❓ A WA parliamentary question on notice from 2001 inquires about convictions for homosexual acts, charges related to homosexual acts with minors, the impact of age of consent laws on mental health and suicide among young gay men, and a comparison of WA's laws with other states.
AnsweredQoN 917Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(1) How many males aged under 21 years have been convicted and / or jailed for participating in consensual homosexual acts in private over the last 5 years?
(2) How many of these convictions and / or jailings have involved other criminal acts having being undertaken by the convicted and / or jailed persons?
(3) How many adult males aged 21 years or over have been charged with being a party to homosexual acts with -
(a) juvenile males aged under 21 years; and
(b) minors aged 16 or 17 years?
(4) What evidence or research exists to show that the current age of consent laws cause or contribute to mental illness and / or suicide of young gay males?
(5) How do the Western Australian rates of mental illness and suicide among gay males aged between 17 and 21 compare with other States of Australia?
(6) Will the Minister provide a comparison of Western Australia’s age of consensual homosexual act laws with other Australian States?
(2) How many of these convictions and / or jailings have involved other criminal acts having being undertaken by the convicted and / or jailed persons?
(3) How many adult males aged 21 years or over have been charged with being a party to homosexual acts with -
(a) juvenile males aged under 21 years; and
(b) minors aged 16 or 17 years?
(4) What evidence or research exists to show that the current age of consent laws cause or contribute to mental illness and / or suicide of young gay males?
(5) How do the Western Australian rates of mental illness and suicide among gay males aged between 17 and 21 compare with other States of Australia?
(6) Will the Minister provide a comparison of Western Australia’s age of consensual homosexual act laws with other Australian States?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
20 September 2001
Response time
29 days
(b) minors aged 16 or 17 years?
(3) In the period of May 1996 (the earliest period from which information is readily ascertainable) to the present day – (a) 10 adult males over 21 years of age have been charged with being a party to homosexual acts with juvenile males; and (b) 7 of these cases involved males of 16 or 17 years. (4) No specific research found to date correlate age of consent laws to mental illness and/or suicide in Western Australia. Research undertaken in Australia, United Kingdom and the United States of America indicates that negative community attitudes to homosexuality contributed to poor self-esteem and attempts of suicide. For research in this area, please see a report produced by the National Centre in HIV Social Research, La Trobe University titled Writing Themselves In – A National Report on the Sexuality and Well-Being of Same-Sex Attracted Young People (Monograph series No.7) by L. Hillier et al. I also note that the WA Health Department 1994 report titled Making a Difference: Youth Suicide Prevention Manual states that there is a lack of positive role models and information about homosexuality that can seriously affect the self esteem of young people. Other general articles on young gay men and suicide include two articles printed in the Journal of Youth Studies Australia. Ron Macdonald and Trudi Copper, (1998)”Young gay men and suicide – A report of a study exploring the reasons which young men give for suicide ideation”, vol 17, no 4; and Jonathan Nicholas and John Howard (1998) “Better dead than gay – Depression, suicide ideation and attempt among a sample of gay and straight-identified males aged 18-24”, vol 17, no 4. (5) Statistics on suicides collected by the Western Australian Registrar General does not include data on sexual orientation. Statistics on mental illness collected by the Health Department does not include information on sexual orientation. This renders comparisons with other states difficult. (6) The age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sexual activity in other states and territories in Australia are: Age of Consent in Australia Jurisdiction Homosexual Heterosexual Australian Capital Territory 16 16 Victoria 16 16 South Australia 17 17 Tasmania 17 17 Queensland* 16 16 Northern Territory 18 16 New South Wales 18 16 Western Australia 21 16 * Consent for anal intercourse is 18
