Articles and Opinion

A collection of publish and unpublished articles and opinion pieces written by Women Speak Tasmania members over the years

• Opinion: Women Are Not “Anti-Trans” for Defending Sex-Based Rights22/05/2026
  This week Women Speak Tasmania found itself discussed in Tasmania Parliament and labelled in media coverage as part of an “anti-transgender” campaign. The reason? We sent an email to Tasmanian parliamentarians inviting them to support the Women’s Pledge Australia and… Read more: Opinion: Women Are Not “Anti-Trans” for Defending Sex-Based Rights
• Opinion: Women’s Concerns About Public Facilities Are Not ‘Misinformation’12/05/2026
  Recent discussion about all-gender toilets in Tasmania has been dismissed in some quarters as “mischievous misinformation.” But many women raising concerns about privacy, dignity and public design are not spreading misinformation at all. They are asking reasonable questions about how… Read more: Opinion: Women’s Concerns About Public Facilities Are Not ‘Misinformation’
• Opinion: Parents Deserve Balanced Reporting on Gender-Distressed Youth16/04/2026
  A recent article in The Examiner (11 April 2026), titled “Where can I find help? New initiative to connect fathers of trans kids”, highlights a new initiative supporting fathers of transgender-identifying children. It raises an important issue — but also… Read more: Opinion: Parents Deserve Balanced Reporting on Gender-Distressed Youth
• Opinion: Culture of Fear, Surveillance and Social Breakdown18/02/2026
  The most significant impacts of sex self-ID laws have become increasingly apparent with the breakdown in trust within families and of social cohesion in our communities. This corresponds to an increase in coercion for conformity to ‘group think’ and surveillance… Read more: Opinion: Culture of Fear, Surveillance and Social Breakdown
• Opinion: Lessons from the Harwood Case: Why Evidence, Not Ideology, Must Guide Prison Policy25/11/2025
  The Attorney-General Guy Barnett’s recent contradictory statements in The Mercury and The Australian regarding trans inmate policy highlight the need for a broader public debate about women’s rights and the legal distinction between sex and gender. While Guy Barnett recently… Read more: Opinion: Lessons from the Harwood Case: Why Evidence, Not Ideology, Must Guide Prison Policy
• Opinion: Who is doing the fear-mongering?12/01/2025
  Rodney Croome’s predictions about the Coalition rolling out a trans fear campaign and a looming culture war in the lead up to the coming federal election (Canberra Times 10 Jan 2025), tell us that many in the LGBTQA+ community are… Read more: Opinion: Who is doing the fear-mongering?
• Opinion: National Guidelines Needed Before Law Reforms on Conversion Practices Bill30/12/2024
  It is timely, given the election media frenzy over statements made by Warringah candidate Kath Deves on gender medicine for minors, that the Tasmanian Law Reform Institue has released its long awaited final report on proposed legislative reforms on Sexual… Read more: Opinion: National Guidelines Needed Before Law Reforms on Conversion Practices Bill
• Opinion: Do Women Still Exist in Australia?06/09/2024
  The Tickle vs Giggle case, finally concluded in the Federal Court of Australia on 23 August 2024, has raised profound questions about the meaning of womanhood in contemporary law. Justice Robert Bromwich ruled that Sall Grover, owner of the women-only… Read more: Opinion: Do Women Still Exist in Australia?
• Opinion: Rodney Croome: Will promoting hate achieve a win-win?30/12/2023
  This opinion piece was written by Isla MacGregor in response to Rodney Croome’s article. It was rejected by the new editor of The Tasmanian Times I read Rodney Croome’s article ‘Turf War: What’s really Behind Recent Attacks on Trans Tasmanians‘… Read more: Opinion: Rodney Croome: Will promoting hate achieve a win-win?
