Family First has welcomed the Northern Territory Government’s landmark decision to ban biological males from women’s prisons and has reaffirmed that, if elected at the upcoming state elections, its Upper House candidates will move legislation to ensure the same protections in South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales.
NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro declared: “There should be no men in women’s prisons, full stop… if you are a man and you’re fundamentally equipped as a man, then you belong in a men’s prison.”
Family First Upper House candidates Deepa Mathew (SA), Bernie Finn and Jane Foreman (VIC), and Lyle Shelton (NSW) said the move stands in stark contrast to the ideological confusion that has gripped other states.
“Ms Finocchiaro’s stand is just common sense,” said Mr Finn. “It’s shocking that it takes the Northern Territory to remind southern states that women have the right to safety and dignity.”
The call follows the shocking case in South Australia where a female prisoner, known as Katie, was allegedly sexually assaulted by a violent trans-identifying male inmate, Krista Richards, formerly known as Leslie Graham Richards, at Port Augusta Prison. Richards — a convicted would-be hitman with a history of violence against women — was housed with Katie despite prison authorities knowing his record.
“Every woman in Australia should be horrified by what happened to Katie,” said South Australian Family First candidate Deepa Mathew. “A woman was trapped in a cell with a man — a violent offender — because LGBTIQA+ ideology trumped common sense. It’s hard to imagine a more grotesque betrayal of women’s rights. No government that allows this can claim to care about women’s safety.”
Family First noted that both Labor and Liberal parties in southern states have failed to take such a clear position. In Victoria, Opposition Leader Brad Battin recently said he supported biological men who identify as women being housed in women’s prisons so long as they are not sex offenders — a position Family First described as a good start but “timid and incoherent.”
“The issue is not just sex offenders — it’s about protecting women from the risk, trauma and indignity of being locked up with men,” said Ms Foreman.
Queensland’s now Health Minister Tim Nicholls went further in June 2023, telling Parliament: “I completely endorse the findings of the committee that there is no evidence whatsoever that transwomen are any more likely to commit offences than other women are. There is no reason for fear of those things (biological males taking advantage of girls and women).”
Family First called this statement “disgracefully out of touch” given multiple cases of biological males assaulting women in prison — including the South Australian case that sparked national outrage.
“This comes barely a week after the Sex Discrimination Commissioner admitted she doesn’t even ‘understand the term biological man’,” said Mr Shelton. “When senior bureaucrats and politicians deny basic biology, women lose.”
“Family First will end this madness. We will legislate to protect girls and women from dangerous gender ideology in prisons and restore biological reality to law.”
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