This week, reports confirmed that a female prisoner was sexually assaulted by a male prisoner identifying as female inside a Victorian women’s prison.
The incident exposes the consequences of policies that prioritise gender identity over biological sex in high-risk custodial settings. Women in prison cannot choose their accommodation. They cannot leave when they feel unsafe. Their protection rests entirely with the state.
Victoria’s prisoner placement policies are shaped by the Births, Deaths and Marriages Amendment Act 2019, which allows legal sex self-identification without medical or surgical requirements. That framework has weakened clear safeguards and undermined the safety and dignity of women in custody.
Other jurisdictions have recognised the risk and acted. The Northern Territory has prohibited the placement of male prisoners in women’s correctional facilities. Victoria has refused to take the same step.
Victoria now faces a clear decision. It can continue defending policies that have exposed women to harm, or it can restore protections based on biological reality.
We are calling on the Victorian Government to remove male prisoners from women’s prisons and repeal the legislative framework that underpins these policies.
