Victims should never feel like an afterthought – their voices matter and we’re making sure they are heard.

The Carroll Labor Government is giving LGBTIQA+ Victorians better pathways to safely and confidentially report vilification and discrimination.

Minister for Equality Steve Dimopoulous and Attorney General Sonya Kilkenny today launched an improved Community Reporting Tool (CRT) developed by the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC).

To make reporting easier, VEOHRC now offers a choice of dedicated banners representing LGBTIQA+, First Peoples, women, people with disability and multicultural Victorians, to support organisations embedding the CRT into their website.

It enables LGBTIQA+ Victorians to report experiences of anti-LGBTIQA+ discrimination, sexual harassment,
vilification or hate speech, without needing to make a formal complaint.

The confidential online tool logs experiences of discrimination and provides an alternative reporting pathway. Victorians will have the option to provide details and request VEOHRC contact them for information and support.

Depending on the individual, this may include linking them to a service like Switchboard Victoria’s Rainbow Door.

The reports will help government, communities, policy makers and law reform advocates understand that is happening in the community to better help others.

The upgrade of this tool is a key response to LGBTIQA+ leaders presenting to the Premier’s Anti-Hate Taskforce held last year, aiming to tackle harassment and vilification before it leads to violence.

The Carroll Labor Government continues to work alongside Victoria Police and their LGBTIQA+ Liaison Network to support reporting of incidents that reach a criminal threshold.

We encourage anyone impacted by violence to share their experience.