Australia reviews transgender treatment guidelines as Queensland pauses hormone therapies for minor
Australia will urgently examine whether or not to continue prescribing puberty blockers and hormone treatment to kids and teens.
Australia will examine whether or not to continue prescribing puberty blockers and hormone treatment to underage teenagers under a comprehensive review of treatment guidelines for trans and gender-diverse children.
As the Queensland government puts an immediate pause on new trans patients under the age of 18 from accessing hormone therapies in the state’s public health system, the federal Health Minister Mark Butler has stepped in to urge a considered national response that considers the latest evidence.
It follows the United Kingdom’s move to ban puberty blockers for under-18s with gender dysphoria indefinitely, except for use in clinical trials.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) in the UK had published independent expert advice that there was “currently an unacceptable safety risk in the continued prescription of puberty blockers to children”.
“We want young people and their families to receive the best health care, led by the best available evidence and wraparound support,’’ Mr Butler said.
“Governments also have a clear responsibility to ensure Australians are receiving the best medical advice and care available.
“That responsibility is especially important when it comes to the care of highly vulnerable children and adolescents.
“Two weeks ago, I sought advice from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Therapeutic Goods Administration on the current provision of care for trans and gender-diverse Australian children and adolescents.
After considering that advice, I have asked the NHMRC to undertake a comprehensive review of the Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines for Trans and Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents in Australia, and to develop new national guidelines.”
Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls announced the immediate “pause” on hormone therapies on Tuesday, alongside a new review into stage one and two hormone therapies for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria.
No new patients under 18 can now receive hormone therapies in Queensland’s public health system as a result of the changes.
Allegations of unauthorised treatment
Citing allegations of “apparently unauthorised” gender services delivered by the Cairns Sexual Health Service, he said those matters were the subject of a health department investigation.
“The Cairns Sexual Health Service delivered an apparently unauthorised pediatric gender service without an agreed model of care to 42 pediatric gender service clients,” he said.
“17 of [them] were prescribed stage one or stage two hormone therapy in a way that may not align with accepted Australian treatment guidelines.”
“While this review is taking place, there is a need to maintain confidence in the public health services,” Nicholls said.
While the provision of public gender services to young people in Australia is exclusively led by states and territories who are responsible for the relevant services and who employ the relevant clinicians, the NHMRC is the nation’s leading expert body in health and medical research and has a statutory responsibility and charter, set out in the NHMRC Act, for developing and supporting high quality guidelines for clinical practice.
“It is the right body to do this work,’’ Mr Butler said.
“I also want to indicate that I’ve spoken, among others, to the Queensland Health Minister, Tim Nicholls, in light of the announcements that the Queensland Government made over recent days.
“Given the pre-eminence of the NHMRC and the statutory charter that it has to commission and issue clinical guidelines, I’ve indicated to Minister Nicholls that I don’t think it would be appropriate for Queensland to continue with their stated intention to undertake an evidence review in this area of care. These issues should be nationally consistent, and in my view, should be driven by the pre-eminent authority, which is the NHMRC.”
Trump acts on trans kids
President Donald Trump signed executive orders targeting transition-related medical care for minors in one of his first acts as US President this week.
The order, titled “Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” intends to restrict access to gender-affirming medical care — including puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery — for minors, which it defines as those younger than 19.
“Across the country today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilising a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child’s sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions,” the executive order states.
Katherine Deves and 2022 election
Former Liberal candidate Katherine Deves triggered a firestorm of controversy during the federal election campaign in 2022 when she described an image of a called trans person as “surgically mutilated and sterilised” and likened her lobbying to stop transgender athletes from competing in women’s sport to standing up against the Nazis during the Holocaust.
“When you look at medical negligence cases, that is the terminology that they use. It is also contained in the Crimes Act of NSW,” she later said.
“I’m apologising for how people might have perceived it and the fact that it is confronting and it is ugly, and I certainly don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but that is the correct terminology.”
Health Minister Mark Butler calls for national approach
Asked if he was concerned that the Queensland Government has paused some treatments for people under 18, Mr Butler said it underlined the need for national guidelines.
“All of the scripts for puberty blockers are issued by state governments and state government clinicians, so that is ultimately a matter for them to determine, according to the best available advice that they have,’’ he said.
“They should be taking those decisions with the best interests of young people as the paramount consideration. And as I said, I reiterated to Minister Nicholls that, particularly in light of the decision that his government has taken around this, it is particularly important to ensure that vulnerable young Queenslanders have access to the best available comprehensive care and support.”
“There’s a lot of public commentary about this area of care. Not all of it is particularly constructive, and some of it, frankly, is quite damaging to the mental health of young people and families who are so desperately trying to care for them.”
Health Minister Tim Nicholls unveiled the pause on Tuesday as he also announced a review into the evidence for stage one and two hormone therapies for children with gender dysphoria.
Mr Nicholls said the probe would be led by an independent external reviewer, with the terms of reference to be determined in consultation with the reviewer.
“The review will encourage the participation of clinicians and professionals with relevant expertise, as well as young people with lived experience and their families,” he said.
“A final written report is to be provided to the government within 10 months of the reviewer being appointed.”
Greens MP Michael Berkman accused the LNP of engaging in “culture war crap”.
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“This is essential treatment for people born intersex and for young people experiencing gender dysphoria,” he said.
“Hormone therapy and puberty blockers save lives.
“Last year’s evaluation of the state’s gender services found that these services provide safe, evidence-based care.”
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