Last night Victoria joined Tasmania, the Northern Territory, South Australia and the ACT, passing new laws to allow transgender people to self-identify.

"The bill will remove the current requirement for transgender people to undergo sex reassignment surgery before updating their birth certificate. They will also be free to self-nominate their sex as male, female or many other non-binary descriptors of their choice."

“Children will also be able alter the gender on their birth certificate, provided they have parental support and a statement from a doctor or registered psychologist stating that the decision is in the child’s best interests.”

The bill passed with majority support, 26-14.

Victoria Attorney-General Jill Hennessy, who introduced the bill, celebrated its passing: "These important new laws are about ensuring everyone can live their life as they choose”.

Greens leader Samantha Ratnam welcomed the reform: "My love to our trans and gender diverse communities who have fought for so long for this."

MPs and advocacy groups including Equality Australia, Transgender Victoria and Ygender took to social media to celebrate.

Kirralie Smith, Binary spokeswoman, said once again ideological activism had overridden facts and common sense.

“These politicians are behaving more like activists, promoting an ideological viewpoint that will have serious consequences for our society. They have done this without community consultation or comprehensive legal advice.”

“The passing of this bill demonstrates total disregard for the rights and safety of women. There are no protections in place for female sporting competitions, or women’s safe spaces and services.”