By Rachael Wong

A judge of the Federal Court of Australia is currently deliberating on Australia’s “what is a woman?” case: Tickle v Giggle. This is a pivotal moment for women’s rights in Australia as it will determine whether gender identity trumps biological sex under Australian sex discrimination law.

Today, the NSW Parliament’s Legislative Assembly Standing Committee on Community Services tabled its report inquiring into Independent MP Alex Greenwich’s Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023, recommending that Parliament proceeds to consider the Bill.

We recently had a distressed mother from Victoria write to us about her gender confused teenage daughter and her school’s policy which would allow her to see a doctor about transitioning without parental consent or even notification.

By Stephanie Bastiaan

Australia's 'gender affirming' model of care for treating patients with gender dysphoria will be tested with a landmark case in the NSW Supreme Court. 

Activists around the world are clearly targeting both professional bodies and legislatures as a means of lending authority to their preferred, psychology-free “affirmation only” approach to the treatment of young people with gender dysphoria. The recent decision by the UK government to exclude “gender identity” from its proposed new “conversion therapy” legislation, should prompt a reconsideration of similar legislation that has already been enacted in Australia. It becomes a matter of some urgency that we establish whether and to what extent peak bodies and politicians are responding to an activist wish list at the expense of scientifically supported and proven professional best practice.  

Senator Claire Chandler has announced that she is introducing a private members bill “to protect single-sex sport for Australian women and girls”.

In the wake of the controversy surrounding Laurel Hubbard’s appearance in the women’s weightlifting championships at the Tokyo Olympic games, announcements that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was reviewing the rules around transgender and intersex inclusion in women’s sports, naturally raised expectations that the revised rules would bring much needed clarity and re-establish fairness for women in elite sport. As it turns out, the new rules are profoundly disappointing.