Queensland and Northern Territory governments have taken decisive action to protect children from medical gender interventions, extending bans on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors in public health services.
Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls confirmed on Friday that the state’s ban on these treatments will continue until at least 2031, following an independent review into their use on children and adolescents with gender dysphoria.
“The review has found that the evidence base underlying the use of Stage 1 and Stage 2 hormone therapy for young people with gender dysphoria is limited, and that there is a paucity of evidence about other long-term risks or benefits of these treatments.”
The ban will remain until the UK Pathways Trial is completed.
Following Queensland’s lead, Northern Territory Health Minister Steven Edgington announced that the Territory would also prohibit puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for anyone under 18 in its public health system.
“Territory kids deserve to grow up free from these dangerous, ideologically driven practices with irreversible consequences.”
Women’s Forum Australia CEO Rachael Wong welcomed the decisions, calling them a “long-overdue recognition of the irreversible risks posed by gender-related medical interventions and the absence of a reliable evidence base to justify their use on minors.”
She added that vulnerable young people have been exposed to experimental treatments without robust evidence of safety, efficacy, or long-term outcomes.
Women’s Forum Australia Head of Advocacy Stephanie Bastiaan urged the federal government to follow suit.
“If these drugs are considered too risky for children in public hospitals, they should not be freely available through private clinics.”
She called on Health Minister Mark Butler to work with the Therapeutic Goods Administration to impose national restrictions, ensuring consistent protections for all children.
Earlier this year, Women’s Forum Australia coordinated a letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, signed by more than 100 doctors, academics, lawyers, politicians and advocates—including former Prime Minister Tony Abbott—calling for an immediate pause on all medical gender interventions for minors pending a national inquiry.
Ms Wong said the organisation will continue advocating for evidence-led health policy and decisive federal action to safeguard children and young people.
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