Victorian Liberal leader Brad Battin's support yesterday for biological men to identify as women should ring alarm bells for every woman, girl and parent of daughters.
Family First Upper House candidates Bernie Finn and Jane Foreman today called on the Victorian Liberals to take a principled stand and commit to repealing dangerous self-ID laws which are putting women and girls at risk.
Their call follows Opposition Leader Brad Battin's announcement that a Coalition government would stop biological men convicted of sex offences from being housed in women's prisons.
"This is a good first start but it doesn't go to the heart of the issue of gender self-identification which is putting girls and women at risk everywhere," Mr Finn said.
"Mr Battin is right to say that putting a convicted paedophile like the biological male Hilary Maloney in a women's prison is unacceptable.
"But the problem goes far deeper. The real issue is that under Victoria's radical self-ID laws, any male who declares himself a woman must be treated as one — including being housed with vulnerable female prisoners. This is a recipe for disaster."
Maloney, born male, sexually abused his five-year-old daughter at the behest of an American paedophile.
Despite this appalling crime, he is now incarcerated in the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre for women, after declaring a female identity and given a very lenient sentence.
Women's groups have pleaded for his removal, but Premier Jacinta Allan has ignored them. Shockingly, Judge Nola Karapanagiotidis reduced Maloney's "moral culpability" because of his gender transition, handing down a minimum term of just 2½ years for crimes carrying penalties of up to 25 years.
"This is a travesty of justice and an indictment of Victoria's gender ideology laws," Ms Foreman said.
"Mr Battin said 'every person has a choice to identify or be who they want'. That may sound compassionate, but when men are given access to women's prisons, change rooms and sports, it is women and girls who pay the price. Identity is not the issue — biological reality is." Family First is urging Victorians to send a message to both Labor and Liberal at the coming election.
"Family First will fight to restore truth and common sense," Mr Finn said.
"All biological men must be kept out of women's prisons and other spaces where girls and women require privacy. We will also push to repeal dangerous self-ID laws which erase women's rights in every sphere of life.
"Until the Liberals and Labor can work out what a woman is, don't vote for them.
"On election day, vote 1 Family First to protect women, girls, and biological reality."
