With parliament adding an additional sitting week to their calendar for next week the government will be hoping they can ush through the bill before the end of the year, but opposition MPs and minor parties have a long list of questions about the bill.

Debate on the bill began in mid-October and its been progressing at a glacial pace. During the committee process of analysis the bill, which sees parliamentarians look at the legislation line by line, there’s been a huge range of motions to amend the legislation.

Liberal leader Basil Zempilas told The West Australian that his members were not deliberately slowing down progress of the bill.

During the last session there were attempts to change sections of the bill relating to the use of materials from a partner who had died. Alongside a push to increase the age of people who could serve as a surrogate, and current requirements that they have already given birth to at least one child.

There was also a call from The Australian Christians member Maryka Groenewald to introduce background checks for people wanting to start a family via surrogacy, it also failed to pass.

Each amendment failed, but line by line the debate dragged on.

As debate resumed on Tuesday with a push to ban any advertising about surrogacy services, it also failed. While the government put forward an increased the penalty for people found to be undertaking commercial surrogacy rather than an truistic endeavour.

The proposed legislation had 369 clauses when it arrived in the Legislative Assembly, and they’re currently looking at clause 112.

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City of Perth Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds said it was inspiring to see the community come together in such a powerful show of support.
 
“The Pride Parade is always one of the brightest nights on Perth’s calendar – and this year’s celebration was truly extraordinary,” Reynolds said.
 
“Our City of Light shone brilliantly as Northbridge transformed into a sea of colour, energy, and inclusion. Congratulations to Pride WA for once again creating an event that brings people together and reminds us that Perth is a place where everyone can proudly be themselves.
 
“Further strengthening our reputation as a city of inclusion, Perth has officially won its bid to host the Gay Games in 2030 – a global event that will bring together thousands of participants and spectators from around the world,” he said.

The Lord Mayor made many appearances during the festival appearing at the Pride Walk & Run, Fairday and other events.

Saturday night’s parade saw over 100 floats weaving their way through the streets of Northbridge with a sound of disco tunes and a display a rainbow colours.

Take a look at some of the photos from the big event.

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Five remarkable everyday Australians have been recognised for their leadership, support and advocacy for people living with HIV. 

Now in its fifth year, the Community Champions program continues to highlight the extraordinary contribution individuals make to the HIV response in Australia through their compassion, commitment and community leadership.

This year saw a record 56 nominations from within the sector, reflecting not only the breadth of experience within the community but also the significant role played by those who walk alongside people living with HIV. 

Among this year’s recipients are four peer workers whose lived experience strengthens the care they provide and a GP who has been a strong advocate for embedding peer support within clinical practice.

Together, they represent the many allies who offer insight, connection and practical support at some of life’s most challenging moments. 

NAPWHA President Scott Harlum said this year’s recipients demonstrate the power of lived experience in action.

“Peer support has always been at the heart of Australia’s HIV response and this year’s Champions embody that more clearly than ever. They remind us that progress is driven by people with lived experience, and by those who stand in solidarity alongside them. Their work brings dignity, hope and connection at a time when stigma and inequity still shape the lives of too many.” 

Gilead Sciences ANZ Director Public Affairs Lisa Maguire said the growth of the program reflects its deepening impact.

“Gilead is honoured to support the Community Champions program in its fifth year. The record number of nominations this year illustrates the continuing growth of the program and the enormous respect communities have for their peers, advocates and allies,” Maguire said. 

“We are proud to stand with NAPWHA and recognise those in the community who share our continuing commitment to reducing stigma and improving outcomes for everyone living with HIV.”

The 2025 Community Champions include two people from Western Australia. WAAC Peer Support worker Charlie Manley and Dr Fergus McCabe.

Manley spoke to OUTinPerth at Sunday’s commuity gathering ahead of World AIDS Day and shared that he’d found out about the honour while he was on holiday in Argentina.

“I was on holiday was getting all these phone calls and messages from people from work.” he shared, but like anyone away on leave he completed ignored their messages, until his team leader managed to get through.

“I was just so shocked, surprised and super grateful. It was really surreal, but it was really amazing.” he said.

In recent years Manley has often spoken about his own experience of discovering as a young man that he was HIV positive. Now he helps other people who are newly disagnosed with their journey. Work that he’s committed to and passionate about.

“It’s amazing to be honest, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I’m so grateful I work in the space and help the amazing people I work with. I’m just really grateful to support people and guide them through something that I have also lived through.

“I know what its like, and I know how painful and lonely it can feel. To be that support person it is amazing for me, and its incredible work.”

Find out about all the Community Champions

Babi – Overseas Born Community Champion. A trailblazing transgender woman and community leader, Babi supports migrants, international students and people living with HIV to navigate stigma, identity and complex systems with dignity, strength and care. 

