
Standing for Women, Tasmania, in collaboration with an alliance of women’s, lesbians’, and children’s human rights groups, has written to the Premier calling on his government to conduct a parliamentary inquiry into events leading up to and on the day of the Let Women Speak event held on Tuesday 21 March 2023, on Parliament House Lawns.
In our letter to the Premier, and all members of government, we have provided the Terms of Reference for the Inquiry

LETTER TO PREMIER
Friday 21 April 2023
Dear Premier Rockliff,
Please find attached: Request for inquiry into events at Let Women Speak Hobart event Parliament Lawns 21 March 2023.
The details of our request are contained in the attached document.
We eagerly await your response.
REQUEST FOR INQUIRY
We respectfully call on the Tasmanian Government to conduct an inquiry into events prior to and during the Let Women Speak event held on Tuesday 21 March 2023, on the lawns of Parliament House, Hobart. The event was granted a permit by Mr Tim Mills, Clerk-Assistant and Usher of the Black Rod, Legislative Council, Government of Tasmania, in February 2023.
We ask that the inquiry consider the following matters –
- What information was provided to the Hon Mark Shelton, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Liberal Member for Lyons, the Hon Craig Farrell MLC, President of the Legislative Council, Mr Tim Mills, Clerk-Assistant and Usher of the Black Rod, Legislative Council, Felix Ellis, Police Minister, Greg Phillips, Security Supervisor, Parliament House Hobart, and Stephanie Kate Hesford, Clerk-Assistant and Sergeant-at-Arms, and any other relevant members and officers of the Tasmanian Parliament, regarding the high likelihood of obstruction and violence occurring towards attendees of the Let Women Speak event if the Equality Tasmania protest permit remained in place?
- What actions did the above listed members and officers of the Tasmanian Parliament take to ensure the Let Women Speak event participants were not prevented from exercising their right to freedom of speech and lawful assembly without obstruction, intimidation, harassment, bullying, vilification, threats of violence, and noise and physical assault, with consideration to provisions in the Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 and under criminal law?
- Following the Media Release issued by the Presiding Officers, Hon Craig Farrell, and Hon Mark Shelton, dated Monday 20 March, stating that ‘censoring free speech is not in the interest of a democratic society’ and that ‘all protests are expected to be conducted peacefully and lawfully’, and the email from Mr Tim Mills, also dated Monday 20 March, stating the same and in addition calling on both event organisers to ‘give consideration to sections 19 and 21 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1998’ and to prevent ‘contravention of these provisions, or the Act more generally’, what actions did the Presiding Officers, Mr Tim Mills, and Greg Phillips take to ensure adherence, on the day, to permit conditions, and statements in the aforementioned email and Media Release?
- What action, if any, did the Police Minister, Felix Ellis take prior to and on the day of the Let Women Speak Hobart event and Equality Tasmania protest including after he received a telephone call to his office and a Media Release from Women Speak Tasmania, released during the event and quoted in the Mercury the following day, calling on the Minister to contact the Police Commissioner, Donna Adams, to instruct her officers at Parliament Lawns to enforce the permit conditions and protect attendees of the Let Women Speak event from obstruction, intimidation, harassment, bullying, vilification, threats of violence, and noise and physical assault, with consideration to provisions in the Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 and under criminal law?
- Will the Hon Mark Shelton, the Hon Craig Farrell, Mr Tim Mills, Greg Phillips, Stephanie Kate Hesford, and all other relevant members and officers of the Tasmanian Parliament undertake the now clearly necessary review of permit conditions, including penalties for non-compliance, so that in future only one permit per day will be granted for events or protests by opposing groups on issues of a contentious political nature?
- Will the above listed members and officers of the Tasmanian Parliament act to impose consequences on Equality Tasmania given its complete disregard for the conditions of the permit and the instructions outlined in the Media Release from the Presiding Officers, and email from Mr Tim Mills?
- Will the Police Minister, Felix Ellis, hold discussions with the Police Commissioner, Donna Adams, to review policy so that in future only one permit per day will be granted for events or protests by opposing groups on issues of a contentious political nature?
- Will the Tasmanian Government and relevant members and officers of the Tasmanian Parliament make a public apology, including in all Tasmanian print media, to the organisers and attendees of the Let Women Speak event for failing in their duty of care to enable safe, unhindered, lawful assembly, and freedom of speech? Contained in the apology, will the government acknowledge the severe distress caused by the obstruction, intimidation, harassment, bullying, vilification, threats of violence, and noise and physical assault meted out to attendees of the Let Women Speak event by the Equality Tasmania protest participants?
- Will the Tasmanian Government evaluate media reportage, including images, in the lead up to the Let Women Speak Hobart event with regard to inciting hatred by Equality Tasmania protest participants towards the attendees of the Let Women Speak event?
- Will The Tasmanian Government ensure that Standing For Women, Tasmania, Women Speak Tasmania, and affiliated groups be included as stakeholders in any future review or proposed expansion of hate speech laws in Tasmania, especially given the increasing incidence of fake hate speech claims by individuals and groups whose intention is, in fact, to incite hatred against citizens who legitimately seek the scrutiny and repeal of Self ID laws and related amendments to the Anti-Discrimination Act 1998?
Signed by
Silver Moon, Standing for Women Tasmania.
Anna Sharman, Women Speak Tasmania.
Lynne Robertson, Keep Gender Ideology out of Schools.
Jessica Hoyle, LGB Tasmania.
Simone Walker, Women’s Action Alliance Tasmania.
-ENDS-