Wednesday, 15 October 2025

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:10): (1072) My question is also to the Minister for Corrections. Minister, why are you housing biological males convicted of sexually assaulting women and girls at women’s prisons?

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:11): Thank you, Mrs McArthur, for your question and your interest in this matter. Again, similar to Mr Limbrick, I do understand you have a longstanding interest in these matters in our corrections system. I think I answered part of your question in my answer to Mr Limbrick. We do run a system that recognises gender identity. We run a system that is modern and humane and that reflects human rights legislation and equal opportunity legislation, and there is a balance of interests here. What I have announced is that I am looking to update the policy to better reflect that balance in line with community expectations and in line with the history of many of the women in our custodial facilities. We are not going to go with the approach of the Northern Territory, as Mr Limbrick referred to, but we are going to rebalance the policies to make sure they reflect the risk to the system and risk to other prisoners in our corrections facilities.

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:12): Thank you, Minister. You have an obligation as the corrections minister to keep the inmates in prison safe. You are not keeping the inmates in women’s prisons safe if they are raped by men in women’s prisons. Minister, the Herald Sun reported that FOI documents show that six biological males who transitioned while behind bars between 2003 and 2023 were transferred to a women’s prison. I therefore ask you, Minister: is there a limit on the number of biological males you would be willing to transfer to women’s prisons, or would this government transfer every man who transitions while behind bars, regardless of the offence committed, to a women’s prison?

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:13): I reject the premise of Mrs McArthur’s statement. I have been very clear that we do recognise gender identity, but there is a balance to be made with the placement of prisoners, and I have requested an update to the policies to give greater consideration to the risk to the safety and wellbeing of other women in our women’s custodial facilities, acknowledging many of those women have past histories as victims themselves. But we need to understand that we do want a system that does recognise people’s own identity and does balance those interests to make sure that the system is safe for the wellbeing of everyone in our system. I think your assertion is that people are automatically transferred – no, the policies do balance those interests. I am going to rebalance that to make it a better reflection of where community expectations are at – I am doing that work as we speak – but ultimately the final decisions about individual prisoner placements are for Corrections Victoria. Of course, as the minister, I am responsible for those policies.