Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner apologized to the LGBTI community for "state-sanctioned discrimination"and the laws that "criminalised love and attraction".

NT is poised to pass a bill that would help people have their records expunged if they were convicted under pre-1983 laws that banned homosexuality.  Once the law is passed, abou a dozen men believed to have been convicted under the old rules will be able to apply to remove these convictions.

"Today is about making right," Mr. Gunner said.  "It is about making right on hurtful and discriminatory laws tolerated, supported or actively perpetuated by Northern Territory governments.  Today is about saying to our lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, intersex and queer community: We were wrong. 

"Laws criminalising homosexuality were wrong," he added, "Laws criminalising love and attraction were wrong.  And historical convictions stemming from these laws were - are - wrong."