Australia Gets Rid of Official Form That Said 'Birthing Parent' Instead Of 'Mother'

The Australian government has ditched official forms that said 'birthing parent' instead of mother.

The issue was first raised by podcaster and scriptwriter Sall Grover, who discovered the wording on the document after giving birth to her daughter.

As she was filling out the form, she was surprised by the fact it no longer said 'mother' and opted for the more trans and non-binary inclusive language.

The outcry sparked anger at the Albanese government for trying to include as many people as possible when referring to those who give birth.

But Minister for Government Services, Bill Shorten, released a statement saying the wording was a relic of the former Coalition government and they will be getting rid of it.

"Just regarding the story in the Daily Tele about a form that was part of a pilot program launched in 3 hospitals under the previous Coalition Government," he said on Twitter.

"When I was informed of this situation yesterday, I instructed the responsible officials they should cease using the previous government’s forms.

"They will be replaced with new forms that use the word mother, not birthing parent, which is consistent with other Medicare forms."

Grover was pleased with the decision and explained to News Corp that the government was moving in the right direction.

"I’m very happy with Bill Shorten’s statement and plan,” Ms Grover said to The Daily Telegraph.

“It’s the right thing to do. I hope this win inspires more women to speak up when our rights, language, spaces and sport are under attack.”

She added: “We just have to stand up for ourselves.”

However, the move has not gone down well with others on social media, with many saying the government is bending to the wishes of a vocal minority.

One person reacting to Bill Shorten's tweet said: "So what happens if you are a man, non-binary or intersex and you are pregnant? You get called mother? Seems inaccurate for those people. Does accuracy not matter?"

Another added: "Great job, really important for you to stake out an exclusion of some people who give birth. The logical thing to do is to look after most people rather than all people."

A third wrote: "Wait, so the Coalition is more inclusive than the ALP? You guys never fail to disappoint."

The Daily Telegraph said the new wording on the forms was brought in in March, when Scott Morrison's Coalition was in government.