Tag: 2026
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Tasmanian MPs Speak Out Against Gender Ideology
Women Speak Tasmania welcomes Liberal Senator Eric Abetz’s public comments on the dangers of the gender affirmation model and the growing international backlash against the medicalisation of children. Mr Abetz said: “Young people are now suing governments and institutions over the puberty blockers administered to them and the promotion of the affirmation agenda, rather than…
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The Mercury corrected the photograph. What about the story?
Women Speak Tasmania initiated the petition at the centre of the controversy. Yet the Mercury reported on the campaign without contacting the organisation — a recurring omission that raises questions about how women’s rights advocacy is represented. On 13 October 2026, the Hobart Mercury published a story by Sue Bailey headlined “Therapy ban bill fight:…
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Leaked Working It Out email reveals real intent of Greens Bill
A recent email sent by Olivia Hogarth, CEO of Working It Out, reveals the real intent behind the Greens’ Conversion Practices Prohibition Bill 2026. The email confirms what several Liberal politicians, along with legal and medical experts, have warned: that the Bill will result in non-affirming counselling being treated as a conversion practice. Dr Caballero…
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What the ABC Left Out of Its Binder Story
The ABC has reported on new Australian research examining whether wearing a breast binder affects exercise performance. The subject is important. So is the physical safety of a practice involving prolonged compression of the chest. But the way the ABC frames the story deserves scrutiny. The article begins with “trans joy”, describes binding as “life-changing”,…
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Family Violence Reforms Bill 2026
Women Speak Tasmania has made a submission to the Tasmanian Department of Justice on the Family Violence Reforms Bill 2026, with particular focus on the proposed criminal offence of coercive control. What is coercive control? Coercive control describes a pattern of behaviour used to dominate, control or restrict another person. It can include intimidation, threats,…
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Conversion Practices Prohibition Bill 2026: Why WST is calling for a Parliamentary Inquiry
Women Speak Tasmania has released its 16-page analysis of the Tasmanian Greens’ Conversion Practices Prohibition Bill 2026. Women Speak Tasmania supports protection from coercive, abusive and degrading practices directed at a person because of their sexual orientation. The history of attempts to shame, punish or forcibly alter same-sex attraction provides a legitimate basis for legal…
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Greens Bill not fit for Purpose
Women Speak Tasmania has reviewed the Greens’ proposed Conversion Practices Prohibition Bill 2026 and considers the Bill deeply flawed and not fit for purpose. WST President Dr Elizabeth Caballero said: “The Government should establish a Parliamentary Inquiry to properly examine this poorly drafted Bill and hear from people with recent experiences of conversion practices, as…
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From Tasmania to London: Women Around the World Say No Men in Women’s Prisons
On Saturday 29 August 2026, women gathered outside the Old Bailey in London for a protest organised by the grassroots organisations No Men in Women’s Prisons and 199 Days Later The protest was centred on a simple question: why are men still being housed in women’s prisons? The location itself carried historical significance. The Old…
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It’s Women’s Health Week ask your health questions below – Email to Mark Butler
Email to Mark Butler MP, Federal Minister for Health 15 September 2026 Dear Minister, I refer to a post you published on Facebook on 8 September 2026, in which you stated, ‘It’s Women’s Health Week ask your health questions below’. It’s rare that the general public are invited to ask questions of their public representatives,…
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Women Advocacy Organizations Call for Abolition of Surrogacy
Women Speak Tasmania (WST) has signed the Melbourne Declaration to Abolish Surrogacy, joining a growing national call for the abolition of all forms of surrogacy in Australia. The Declaration comes as Australia awaits the Australian Law Reform Commission’s final report into surrogacy laws, with the national review considering the future of Australia’s fragmented regulatory framework.…