One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson walks in the senate chamber in Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on June 29, 2026. David Gray/AFP via Getty Images
One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson’s bid to restore legislation that recognises biological sex over gender identity has been voted down in the Senate.
At a recent parliamentary session, Senator Hanson moved to restore the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Acknowledging Biological Reality) Bill 2024 to the Notice Paper and resume consideration of the bill at the first reading stage after it was voted down in 2024 by a majority of Labor and Greens senators.
The motion was defeated 32–25, with Labor and the Greens voting against it, while the Liberal Party supported the motion alongside One Nation.
Following the vote, Senator Hanson took to social media, claiming Labor and the Greens had “just voted against every Australian woman who wants their space protected from biological men.”
“Labor and the Greens are too scared to even debate their position because they know it’s indefensible: they believe biological men should be allowed to entre female only spaces, no matter the consequences.”
What Is Hanson’s Bill About?
The bill seeks to remove “gender identity” from the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 and replace it with definitions of “man” and “woman” based on biological sex at birth.
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Liberals Back One Nation
Liberal Senator Matt O’Sullivan backed the procedural move from Hanson, arguing that it was “extremely rare” to block restoring a private senator’s bill to the notice paper.
“Restoration of a private senator’s bill is a routine and procedural step that should be respected,” Senator O’Sullivan said in the Senate.
“The Coalition supports these established procedures, as we have on many occasions involving other private senator’s bills that we have ultimately opposed.
“As in all cases, a vote to restore a bill to the notice paper is simply a vote to uphold the procedural rights of every duly elected senator.”
Greens Senator Nick McKim sought leave to make a one-minute statement after the vote, but leave was not granted. Labor and the Greens otherwise did not speak on the motion.
Liberal Senator Alex Antic questioned why Labor and the Greens were unwilling to debate the motion, describing it as staggering that the two parties had voted together to defeat Hanson’s attempt to restore her bill to the Notice Paper.
“Why won’t they debate this issue?”