(4) No specific research found to date correlate age of consent laws to mental illness and/or suicide in Western Australia. Research undertaken in Australia, United Kingdom and the United States of America indicates that negative community attitudes to homosexuality contributed to poor self-esteem and attempts of suicide. For research in this area, please see a report produced by the National Centre in HIV Social Research, La Trobe University titled Writing Themselves In – A National Report on the Sexuality and Well-Being of Same-Sex Attracted Young People (Monograph series No.7) by L. Hillier et al. I also note that the WA Health Department 1994 report titled Making a Difference: Youth Suicide Prevention Manual states that there is a lack of positive role models and information about homosexuality that can seriously affect the self esteem of young people. Other general articles on young gay men and suicide include two articles printed in the Journal of Youth Studies Australia. Ron Macdonald and Trudi Copper, (1998)”Young gay men and suicide – A report of a study exploring the reasons which young men give for suicide ideation”, vol 17, no 4; and Jonathan Nicholas and John Howard (1998) “Better dead than gay – Depression, suicide ideation and attempt among a sample of gay and straight-identified males aged 18-24”, vol 17, no 4. (5) Statistics on suicides collected by the Western Australian Registrar General does not include data on sexual orientation. Statistics on mental illness collected by the Health Department does not include information on sexual orientation. This renders comparisons with other states difficult. (6) The age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sexual activity in other states and territories in Australia are: Age of Consent in Australia Jurisdiction Homosexual Heterosexual Australian Capital Territory 16 16 Victoria 16 16 South Australia 17 17 Tasmania 17 17 Queensland* 16 16 Northern Territory 18 16 New South Wales 18 16 Western Australia 21 16 * Consent for anal intercourse is 18
I also note that the WA Health Department 1994 report titled Making a Difference: Youth Suicide Prevention Manual states that there is a lack of positive role models and information about homosexuality that can seriously affect the self esteem of young people. Other general articles on young gay men and suicide include two articles printed in the Journal of Youth Studies Australia. Ron Macdonald and Trudi Copper, (1998)”Young gay men and suicide – A report of a study exploring the reasons which young men give for suicide ideation”, vol 17, no 4; and Jonathan Nicholas and John Howard (1998) “Better dead than gay – Depression, suicide ideation and attempt among a sample of gay and straight-identified males aged 18-24”, vol 17, no 4. (5) Statistics on suicides collected by the Western Australian Registrar General does not include data on sexual orientation. Statistics on mental illness collected by the Health Department does not include information on sexual orientation. This renders comparisons with other states difficult. (6) The age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sexual activity in other states and territories in Australia are: Age of Consent in Australia Jurisdiction Homosexual Heterosexual Australian Capital Territory 16 16 Victoria 16 16 South Australia 17 17 Tasmania 17 17 Queensland* 16 16 Northern Territory 18 16 New South Wales 18 16 Western Australia 21 16 * Consent for anal intercourse is 18
Jonathan Nicholas and John Howard (1998) “Better dead than gay – Depression, suicide ideation and attempt among a sample of gay and straight-identified males aged 18-24”, vol 17, no 4. (5) Statistics on suicides collected by the Western Australian Registrar General does not include data on sexual orientation. Statistics on mental illness collected by the Health Department does not include information on sexual orientation. This renders comparisons with other states difficult. (6) The age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sexual activity in other states and territories in Australia are: Age of Consent in Australia Jurisdiction Homosexual Heterosexual Australian Capital Territory 16 16 Victoria 16 16 South Australia 17 17 Tasmania 17 17 Queensland* 16 16 Northern Territory 18 16 New South Wales 18 16 Western Australia 21 16 * Consent for anal intercourse is 18
(5) Statistics on suicides collected by the Western Australian Registrar General does not include data on sexual orientation. Statistics on mental illness collected by the Health Department does not include information on sexual orientation. This renders comparisons with other states difficult. (6) The age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sexual activity in other states and territories in Australia are: Age of Consent in Australia Jurisdiction Homosexual Heterosexual Australian Capital Territory 16 16 Victoria 16 16 South Australia 17 17 Tasmania 17 17 Queensland* 16 16 Northern Territory 18 16 New South Wales 18 16 Western Australia 21 16 * Consent for anal intercourse is 18
