Tag: Sex Discrimination Act
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High Court Brings Giggle v Tickle Litigation to an End
The long-running legal dispute between Giggle for Girls founder Sall Grover and Roxanne Tickle has now reached its conclusion, with the High Court of Australia refusing special leave to appeal the Full Court of the Federal Court’s May 2026 decision. On 10 September 2026, the High Court refused the application, with costs. The refusal means…
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Women’s Sport in Australia: One Category, Different Rules
Women’s sport in Australia is increasingly governed by different rules about who is eligible to compete in the female category. At Olympic level, the International Olympic Committee has now adopted a policy restricting participation in the female category at the Olympic Games and other IOC events to biological females, with eligibility determined through a one-time…
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Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) — An Analysis
Introduction The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) was enacted to address discrimination on the ground of sex. It gave effect to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and promoted “the principle of the equality of men and women.” That object only works if men and women can be identified.…
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Women’s Prisons Were Built for a Sex Class. Who Enters Them Is Now a State Policy Choice.
Australia has no Commonwealth statute that says who may be housed in a women’s prison. That is how the country is built. States and territories run adult corrections. Section 120 of the Constitution requires each state to hold people convicted of Commonwealth offences in its prisons. There is no separate federal civilian prison system. A…
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‘It Was a Different Time’: The 2013 Sex Discrimination Act Amendments
During a recent question-and-answer session at Manchester University, former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard was asked about her government’s 2013 amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act. Those amendments removed the Act’s biological definitions of “man” and “woman” and added “gender identity” as a protected attribute. Gillard responded that the issues now being debated were not…