VCAT ruling allows biological and transgender women to live and work at Kara House

A shelter for women and children fleeing family violence has been given permission to accommodate and employ transgender women.

A VCAT ruling grants Kara House “an exemption to enable it to accommodate women and those who identify as women, and children only, and to employ women and those who identify as women only”.

A shelter for women and children fleeing family violence has received a legal exemption to accommodate and employ women “and those who identify as women”.

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruling notes many shelter users are “fearful and distrusting of males” but the decision legally opens the door for biological and transgender women to live and work at the service.

The VCAT ruling grants Kara House “an exemption to enable it to accommodate women and those who identify as women, and children only, and to employ women and those who identify as women only”.

The language has changed since the Kara House 2020-21 annual report, which says it “provides services to women and their children”.

Equality Australia chief executive Anna Brown said: “Trans women and girls experience the same patterns of gendered violence and abuse at the hands of men; in fact, they are disproportionately impacted, so they really need access to shelters like this.”

The move was immediately dubbed “surprising” by Bella d’Abrera, director of the foundations of western civilisation program at the Institute of Public ­Affairs.

“Woke ideology has infiltrated our legal institutions,” she said. “For a ruling that claims users are fearful and distrusting of males, this outcome would be surprising to many Victorians.’’

A number of women’s safety organisations declined to comment to the Herald Sun.

One said there was a need to be gender inclusive, but ­admitted it could be challenging for some all-female services such as domestic violence shelters.

As one worker noted: “We want to support transgender women but we also need to keep women safe and feeling safe”.

Kara House is run independently and funded by the state Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

A government spokesman said safety was “the first priority for all clients and there are comprehensive risk assessment and risk management processes in place to determine access to services”.

The Royal Commission into Family Violence in Victoria recognised that people from diverse communities could face extra risk of violence and barriers to getting help.

It recommended all funded family violence service achieve Rainbow Tick accreditation, for gender and sexual inclusion.

Since then, the Victorian government has been focused on building a service system that is inclusive, accessible and non-discriminatory regardless of one’s gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, ability, race or religion.

Many previously women’s-only services are now becoming non-gendered or adopting gender-inclusive language.

Originally published as VCAT ruling allows biological and transgender women to live and work at Kara House