The woke narrative tells us that whatever is fixed, such as biological sex based on chromosomes, is fluid, but attitudes of the mind, such as racism, are immutable. We are hearing that counselling children that they are wonderful the way they are and helping them to be at peace with the body they were born in is ‘hateful’, but encouraging them to believe they were born in the ‘wrong body’ and need life altering dangerous hormonal therapy and surgery is ‘affirming’. We hear these things despite mounting evidence of high suicide rates among children who try the impossible.
A woman is an adult human female. Women’s rights, which have been hard-won through decades of advocacy, must be safeguarded. However, these rights are being eroded. Women increasingly lose access to female-only spaces and opportunities, such as sports and changing rooms, and face legal repercussions for setting boundaries that preserve their dignity and safety.
The recognition of biological sex is central to women’s rights. Amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (SDA) under the Gillard government removed a commonsense legal definition of “woman”, weakening sex-based protections. This has led to widespread confusion, undermining parental rights, alongside fairness and clarity in laws affecting women and girls. Restoring commonsense definitions of “man” and “woman” is essential to ensuring women’s rights are upheld, and their voices are heard in shaping policies that impact them. A balanced approach must honour individual freedoms while preserving the integrity of biological realities.
The Libertarian Party will:
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Restore the legal definition of a woman.
Amend the SDA to define a woman as “a member of the female sex irrespective of age.” This definition is based on
biology, and reinstating it ensures clarity and consistency in the law’s application. The Libertarian Party will also ensure government-issued identity documents reflect biological sex as observed at birth (or proven via voluntary DNA testing) and cannot be altered according to a person’s chosen gender identity.
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Protect women's-only spaces.
Ensure that women’s-only spaces are protected, including bathrooms, change rooms, and clubs and associations. Legislation that forces women to accept biological males in these spaces or that makes them liable for discrimination claims will be repealed.
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Keep the government out of public bathrooms.
Separate accommodations for transgender individuals may be necessary in the construction of some public bathroom facilities where demand warrants it. However, this will not be a requirement for all public bathrooms. Privately owned facilities will be free to establish their own policies regarding the public use of bathrooms.
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Protect women's sports with female only categories.
Allow and encourage sporting bodies to establish female-only categories and exclude biological males from women’s
sports. Sporting organisations may, if they choose, create separate categories for mixed or transgender individuals, but women’s sports should not be destroyed in the name of ‘inclusion’.
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Restrict gender transition procedures to legal adults.
Restrict gender transition surgery and hormone treatment to adults because children are unable to provide informed consent for such life altering surgeries and treatments, and the risks to the children outweigh the parents’
rights to make these choices for them. Taxpayers will not fund these surgeries and treatments, and the government should not pressure medical professionals to perform them against their conscience.
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Ensure the freedom to provide appropriate counselling.
Ensure that parents, counsellors, psychologists, health practitioners, chaplains, and others offering advice can counsel individuals in a way that affirms their inherent worth and encourages acceptance of their biological bodies. Any laws prohibiting such counselling or mandating “gender-affirming care” will be repealed.