Newsroom

April 22, 2022

Katter’s Australian Party Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter has pledged to move legislation in the Queensland Parliament to ban trans women from participating in female sports if the “corrosive, unfair and woke” trend is not outlawed by the next Federal Parliament.

Mr Katter said he had been prompted to revisit the issue – which he initially raised during the 2020 Queensland Election – in response to the hysteria that has followed Tasmanian senator Claire Chandler announcing her plans to introduce a Private Members Bill into the Federal Parliament that would allow sporting groups to exclude transgender people from single-sex sports.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has since signaled his support for the Senator’s policy, but has been widely condemned by equality advocates and some sections of politics and the media who have labelled his views as “cruel and divisive”. ^[1]

This week Australian Olympic swimmer Emma McKeon entered into the debate by declaring she “doesn’t want to race against biological males”.^[2]

Overnight, her views were supported by swimming legend Dawn Fraser who suggested trans athletes have their own separate sporting competitions.^[3]

Mr Katter said trans advocates and the ‘woke brigade’ were mounting emotional arguments to silence and belittle those who raised important questions around competitive equality and women’s safety in sport.

He said he believed the majority of Australia has a strong, and common-sensical, opinion on the issue.

“Biological males competing in female sport is not only unfair, it's ludicrous,” he said.

“Most people think it and most are afraid to say it. I'm not.

“If the next Federal Parliament doesn't outlaw this nonsense and prevent sport in Australia going down the woke and corrosive path it has in the US, I will commit to testing public opinion on this issue in Queensland by introducing a Private Member's Bill into the Parliament.”

Mr Katter said his views were based on genuine concerns about the integrity of women’s sport and the safety of female athletes.

“I understand there are strong pushes from certain sectors of society for ‘inclusion’ of trans people in our communities – but ‘inclusion’ cannot be at the cost of common sense, fairness or safety,” Mr Katter said.

“I am firstly concerned that, under the guise of ‘inclusion’, female players in contact sports in particular could end up being exposed to an increased risk of concussion and injury by being forced to play with people who, biologically, are not female.

“Of course, there are also questions about issues around equity and possible competitive advantages that exist by allowing transgender players to play in women’s competitions.

“What message is this sending to young female athletes?

“The fact that having these views is being termed by some as radical and bigoted is a deep concern in itself.”

Mr Katter said he and the KAP would give Federal Parliamentarians 90 days after the next Parliament is formed to move on the issue before developing its own legislation.

[1] https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/scott-morrison-backs-cruel-and-divisive-bill-excluding-transgender-people-from-single-sex-sport/vakabgp4b

[2] https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/commonwealth-games/sydney-to-host-duel-in-the-pool-swimming-event-between-australia-and-usa/news-story/328ca4d75d02ca3b6ad96889db5c83f5?fbclid=IwAR22UhJGfAyLdmbvOfqb9p82_BqV28djBA2uoTIwHYdBJ4OOhllrAhuvjcg

[3] https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/transgender-sporting-debate-swimming-great-dawn-fraser-backs-olympian-emma-mckeon/news-story/4ad7d0596c0747e26f7f9c165bc913a5