In 1976, Tasmania was the only jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Australia that retained criminal punishment upon conviction of same-sex intimacy. As a result of the Kinsey Report on 1946 (USA), the world became more aware of the widespread existence of homosexual (LGBTIQ) individuals. As a result of the Wolfenden Report in England in 1957, the law in England was reformed in 1969 to delete adult male homosexual offences in some cases. This led to a series of law reforms in Australia, copying the English reform, starting with Don Dunstan’s initiative of 1965. Only the law of Tasmania provided in the Criminal Code for homosexual offences. This led, earlier to a communication to the UN Human Rights Committee. That communication was made by two young Tasmanians: Rodney Croome and Nick Toonen. Michael Kirby advised against taking proceedings, as “premature”. However, Toonen and Croome pressed ahead. The UNHRC upheld their complaint. It found that Australia was in breach of the ICCPR. This was a ruling not only for Australia and Tasmania but for the international application of that treaty.
On 14 June 2026 at Don College, a public high school in Tasmania, the students gave a performance on the story of “The Campaign”. Based on a play by Campion Decent, they acted the events of the challenge. Students of Don College performed the parts respectively played by Rodney Croome, Nick Toonen, (Senator) Christine Milne, other players and Michael Kirby. The performance was organised by Dayna Dennison, a teacher at Don College. The student performance recalled the world of prejudice against LGBTIQ Australians, which the students at Don College presented to a live audience on 18 June 2026.
