Letter sent to Tasmania AG Guy Barnett on 12 October 2025
Dear Attorney General Guy Barnett,
We thank you for your letter of 12 March 2025 confirming that, for statistical purposes, data relating to rape crimes and victims is recorded according to sex, not gender.
We note that the Department of Justice is developing a Trans and Gender Diverse Prisoner Policy in consultation with its LGBTIQA+ Reference Group. It is of concern to us that no women’s organisations appear to have been included as stakeholders in this consultation.
You will no doubt be aware of the three recent cases of concern:
- Two trans-identifying male sex offenders housed in women’s prisons, one of whom raped a woman in her cell; and
- The case of a trans-identifying male violent offender in New South Wales who has applied to be transferred to a women’s prison.
Recent statements by Rodney Croome regarding the rape of a woman by a trans-identifying male in an Adelaide women’s prison demonstrate a complete lack of care for the safety of vulnerable women in custody. While Mr Croome has called for special protections for gay inmates against sexual assault in men’s prisons, he has shown no corresponding regard for the safety of women in women’s prisons.
Rodney Croome: “You don’t seem to have an answer to cases like this except segregation. For me segregation is never an answer. It will probably not be funded and it is unprincipled”
This situation exemplifies why the Trans and Gender Diverse Prisoner Policy must include consultation with women’s groups such as ours, which are focused on safety and sex-based rights for women and girls. It is essential that government policy remains consistent with its stated position on sex-based crime data and that it responds appropriately to the growing public concern and community outrage about this issue.
We look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Elizabeth Caballero
Director, WST | Retired GP
cc: Hon. Jane Howlett
cc: Hon Bridget Archer
Follow-up letter sent to Tasmania AG Guy Barnett on 18 February 2026
Dear Attorney-General Barnett,
Re: Women’s safety in custody and the need for a clear policy on the placement of male prisoners in women’s prisons
I write further to our previous correspondence of 12 October 2025 regarding consultation with women’s organisations on the development of the Trans and Gender Diverse Prisoner Policy. We did not receive a response to that letter.
On 14 October 2025 we also wrote to the Premier, who advised that the matter falls within the responsibility of the Tasmania Prison Service and forwarded our correspondence to you in your capacity as Minister for Justice and Corrections.
We remain concerned that women’s organisations have not been included as stakeholders in the development of this policy, despite the direct impact such decisions have on the safety, dignity and privacy of female prisoners.
Recent developments interstate have heightened these concerns.
Media reports in The West Australian (February 2026) describe a male prisoner accused of domestic violence being housed in a women’s prison while undergoing gender transition, relying on a legal change of sex recorded on a birth certificate despite having undergone no medical or surgical transition. A separate case in Victoria, reported by the Herald Sun, involved a trans-identifying male prisoner convicted of murder who sexually assaulted a female inmate after being placed in a women’s facility, despite prior risk warnings by prison authorities. The Victorian Government has since reached a compensation settlement with the victim.
These cases demonstrate that placement policies based primarily on legal or administrative sex status, rather than biological sex and risk assessment, can expose women in custody to serious harm. Women prisoners are among the most vulnerable individuals in the community, many with prior histories of violence and sexual abuse. The State assumes a heightened duty of care toward them while they are in custody.
Tasmania’s current legal framework, including the operation of sex self-identification provisions, raises the possibility that similar circumstances could arise here unless clear safeguards are established.
For this reason, Women Speak Tasmania respectfully requests:
• clarification of the policy currently being developed by the Tasmania Prison Service;
• confirmation that women’s organisations will be consulted as stakeholders; and
• consideration of a policy that ensures male-born prisoners are not housed in women’s prisons, while appropriate alternative accommodation arrangements are provided within the corrections system.
We also submit that these developments reinforce the need for a review of Tasmania’s sex self-ID law reforms insofar as they interact with custodial safety and the State’s duty of care to female prisoners.
We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you, or relevant departmental officials, to discuss these concerns and provide further information.
Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Elizabeth Caballero
Retired General Practitioner
Director, Women Speak Tasmania