• Opinion: Freedom of speech sadly absent from rally27/03/2023
  Laws enacted in Tasmania to promote equality have backfired on all of us, writes Isla MacGregor Last week I attended the Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull Let Women Speak event on the Parliament House lawns in Hobart in the hope of listening to… Read more: Opinion: Freedom of speech sadly absent from rally
• Opinion: Ignorance on Impacts of Gender Law Reforms06/02/2023
  The Advocate Editorial ‘Trans, gender diverse face fear, ignorance’ (Saturday Feb 4th 2023), promotes an ideological position, which may represent the personal views of Anthony Haneveer but do not represent the views of the vast majority of Advocate readership. Without… Read more: Opinion: Ignorance on Impacts of Gender Law Reforms
• Robust and respectful free debate is vital24/11/2022
  Cassy O’Connor’s recent call for Premier Jeremy Rockliff to ban the Free Speech Alliance Australia forum at Parliament House on conversion therapy laws is regrettable. Democracy can only flourish when there is informed, robust and respectful free debate. The Tasmanian… Read more: Robust and respectful free debate is vital
• Fact Check on Gender Law Reform forum30/11/2021
  Matty Wright’s letter (Mercury, October 11) in response to Charles Wooley’s article (Mercury, October 8) continues the misinformation generated by Kenji Sato’s article of October 3 headed ‘Offensive’ anti-trans forum sparks outrage.’ Of note is that the online version of… Read more: Fact Check on Gender Law Reform forum
• Open and Frank Discussions only way Forward Regarding Gender Law Reforms06/11/2021
  Conflict on the topic of gender makes the need for full debate all the more pressing, write Isla MacGregor, Jessica Hoyle and Rebecca Crossin MANY people, especially feminists, have been excluded from commenting or taking part in consultations over the… Read more: Open and Frank Discussions only way Forward Regarding Gender Law Reforms
• Transforming Tasmania Cries Foul over Poll Results21/02/2019
  The EMRS poll results released yesterday indicate the majority of Tasmanians do not support changes to the state’s birth registration process proposed by Labor and the Greens. The changes were passed as amendments to the Justice and Related Legislation (Marriage… Read more: Transforming Tasmania Cries Foul over Poll Results
• Open letter to Hobart City Council Aldermen Holly Ewin19/02/2019
  Women Speak Tasmania is writing to you regarding the Salamanca Market Facebook posting on Sunday 10 February which stated, among other things, that … ‘The City of Hobart have been made aware of a group that were distributing anti-transgender materials… Read more: Open letter to Hobart City Council Aldermen Holly Ewin
• Salamanca Market’s Attack on Women’s Freedom of Speech11/02/2019
  Last Saturday Women Speak Tasmania held a media conference at Salamanca (outside the market precinct) to launch our flyer outlining our views on proposed transgender law reforms and their effects on women’s human rights.   The flyers were also distributed at… Read more: Salamanca Market’s Attack on Women’s Freedom of Speech
• Investigation into Former Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Robin Banks25/01/2019
  Women Speak Tasmania is disappointed that Anti-discrimination Commissioner Sarah Bolt has referred our complaint against former Anti-discrimination Commissioner Robin Banks to the Ombudsman for investigation. We submitted our complaint against Robin Banks when our organisation was no-platformed last year at… Read more: Investigation into Former Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Robin Banks
• Cassy O’Connor and Rebecca White must Explain How Sex Self-ID will Impact Women’s Human Rights?25/01/2019
  Campaign group Women Speak Tasmania is calling on Greens’ leader Cassy O’Connor and Opposition leader Rebecca White to clarify how sex self-ID will impact the human rights of women and girls. Labor and the Greens bulldozed amendments to the Births,… Read more: Cassy O’Connor and Rebecca White must Explain How Sex Self-ID will Impact Women’s Human Rights?