Helen – Peer Community Champion. A Peer Navigator with Queensland Positive People (QPP), Helen walks beside people living with HIV with empathy and calm assurance, helping them reconnect with care, rebuild confidence and find community. 

Charlie – Emerging Community Champion. A peer worker and case manager at WAAC, Charlie provides grounded, compassionate support to people facing isolation, migration challenges and stigma, creating welcoming spaces where connection and belonging can grow. 

Ron – Bolder Community Champion. A social worker, researcher and long-time advocate, Ron champions the rights, visibility and wellbeing of older people living with HIV, using lived experience to guide connection, community and change. 

Dr. Fergus McCabe – Health Ally Community Champion. A respected HIV GP and strong advocate for peer-led care, Fergus centres patient choice and collaboration, empowering peers as leaders within a community-driven model of care. 

The post HIV Community Champions announced on World AIDS Day appeared first on OUTinPerth.

Taking over The Ice Cream Factory in Northbridge, the Thursday night event drew a crowd of music lovers eager to see the Australian band.

While both Drag stars entertained the crowd with witty banter and some quick numbers, music was the flavour everyone had come out for.

First up DJ Tseba delivered an engaging set.

Soon Miami Horror will filing the stage with their sound. Bandmates Benjamin Plant and Daniel Whitechurch remained largely in the shadows while their guest vocalists took centre stage.

Perth audiences got to experience the band while Sydney fans missed out after their proposed Sunday night show was cancelled.

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Making her debut was performer Nikki Minogue, and while many performers opt for lip-syncing and dance moves, Minogue had something different to offer.

The performance was a mix of stand up comedy and magic.

Reaching into her bag of tricks Nikki Minogue pulled out a contraption which she claimed gave her the power to read people’s minds.

To the naked eye it did look like a tin foil hat which a colander added via a hot glue gun, but she promised it was laden with technology and special powers.

She proceeded to invite audience members on the the stage for a card trick. It was a rambling and shambolic presentation, but we were strangely hooked.

Along the way she tripped over her own stage props, and then she broke a heel, but it all added to the chaos and built suspense.

Watching the haphazard performance, and a growing feeling it could all end badly, I recalled captivating performances at Connections years a go by British performer Scottee.

Scottee performed the classic Vaudevillian routine of Yellow ‘Bandana’ where a performer plays a ‘how to’ cassette tape of learning a magic trick. It all goes pear shaped when instead of a yellow bandana, they pull out a yellow banana. The beauty of the act, that had been done by many performers over the years, is that when it looks like its all gone wrong, it suddenly works out.

Watching Nikki Minogue tackle a magic trick, I was worried we were just going to be left with a smashed banana.

But it all came good and she pulled off, accurately guessing the correct card for each of the three guests on stage.

She then got her wig tangled in her special hat, adding another level of comedy to the proceedings. It was an impressive debut, and I could help but heel that there’s an entire Fringe World show waiting to happen.

Head down to Connections every Thursday night for the unexpected.

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It brought the curtain down a political career that spanned from student politics to LGBTIQA+ rights advocacy, a historic election to the state parliament, followed by a long career in the federal parliament.

Highlighting Pratt’s achievements will be the focus of the Rainbow Labor float in this year’s parade through the streets of Northbridge.

When Senator Pratt delivered her valedictory speech in parliament back in March she dressed n the colours of the lesbian flag, making her final moment in the politics echo back to where she began fighting for LGBTIQA+ rights in the 1990s as a leading campaigner for law reform in Western Australia.

In the 2001 state election she unexpectedly won a seat in the Western Australian Legislative Council as Labor came to power under Premier Geoff Gallop and ousted the Court Liberal government. She became the youngest woman to be elected to the Upper House.

She played a central role in the 2002 law reforms which saw a complete ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, an equalizing of the age of consent, the removal of legislation that made it illegal to promote homosexuality in schools, while also allowing gay couples the right to adopt and inherit from a deceased partner.

In 2007 Pratt switched to federal politics as a Senator for Western Australia and worked on a wide range of issues in the federal parliament, including the long campaign for marriage equality in Australia.

At the 2013 election Senator Pratt was initially returned, but on a recount she lost, but when it was revealed that some ballot papers had gone missing, the High Court ordered that a new half-Senate only election be held. At the second poll Senator Pratt lost her seat, but she returned at the 2016 election and was successful once again.

Speaking to OUTinPerth ahead of the annual Pride Parade Louise Pratt said that while she missed many of the people she’d got to know in Canberra, she definitely did not miss the constant travel across the country.

“I miss some of the people, and I miss some of the stakeholders too. But I do not miss the travel.” she said emphatically.

“I do not miss, not feeling human.” she adds describing how the travel and time difference between Western Australia and the east coast.

