Bass Liberal MHR Bridget Archer urges Tasmanian senator Claire Chandler to reconsider women's sport bill

Senator Chandler's private member's bill in the Senate - which is unlikely to be debated before the election - seeks to allow sporting groups to impose women's-only rules on sports by amending the Sex Discrimination Act.

It removes a clause that already allows people to be excluded from sport based on their sex or gender identity if their "strength, stamina or physique" is seen as relevant, to instead allow for blanket approaches.

The intent is to make it lawful for transgender women to be excluded from women's sport without exception.

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Ms Archer said she had never had a sporting organisation, club or individual in her electorate approach her with concerns about transgender women competing in women's sport, and that it was not a "pressing issue".

She said she held great concerns for the mental health of transgender people - particularly younger people - and urged senator Chandler to rethink her approach.

"You've already had months of people having to go through this, justifying themselves and their existence through this Religious Discrimination Bill process," Ms Archer said.

"You can't catch your breath from that before you're back into another discussion about what are you allowed to do, or be. It's not right.

"I'm reasonably empathetic, but I don't think I really appreciated the depth of harm and hurt that people feel when these things are discussed continually in this way, and they have to just fight all the time to be included, the kind of things you and I take for granted. It's horrific."

Senator Chandler argues the issue is important for the fairness and safety of women's sport, but Ms Archer said there were other more pressing issues.

"I talk to sporting clubs and sporting associations all the time, but the issues that they raise are around things like facilities," Ms Archer said.

"A lot of those clubs you talk to will look at increasing participation by having unisex facilities or more suitable facilities for everyone, more inclusive facilities for everyone.

"Certainly, nobody has raised this issue that there is suddenly a flood of transgender people wanting to play women's sport."

The bill has caused concern among transgender rights advocates in Tasmania, as well as opposition from Premier Peter Gutwein, Labor and the Greens.

However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week said he was supportive of the bill.

Senator Chandler said she also had the support of the Federal Liberal Council, "many" of her federal colleagues and also the Tasmanian Liberal Party.

She said her concerns included that Sport Australia guidelines outlined that clubs and codes could face legal action "if they operate sport on the basis of sex", and that she had been approached by local sports administrators in Tasmania over the issue.

"There are numerous examples of males playing women's sport in Australia and I've spoken to many who have dropped out of sport and even been pressured out of their team and club for objecting to this," senator Chandler said.

"Why would you want to wait for local women miss out on selection, drop out of sport or are injured on the field before setting clear rules that women are entitled to single-sex sport?"

When asked about section 42 of the Sex Discrimination Act - which allows for people to be excluded on strength, stamina or physique grounds, senator Chandler said there should instead be an "upfront rule" to allow for single-sex sport.

In regards to the impact on the mental health of transgender people, senator Chandler said "there is absolutely no reason anybody should be concerned or distressed about women defending their sex-based rights"