• Lifting the Lid on the Fundamentalist Trans Rights Lobby’s Bag of Dirty Tryx in Tasmania14/12/2018
  During Human Rights Week in Tasmania, Women Speak Tasmania representatives Isla MacGregor and Bronwyn Williams were invited to speak at a forum organised by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). Shortly before the scheduled date, the event… Read more: Lifting the Lid on the Fundamentalist Trans Rights Lobby’s Bag of Dirty Tryx in Tasmania
• Human Rights Event Cancelled due to Trans Lobby’s Bullying07/12/2018
  ‘We are in a new era of witch burning, except that today, the fire is that of media and propaganda, with trans activists and their supporters suppressing any information that contradicts their goals and silencing their critics through oppressive tactics.… Read more: Human Rights Event Cancelled due to Trans Lobby’s Bullying
• Robin Banks Attempts to No-Platform Women Speak Tasmania06/12/2018
  Women Speak Tasmania is scheduled to speak at a Human Rights Week event for the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) on 12 December next. On 30 November, former Anti-discrimination Commissioner, Robin Banks, emailed WILPF with the following… Read more: Robin Banks Attempts to No-Platform Women Speak Tasmania
• Men and Your New Identity in the 21C25/11/2018
  For all the men in Tasmania who are not quite grasping what the proposed transgender legislation has to do with them, it is useful to understand how this will affect your identity. Under this proposed new legislation there will no… Read more: Men and Your New Identity in the 21C
• Labor and the Greens ‘Win’, But Democracy Loses21/11/2018
  When we go to the ballot box and vote, we have an expectation that those we elect will at least try to represent our interests. We assume that any debate in parliament, particularly if the issue is contentious, will be… Read more: Labor and the Greens ‘Win’, But Democracy Loses
• The Mercury – PR Machine for the Trans Lobby?21/11/2018
  In recent weeks, Hobart’s Mercury newspaper has featured a number of articles and longer form stories showcasing the trans rights lobby group, Transforming Tasmania. Transforming Tasmania is behind a number of radical amendments to birth registration and anti-discrimination laws put… Read more: The Mercury – PR Machine for the Trans Lobby?
• The Trans Rights Debate – Who’s Peddling the ‘Hate’?19/11/2018
  Emily Baker’s recent article in the Mercury titled ‘Penis stickers labelled hateful: Anger at anti-transgender campaign’ quoted Transforming Tasmania representative, Martine Delaney’s, opinion of the stickers. Delaney said the stickers expressed a view ‘actively promoted by only extremely conservative Christian… Read more: The Trans Rights Debate – Who’s Peddling the ‘Hate’?
• Transgender Campaign Misinformation Continues17/11/2018
  Roen Meijers of Transforming Tasmania continues to be confused about the issue of Birth Certificate registrations as it is not gender that is recorded, but sex. Additionally, the Options Paper on transgender law reform released for public consultation by former… Read more: Transgender Campaign Misinformation Continues
• Transforming Tasmania Shouldn’t Shut Down Birth Certificate Debate30/10/2018
  Transforming Tasmania’s proposed changes to birth registration and anti-discrimination law in Tasmania are radical amendments that shouldn’t be rushed through parliament. Labor and the Greens need to support the Government’s referral of those amendments to the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute… Read more: Transforming Tasmania Shouldn’t Shut Down Birth Certificate Debate
• Labor and the Greens Under Pressure Over Birth Certificate Changes27/10/2018
  Women Speak Tasmania is hearing from many women across Tasmania who are outraged at Labor and the Greens attempt to fast track changes to birth certificates at the behest of Transforming Tasmania. Never before has the community witnessed such unashamed… Read more: Labor and the Greens Under Pressure Over Birth Certificate Changes
• Don’t Agree with Trans Ideology? UTAS will Find a Way to Silence You23/10/2018
  On 6 August last, Tasmanian Times published an article titled ‘Silencing and Censorship in the Trans Rights Debate’ The article featured five case studies that exemplified the dominant narrative in this debate – supportive of the trans rights agenda and… Read more: Don’t Agree with Trans Ideology? UTAS will Find a Way to Silence You
• Is Mainstream Media in Australia Afraid to Cover Women’s Views on the Transgender Rights Debate?15/10/2018
  And what about the Mercury? In the last few months Tasmanian Times has published several articles on the transgender rights debate written by women from Women Speak Tasmania. Most of these articles were also sent out nationally as Media Releases.  No… Read more: Is Mainstream Media in Australia Afraid to Cover Women’s Views on the Transgender Rights Debate?
