Australia
Country Profile
Politics, the Law and Gender Medicine
There have been a number of motions put in both Federal and State parliaments asking for inquiries into gender treatments for children and young people. All requests have been denied so far. The three legislative changes sought by activists in the transgender movement – gender self-ID legislation, “conversion therapy” bans and hate speech legislation are progressively being passed in various states. Victoria has been the most radical. However, Queensland legislation now permits birth certificates to list the sex of an individual as non-binary, gender-queer, or anything non-obscene with demonstrated use. Furthermore, children from age 14 can apply to change their name and sex without parental approval.
Australian Media and Institutional Capture
We are thankful for the intrepid Bernard Lane, who formerly led the way on gender issues at The Australian newsletter, now provides a comprehensive analysis of gender issues through his substack Gender Clinic News.
The Australian (right of centre) and Sky News (further right of centre) provide critical commentary on children’s gender treatments. 7News featured two Australian detransitioners on their investigative program Spotlight, highlighting the ease with which cross-sex hormones can be received in Australian clinics, and the terrible harm that is caused when clinicians get it wrong.
ABC, the national broadcaster, and to a lesser extent Nine News provide a steady stream of activist propaganda and stories of happy “trans kids”. The ABC is ruled by the ACON Pride in Diversity scheme, a carbon copy of a similar program run by Stonewall in the UK. This provides training, consulting and awards for compliance with their diversity goals. ABC wins gold awards and regular “external media campaign” awards. It shows in their programming. The Pride in Diversity scheme is also widely stifling freedom of thought and debate within government departments and the health sector.
Gender Clinics and Treatment for Gender Dysphoria
Treatment for gender dysphoria is provided by a mix of public and private healthcare providers in Australia. The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Gender Service in Melbourne, Victoria is the largest gender clinic for minors in the country. The former director of the clinic, Michelle Telfer, is the lead author of the hospital’s “Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines for trans and gender diverse children and adolescents”. The guideline is endorsed by AusPATH and advocates a radical, child-led, “affirmation” approach, with no sound evidence base. Although adult gender clinics exist, many people get hormones prescribed under so-called “informed consent” with just two general practice appointments. In 2022 there were roughly 1300 new prescriptions for government-subsidised testosterone to female patients under age 14-28, for “androgen deficiency”, a male disorder.
Puberty Blockers
Concerns are growing about the use of puberty blockers for minors in Australian gender clinics, with figures indicating that rates of use are significantly higher than in the UK, despite Australia’s much smaller population. Prescriptions for puberty-suppressing drugs in Australia rose dramatically from five in 2014 to 624 in 2019. In 2023, Queensland Children’s Gender Service issued 172 prescriptions for puberty blockers out of a total of 899 patients.
Surgery
It is often claimed in Australia that gender-affirming surgeries are not offered to minors. However, in mid-2023 it was revealed that children as young as 15 were receiving double mastectomies, prompting leading surgeons to call for an age limit on the procedure. One cosmetic surgery clinic in QLD was exposed by an activist group as being prepared to offer the surgery to girls as young as 13.
Activists in the transgender movement and plastic surgeons are presently pushing for so-called gender-affirming surgeries to be made accessible via Medicare, Australia’s universal health insurance scheme. This would enable procedures such as double mastectomy, phalloplasty, vaginoplasty, and orchiectomy to be largely funded by taxpayers.
“Conversion Therapy” Bans
The states and territories of Victoria, ACT, NSW and Queensland, have each passed legislation prohibiting “conversion” therapy, which in reality means that exploratory therapy in relation to gender identity becomes impossible to practice. Tasmania is also considering implementing a similar bill. In jurisdictions where conversion therapy bans are in place, parent groups report that it is extremely difficult to find a therapist who is willing to offer a neutral approach to therapy and does not use a ” gender affirmation approach” only.
Queensland Psychiatrists Speaking Out
Dr Jillian Spencer, a child psychiatrist from the Queensland Children’s Hospital, was suspended from duty in 2023 for bravely and persistently publicly criticising the “gender affirmative” treatments provided by the children’s gender service. As an unacknowledged result of Dr Spencer’s criticisms the Queensland Children’s Gender Service is currently undergoing an evaluation. She is now supported by a second psychiatrist, Dr Andrew Amos, who published a paper in Australasian Psychiatry in 2024 entitled The gender-affirming model of care is incompatible with competent, ethical medical practice.
Professional Bodies
Most professional medical and mental health bodies in Australia support the “affirmative approach” to gender dysphoria, however as awareness of the issues with this approach begins to grow, some are reconsidering their position.
A statement from the Royal Australian and New Zealand Royal College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) released in December 2023 acknowledged the limited evidence base for the “gender-affirmative” approach and the existence of detransitioners, and emphasised that “psychiatrists should remain open and explore the experience and range of support/treatment options that may best address the young person’s needs.”
Australian insurer MDA National announced in July 2023 that it would restrict insurance coverage to doctors in private practice who provide gender-affirming treatments to people under the age of 18. In a statement, the insurer explained that the decision was made in response to increasing global criticism of the research that underpins medical and surgical transition of minors for gender dysphoria and that recent studies suggest rates of detransition and desistance are much higher than the commonly cited 1% or 2%.
Detransition
A female detransitioner in Australia is presently taking legal action against the psychiatrist who affirmed her in a single appointment and later referred her for surgery. Her court case is ongoing.
An advocacy group by and for detransitioners and desisters, Detransitioners Australia, has recently formed. Their purpose is to advocate for people who previously identified as transgender and no longer do.
Photo by Joey Csunyo on Unsplash