Overview

• Victoria Police declared the parliamentary precinct a designated area under the Control of Weapons Act, granting officers enhanced search and arrest powers for the first time at a Let Women Speak event.
• The Women Will Speak rally, organized by Women’s Voices Australia, drew 50–100 attendees advocating for sex-based rights and single-sex spaces, while hundreds of pro-trans protesters staged a counter-demonstration.
• Pro-trans protesters moved into Melbourne's CBD after the rally, blocking intersections, disrupting trams, and clashing with police, leading to the use of pepper spray and detentions.
• Two people were arrested—one for unlawful assault and wilful damage, and another for assaulting police—while four officers were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
• Victoria Police are reviewing CCTV footage from the protests to investigate further offences, as tensions over gender rights and anti-vilification law reforms continue to spark public demonstrations.