A woman's legal right to choose is now closer than ever before!

Earlier this year, when legislation to decriminalise abortion was introduced to the parliament, there weren’t enough pro-choice MPs willing to vote for desperately needed change. So, when the Palaszczuk Government referred the issue to the Law Reform Commission and pledged to introduce new laws in 2018 – it was clear that we’d have to put this issue on the election and voter agenda, to increase the number of pro-choice candidates in Queensland parliament.

So that’s exactly what Fair Agenda helped do.

Together, our community drove a powerful campaign that kept this issue, and candidates' stances, in the headlines. Together, we pushed 154 candidates to publicly commit to back pro-choice reforms by taking Fair Agenda’s pro-choice candidate pledge. And, in total, we got 174 candidates to go on the record about their position on abortion law reform – many of them for the first time. 

Then, we engaged thousands of voters in key marginal seat races with this information about their local candidates’ stance. 

And today’s results show that publicly pro-choice candidates have won key marginal seat races in: Redlands, Mansfield, Jordan, Maiwar, Noosa, Cook, Cairns, and Gaven! 

Plus: a number of candidates who have spoken at “pro-life” rallies, or otherwise indicated they oppose decriminalising abortion, have lost key races in: Mount Ommaney, Ipswich, Buderim and Pumicestone!

This election outcome brings us closer than we've ever been to decriminalising abortion in Queensland.

And it's a testament to the Fair Agenda community and to all the Queenslanders who have been campaigning long and hard to change these cruel and degrading laws. So thank you for your part in it.

Going into this election, nobody thought that we could make abortion an election issue. In fact, it’s long-held election lore that pro-choice candidates shouldn’t talk about their position on abortion for fear of backlash from fringe religious groups and voters.

This election, we’ve helped change that, showing that the vast majority of voters support safe and legal access to abortion, pushing more candidates than ever before to be transparent about their stance on this issue, and - most importantly - proving that publicly pro-choice candidates can win marginal races – and be backed by a huge portion of the community.

Thanks for all you did to help make this happen,

Renee, Tash and Chantelle for Fair Agenda

Here’s a recap of what the Fair Agenda community was able to do together on this campaign...

We knew going into this election that in order to decriminalise abortion we would need to ensure a majority of pro-choice MPs were elected. And to make that happen - that voters would need to know their candidates' views on abortion reform.

The problem was: most candidates weren't on the record about their stance. So, Fair Agenda launched a pro-choice candidate pledge – and asked all major party candidates to declare that if elected, they would “vote to remove abortion from the criminal code, and to support laws that would ensure all Queenslanders can safely and legally access full reproductive healthcare, without being harassed or intimidated”.

And, within days of the election being called, Fair Agenda was able to announce that we had already secured pro-choice pledges from almost 100 candidates -- putting this issue in the election headlines by day 6 of the election campaign! 

  

It was a brilliant start -- but we knew it wasn't enough. So Fair Agenda members stepped up the pressure, sending hundreds of emails, and hand-delivering messages to MPs who hadn’t gone on the record...

...And Fair Agenda members also chipped in to fund strategic polling - to prove to candidates that it's in their interests to be upfront about where they stand on abortion. That polling put this issue in the headlines yet again - showing candidates across the country what was at stake if they refused to be upfront about their position! 

This polling also showed that *50%* of Queenslanders would be unwilling to vote for their preferred candidate if that candidate wanted abortion to remain in the criminal code. And that the issue of decriminalising abortion would be important in deciding the vote of 80% undecided voters! 

This was hugely compelling data. And it proved that a candidates position on safe and legal abortion would shift votes. 

Together, all this campaigning secured a commitment from 154 candidates that they would support strong and evidence-based pro-choice reforms if elected!

Fair Agenda's polling had shown this information could shift votes. So we knew it was vital to get this information in front of as many voters as possible.

So Fair Agenda launched a powerful online tool at voteprochoice.org.au – to allow Queensland voters to enter their postcode, and find out quickly and easily their local candidates' stance on decriminalising abortion. 

And then Fair Agenda volunteers took to the streets of Brisbane in the blood red cloaks and white bonnets of the Handmaid’s Tale. (That's the recent TV sensation set in a dystopian future where fertile women are denied bodily autonomy, and forced to carry pregnancies against their will). To let voters know where they could find out their candidates' stances on this issue. 

And Fair Agenda’s Handmaids put this issue back in the headlines again…

…And engaged thousands of voters with this important issue in the week leading up to election day.

Fair Agenda members also chipped in to fund online adverts to get this vote-deciding information in front of voters in key seats – reaching thousands more voters in a number of key pro-choice races.

Together we put abortion decriminalisation on the election agenda – showing that voters overwhelmingly support decriminalisation. And helped see eight pro-choice candidates win key marginal seat races, and four anti-choice candidates lose key races.    

This is huge progress!

There’s still a lot of work to be done to ensure laws for safe and legal abortion are passed by the Queensland parliament next year when the Law Reform Commission hands down its recommendations.

But our community’s campaign at this state election has ensured there are more MPs on the record about their stance on abortion law reform than ever before; and that MPs and parties now know that voters will support candidates that stand up for a woman’s legal right to choose. And that those who want to keep treating a woman’s choice as a crime will lose votes over it.

Thank you to all the Fair Agenda members who helped make this possible, and to our friends in Pro Choice Queensland parters who have been campaigning long and hard for these changes for years.