Since returning to Western Australia Pratt has been spending her time building a home office, researching woodwork and has recently started working with the Cancer Council.

“But mostly I’ve just been enjoying family, and getting reacquainted with some of my friends who I haven’t seen enough of.”

“I’ve quite liked going to ground and not having to talk to too many people.” Pratt said with a smile.

Asked what, besides the obvious answer of marriage equality, she considered to be the highlights and memorable stages of her time in politics. Pratt has a long list.

“Anti-discrimination law reform absolutely, even things going back to the McGinty years equal de-facto rights with married couples, and the fact that it was for all heterosexual couples and queer couples, that was really great for not only the queer person in me, but also the feminist in me.”

Pratt notes that before the Western Australian laws were changed women who were not married to their partner would often lose property they had contributed to if a relationship ended. Fixing the laws extended far beyond the LGBTIQA+ community, it benefited everyone.

“Things like that are really powerful, and I’ve seen the very real change that has made to people’s lives.”

Stopping the Morrison government’s attempt to push through their religious freedom bill is also one of the big moments Pratt reflects on.

“They were some pretty tense moments in the senate around that.”

Work on climate change is another highlight, but she also shares her frustration at the rate of progress.

“It’s been done, and then undone, and done and undone, and then done and undone again.” Pratt says of the back and forth debate on how to tackle the challenge.

“Things like that I wish we’d seen more progress on, the rights of children is another area where I wished there had really been more progress as well.

“All of the comings and goings and tragedies around refugees that has been absolutely epic as well. All of the drownings on boats, to before that detention. Today I’m hoping for a sense of optimism. Australia has just welcomed it’s millionth refugee, and there are LGBTIQA+ people making new lives here as part of that.

Her long career saw Pratt spend time in both government and opposition.

“It’s so much better to be in government,” she said. “But its not always as much fun as a backbencher in government.

“Opposition can be really useful for people like me, because we were quite successful in stopping a bunch of regressive things around worker’s rights, religious freedom and a whole range of issues.” Pratt said.

“Ministerial process and cabinet processes can make it hard sometime for you to have your say.” Pratt said.

“It’s a good time to have left parliament.” Pratt said noting the strong majority Labor has on both a state and federal level, but she also points to across the political spectrum there are more LGBTIQA+ people than ever before.

” I fell like out community is represented and I hope in the future it will continue to be. In the Labor party queer people are present in all party forums.”

Asked what advice she’d give to an LGBTIQA+ person considering a political career, Pratt is encouraging.

“You should give it a go – absolutely.” she said. “But they way to do it is to really just start participating. I never became political to become a politician. I started out of my concern for a whole range of issues, really starting a student, and as a queer person, and then as a unionist.”

As she prepares to be honoured by her party colleagues in the Pride Parade, Pratt said it felt “really weird”.

“I’m not always someone who wants the spotlight, but I’m taking it in good grace and I’ll enjoy the night.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing a bunch of comrades I haven’t seen in recent months, and there so many people in Rainbow Labor who made an extraordinary difference, so I’m very honoured.”

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A little light rain didn’t deter the colourfully dressed participants from heading out along the run route with an option for a 3km, 5km or 7pm undertaking.

Afterwards the crowd were entertained by DJ H. Sailor and drag stars Donna Kebab, Cougar Morrison, Jaxson Coke and Faye Rocious. The quartet also handed out medals to particpants as the crossed the finish line.

A giant dancing quokka set the mood, and dignitaries addressed the crowd to celebrate the season of Pride and the exciting news that the Gay Games are coming to Perth in 2030.

Frontrunners Co-Presidents Ritchie Yates and Bec Powell welcomed the participants to the annual Pride Run & Walk.

Powell explained how Perth Frontrunners is a 100% inclusive club that encourages connection and participation, and for many members their regular Saturday morning gatherings in Kings Park are as much about meeting people, and gathering for a coffee after the run or walk, as they are about exercise.

Lord Mayor of Perth Bruce Reynolds joked that his choice of a suit may have left him slightly overdressed for the event and he was surrounded by a sea of people clad in rainbow colours ready for an early morning run.

“What a vibe!” Reynolds said of the energetic gathering.

“The City of Perth is so proud to support this event, for so many reasons.” the Mayor said. “The most important thing is because its a part of what makes us so strong as a community. Its the visibility, it’s the opportunity through friendship, through fun and through fitness that we do something that is just so positive for our whole community.”

Pride WA CEO Dr Lauren Butterly shared the news about Perth being awarded the 2030 Gay Games.

“We have won the world’s largest sporting event, coming to Perth in 2030 – The Gay Games!” Butterly said to rounds of cheers.

The Pride CEO shared that the judges who picked Perth to host the event had been impressed by the closeness of the local LGBTIQA+ community.

Check out all the pictures from the big event!

