NSW Criminalises LGBT Conversion Practices

Performing conversion practices now carries up to 5 years’ jail in NSW; taking someone interstate for it risks 3 years’ jail.

This picture taken on June 3, 2021 shows Danish toy brick maker Lego's "Everyone is Awesome" new set of rainbow-coloured figurines to celebrate the diversity of its fans and the LGBT community. Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images

From April 4, LGBT conversion practices are officially banned in New South Wales under the Conversion Practices Ban Act 2024.

The law makes it a criminal offence, punishable by up to five years in prison, for anyone who delivers or performs conversion practices that cause serious mental or physical harm.

Taking someone out of NSW to undergo such practices elsewhere can also attract a maximum three-year jail term.

Conversion practices include so-called “conversion therapy” and other actions aimed at changing or suppressing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. These practices are based on the belief that LGBTQ+ people need to be “cured” or “fixed.”

Civil Complaints and Education Measures

The law also introduces a civil complaints mechanism through Anti-Discrimination NSW.

From April 4, 2025, complaints can be made about conversion practices occurring in the state. If appropriate, matters may be resolved through conciliation, or referred to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Anti-Discrimination NSW will also run education sessions and distribute resources to inform the public about the law. These include free online tools and referrals to support services.

While the law targets practices aimed at forcibly changing or suppressing identity, it does not ban general religious teaching or private conversations between parents and children.

“This legislation is focused on protecting people from targeted, sustained efforts to change who they are,” the NSW government said.

Last year, the Premier issued a formal apology to those convicted under now-defunct laws that once criminalised homosexual acts.

In September, the NSW Government endorsed all 19 recommendations from the Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBT hate crimes. The inquiry highlighted significant failures in how past governments and police responded to the violent deaths of LGBT people.

A new LGBT Advisory Council has also been created to help shape the state’s first Inclusion Strategy. The government also backed the amended Equality Bill, introduced by independent MP Alex Greenwich, which passed Parliament.

Activists: “There Is Nothing to Fix”

The law comes just three days after South Australia passed similar legislation.

NSW joins Victoria and the ACT in banning LGBT conversion practices outright. Queensland has implemented a partial ban limited to health settings, while Western Australia has committed to introducing its own reforms.

Attorney General Michael Daley said the law sends a clear message: “Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. There is nothing ‘wrong’ with LGBT people. They do not need ‘fixing’ or to be ‘saved.’”

Founder of Ambassadors and Bridge Builders International, Anthony Venn-Brown OAM, welcomed the move.

“I grew up when being gay was a criminal offence and mental health professionals believed they could cure homosexuality,” he said.

Opposition: Concerns About Overreach

Lyle Shelton, Family First’s lead Senate candidate for NSW, opposed the new laws, calling them an overreach into personal and religious freedoms.

“No one wants to see anyone coerced or converted to anything. But these laws are not about that,” he said.

“Trying to prevent a child from receiving puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or irreversible surgery could be labelled ‘conversion therapy’ under this law.

“They could criminalise parents, counsellors, or medical professionals who caution children about the risks of LGBT gender fluid ideology.”

He described the legislation as “another attack on religious people whose views align with science—that there are two genders and that true marriage is between a man and a woman.”

He said the laws could empower activists to have “good people jailed.”