Marise Payne plays it safe over Liberal candidate Katherine Deves’ trans comments

Marise Payne says she doesn’t agree with Liberal candidate Katherine Deves’ views of transgender people, but has stopped short of saying she should be dumped.

Foreign Affairs Minister and leading NSW moderate Marise Payne says she doesn’t agree with Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves’ controversial views of transgender people but has stopped short of saying she should be dumped.

Ms Deves last week issued a second public apology after more deleted tweets about the transgender community were unearthed, and at the weekend Liberal state Treasurer Matt Kean called for her to be disendorsed, calling her comments “vile”.

Scott Morrison, however, has stood by his hand-picked candidate for the Sydney northern beaches seat, saying he wouldn’t take part in the “pile-on”.

Senator Payne said: “I don’t share Ms Deves’ views” but “ultimately that (whether to disendorse Ms Deves) is a decision for the Liberal Party here in NSW.

“Importantly, she has apologised, she has withdrawn those views,” Senator Payne told the ABC on Sunday.

Once a safe Liberal seat, Warringah is now held by independent MP Zali Steggall, who beat former prime minister Tony Abbott at the 2019 election.

Mr Abbott has backed Ms Deves, saying he “admires her”.

Ms Deves has used social media to publish offensive views on the transgender community, and has likened her battle to stop transgender athletes competing in women’s sports to the fight against Nazi Germany.

Ms Deves has since deleted those posts and apologised.

On Sunday, Senator Payne said “most importantly, we have to ­exercise sensitivity and ­respect”.

Katherine Deves has come under fire for posts about transgender people. Picture: Renee Nowytarger

“And in the case of the massively complex and extremely challenging issues that accom­pany any individual’s decisions about transition and transgender issues, overwhelmingly that has to be the approach we take: one of sensitivity and respect, and that is my view,” she said.

Senator Payne said there were valid issues to be addressed when it came to transgender Australians’ participation in female sports.

“This is a discussion that we should be having. It’s a discussion that a number of the codes have already engaged in across Australia and internationally, and I think the focus that has come out of those discussions about safety and fairness and inclusion is an ­important one,” she said.

The Prime Minister on Sunday reaffirmed his position that he did not intend to make Tasmanian senator Claire Chandler’s “Save Women’s Sports” private senator’s bill a piece of government legislation, but he was personally supportive of the initiative. The bill seeks to clarify that sporting organisations have the right to ensure women and girls have the right to play single-sex sport and exclude trans-athletes.

“At no stage have I ever suggested that would be a government bill,” Mr Morrison said. “I was asked what my position was. I told you what my position was. I was open about it. I was very plain about it. And I think that was the appropriate thing to do.”

Financial Services Minister Jane Hume said Ms Deves had apologised for her past social media comments and she had strongly held views over fairness and equality in women’s sports.

“The language she used was ­inappropriate. She said it was inappropriate, and has withdrawn those comments,” she said.

“I think that is entirely the right decision to make.”

Senator Hume said Labor’s candidate for the Hunter, Dan Repacholi, had made offensive comments on ­social media, which he had withdrawn, but there were no calls for him to be disendorsed.