Politics · Australia · 2 hrs ago
Labor and Coalition block vote on bill against shackling women in childbirth
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe introduced bills in Australia’s Senate to ban shackling incarcerated women during childbirth and stop children being strip-searched.
Labor and the Coalition blocked a vote on the bills, with the Coalition also saying it would not support them.
The government said criminal justice is mainly the responsibility of states and territories.
The bill would have addressed practices affecting women and children in custody, including restraints during labour and searches of children’s bodies.
UN rules adopted 15 years ago say restraints should never be used on women during labour, birth or immediately afterwards, but the source says the rules are regularly flouted around the world.
Queensland Liberal senator Paul Scarr condemned the practice and said he would raise it with Queensland’s attorney general; he also urged the prime minister to convene a national cabinet meeting.
The source does not say what action will follow, but Scarr said the blocked vote should not end efforts to address the issue.
Labor and the Coalition blocked a vote on a bill to ban shackling incarcerated women during childbirth.
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe introduced the bill in the Senate, along with measures to stop children being strip-searched.
The government said criminal justice is predominantly the responsibility of state and territory governments.
The Coalition said it understood the bill’s intent but would not support its passage.
Queensland Liberal senator Paul Scarr condemned the practice and called for a national cabinet meeting.
- Who
- Labor and the Coalition blocked the vote on a bill introduced by independent senator Lidia Thorpe.
- What
- The bill would ban shackling incarcerated women during childbirth and stop children being strip-searched.
- When
- The vote was blocked on 15 October 2026.
- Where
- In the Australian Senate.
- Why
- The government said criminal justice is predominantly the responsibility of state and territory governments. The Coalition said it understood the bill’s intent but would not support it.
Labor and the Coalition
Lidia Thorpe and supporters of the bill
Jurisdiction
Labor and the Coalition
The government said criminal justice is predominantly the responsibility of state and territory governments.
Lidia Thorpe and supporters of the bill
Thorpe said the people in the Senate had the power to end the practices.
The bill
Labor and the Coalition
The Coalition said it understood the bill’s intent but would not support its passage.
Lidia Thorpe and supporters of the bill
The bill would prevent shackling during childbirth and stop children being strip-searched.
The UN General Assembly adopted the Bangkok Rules, which say restraints must never be used on women during labour, birth or immediately afterwards.
The only data cited on births while incarcerated showed that 25 women gave birth.
Labor and the Coalition blocked a vote on Thorpe’s bill.
- Bill introduced by
- Independent senator Lidia Thorpe
- Vote
- Blocked by Labor and the Coalition
- Births in custody
- 25 women in 2017
- UN rules
- Adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly
- Queensland senator
- Paul Scarr
1 source
What people are saying
The people sitting in this room have the power to end these barbaric, inhumane traumatic and totally unnecessary practices.
the responsibility of criminal justice system predominantly sits with state and territory governments
What I’ve heard deeply concerns me and I do hope, that this vote shouldn’t be an end to this matter, we’ve got to do better than this and we’ve got to look at ways this issue can be addressed
Don’t torture women giving birth and don’t strip-search children.