The Victorian Legislative Council Legal and Social Issues Committee will hold two days of hearings this week as part of its inquiry into anti‑LGBTQIA+ hate crimes in Victoria.
The inquiry is examining the scale, scope and impacts of these harms across the state. The hearings will be held from 10am to 5pm on Wednesday 24 June and Thursday 25 June.
The Committee will investigate how anti‑LGBTQIA+ hate crimes occur, the methods used by hate groups and influencers to spread harmful content, the effectiveness of current prevention and safety initiatives, and the responsibilities of digital platforms in addressing online hate.
The inquiry will also consider the experiences of diverse LGBTQIA+ communities, including Rainbow Mob, people with disability, and multifaith and multicultural community members, and review interstate and national data and strategies.
Day one of the hearings will include appearances of representatives of peer support organisation Switchboard Victoria, the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, Q+Law, the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) and experts from the NSW Police Hate Crime Unit and Deakin University.
On Thursday, the Committee will hear from a representative of dating platform Grindr, Victoria Police, the Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ Communities, the Victims of Crime Commissioner, Respect Victoria and others.
The full schedule of witnesses is available on the Committee’s website.
The hearings will be broadcast on the Committee’s website.
The Committee will table its final report by 1 September 2026.
