In September 2024, the Cook Labor Government betrayed women and girls by ramming through legislation that fundamentally altered Western Australia’s birth registration laws, allowing a person to change the recorded sex on their birth certificate.

The legislation is the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment (Sex or Gender Changes) Act 2024.

The controversial law made the changing of recorded sex a mere administrative process. It allows a person to apply to change the sex or gender recorded on their birth certificate through the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and removed long-standing references in the law that tied legal sex to biological sex.

It was rushed through despite thousands of Western Australians signing a parliamentary petition calling on the Cook Labor Government to:

• acknowledge that the United Nations Rapporteur on violence against women and girls had recently highlighted the potential for sexual predators to abuse such laws;

• acknowledge the sex-based rights of women and girls; and

• refer the Bill for a public inquiry.

In addition to this petition, organisations such as Women’s Forum Australia and Binary raised concerns about the inherent risks created by this legislation.

In response, the Liberal Party moved to refer the Bill to a parliamentary committee for a public inquiry. I set out 8 clear reasons why Labor should support that motion:

1. Large Petition: A petition with more than 4,000 signatures was tabled, demonstrating significant community concern and explicitly calling for a public inquiry.

2. Unanswered Questions: The Bill left unresolved critical issues, including its impact on women’s privacy, dignity and safety in single-sex spaces, and its interaction with the Equal Opportunity Act 1984.

3. International Experience: The United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls raised concerns about similar legislation in Scotland, which was ultimately vetoed by the UK Government due to the risks it posed.

4. Acknowledgment of Complexity: Premier Roger Cook himself admitted that this is a difficult and complex issue, reinforcing the need for proper scrutiny.

5. Legislation Committee Capacity: The Standing Committee on Legislation had no current inquiries and had reviewed only one bill in three years. Capacity was not an obstacle.

6. Lack of Comprehensive Consultation: The Law Reform Commission’s report from 2018 consulted only a limited number of stakeholders and no female-specific advocacy groups, leaving gaps in community input.

7. Confusion on Birth Certificates: The Attorney General gave inconsistent explanations about whether birth certificates would record sex, gender, or both, creating confusion that demanded clarification.

8. Prison Separation Concerns: The Bill repealed section 44 of the Prisons Act 1981, which mandated the separation of male and female prisoners, raising concerns about the safety of female prisoners and compliance with international standards like the United Nations Nelson Mandela Rules.

The Cook Labor Government listened to NONE of these concerns.

Despite widespread opposition and reasonable calls for scrutiny, Labor used its brute parliamentary majority to block the referral of the Bill to a committee.

The Cook Labor Government then declared the Bill an “urgent bill”, a process Labor invented back in 2021 falsely assuring Parliament it would only be used in limited circumstances.

At the time we were told that this “urgent bill” process was necessary in the context of COVID. So why was it now being used to ram through dangerous legislation which puts the rights and safety of women and girls at risk?

There was nothing urgent about this legislation.

As outlined by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, laws of this kind carry real risks to the safety of women.

Labor’s conduct demonstrated not only indifference to legitimate community concerns, but contempt for the democratic processes that ensure laws are properly scrutinised before being imposed.

The implications of this rushed legislation are serious, including that:

1. the requirement to separate males and females in WA prisons has been removed;

2. males can now change their birth certificates to say they are female after having as little as one counselling session (and vice-versa); and

3. children of any age can now change their sex as recorded on their birth certificates, even without the consent of both parents.

Despite Labor’s overwhelming control of both Houses of Parliament, I did not back down. I proposed amendments to protect the sex-based rights of women and girls and to provide safeguards for children against harmful gender ideology.

Labor flatly rejected those amendments without debate or explanation.

This episode again demonstrates why the Cook Labor Government cannot be trusted to govern responsibly.

Labor’s self-ID legislation only serves to encourage children to cement a transgender identity at an age where they are still figuring out who they are.

This madness is a massive slap in the face to the rights of women and girls, as well as the rights of parents and their children. And make no mistake, none of this is good for responsible men and boys either.

These laws should be amended to ensure that sex recorded on birth certificates reflects biological reality.

So, what can you do to help push back against Labor’s woke madness? Contact your local MP and ask them for their commitment to address this issue.

Together, we can restore common sense, protect women and children, and demand responsible government in Western Australia.