I introduced two Bills to Parliament that seek to end harmful and dangerous practices across the country. Read more about them here.
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Child birth is one of the hardest things a person can experience. Shackling people during childbirth is traumatising, unnecessary and medically dangerous for parent and baby. Yet it still happens regularly across the country to people in custody. The Crimes Amendment (Prohibiting Shackling During Childbirth) Bill 2026 would ban shackling during childbirth. |
All children must be treated with care – they should never be strip searched. But right now, children are still being subjected to violent and degrading strip searches regularly across the country. The Crimes Amendment (Prohibiting the Strip Searching of Children) Bill 2026 would ban strip searches of anyone under 18 under any circumstances. |
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The outcome of my Bills
A public hearing was held as part of these inquiries on the 22nd of September. You can see submissions and track the inquiries below.
The Albanese government had the chance to protect people giving birth and children in custody. They chose not to.
They teamed up with the Coalition to block my bills to ban shackling during childbirth and strip-searching of children, refusing to allow either bill to go to a formal vote. This meant the bills were defeated without those opposing them having their votes formally recorded. A coward’s move.
And not a day later, on Friday, we heard of another horrific case of an Aboriginal woman being shackled in a Queensland hospital while giving birth.
Hospital staff tried everything they could to have the shackles removed, but prison officers refused. According to Sisters Inside, she was shackled on and off throughout her hospital stay, where she gave birth to a premature baby by caesarean section.
The harm does not stop with people giving birth. My other bill sought to stop children being strip-searched, an invasive and traumatising practice that causes lasting harm. The evidence to the inquiries made clear that these practices are dangerous, degrading and unnecessary.
And now we’ve heard another horrific story of a child being sexually abused, including during a strip search by a prison guard.
Labor and the Coalition claimed these issues belong to the states and territories. But evidence to the Senate inquiries showed that the Commonwealth has clear constitutional power to establish national minimum standards to protect people in custody.
States and territories have repeatedly failed to end these practices. Many are moving backwards on human rights protections. By handballing responsibility to the states and territories, the Albanese government has guaranteed that these barbaric practices will continue, and more parents, children and babies will be harmed.
I will keep pushing because people should never be shackled while giving birth, and children should never be subjected to strip searches.
The Commonwealth has the power and responsibility to act. I will keep fighting until they do.
I want to thank everyone who has thrown their support behind these bills, signed the open letters, contacted politicians and spoken out against these barbaric practices.
In the meantime if, like me, you think the Albanese government should be ashamed of their decision to block my bills, let them know:
Contact:
Contact Attorney General Michelle Rowland
Contact Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher: [email protected]