(6) The age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sexual activity in other states and territories in Australia are: Age of Consent in Australia Jurisdiction Homosexual Heterosexual Australian Capital Territory 16 16 Victoria 16 16 South Australia 17 17 Tasmania 17 17 Queensland* 16 16 Northern Territory 18 16 New South Wales 18 16 Western Australia 21 16 * Consent for anal intercourse is 18
Age of Consent in Australia Jurisdiction Homosexual Heterosexual Australian Capital Territory 16 16 Victoria 16 16 South Australia 17 17 Tasmania 17 17 Queensland* 16 16 Northern Territory 18 16 New South Wales 18 16 Western Australia 21 16 * Consent for anal intercourse is 18
* Consent for anal intercourse is 18
(3) In the period of May 1996 (the earliest period from which information is readily ascertainable) to the present day – (a) 10 adult males over 21 years of age have been charged with being a party to homosexual acts with juvenile males; and (b) 7 of these cases involved males of 16 or 17 years. (4) No specific research found to date correlate age of consent laws to mental illness and/or suicide in Western Australia. Research undertaken in Australia, United Kingdom and the United States of America indicates that negative community attitudes to homosexuality contributed to poor self-esteem and attempts of suicide. For research in this area, please see a report produced by the National Centre in HIV Social Research, La Trobe University titled Writing Themselves In – A National Report on the Sexuality and Well-Being of Same-Sex Attracted Young People (Monograph series No.7) by L. Hillier et al. I also note that the WA Health Department 1994 report titled Making a Difference: Youth Suicide Prevention Manual states that there is a lack of positive role models and information about homosexuality that can seriously affect the self esteem of young people. Other general articles on young gay men and suicide include two articles printed in the Journal of Youth Studies Australia. Ron Macdonald and Trudi Copper, (1998)”Young gay men and suicide – A report of a study exploring the reasons which young men give for suicide ideation”, vol 17, no 4; and Jonathan Nicholas and John Howard (1998) “Better dead than gay – Depression, suicide ideation and attempt among a sample of gay and straight-identified males aged 18-24”, vol 17, no 4. (5) Statistics on suicides collected by the Western Australian Registrar General does not include data on sexual orientation. Statistics on mental illness collected by the Health Department does not include information on sexual orientation. This renders comparisons with other states difficult. (6) The age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sexual activity in other states and territories in Australia are: Age of Consent in Australia Jurisdiction Homosexual Heterosexual Australian Capital Territory 16 16 Victoria 16 16 South Australia 17 17 Tasmania 17 17 Queensland* 16 16 Northern Territory 18 16 New South Wales 18 16 Western Australia 21 16 * Consent for anal intercourse is 18
(4) No specific research found to date correlate age of consent laws to mental illness and/or suicide in Western Australia. Research undertaken in Australia, United Kingdom and the United States of America indicates that negative community attitudes to homosexuality contributed to poor self-esteem and attempts of suicide. For research in this area, please see a report produced by the National Centre in HIV Social Research, La Trobe University titled Writing Themselves In – A National Report on the Sexuality and Well-Being of Same-Sex Attracted Young People (Monograph series No.7) by L. Hillier et al. I also note that the WA Health Department 1994 report titled Making a Difference: Youth Suicide Prevention Manual states that there is a lack of positive role models and information about homosexuality that can seriously affect the self esteem of young people. Other general articles on young gay men and suicide include two articles printed in the Journal of Youth Studies Australia. Ron Macdonald and Trudi Copper, (1998)”Young gay men and suicide – A report of a study exploring the reasons which young men give for suicide ideation”, vol 17, no 4; and Jonathan Nicholas and John Howard (1998) “Better dead than gay – Depression, suicide ideation and attempt among a sample of gay and straight-identified males aged 18-24”, vol 17, no 4. (5) Statistics on suicides collected by the Western Australian Registrar General does not include data on sexual orientation. Statistics on mental illness collected by the Health Department does not include information on sexual orientation. This renders comparisons with other states difficult. (6) The age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sexual activity in other states and territories in Australia are: Age of Consent in Australia Jurisdiction Homosexual Heterosexual Australian Capital Territory 16 16 Victoria 16 16 South Australia 17 17 Tasmania 17 17 Queensland* 16 16 Northern Territory 18 16 New South Wales 18 16 Western Australia 21 16 * Consent for anal intercourse is 18
I also note that the WA Health Department 1994 report titled Making a Difference: Youth Suicide Prevention Manual states that there is a lack of positive role models and information about homosexuality that can seriously affect the self esteem of young people. Other general articles on young gay men and suicide include two articles printed in the Journal of Youth Studies Australia. Ron Macdonald and Trudi Copper, (1998)”Young gay men and suicide – A report of a study exploring the reasons which young men give for suicide ideation”, vol 17, no 4; and Jonathan Nicholas and John Howard (1998) “Better dead than gay – Depression, suicide ideation and attempt among a sample of gay and straight-identified males aged 18-24”, vol 17, no 4. (5) Statistics on suicides collected by the Western Australian Registrar General does not include data on sexual orientation. Statistics on mental illness collected by the Health Department does not include information on sexual orientation. This renders comparisons with other states difficult. (6) The age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sexual activity in other states and territories in Australia are: Age of Consent in Australia Jurisdiction Homosexual Heterosexual Australian Capital Territory 16 16 Victoria 16 16 South Australia 17 17 Tasmania 17 17 Queensland* 16 16 Northern Territory 18 16 New South Wales 18 16 Western Australia 21 16 * Consent for anal intercourse is 18
Jonathan Nicholas and John Howard (1998) “Better dead than gay – Depression, suicide ideation and attempt among a sample of gay and straight-identified males aged 18-24”, vol 17, no 4. (5) Statistics on suicides collected by the Western Australian Registrar General does not include data on sexual orientation. Statistics on mental illness collected by the Health Department does not include information on sexual orientation. This renders comparisons with other states difficult. (6) The age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sexual activity in other states and territories in Australia are: Age of Consent in Australia Jurisdiction Homosexual Heterosexual Australian Capital Territory 16 16 Victoria 16 16 South Australia 17 17 Tasmania 17 17 Queensland* 16 16 Northern Territory 18 16 New South Wales 18 16 Western Australia 21 16 * Consent for anal intercourse is 18
(5) Statistics on suicides collected by the Western Australian Registrar General does not include data on sexual orientation. Statistics on mental illness collected by the Health Department does not include information on sexual orientation. This renders comparisons with other states difficult. (6) The age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sexual activity in other states and territories in Australia are: Age of Consent in Australia Jurisdiction Homosexual Heterosexual Australian Capital Territory 16 16 Victoria 16 16 South Australia 17 17 Tasmania 17 17 Queensland* 16 16 Northern Territory 18 16 New South Wales 18 16 Western Australia 21 16 * Consent for anal intercourse is 18
(6) The age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sexual activity in other states and territories in Australia are: Age of Consent in Australia Jurisdiction Homosexual Heterosexual Australian Capital Territory 16 16 Victoria 16 16 South Australia 17 17 Tasmania 17 17 Queensland* 16 16 Northern Territory 18 16 New South Wales 18 16 Western Australia 21 16 * Consent for anal intercourse is 18
Age of Consent in Australia Jurisdiction Homosexual Heterosexual Australian Capital Territory 16 16 Victoria 16 16 South Australia 17 17 Tasmania 17 17 Queensland* 16 16 Northern Territory 18 16 New South Wales 18 16 Western Australia 21 16 * Consent for anal intercourse is 18
* Consent for anal intercourse is 18
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