Australia opposition leader Taylor vows to amend Sex Discrimination Act
Australian opposition leader Angus Taylor pledged to amend the Sex Discrimination Act after the Federal Court upheld the 'Tickle v Giggle' decision. The ruling found that excluding a transgender woman from a women-only app was discriminatory.
The Federal Court of Australia ruled in the 'Tickle v Giggle' case, which began three years ago, that the women-only social app Giggle for Girls had unlawfully discriminated against transgender woman Roxanne Tickle by removing her access. The decision upheld a lower court ruling and includes around A$10,000 in damages.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said in his statement that he would 'bring legislative changes to Parliament to preserve single-sex spaces'. From the government bench, Deputy Prime Minister Penny Wong said the current Act 'is intended to cover all Australians' and distanced the government from proposed amendments.
The ruling has reignited the wider Australian debate around violence against women, sporting federation rules and private sector policies. Legal experts say a new bill could make the next parliamentary sitting, but that federal-state alignment will take time to settle.
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