Ms Palaszczuk delivered a historic apology in the Parliament on Thursday afternoon, with a motion supporting the move passing with bipartisan support. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk: "We regret the humiliation that you have endured and the violence and vilification that were perpetrated upon you." Credit:Glenn Hunt "In criminalising homosexual activity between consenting adults, the Legislative Assembly of this state dishonoured its citizens and institutionalised prejudice and discrimination," Ms Palaszczuk said. "To those people who faced the ignominy of being charged by police, of appearing before the courts and being punished for merely expressing their sexuality, we say sorry. "We regret the humiliation that you have endured and the violence and vilification that were perpetrated upon you. We know that for many of you this has caused immeasurable pain."

Ms Palaszczuk said the apology was belated. "I say belated, because Queensland had laws that enshrined discrimination and prejudice until 1990," she said. "Queensland was, in fact, the second-last state or territory to change our laws to end this form of discrimination. "But although belated, this apology is nonetheless sincere and heartfelt, and I acknowledge the pain, the hurt and the suffering experienced by so many Queenslanders for so long." Ms Palaszczuk said the discriminatory laws led to prejudice, violence, harassment and vilification and made criminals of ordinary men.

It is estimated that over 95 years, 464 people had been charged under the laws. Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath then introduced a bill to allow people to apply to have the historic charges expunged from their records. Ms D'Ath said the law reform to decriminalise the offences in the 1990s did not remove the stigma faced by people who still had the convictions on their record. She said Queensland had changed over the previous decades. "Reading some of the Hansard from the 1990 debate, Mr Speaker, is nothing short of revolting," Ms D'Ath said.

"The debate displayed signs of pure discrimination, it was full of hate, it was out-right bigotry." The bill allows a person convicted of, or charged with, an eligible offence to apply to the director-general of the Justice and Attorney-General Department for expungement of the conviction or charge. They must relate to conduct before January 19, 1991, and must have involved homosexual activity. The two types are those involving anal sex or indecent acts, or "public morality offences". The Queensland Law Reform Commission did not recommend that public morality offences be included as eligible offences because they were still on the statute books, but the government felt they should be included to reflect discrimination against LGBTI people.

After the bill was introduced, the public gallery erupted in applause. LGBTI Legal Service executive director Emile McPhee said the laws had left a legacy of shame and stigma on the community. "It's well and truly time for this legacy to be completely erased from the criminal histories of persecuted gays and lesbians," Mr McPhee said. Mr McPhee said he hoped the historic changes would encourage more affected people to come forward. Anna Brown of the Human Rights Law Centre said sex between consenting adults should never have been criminalised.

"These laws had a profound impact on the everyday lives of gay men, lesbians and bisexual people and continue to limit work, travel and volunteering opportunities," she said. Queensland AIDS Council vice-president Pete Black said the bill and apology recognised that homosexuality should never have been against the law. In 2015, the LGBTI Legal Service, Human Rights Law Centre, Caxton Legal Centre, Queensland Association of Independent Legal Services and the Brisbane Pride Festival published a report on the issue. It found a dedicated scheme to consider applications to expunge the records of eligible people would be the most effective and dignified way to end decades of stigma and discrimination. Queensland Council for Civil Liberties president Michael Cope welcomed the reform.

"Many gay men have been rejected for jobs, particularly in government, simply because when they were 17-year-old boys they were caught in the local park and charged," Mr Cope said. "Justice demands that these men be allowed to have these convictions be removed from their records." Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls had the chance to speak to the apology but did not take the opportunity.