By Stephanie Bastiaan

This week women’s sex-based rights are going on trial in the Federal Court of Australia with the landmark case Tickle v Giggle.

By Stephanie Bastiaan

With the Victorian Parliament resuming this week, it’s a good time to reflect on the highs and lows of the recent Victorian election, and the lay of the land as Victoria begins a new parliamentary year.

By Stephanie Bastiaan

Victorian mother and breastfeeding advocate Jasmine Sussex is being taken to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) by trans-identified male Jennifer Buckley after raising concerns online about biological males trying to chest feed newborn babies. Courts, including QCAT, have the power to summon respondents to attend proceedings in a location most convenient to the applicant. This legal action follows three years of complaints by Buckley to various authorities, including the Queensland Human Rights Commission and the e-Safety Commission, who subsequently ordered posts by Sussex that said men can't breastfeed to be removed. 

By Stephanie Bastiaan

The Malinauskas Labor Government has introduced a 'conversion practices' ban bill by stealth in South Australia. The Conversion Practices Prohibition Bill 2024 (Bill), drafted by Attorney-General Kyam Maher and introduced by Deputy Premier Susan Close just two weeks ago, was debated and passed in the Legislative Assembly in under two hours – immediately after it was introduced. It is set to be debated in the Legislative Council today. 

By Stephanie Bastiaan

Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has committed a further $2.6 million per year in funding to Queensland Children's Gender Service (QCGS) to implement the recommendations of an 'independent' review released on Friday, bringing its tax-funded budget up to $5.2 million annually. 

By Stephanie Bastiaan

This week, New South Wales is set to debate Independent MP Alex Greenwich’s Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023, a component of which seeks to decriminalise overseas commercial surrogacy. While altruistic surrogacy is legal throughout Australia, commercial surrogacy remains illegal (due to concerns regarding the exploitation of women and children), and in NSW, this includes procuring commercial surrogacy arrangements overseas. Greenwich has long been an advocate for surrogacy.

By Stephanie Bastiaan

The Royal Australian and New Zealand Royal College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) have released a statement backing a holistic approach to managing gender dysphoria in young people and children rather than the gender affirmation model, in which a child’s perceived gender is unquestioningly affirmed by doctors.

By Stephanie Bastiaan

On the 30th of August, Upper House Liberal Leader Nicola Centofanti introduced the Summary Offences (Prostitution Law Reform) Amendment Bill 2023, making South Australia the first state to debate prostitution reforms based on the Nordic Model, also known as the Equality Model. Following the failures of ‘regulated’ or decriminalised legislative models rolled out in other states across Australia, it is a welcome development. 

By Stephanie Bastiaan

“We must avoid this becoming one of the biggest medical scandals of our time.” – Hon. Frank Pangallo MLC

By Stephanie Bastiaan

We’ve heard a lot about the vilification of Moira Deeming by Victorian Liberal Party Leader John Pesutto and others in the wake of the Let Women Speak rally in Melbourne, and recently, UK women’s rights activist Kellie-Jay Keen has joined Moira in issuing defamation proceedings against the leader – and in her case – his entire leadership team. There are many other women who have been harmed by the vile slurs thrown around by politicians and the media following the rally. One of those women, is women's and children's advocate, Angie Jones.