Alex Antic (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to indicate that I intend to introduce a private senator's bill to amend the Sex Discrimination Act by removing references to gender identity and restoring the act to its original purpose. In 2013, the Gillard government introduced gender identity as a protected attribute under the act. This changed the intent of the act, creating a situation where the safety, privacy and opportunities of women are now challenged pursuant to the very law that was designed to protect them.

Sex is not a social construct. It's a core biological reality that underpins human nature and the protections the act was meant to provide. The 2013 amendment made discrimination based on one's appearance or mannerisms with reference to gender identity an offence. It is this approach that has led to outcomes which, one suspects, were not properly considered at the time of the 2013 amendment.

If we really care about those who are suffering from gender dysphoria, we should be speaking this truth, not amplifying the issue. The confusion, it must be said, needs to end. My bill would remove the references to gender identity and restore the act's clear definitions of 'man' and 'woman' as members of the male and female sexes, respectively, ensuring that the act once again protects women, upholds fairness and respects the truth.