LGBTQIA+ groups 'horrified' by NT leader's comments about not detaining transgender women in female prisonshttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-15/nt-chief-minister-transgender-women-in-female-prisons-custody/105886668?future=true& 🔗;
Tilda Colling and Gemma Ferguson (15 Oct 2025)
The Northern Territory government has doubled down on its stance against detaining transgender women in female prisons, as a local LGBTQIA+ group says it is "horrified" by the comments.
Speaking on Darwin radio station Mix 104.9 this week, NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said female prisons should "have women only" and that the Country Liberal Party (CLP) had taken "a practical common sense" approach to the debate.
"At the end of the day, if you're born a bloke, you're going to men's prison and we'll deal with you there."
The chief minister clarified that NT prisoners who were assigned male at birth and now identified as female would be sent to men's prisons, even if they had transitioned.
"Currently, that is the rule, and that rule will continue," she said.
Advocacy group for the sistergirl, brotherboy and LGBTIQAP+ community, Vital Collective, said it was "horrified" by Ms Finocchiaro's comments and claimed she had mislabelled transgender women as men.
The group said such commentary was discriminatory and that the CLP's rhetoric would increase the risk of violence towards the gender-diverse community.
