Family First Upper House candidate Deepa Mathew has called on Premier Peter Malinauskas to take women's safety seriously after reports that a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted in a Port Augusta prison while sharing a cell with a biological man.
"It's shocking that the Premier says he has 'not turned his mind' to the issue of biological men being housed with women in prison," Ms Mathew said. "South Australian families don't want the pressure of knowing their Premier thinks girls' and women's safety is a 'niche issue'."
The Premier told The Advertiser this week that he had "not turned [his] mind to our policy pertaining to trans prisoners" and that the issue was "not the number one priority."
"It's not just prisons where this is a problem", Ms Mathew said. "Girls' and women's spaces and sports are not safe from biological men who identify as women. Protecting girls and women should be the Premier's number one priority".
Family First has repeatedly called for biological males to be banned from women's prisons, spaces and sports.
Ms Mathew praised Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro for her recent decision to ban biological males from women's prisons, saying the NT's example showed that courage and common sense were still possible in Australian politics.
"Family First's message is simple — it's time to take the pressure off families," Ms Mathew said. "Families shouldn't have to worry that their Premier is so captured by radical ideology to keep women safe. Protecting women and girls must come before pandering to activists."
"Family First will always stand for the safety, dignity, and rights of women. South Australian families deserve leadership that puts common sense before political correctness."
