RMIT leads groundbreaking research into LGBTIQA+ hate crimes in Victoria

RMIT leads groundbreaking research into LGBTIQA+ hate crimes in Victoria

Reparations for historical and ongoing hate crimes against LGBTIQA+ people in Victoria will be explored in groundbreaking research undertaken by the RMIT School of Law.

The research will be led by Dr Jeremie Bracka and seeks to address the need for acknowledgement of policing failures, renewed attention to unsolved cases, and measures that promote healing, safety and justice for LGBTIQA+ communities.

It is the first transitional justice project of its kind in Victoria and builds on interstate precedents, including the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ Hate Crimes and Tasmania’s expungement laws and compensation scheme.

Dr Bracka will facilitate a roundtable discussion in November, in partnership with the Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ Communities in Australia Joe Ball, with experts, advocates and people with lived experience.

The research will help to drive a tailored Victorian response to historical injustices and forward-looking legal reforms.

Commissioner Ball will also deliver the Higinbotham Lecture 2025, hosted by RMIT on Wednesday 15 October, on leadership grounded in human rights.

Quotes attributable to Dr Jeremie Bracka, RMIT University School of Law

“Australia is still reckoning with its LGBTIQA+ past and legacies of human rights abuses. Even today, we have seen an explosion of prejudice and discrimination against trans people, in particular.

“There are measures being taken around Australia to try to reconcile and address the past from a legal perspective, but Victoria seems to be lagging behind.

“While there has been much less public attention in Victoria, it’s not as if there hasn’t been LGBTIQA+ hate crimes here, and that the community hasn’t experienced human rights abuse.

“This research will help to drive a tailored response in Victoria; highlighting RMIT’s role in driving impactful research and conversations to create meaningful change.”

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General media enquiries: RMIT External Affairs and Media, 0439 704 077 or news@rmit.edu.au

14 October 2025

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14 October 2025

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