The post The 2025 Perth Pride Run & Walk was a huge success appeared first on OUTinPerth.

Among the many activities taking place is glittering runway shows, drag performances, immersive exhibitions and storytelling. Each activation is designed to highlight identity, artistry and community in a space that welcomes all.|

Some of the standout events in this year’s line-up include the return of the ‘Rainebow
Runway’, a celebration of fashion, identity, and community. Plus there’s Drag Bingo hosted by the
fabulous Dean Misdale.

Visitors can also explore the ‘House of Wings Exhibition’, enjoy weekly drag performances, and discover powerful queer storytelling through the Short Story Machine.

The Rainebow Runway will be taking place on Saturday 29th November from 12pm through to 4pm. It’ll include two runways shows, plus drag performances from Prism and Donna Kebab, dance performances, a DJ set from Her Highness and heaps more.

Check out everything happening at Raine Square.

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The event will run from 4:30pm at the Hyde Park Amphitheatre, Perth, featuring culturally diverse entertainment, food from local vendors, and reflections on the HIV response in Western Australia and globally.

This year’s theme “No-one left behind” highlights the urgent need to tackle inequities in HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and quality of life. It focuses on improving access and outcomes for First Nations peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and those in regional and remote areas.

The theme also acknowledges Australia’s responsibility to support global initiatives and reminds us that stigma and discrimination must be addressed as they continue to hinder testing, treatment and wellbeing. It is a call for collective action to create supportive environments that enable people living with HIV to live free from stigma and discrimination.

“Australia’s HIV response is, in many respects, a public health triumph. Declining rates among gay and bisexual men prove that prevention and treatment work,” said Dr Daniel Vujcich, CEO of WAAC. “But this success story isn’t complete until all communities benefit equally. The tools that have transformed HIV outcomes – things like PrEP, rapid testing, effective treatment – must reach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally diverse backgrounds, and regional Western Australians who still face barriers to care.

“On World AIDS Day, we recommit to ensuring that HIV advances are accessible to everyone. The community spirit that saved lives in the 1980s must now fuel our commitment to health equity. Our job is not done until everyone is included in the public health response to HIV.”

The event will feature vibrant performances from culturally and linguistically diverse and First Nations entertainers, food from local vendors, and reflections honouring lives lost to AIDS-related illnesses.

Everyone is welcome at this community gathering to celebrate inclusion and progress in the HIV response. WAAC is inviting Western Australians to bring picnic blankets and chairs for an easy, enjoyable evening under the trees with friends, family and community.

“On World AIDS Day, we stand with communities worldwide,” Dr Vujcich added. “Recent cuts to global HIV funding should alarm us all; they remind us that the progress we’ve achieved can be reversed without sustained investment and advocacy. We cannot be complacent. We must continue to fight for the resources, policies and programs that ensure every person living with HIV, everywhere in the world, can access the care, dignity and support they deserve.”

The free event is open to all members of the community and represents WAAC’s commitment to inclusive, culturally responsive HIV services across Western Australia.

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From 9:00am to 10:00am, teams from businesses and community organisations will compete to pack the most condoms in one hour, establishing the first-ever baseline for this unique event. The condoms packed will be distributed throughout Western Australia as part of WAAC’s sexual health and HIV prevention programs.

“World AIDS Day is a time to remember those we’ve lost, celebrate the incredible progress in HIV treatment and prevention, and recommit ourselves to ending HIV transmission,” said Dr Daniel Vujcich, CEO of WAAC.

“It also reminds us of the extraordinary community response to the early HIV epidemic when communities came together to care for each other, advocate for change, and take practical action to save lives. This Pack-a-thon continues that spirit of community mobilisation, providing a practical, fun way for people to contribute to the public health response while learning about the full range of prevention tools.”

In the last financial year alone, WAAC distributed 113,521 safe sex packs throughout Western Australia, making free condom access a crucial part of the state’s HIV and STI prevention strategy. The condoms packed at Monday’s event will contribute directly to this vital public health initiative.

The Pack-a-thon represents a shift toward innovative, engaging public health events that combine education, community participation, and practical outcomes. Attendees will also have the opportunity to purchase merchandise from the WAAC Store, with all proceeds supporting WAAC’s community programs.

Register your team to take part in the event!

WAAC is a leading sexual health organisation providing HIV prevention, treatment support, and advocacy services across Western Australia. WAAC operates M Clinic for sexual health services, the Freedom Centre for LGBTIQA+ young people, and delivers comprehensive health promotion programs. In 2025, WAAC celebrates 40 years of community service.

World AIDS Day, observed annually on 1 December, is dedicated to raising awareness of HIV/AIDS, remembering those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses, and celebrating advances in prevention and treatment. The day highlights ongoing efforts to end HIV transmission and support people living with HIV.

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