When it comes to defining biological sex, we already know the Albanese Government’s position is silence for the sake of appearing “tolerant.”
So, there’s no real surprise that pro-LGBTQ+ Senator Penny Wong would mislabel Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash’s biological reality bill a “stunt.”
Last month, when responding to questions from Cash about Labor rejecting her Restoring Common Sense and Recognising Biological Sex bill twice, Wong accused Cash of being divisive, stating, “The reality is you are never for equality when it comes to women.
“Do you know what you are for? You are for a stunt which is nothing more than division, and everybody can see that.
“This is not about delivering change that improves the lives of women and girls.”
The exchange was fierce. Cash challenged Wong, and the Labor Senator responded by repeatedly asserting what she described as a policy of respect, equity, equality and Albanese’s focus on domestic violence as proof the party is pro-women.
This was Cash’s second attempt to introduce and debate the common-sense amendment to the Australian Sex Discrimination Act.
The Labor-Green-controlled Senate rejected Cash’s first submission 21 yes, 30 no in July, and again on 15 September, 22 yes, 32 no.
If passed, the Liberal Senator’s bill would have:
1. Affirmed that “women and girls, and men and boys, are entitled to privacy, dignity and safety.”
2. Recognised “biological sex as a real and enduring characteristic.”
3. Recognised that biological sex is how men and boys, women and girls are identified.
4. Protected single-sex spaces in accord with “the principles of fairness and common sense.”
5. Restored clarity and certainty to the law by defining the meaning of biological sex.
Contrary to critics like Wong, Cash argued that the bill would not have violated or hindered current protections against discrimination.
Section 4C was the most important.
Under the senator’s amendment, the law would again recognise that a man is someone whose sex is male, and a woman is someone whose sex is female.
The law would also have acknowledged that “nothing after birth affects a person’s sex. Including, for example, any subsequent medical, surgical or hormonal intervention or any change to the person’s birth certificate or other identity document.”
After the biological reality bill was defeated the first time, Cash took to social media in protest, stating on X that Albanese had “betrayed Australian women and girls.”
“Labor and the Greens killed it before it could even be debated,” she said.
“Our bill would protect the rights of women and girls in single-sex spaces. For example, in toilets, change rooms, domestic violence shelters and sporting facilities.
“That isn’t radical. It isn’t controversial. It’s common sense.
“Instead of standing with Australian women and girls, Anthony Albanese chose political ideology over their privacy, dignity and safety.”
The July bill was reintroduced by Cash in September.
This followed the High Court’s refusal of special leave, ruling that Sall Grover could not appeal, after losing her free speech and female-only spaces battle in Tickle v Giggle.
Remarking on the September outcome and Wong’s “stunt” smear, Cash said on X, Wong and Albanese “have told Australian women what Labor thinks of us when we stand up for our biological rights.
“A woman is a woman. A man is a man.
“Acknowledging this biological reality in the law is not ‘a stunt.’ It’s common sense.”
Kudos, Senator Michaelia Cash.
“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11)