SIMON Corbell says men convicted of consensual homosexual acts in the ACT will be able to apply to have their conviction expunged.

“It is important that the ACT provides equality and access to justice for men who were convicted of a crime that by modern day standards is no longer considered a criminal act,” Simon said.

Until November 1976 consensual homosexual sex was illegal in the ACT. Offences a person may have been charged with included attempted buggery, buggery on a male person and indecent assault on a male person.

“The number of men with a criminal conviction for homosexual sex is not known, however it is estimated a small number of relevant convictions do exist in the ACT.

“Several jurisdictions have made or are considering schemes to erase convictions for consensual homosexual acts.”

The ACT will be guided by the schemes developed in Victoria, NSW and the UK when developing the scheme.

The Government will introduce a Bill later this year following consultation with stakeholders about a scheme to have criminal convictions erased from a person’s record.