MEDIA RELEASE
Women’s Forum Australia says explosive new revelations that prison authorities were explicitly warned not to transfer a trans-identifying male killer into a women’s prison before he sexually assaulted a female inmate confirm a catastrophic failure of leadership by the Victorian Labor Government.
According to reporting in the Herald Sun today, senior prison staffers cautioned authorities about the risks posed by transferring the male offender into Tarrengower women’s prison – warnings that were ignored. The sexual assault of a female prisoner that followed was foreseeable, preventable, and the direct result of government policies and decisions that prioritised gender ideology over biological reality and women’s safety.
The gravity of this failure is underscored by the fact that the victim was a young mother with a baby inside prison, who had been deemed as a “fragile” prisoner due to a documented history of rape and sexual assault. Despite this, she was placed alongside the male offender – a decision that demonstrates a complete abandonment of even the most basic safeguarding obligations.
“Every Victorian should be horrified by what has happened. The sexual assault of a vulnerable young mother in prison was entirely avoidable. She has not only had to live with this trauma but has been denied justice for four years,” said Women’s Forum Australia CEO Rachael Wong.
“This state-sanctioned abuse is what happens when gender ideology replaces common sense, and so-called ‘gender identity’ is elevated above biological sex.”
“We are at the stage where the Victorian Labor Government seems to care more about protecting violent male rapists, paedophiles and murderers claiming to be women, than actual women.”
The assault of a female prisoner was not a tragic accident, but the predictable outcome of policies introduced and maintained under the Victorian Labor Government that allow male offenders to be housed in women’s prisons based on ‘gender identity’.
“These policies did not emerge in a vacuum,” Ms Wong said.
“They were enabled, defended, and enforced by the Victorian Labor Government – even as warnings were raised and evidence of harm mounted.”
The Government’s subsequent response – including a secret payout to the victim, failing to prosecute the offender, withholding the truth from the public for years, and continuing to house male offenders in women’s prisons – further demonstrates a system more concerned with protecting an ideology and avoiding political fallout than protecting women.
Premier Jacinta Allan has repeatedly dismissed concerns raised by female inmates, corrections staff, and women’s advocates. The new revelations show those warnings were not abstract or theoretical – they were ignored.
“This goes to the heart of ministerial responsibility,” Ms Wong said.
“Women in prison are entirely at the mercy of the state. When it knowingly places them in danger, it is accountable for the consequences.”
Women’s Forum Australia is calling for urgent action, including:
- A blanket ban on male prisoners being housed in women’s prisons
- Immediate removal of all male offenders from women’s correctional facilities
- An independent inquiry into how ‘gender identity’ policies overrode safety warnings, as well as into all known assaults linked to male placements
- Full transparency around settlements and failures to prosecute
- Accountability for decision-makers
“This was not a mistake. It was a decision,” Ms Wong said.
“It is time that those responsible at every level of this scandal – from policy makers to prison authorities – are held accountable.”
ENDS.
Media enquiries contacts
Rachael Wong
Chief Executive Officer
Stephanie Bastiaan
Head of Advocacy
Women’s Forum Australia is an independent think tank that undertakes research, education and public policy advocacy on issues affecting women and girls, with a particular focus on addressing behaviours and practices that are harmful and abusive to them. We are a non-partisan, non-religious, tax-deductible charity. We do not receive any government funding and rely solely on donations to make an impact. Support our work today.
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