In an article published in The Australian on 24 January 2019, titled “Anti-discrimination chief handballs transgender ‘conflict’ case”, journalist Matthew Denholm reported that Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Sarah Bolt had referred a complaint against her predecessor, Robin Banks, to the Tasmanian Ombudsman, citing concerns about a potential perceived conflict of interest. The complaint had been lodged by Women Speak Tasmania members Isla MacGregor and Bronwyn Williams following Banks’ email to the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), in which she criticised WST’s views on transgender law reform and raised concerns about the group being given a platform at a public forum.
Denholm reported that Commissioner Bolt considered it inappropriate for her office to assess a complaint against a former commissioner, noting that current conciliation and investigation officers had previously worked with Banks. The complaint was therefore delegated to Ombudsman Richard Connock to ensure an independent process. MacGregor expressed concern that the referral could delay the matter and questioned whether the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner’s office could not have conducted an impartial assessment. Banks maintained that she had not sought to prevent Women Speak Tasmania from speaking at the event and stated that she had only encouraged consideration of alternative viewpoints. The article noted that the Human Rights Week event had been cancelled following the controversy and that no further public outcome was reported at that time.
Source: The Australian
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