Open letter
to federal mps

To all Members of Federal Parliament

We write as a broad coalition of women’s groups, LGBTIQ+ organisations, and allies committed to equality to express our strong opposition to any proposals that would weaken the legal protections for women and LGBTIQ+ people under Australia’s anti-discrimination laws.

The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 was a landmark moment for women’s rights. In 2013, protections were extended to LGBTIQ+ people, reflecting decades of shared advocacy and strengthening the Act as a whole. 

Redefining “sex” in the Act, or removing gender identity as a protected attribute, would strip protections from transgender Australians and weaken safeguards for women more broadly. It would render entire groups of people invisible in law and trigger a cascade of damaging consequences.

These include dismantling 40 years of established case law, creating significant inconsistency with state and territory anti-discrimination laws and undoing decades of progress on equality for women and LGBTIQ+ people.

Australian anti-discrimination law has never treated sex as a fixed biological category.

Instead, it recognises how discrimination against women has long operated through sexism, misogyny, gender stereotyping, and expectations about how women and men should live and their roles in society. Landmark cases have relied on this broader understanding, as do the recent Respect@Work reforms which address sexism in the workplace.

For decades, Australian governments have recognised transgender people in law and allowed amendments to identity documents. These protections have coexisted with women’s rights without evidence of safety issues or systemic failures.

At a time when women and LGBTIQ+ people continue to face discrimination and violence, Australia should be strengthening protections, not weakening them.

These proposals are also unworkable in practice. They ignore the reality of gender diversity and people born with variations of sex characteristics, and would inevitably lead to increased scrutiny of people’s bodies, identity documents and appearance in workplaces, schools, and when accessing everyday services and facilities.

We all share an interest in a fair society where everyone can participate in public life with safety and respect. We urge you to reject any attempt to weaken our nation’s anti-discrimination framework and continue advancing equality, dignity and fairness for all Australians.