MULTIPLE pieces of ACT legislation will delete references to ‘he’ or ‘she’, ‘his’ or ‘her’, ‘him’ or ‘her’ and ‘himself’ or ‘herself’ in favour of ‘they’, ‘their’, ‘them’, ‘themself’ or the relevant noun,  in a new bill introduced to the Legislative Assembly today (June 2).

Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury will introduce to the Legislative Assembly the Statute Law Amendment Bill 2022, which will update almost 40 pieces of ACT legislation with the gender-neutral language.

Mr Rattenbury said the use of gender-neutral language is important to create an “accepting and inclusive Canberra.”

“Langauge is important and powerful. Many Canberrans are gender diverse, and Canberra is an inclusive and welcoming community. It is time that the language of our legislation reflects that,” says Mr Rattenbury.

“The use of personal pronouns in the masculine or feminine are simply no longer appropriate in our legislation. The use of gender-neutral language in our society is important to reflect and foster an accepting, inclusive, and progressive Canberra community.

“Using gender-fair and inclusive language also helps reduce gender stereotyping, promotes social change and contributes to achieving gender equality.”