explicitly deny certain rights to gay and lesbian couples, and their children.”
In June 2007, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission launched the final report of the year-long national Same-Sex: Same Entitlements inquiry, which found 58 pieces of federal legislation which discriminate against same-sex couples in the area of financial and work-related entitlements.
During his speech Mr Innes said he remained in discussions with the new federal Attorney-General about when the 58 laws will be amended to remove this discrimination, and that the Opposition has now also committed to supporting the removal of the discrimination.
“Human rights are not specific to a country or region; they belong to humans,” Commissioner Innes said. “Therefore the fact that gay and lesbian Australians are significantly discriminated against in Australia is of great concern to me.
Mr Innes said he believed, with continued pressure from the community, these discriminatory laws will be removed.
Contact: Brinsley Marlay
(02) 9284 9656 or 0430 366 529
