Fair Agenda

Last week we stood in the gallery of Queensland Parliament, watching as 50 MPs cast the votes that made history, and decriminalised abortion in Queensland.

That majority vote was the culmination of more than 2.5 years of campaigning by the Fair Agenda community and our partners, building on decades of work by pro-choice activists in Queensland. And it was only possible because thousands of Fair Agenda members relentlessly took dedicated action over the course of years. 

This is one of the biggest campaign victories in Fair Agenda’s history. And, if we want to also win desperately needed change in NSW (where abortion also remains a criminal offence), we’re going to have to do all this, and more, again.

Here’s how Fair Agenda members helped make this historic change possible:

Back in May 2016, when independent Queensland MP Rob Pyne introduced new health laws to decriminalise abortion, thousands of Fair Agenda members came together to show huge public support for change. Together we drove local actions in MP’s electorates: meeting with key undecided MPs...

Flooding MPs with constituent emails, and delivering testimonies to MPs in their electorate offices...

And, in the lead up to the expected vote Fair Agenda and partners amplified the voices of medical experts in online and newspaper adverts.

Together we made headlines, and made sure every single MP received polling showing that an overwhelming majority of Queenslanders support decriminalisation.

Then, in February 2017, when it was revealed that the proposed legislation wouldn’t have enough votes to pass the parliament, and abortion reform was instead referred to the Law Reform Commission - we got ready to make abortion access an issue at the looming election.

To make that happen - we knew voters would need to know their candidates' views on abortion reform. So, Fair Agenda launched a pro-choice candidate pledge – and asked all major party candidates to declare that if elected, they would back compassionate abortion reform.

And, within days of the election being called, we secured pro-choice pledges from almost 100 candidates -- putting this issue in the election headlines by day 6 of the election campaign!

Fair Agenda members then chipped in to fund strategic polling - to prove to candidates that it was 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!

Throughout our election campaign, Fair Agenda secured commitments from 154 candidates that they would support strong and evidence-based pro-choice reforms if elected. Then we launched a powerful online tool that allowed Queensland voters to quickly and easily find out their local candidates' stance on decriminalising abortion.

Fair Agenda volunteers then took to the streets of Brisbane in the blood red cloaks and white bonnets of the Handmaid’s Tale, to let voters know where they could find out their candidates' stances on this issue.

Together we put abortion decriminalisation on the state election agenda – and helped ensure eight pro-choice candidates won key marginal seats, and that four anti-choice candidates lost theirs!

Then, when the Law Reform Commission started considering its recommendations on new abortion laws, the Fair Agenda community got ready to do everything possible to convince undecided MPs to vote in support of new laws.

Together we mobilised, campaigned and lobbied like never before. On the day proposed laws were announced, we turned out for a snap rally, and stood alongside service providers and legal experts to show media and MPs that these laws had our support.

We worked with our pro-choice partners to amplify the voices of affected people, and of medical experts who could speak to the harm the laws were having on Queenslanders. 

We had one objective: to demonstrate widespread public support for safe, legal and compassionate abortion care and persuade MPs to vote accordingly.

We commissioned hard-hitting polling across the state, and in the seats of key undecided MPs, and demonstrated broad scale community and expert support in an open letter that we then placed as a full page advert in the local paper distributed to key undecided MPs.

And then, just days before the vote, Fair Agenda teamed up with Young Queenslanders for the Right to Choose to organise the biggest pro-choice rally Brisbane has ever seen (and in torrential rain, no less) - joining more than a thousand Queenslanders to march to Speakers Corner and send parliamentarians a message they couldn't ignore.

In the end, after years of work by Fair Agenda and parters, the laws passed 50-41 with three LNP MPs, Tim Nicholls, Steve Minnikin and Jann Stuckey, breaking party ranks to support the bill.

When the final vote was read aloud, the gallery erupted in cheers (and tears). 

It was an incredible win - and it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of thousands of Fair Agenda members who volunteered, donated, made calls and emails, and showed up to marches. It's a testament to the growing power and potential of our community. 

But we know the fight for reproductive autonomy isn't over. In fact, the Fair Agenda community will need to do this, and more, all over again if we're going to help win safe and legal access to abortion care in NSW. 

Can you chip in to our pro-choice fighting fund and help the Fair Agenda community keep up the fight for compassionate reproductive healthcare?

With your help, we can help share the momentum and lessons our community learnt during our joint campaigning in Queensland, in NSW - and work with partners in NSW to make the call for change so loud politicians can’t ignore it.

We know that the momentum is already building - just this morning NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley announced that he backs decriminalisation, and if elected, will task the Law Reform Commission with putting forward a model for the NSW parliament to consider. This wouldn’t be possible without the long, hard work being done by local NSW groups; combined with the momentum Fair Agenda and partners built for safe, legal and compassionate access to abortion care over recent years and weeks in Queensland.