Queensland Immediately Halts Puberty Blockers for Children

Male and female icons in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 28, 2024. Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times

The Queensland government will immediately pause hormone therapy, including puberty blockers, for children under 18 with gender dysphoria.

This follows revelations that gender clinics in Cairns have allegedly been prescribing children as young as 12 with puberty blockers and gender transition hormones without parental consent.

The pause will be held until at least 2026 while the centre-right Liberal-National government undertakes an independent review into stage one and two hormone therapies.

The current government took office on Oct. 26, 2024, when they won the election against Labor, which had been in government for almost 10 years.

A new directive issued to Queensland Health employees restricts the provision of stage one puberty blocking hormone treatment and stage two gender transition hormones to individuals under the age of 18 with gender dysphoria.

“Puberty blockers or sex hormones will continue to be prescribed for a medical condition other than gender dysphoria,” the directive states.

However, patients who are already receiving gender transition treatment will be exempt from this new direction, in line with a similar policy unveiled in the UK.

The Queensland government has launched a clinical review and investigation into “clinical governance issues” in Cairns and provision of stage one and stage two hormone therapies.

Concerns about Cairns Sexual Health Services have sparked broader concerns with gender therapies across the state, prompting a review covering a wider scope.

A photo of the Cairns North Community Health Facility, which is run by the Queensland government and contains the Cairns Sexual Health Service, taken on Jan. 29, 2025. The Epoch Times

“Following the directive to the Director-General of Queensland Health regarding the operation of the Cairns Sexual Health Service, I have also directed the Director General to commission an independently led broad review of the evidence for stage one and stage two hormone therapies for children in Queensland,” Health Minister Tim Nicholls said.

“The lead reviewer will be independent of the department and the terms of reference for the review will be settled in consultation with them.”

Nicholls noted there was a need to maintain confidence in public health services, particularly those delivered by Queensland Health for children.

In relation to Cairns, Health Minister Tim Nicholls told reporters, “The Cairns sexual health service delivered an apparently unauthorised pediatric gender service without an agreed model of care. So it was effectively done without following the guidelines.

“And this creates a risk to patients that is clearly unacceptable. Recently it’s come to light that the service was delivered to 42 children, 17 of whom were initiated on stage one or stage two hormone therapy. Puberty blockers or gender transition therapies.”

A photo of the Cairns North Community Health Facility, which is run by the Queensland government and contains the Cairns Sexual Health Service, located in Cairns, Australia and taken on Jan. 29, 2025. The Epoch Times

Stage one puberty blockers are used to temporarily halt the onset of puberty, while stage two cross-sex hormone therapy induces physical changes.

Nicholls said the recent events along with international evidence had raised serious concerns about the provision of stage one and stage two hormone therapy to patients under the age of 18 in Queensland’s public health system.

He noted France, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden had all tightened regulations around prescribing hormone therapy to children and adolescents.

“There is contested evidence surrounding the benefits of stage one and stage two hormone therapy for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria emerging from studies throughout the world,” he said.

“More recently, the Government of the United Kingdom has changed legislation to restrict the prescription and supply of puberty blockers to children.”

The Queensland Children’s Gender Service, established in 2017 under the previous Labor government, had children and adolescents actively receiving treatment in June 2024.

Call for ‘Truly Independent’ Inquiry

Women’s Forum Australia CEO Rachael Wong called for a “truly independent” inquiry into gender medicine across the nation.

She raised concerns that a previous independent review of the Queensland’s Children Gender Service under the Labor government was “anything but independent.”

“Not only are clinics breaching their own flawed guidelines, youth gender services across Australia continue to ignore international developments banning or restricting puberty blockers and other harmful so-called ‘gender affirming’ practices for children,” she said on Jan. 28. 

“It’s time for a truly independent inquiry into youth gender medicine throughout the country.”

In January, the Liberal-National government paused the expansion of gender services for children, going against an earlier recommendation.

The Queensland Children’s Gender Service External Clinical Service Evaluation (pdf), published in July 2024, had recommended an “immediate staffing increase” to meet the needs of children on the wait list for gender care.