By Rachael Wong
On Thursday, news reverberated around that country that in a letter coordinated by Women’s Forum Australia in conjunction with medical and legal professionals, over 100 doctors, academics, lawyers, MPs, advocates and detransitioners from across the political divide, had written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling on him to hold an independent national inquiry into youth gender medicine and to halt all gender interventions until it is complete. The 100+ signatories warned:
"This is a potential public health disaster of generational significance."
More from Sky News Australia, The Australian, The Courier Mail and 2SM Radio.
The very next day, Federal Health Minister Mark Butler made a landmark announcement that he would be requesting a review of our national treatment guidelines on medical gender interventions for children and young people by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
This also followed an announcement by Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls last week that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones will be immediately paused for new patients pending an independent state review, after it was found that one of its state gender clinics was giving these to kids as young as 12 without parental consent or proper medical assessment.
I have hope in the Queensland Government’s independent review and the fact that it is taking critical steps to protect children and young people pending its outcome.
However, while a positive first step, I have serious reservations about whether or not the Federal Government’s review will be truly independent, and the motivations behind it (watch my interview with Sky News Australia for more on this).
Assistant Health Minister Ged Kearney's praise of the current flawed guidelines, hers and the Health Minister's suggestion that activists like AusPATH were involved in driving the review, and the Health Minister's subsequent attempt to shut down the Queensland review, are massive red flags (thankfully, Queensland appears to be proceeding with its review). And while the NHMRC has rigorous processes, its close research and funding relationships with gender medicine advocates is deeply concerning.
While suspended Queensland child psychiatrist Dr Jillian Spencer hopes the NHMRC will follow its own rigorous standards for guidelines, she notes that:
"One of the things we've seen with gender medicine is a complete failure of institutions to maintain their integrity."
What's more, the Federal Government doesn't appear to have any plans to halt gender interventions despite the fact that the development of the new guidelines is expected to take three years and there is already substantial evidence both nationally and internationally that clearly shows a lack of benefit and risk of serious harm from these practices. The health and wellbeing of Australian children and young people requires real action now. And if those in government refuse to take real action, then the Opposition must commit to doing so should they be elected at the upcoming federal election. Australians deserve to know where our leaders stand on this critical issue.
As detransitioner Mel Jefferies says:
"I am tired of waiting for those in power to be leaders and to course correct on this issue. Those who have been harmed have been unacknowledged for too long."
Finally, the Assistant Health Minister makes it very clear that the “review” is “not a national inquiry”, it is “an updating of the clinical care guidelines”, which were produced by activists from AusPATH and the Royal Children's Hospital gender service. While this would be a good start, if the review is independent, is no substitute for a national inquiry, which should not only review current practices in light of the evidence, but go deeper into how these harmful and anti-scientific practices were allowed to happen in the first place, the impact they have had on children and families, and how to protect other children from harm.
This is not just a matter of updating guidelines, these are young people’s lives that have been ruined and they deserve a public, independent, national inquiry, and an immediate pause on all gender interventions pending the outcome to prevent further harm.
The pause is critical, because as I explained to The Sunday Telegraph, "There are serious concerns over medical transition interventions for children and young people, who cannot consent to the life-altering harms involved, and whose underlying health issues are often left unresolved.
"There are significant, and often irreversible health risks associated with such interventions, including reduced bone density, infertility, sexual dysfunction, increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, negative impacts on brain development, lifelong medical dependence, and psychological effects like increased distress or regret."
We must protect our children and young people from irreversible damage, and ensure that they get the care they need, and they deserve.
We finally have the attention of those who have the power to effect change, and we mustn’t stop now.
As I told Sky News Australia, “Last week was a game changer. There have been so many people screaming into the void for so long and I think we're finally starting to have a national conversation.”
Rachael Wong is the CEO of 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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