• Silencing and Censorship in the Trans Rights debate. Part 307/08/2018
  Part Three. “I am not a Woman” – Transsexuals and Transgender Women Speak Out Today, the dominant discourse in the transgender rights debate insists that transgender women are ‘women’. It is not uncommon to hear the argument that, because they… Read more: Silencing and Censorship in the Trans Rights debate. Part 3
• Silencing and Censorship in the Trans Rights debate. Part 206/08/2018
  Part Two. The transgender debate is increasingly characterised by no-platforming, withdrawal from participation, censorship, bullying, threats, intimidation, silencing, stonewalling and expulsion from groups for those who express dissent from the ‘popular’ transgender narrative. The following Tasmanian case studies outline examples… Read more: Silencing and Censorship in the Trans Rights debate. Part 2
• Silencing and Censorship in the Trans Rights debate. Part 104/08/2018
  Part One. Silencing and Censorship or Robust Debate? The recent launch of the group, Transforming Tasmania, which aims to lobby for law reforms that improve the lives of transgender and gender-diverse people, is an opportunity for the community to engage… Read more: Silencing and Censorship in the Trans Rights debate. Part 1
• Outrage over Oxfam Investigations into Paedophiles, Sexual Misconduct …21/02/2018
  Yesterday’s news about NGO Oxfam’s 2011 internal investigation into allegations against some staff over sexual abuse, harassment and illegal use of prostitutes revealed a totally abhorrent culture within some elements of the world-renowned aid organisation. Several staff members who worked… Read more: Outrage over Oxfam Investigations into Paedophiles, Sexual Misconduct …
• Funding Cuts to Scarlet Alliance: Michael Keenan Gets it Right …15/11/2017
  I can only congratulate Justice Minister Michael Keenan for not allocating funding to the Scarlet Alliance in the 2017/18 round of funding to NGOs for combating sex trafficking and slavery in Australia. In February, March and April this year I… Read more: Funding Cuts to Scarlet Alliance: Michael Keenan Gets it Right …
• Amnesty International’s Capitulation to Women’s Increasing Poverty and Subordination to Men12/10/2017
  “We need to eroticise equality. Prostitution is about buying a body, not mutual pleasure and free choice”, says Gloria Steinem … “The end of prostitution might be a distant ideal, but it is still far better than Amnesty’s grubby collusion… Read more: Amnesty International’s Capitulation to Women’s Increasing Poverty and Subordination to Men
• It’s Bad News from New Zealand’s Survivors …28/04/2017
  Survivors from the sex trade in New Zealand are speaking out about the tragic failure of decriminalisation aimed at preventing harms to prostituted women and girls from sex buyers and pimps but here in Tasmania Young Labor and many in… Read more: It’s Bad News from New Zealand’s Survivors …
• Thomas Kent and the Sex Party Propaganda Machine …31/03/2017
  Thomas Kent, in recent comments on an article in Overland journal Sex work and silence by Celeste Elizabeth, member of the Women’s Legal Service Board and self proclaimed delinquent, has outed himself as the propagandist for the Sex Party in… Read more: Thomas Kent and the Sex Party Propaganda Machine …
• Boycotts ramp up on The Body Shop and L’Oreal09/12/2016
  In the lead up to Christmas cosmetic retailer The Body Shop is coming under increasing pressure from women’s human rights groups with calls for consumers to boycott their products. The Body Shop is one many corporate offenders on the Collective… Read more: Boycotts ramp up on The Body Shop and L’Oreal
• Young Labor Didn’t Do its Homework12/11/2016
  Tasmanian Labor’s agenda for its conference in Queenstown this weekend has promised an opportunity for ‘robust and spirited debate’. While the decriminalisation of brothels and the legalisation of some illicit drugs are being proposed by two separate branches of the… Read more: Young Labor Didn’t Do its Homework
• The Reluctance of Tasmanian Authorities …10/10/2016
  Consultation Session with Michel Forst, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders – Civil Society Activists, Saturday 8 October 2016 Representatives of the Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF) Southern Tasmania, Nordic Model Australia Coalition (NorMAC) and Whistleblowers Tasmania attended the… Read more: The Reluctance of Tasmanian Authorities …
