Gender transition
David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:17): (828) My adjournment item is for the Minister for Health in the other place. The Cass review, the most extensive evidence-based evaluation into gender treatments for children, was released a few weeks ago in the UK. This review found major problems with the critical appraisal of treatments at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, including editorial independence, rigour of development and applicability. It also found major gaps in the way patients are assessed. It confirmed my suspicion that government policy in this area may have been captured by ideologues and not evidence. It looked at international studies and found the evidence does not support the idea that using puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones reduces suicide risk or improves mental health outcomes. In light of this new evidence, before any more children are harmed, my request for the minister is to stop the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in children, to stop social transitioning at schools without parents’ consent or knowledge and to hold an inquiry into the treatment of young people experiencing gender distress as a matter of urgency.