Australian Senate Gags Debate on Bill to Define a Man and Woman

Labor and the Greens argued debate would hurt children who identify as trans.

Symbols for male and female in a hardware store in Western Australia on July 13, 2025. Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times

Labor and the Greens have blocked debate on legislation that would have provided a clear definition of a man and a woman in Australia.

Liberal Senator Alex Antic introduced the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Restoring Biological Definitions) Act 2025 at the end of the recent parliamentary session.

The bill (pdf) specifically repeals the definition of gender identity and omits every occurrence of the word “gender identity.”

In addition, the bill provides a clear definition for men and women and substitutes the word “different sex” with “the opposite sex.”

“Man means a member of the male sex irrespective of age. Woman means a member of the female sex irrespective of age,” the bill states.

Antic said the issue would not go away and described the situation as “absolutely unbelievable.”

“The Bill was designed to protect women’s sport and women’s spaces but Labor and the Greens wouldn’t allow it to pass into the second reading,” he said in a post to X.

Antic said the Bill’s aim was to restore the definitions of a man and a woman, which had been “deleted in 2013” by the Labor government.

“Yes, you heard that right, as presently enacted, the Sex Discrimination Act has no working understanding of what constitutes a man or a woman,” he told supporters on Aug. 1.

“My Bill also proposed to remove the concept of ‘gender identity’ from the Act altogether, which the Labor government added as a category of protected classes.”

Debate Halted

The bill was shot down before it was able to proceed to a second reading.

During parliament, Queensland Liberal Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate Paul Scarr pointed out that the Senate usually does not stop discussion at such an early stage.

“While the Senate has the opportunity to reject a bill at the first reading stage, in practice, the first reading is almost always passed without opposition and is regarded as a purely formal stage. The coalition support these normal procedures as we have with many Greens, Labor or crossbench bills that we strongly opposed,” he said (pdf).

At the first reading stage, the title of the bill is read out and a copy of the bill is read to members of parliament, with no debate. It is only at the second reading where debate takes place.

Minister for Women Katy Gallagher raised concerns debate on the legislation would hurt children who identified as trans.

“We do not agree with the Senate being a place where individual harm can be done to young people across this country. That is what would have happened had we allowed this bill to proceed in the normal course, and we won’t stand for it. Trans children deserve better from this chamber,” she said.

Australian Greens Whip Nick McKim said they would not allow the Senate to discuss the legislation.

“We know exactly what Senators Antic and [Matt] Canavan are up to here. They are introducing a bill that they want to use to provide a platform for transphobic people in our community to punch down on transgender Australians and, in particular, on trans kids,” he said.

“Well, as far as the Australian Greens are concerned, we are never, never going to vote in this place to allow you to create that platform.”

However, One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts raised concerns that Labor and the Greens were controlling debate.

“What we’re seeing here is an example of control, and, always, beneath control there is fear. Of what are the Greens and their coalition partner, Labor, afraid?”

The Coalition supported the bill progressing for debate, but this was blocked by the Labor and Greens majority, with 25 in favour of the bill moving forward and 36 against.