The case for law reform to protect intersex people in NSW

Congratulations to Alastair Lawrie on completion of his fellowship report for the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW.

The report makes the case for law reform and redress in New South Wales to protect children with innate variations of sex characteristics from unnecessary and deferrable medical interventions.

Comparable legislation has already been enacted in the ACT and Victoria, establishing an emergent Australian model, providing for human rights-based oversight, transparency and accountability.

Alastair was awarded a 2025 Justice Fellow by the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW, and the report was amongst a series of reports presented at an event at the Custom House in Sydney on Wednesday 29 July 2026. The Law and Justice Foundation of NSW note:

Alastair is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Justice and Equity Centre, where he has led work on anti-discrimination law reform for the past eight years. His background spans public service roles in the Victorian government, federal politics, and the not-for-profit sector, alongside longstanding volunteer contributions to LGBTQI+ health and rights. His fellowship will explore legal protections for children born with variations of sex characteristics, drawing on legislative approaches in the ACT and overseas. Alastair aims to help shape a best practice NSW framework that ends non-consensual medical interventions and affirms every person’s right to bodily autonomy.

Morgan Carpenter congratulates Alastair, saying that it was a pleasure to be in Sydney for this important event.

The report is available on the Justice Ideas page of the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW website. A copy can also be read below.

Read the report

Read the report on the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW website