Labor has welcomed the long-awaited introduction of legislation to give victims of sexual assault the right to speak out publicly using their own names.
Shadow Attorney General Ella Haddad said legislation tabled in State Parliament today to amend Section 194K of the Evidence Act and lift the gag order on sexual assault victims is long overdue.
"Labor utterly condemns sexual abuse and believes survivors who wish to speak out should be free to do so knowing they are protected," Ms Haddad said.
"Allowing them to do this without first needing to go through the costly and traumatic process of seeking the consent of the court allows survivors to reclaim some control of their experience.
"I am constantly impressed by the bravery and strength of survivors like Grace Tame, who have brought about this change with their hard work and advocacy through the #LetHerSpeak campaign.
"Labor also welcomes the move to change Section 125A of the Evidence Act, to rename the current crime of 'maintaining a sexual relationship with a young person' to 'persistent sexual abuse of a child or young person'.
"The current wording is wrong. It implies a consensual relationship between offenders and victims, which sends a terrible message on what is in fact a heinous crime.
"Labor called for this change in 2018 and we will support the Government finally acting to rectify this outdated and misleading wording."
Ella Haddad
Shadow Attorney General
