Queensland Health has called for public submissions as part of an independent review into the prescription of puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormone therapies within the Australian state’s public paediatric health services.
The consultation, which began in late May and will close on 29 July 2025, invites patients, families, clinicians, and experts to share their experiences and insights. The review will assess the use of Stage 1 (puberty blockers) and Stage 2 (gender-affirming hormone therapies) treatments for young people diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
Queensland Health Director-General Dr David Rosengren said the review was necessary due to the ongoing international debate surrounding these treatments. “The evidence supporting the use of these therapies is contested,” he stated. “It’s important that the review receives input from experts in relevant specialties and the people affected, including former and current patients.”
The review follows a controversial decision made in January by Queensland’s LNP Health Minister Tim Nicholls, who issued an immediate pause on initiating new hormone therapies for minors in the public health system. The directive effectively halted new prescriptions for over 400 young people on waiting lists.
Minister Nicholls said the pause aimed to maintain public confidence while the review takes place, and the process would involve clinicians, professionals, young people with lived experience, and their families.
In response to the announcement, critics—including transgender advocates and major medical bodies like the Australian Medical Association—condemned the move as politically driven and harmful. The federal government soon followed with a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) review, prompting calls from Federal Health Minister Mark Butler for Queensland to defer to national findings.
The Queensland review panel is chaired by Professor Ruth Vine and includes Associate Professor Beth Kotze, Professor Bruce Robinson, Professor Eleanor Milligan, The Hon Kerry O’Brien AM, Professor Lisa Brophy, and Associate Professor Malcolm Smith. However, their lack of direct experience in transgender paediatric care has drawn criticism.
Eloise Brook, CEO of the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health, told The Guardian: “Imagine this was a review of cardiac services and there were no cardiologists on the panel.” She questioned the credibility of a panel lacking trans healthcare specialists.
Despite this, the panel’s mandate is broad, examining not only medical data but also social, psychological, legal, and ethical aspects of treatment for gender dysphoria in children.
Dr Rosengren emphasised the aim is to ensure the safest and most effective care: “This review is not an attempt at resolving different views on these therapies. Rather, its findings will help inform future policy and provide the most appropriate treatment for young people.”
The panel’s final report is due to be delivered to Queensland Health by 30 November 2025. Until then, the pause on new hormone therapy prescriptions in the public system remains in effect.
