Labor and Coalition block bill that would ban incarcerated women being shackled in childbirth

Labor and the Coalition have blocked a vote on a bill that would have banned the shackling of incarcerated women during childbirth. Photograph: Penny Stephens/The Guardian

Labor and the Coalition have blocked a vote on a bill that would have banned the shackling of incarcerated women during childbirth, with the government saying it was the responsibility of the states and territories.

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe introduced the bills, which would prevent shackling and stop children being strip-searched, into the Senate.