Health Minister Steve Edgington has dismissed calls to block trans and gender diverse children from accessing gender affirming care

A petition calling for young Territorians to be denied access to hormone treatments and puberty blockers has been knocked back by the NT Health minister, as LGBT+ advocates welcome the protection of gender affirming care.

On Tuesday the Health Minister Steve Edgington confirmed that no changes were currently being considered for the provision of gender affirming care for young people in the Territory. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

The NT Government has dismissed calls to deny trans and gender diverse teenagers access to “life saving” hormone treatments and puberty blockers.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Steve Edgington confirmed no changes were currently being considered for young people’s access to gender affirming care.

The Australian Christian Lobby petition of 463 signatures was the first tabled to the new parliament in October, and called for the suspension of “all medical and surgical” treatments for children and an independent inquiry into gender affirming care.

The conservative religious lobby’s petition argued there was a “flawed rationale behind transgender treatments and surgeries”, despite nationally recognised medical guidelines concluding gender affirming care was key to gender diverse young people’s mental health.

Developed by the Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital, the national guidelines found gender affirming care for children could “significantly improve” their wellbeing and mental health — noting nearly half of all gender diverse young people had attempted suicide and 80 per cent reported self harming.

It also said puberty blockers — which halt the physical changes from oestrogen and testosterone — was “reversible in its effects” and allowed young people time to consider any further treatments.

Currently the NT Government transgender health service pathway for young people includes at least three referrals and assessments from a LGBTQI+ health services or general practitioners, psychologists and a paediatric endocrinologist, before hormone treatment options are considered.

Pride Parade takes off in Darwin City, 2024. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

After five months of consideration, Mr Edgington dismissed the calls.

“NT Health provides evidence based clinical and support services and care in line with the policy and the Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines for Trans and Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents,” he said.

Mr Edgington said NT Health provided specialised adolescent gender care for young people up to 18, but clarified pre-pubertal children were not able to receive treatment.

“(And) NT Health does not provide surgical treatments for young people with a gender dysphoria diagnosis,” he said.

NT Health minister Steve Edgington. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Top End Pride vice chair Becky Tidman welcomed the decision, which came just days before the International Transgender Day of Visibility on Monday.

“Top End Pride asks the Northern Territory Government to reassure our community with a continued commitment to partner with primary and public health services to protect and improve access to gender-affirming care in the Northern Territory for all ages,” Ms Tidman said.

Ms Tidman thanked NT Health and primary health care providers, including Northside Health and the NT Aids and Hepatitis Council for their “continued support and provision of lifesaving social, psychological, and medical care”.

“Our transgender, gender fluid, and non-binary community members deserve safe and accessible care, not prejudice or exclusion, including those aged under 18 and their families,” she said.

NT Health staff members representing the Department at the Top End Pride parade in 2022.

Australian Christian Lobby NT director Nicholas Lay said he was disappointed by the NT Health Minister’s response, claiming he current “activist-driven health treatments” was causing “irreversible damage to vulnerable young people”.

He said it was not publicly known how many young Territorians had been prescribed puberty blockers or hormone treatments in the past three years, or if children were going interstate to access gender affirming care.

Mr Lay pushed for the Territory to follow the Queensland government’s ban on gender affirming care for new patients under 18 — a move criticised by mental health and LGBTQIA+ groups, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner.

In January, Federal Health Minister Mark Butler announced new national guidelines for gender affirming care by the National Health and Medical Research Council would be released in mid-2026.

Originally published as Health Minister Steve Edgington has dismissed calls to block trans and gender diverse children from accessing gender affirming care