The Northern Territory Chief Minister is manufacturing a culture war distraction while presiding over a correctional system in crisis.
Women prisoners in Alice Springs are being held in dangerous, overcrowded conditions without adequate facilities, legal privacy, or safety from male inmates. Instead of dealing with the problem they created, a prison system in overcrowded crisis, the NT government has chosen to target one of the most marginalised groups in our community and attack trans women by putting them in crowded men's prisons.
The Chief Minister told the media "if you're born a bloke, you go into a men's prison." She also said "…we want to make it really clear that if you are a man and you're fundamentally equipped as a man, if I could put it that way, then you belong in a men's prison."
Greens Senator and Justice Spokesperson David Shoebridge said:
"Aboriginal women are being imprisoned at unprecedented rates and held in sweltering, overcrowded conditions without any rehabilitation services. That's the national crisis and it's not the gender identity of inmates.
"This is just more bigoted scapegoating from the NT Government while their prison system fails women they have put in jail every single day.
"This dangerous culture war being perpetrated by the NT Government is enabled by the Federal Government who funds 71% of the NT prison system and is therefore directly implicated in this dangerous policy.
"It's time to ensure Commonwealth funding comes with the requirement to uphold the human rights and dignity of people in prisons, not just give a blank cheque for the excesses of the NT Government."
Greens Senator and LGBTIQA+ spokesperson Nick McKim said:
"Putting trans women in a men's prison is a shocking abuse of their human rights."
"Trans women are women and trans rights are human rights."
"Trans people need love and support, not to be thrown into danger to pander to far-right culture warriors."
Greens Member for Nightcliff, Kat McNamara MLA said:
"The Chief Minister is confecting culture wars to distract from the prison crisis unfolding under her rule."
"The way the Chief Minister is speaking about trans people is uneducated, offensive and dangerous."
"Trans women experience double the rate of sexual violence from men than the rest of the population. We must ensure their safety in prison."
"The CLP government is pouring salt on the wounds of the queer community this week. In the same week they are weakening protections in our anti-discrimination laws, they're stripping away an essential protection for trans women in the NT."
"As one the few openly queer members of the Legislative Assembly, I am devastated for our LGBTQIA+ community this week."
