Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’ apology to those convicted under the historical homosexual sex offences has been described as a world first.

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has become the first Australian premier to issue an apology to people convicted of discriminatory historical homosexual sex offences.

The premier issued the formal apology while addressing state Parliament on Tuesday, after introducing legal reforms to help those affected by the historical laws to expunge their criminal convictions in September of last year.

Before homosexuality was decriminalised in 1981, LGBTQ people could be convicted of offences such as buggery, loitering for homosexual purposes, gross indecency and offensive behavior.

“There was a time in our history when we turned thousands of ordinary young men into criminals,” said Andrews, acknowledging that gay men were predominately convicted under the historical homosexuality laws.

“I can’t possibly explain why we made these laws and clung to them and fought for them,” he said.

During his speech, Andrews referenced a number of gay men who were convicted under the historical homosexual sex offences and singled them out for a direct apology.

One of these men was Tom Anderson, who was sexually abused at the age of 14 by a male employer in 1977. When he reported the assault to police, Tom himself was charged with two counts of gross indecency and one account of buggery.

“This was the life for innocent people like Tom,” said Andrews. “We told them they were fugitives living outside the law. We gave them no safe place to find themselves – or each other. We made sure they couldn’t trust a soul, not even their family.”

Tom is one of the ten people to have their record expunged under Victoria’s new legislation, but Director of Advocacy and Strategic Litigation at the Human Rights Law Centre, Anna Brown, said thousands more could have their conviction overturned.

“The apology is a powerful symbolic act by the premier, and as a lawyer helping these people, I am so glad we have a powerful ally in Andrews, who has shown great political courage in taking this step,” she said.

Victoria, NSW, and the ACT are the only states in Australia which have introduced schemes to expunge historical homosexual sex offences, while the Queensland and Tasmania governments have committed to similar schemes but have yet to legislate them.  

 Andrews believes the Victorian government’s apology to those convicted under the historical homosexual sex offences is a world first.

“To our knowledge, no jurisdiction in the world has ever offered a full and formal apology for laws like these,” he said.

Newtown MP and Greens Spokesperson Jenny Leong praised Andrews for the apology, saying Victoria was leading the way on reducing the shame experienced by those convicted under the laws.

“The NSW Parliament should follow in the footsteps of our Victorian counterparts and make a genuine apology to people convicted of homosexual offences, many of whom faced stigma and alienation following their convictions,” she said.

Andrews closed his speech by speaking about two women who were convicted for offensive behavior in the 1970s for holding hands while riding a tram.

“If you are a member of the LGBTI community, and there’s someone in your life that you love – a partner or a friend – then do me a favour: Next time you’re on a tram in Melbourne, hold their hand,” he said.

“Do it with pride and defiance. Because you have that freedom.”

You can read the premier’s full speech here .