• Whistleblowers Tasmania Backs Call for Parliamentary Inquiry …02/10/2016
  Whistleblowers Tasmania has backed the call by Tessa Anne from the Women’s Liberation Front for a Parliamentary Inquiry into the conduct of the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Robin Banks and Equal Opportunity Tasmania Policy Advisor Leica Wagner. The allegations made by Tessa… Read more: Whistleblowers Tasmania Backs Call for Parliamentary Inquiry …
• Sex Industry Lobby Group Disrupts Survivor Book Launch25/08/2016
  On Sunday 21 August, sex trade advocates tried to derail the launch, in Townsville, Queensland, of Prostitution Narratives, a recently published compilation of sex trade survivor testimonies. The tactics used by the pro sex trade lobby are becoming increasingly nasty, especially… Read more: Sex Industry Lobby Group Disrupts Survivor Book Launch
• Melbourne Writers’ Festival Panel Dispute Exposes Anti-Survivor Agenda05/08/2016
  In the spirit of the popular ‘sex workers are under-represented’ stance, repeated by liberal media and prostitution advocates, ad-nauseum, Daily Life has published yet another article repeating the myth. The author, Kate Iselin, aside from being a self-described “sex worker”… Read more: Melbourne Writers’ Festival Panel Dispute Exposes Anti-Survivor Agenda
• NorMAC Nastiness in Hobart: A Response17/04/2016
  Crikey! The pro-sex trade lobby have been misrepresenting Nordic Model supporters with a renewed vigour. The “Why be poor?” brigade of alleged “sex workers” certainly know how to spin a yarn but it’s the same old yarn and the public… Read more: NorMAC Nastiness in Hobart: A Response
• Opinion: A Reality Check on Sex Work12/04/2016
  Recent articles have argued for and against decriminalization of prostitution. It’s an emotive subject, likely to raise strong commentary, so let’s try and see this argument against some indisputable facts. One: the entire weight of mankind’s experience in all civilised societies… Read more: Opinion: A Reality Check on Sex Work
• Van Badham’s Freedom of Speech for Some?07/04/2016
  Recent twitter comments on 6th April from Guardian Australia columnist Van Badham in support of the sex trade’s campaign to derail the World’s Oldest Oppression conference being held at RMIT this weekend, have many people questioning if Van Badham has… Read more: Van Badham’s Freedom of Speech for Some?
• Sex Offender’s Sentence Must be Appealed12/01/2016
  On 23 December we read in the Mercury that Darren John Fenton, 48, received a suspended sentence after being found guilty of the indecent assault of two 13-year old girls on the East Coast last year. The manifestly inadequate sentence,… Read more: Sex Offender’s Sentence Must be Appealed
• UTAS Women’s Collective: A New Meaning for Inclusive?18/10/2015
  In six decades of life as a woman, I’ve seen countless expressions of patriarchy. From the family favouritism shown to my brothers, to the societal and workplace inequities of single parenthood, and now the creeping social oblivion of female middle… Read more: UTAS Women’s Collective: A New Meaning for Inclusive?
• Amnesty International Condemned over Fast-Tracking of Sex Laws Policy12/07/2015
  Human Rights and Women’s groups along with Survivors have been outraged over the continued attempt by Amnesty International to rail road through their policy on prostitution after being exposed for failing to properly consult with their international membership base and… Read more: Amnesty International Condemned over Fast-Tracking of Sex Laws Policy
• Amnesty Members put No Confidence Motion in Amnesty Australia Board at Hobart AGM17/05/2015
  Members of Amnesty International Australia last Saturday (16th May), put a No Confidence Motion in the Amnesty International Australia Board over their actions on Amnesty’s proposed new sex law policy. Two resolutions were put before the Tasmanian Amnesty AGM including… Read more: Amnesty Members put No Confidence Motion in Amnesty Australia Board at Hobart AGM
• Scarlett Alliance Fails in Bid to Gag Professor03/06/2012
  Preamble by Isla MacGregor While Women Speak Tasmania only officially started in 2018, members previously had primarily worked on issues concerning sexual exploitation and the global sex trade with the Nordic Model Australia Coalition (NORMAC). In June 2012 Prof Sheila Jeffreys… Read more: Scarlett Alliance Fails in Bid to Gag Professor