Cricket Australia’s transgender policy a sledgehammer: Morrison

The PM says a rule ensuring transgender people can play at the highest level is “a sledgehammer”.

(L-R) Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts, transgender cricketer Erica James and Dr David Hughes at the MCG. Picture: Getty Images.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has lashed a “mystifying” and “heavy handed” new policy that ensures transgender and gender-diverse people can play cricket at the highest level in Australia.

Speaking to 2GB’s Alan Jones this morning, Mr Morrison said it was “beyond him” why Cricket Australia had developed the policy.

The elite-level policy, which was announced yesterday, includes guidelines for community cricket to support players to compete in line with their gender diversity, whether or not this aligns with the sex they are born with.

“Well I think it’s pretty heavy-handed to put it mildly,” Mr Morrison said. “I mean the thing about sport is it should be driven locally by local clubs and I have no doubt these sorts of issues are being managed practically at a club level.”

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When pressed whether he would intervene, Mr Morrison was cautious, saying while he expected Sport Minister Richard Colbeck to make a statement at some point, his attention was currently focused on significant issues such as unemployment and mental health.

“To be honest Alan, making sure people are in a job and mental health challenges — all these things are things I’m focusing on at COAG today, not this issue.”

While Mr Morrison said he understood why it was a sensitive issue, he thought CA’s approach was “heavy handed” and there were “far more practical ways” to handle it.

“There are far more practical ways to handle these issues than these heavy mandatory ways of doing it, and I’m sure these issues have quite carefully and practically managed at a club level already,” he said.

“So why there’s a necessity to get the sledgehammer out on this is mystifying me, but I think we need to get the issue in perspective and ensure we manage it calmly.”

But, the prime minister cautioned it was important to keep the issue in perspective and manage it calmly.

It comes as CA CEO Kevin Roberts announced the policy at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

“Discrimination of any sort has no place in the game,” he said. “Our dedication to a fair and inclusive sport across international and domestic competitions sees the policy strike a balance between the opportunity to participate and ensuring fair competition.”

Mr Roberts said guidelines for grassroots level cricket would assist clubs, players, administrators, coaches and other volunteers deliver a “safe, welcoming and inclusive environment, free of harassment and discrimination for gender diverse players.”

Under the guidelines, transgender or gender-diverse players seeking to compete in the female-elite category must demonstrate a concentration of testosterone in serum less than 10 nanomoles per litre continuously for 12 months or more.

He said the Australian policy closely matched the International Cricket Council’s Eligibility on the Basis of Gender Recognition.