‘Activist’ states back gender clinics after British Tavistock Clinic is closed

State health ministers are resisting calls for an independent review into gender clinics and their use of puberty blockers on children.

GPs say the review into Britain’s Tavistock Clinic offered lessons for Australia.

State health ministers are resisting calls for an independent review into gender clinics and their use of puberty blockers on children, as the peak body for general practitioners says the nation’s transgender health centres are overwhelmed by long waiting lists.

The Victorian, Queensland and Tasmanian health ministers have stood by their state’s gender clinics, saying they operate to “stringent safety standards” in the wake of the ordered closure of Britain’s Tavistock Clinic over concerns about the safety of children in their care.

The world-leading clinic was forced to shut its doors last week after a review raised concerns that young ­patients were being referred down a “gender affirming” path too quickly and that there was insufficient evidence as to the long-term impacts of puberty blockers.

Health Minister Mark Butler refused to comment on the calls from some physicians for a review into gender clinics. The findings of Dr Hilary Cass are likely to apply equally in Australia, the physicians argue.

The Victorian government defended the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s gender clinic, saying its doctors do an “outstanding job”.

“The national standards ensure that children who are treated at gender clinics are protected by the most stringent safety standards,” a spokesman said.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath has also backed the treatment offered to trans children in her state as being approved by leading experts.

“The care provided to children diverse in gender by the Queensland Children’s Gender Service is driven by the Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines,” she said.

The Tasmania health department said the Tasmanian Gender Service provided care consistent with national guidelines and would “adjust accordingly to ensure best practice care is maintained”.

Asked if the Coalition supported a review, opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said the “safety and wellbeing of the young patients must always be our primary concern”.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard was contacted for comment.

Tasmanian Liberal Senator Claire Chandler accused state and territory leaders of taking an “activist” position on what should be a health issue.

“The state governments need to stop taking this activist position ignoring that there is a problem and instead have a serious conversation about why we are seeing this number of kids with gender dysphoria,” she said

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners president Karen Price has disputed that a review was necessary in Australia, saying the Cass review offered a “lesson for everyone” in the importance that clinics had the resources to keep up with demand.

Dr Price said GPs could be better used to treat trans and gender diverse people while patients wait up to nine months to see specialists.

“These patients can be chaotic and they miss appointments and then they get put on the waitlist and I’ve had patients that are forced to wait eight or nine months,” she said.

“Gender identity is an important area to get right so we are doing the right thing by patents.”