By Stephanie Bastiaan
South Australian upper house MP Cory Bernardi has introduced legislation that would ban the prescription of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children under 18 for the treatment of gender dysphoria, citing mounting international evidence against the treatments and a growing record of concerns about oversight at Adelaide's Women's and Children's Hospital.
Bernardi introduced the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (South Australia) (Childhood Gender Dysphoria) Amendment Bill in the Legislative Council on 17 June 2026, arguing that Parliament has both the authority and the responsibility to act where the evidence is uncertain and the patients involved are children.
"The first duty of medicine is to do no harm, and where the evidence is uncertain, where the long-term consequences are significant, and where the patients involved are children who cannot fully appreciate those consequences, parliament has both the authority and the responsibility to act," Bernardi told the chamber.
The Bill makes it an offence for a registered health practitioner to prescribe or administer puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones to a minor for the treatment of gender dysphoria. It does not affect treatment already underway and exempts legitimate uses of puberty suppression for conditions such as precocious puberty or medically verifiable disorders of sexual development.
The bill comes amid growing scrutiny of the Women's and Children's Hospital Gender Diversity Service, which accepts referrals from across South Australia for children up to the age of 17. According to data produced by the South Australian Department of Health, it is estimated that up to 2,172 children are seeking care for gender dysphoria between the ages of 6 and 17. The largest cohort are children are aged 11-15. Referrals to the service have grown by approximately 38% each year in recent years, with approximately 160 in 2024 alone.
Concerns about the clinic's practices became public after it emerged that 22 South Australian children received gender-affirming treatment between July 2023 and July 2024 without the required prior psychiatric assessment. The hospital publicly apologised and its chief executive ordered a review of the service.
The controversy followed years of calls for greater transparency. In 2023, SA-BEST MLC Frank Pangallo moved for a parliamentary select committee inquiry into gender dysphoria care for young people in South Australia. However, the motion was withdrawn in February 2024 after the Labor Government, the Greens, and Liberal MLC Michelle Lensink publicly committed to opposing it. South Australia remains one of six Australian states and territories that have failed to release data on the number of children prescribed puberty blockers for gender dysphoria.
Bernardi pointed to a significant shift in international practice. In the United Kingdom, the independent Cass Review found the evidence underpinning puberty blockers for gender dysphoria in children to be weak and insufficient, leading the National Health Service to restrict routine prescriptions outside specialist research settings. Finland and Sweden have similarly moved to restrict the treatments, prioritising psychotherapy and supportive care instead.
In Australia, The Queensland Government issued a ministerial direction in 2025 prohibiting the prescription of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to new patients under 18 in the public health system, a move followed by the Northern Territory. Bernardi's bill would achieve the same outcome in South Australia through legislation rather than administrative direction, providing greater certainty and permanence
"Children experiencing gender distress frequently present with coexisting mental health challenges - anxiety, depression, autism spectrum conditions, trauma histories," Bernardi said. "These young people deserve counselling and evidence-based psychological care."
Women's Forum Australia welcomes the introduction of the bill and urges South Australian parliamentarians to support it. Children experiencing gender distress deserve compassionate, evidence-based care that addresses underlying mental health and developmental challenges, rather than harmful irreversible medical interventions.
Stephanie Bastiaan is Head of Advocacy at Women's Forum Australia.
Women’s Forum Australia is an independent think tank that undertakes research, education and public policy advocacy on issues affecting women and girls, with a particular focus on addressing behaviours and practices that are harmful and abusive to them. We are a non-partisan, non-religious, tax-deductible charity. We do not receive any government funding and rely solely on donations to make an impact. Support our work today.
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