Women Speak Tasmania has reviewed the Greens’ proposed Conversion Practices Prohibition Bill 2026 and considers the Bill deeply flawed and not fit for purpose.
WST President Dr Elizabeth Caballero said:
“The Government should establish a Parliamentary Inquiry to properly examine this poorly drafted Bill and hear from people with recent experiences of conversion practices, as well as medical and medico-legal experts.”
“The Bill contains vague and problematic definitions and gives the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner broad investigative powers and significant protections, including section 72, which provides the Commissioner with the same immunity as a Supreme Court judge, and section 73, which provides that the Commissioner is not bound by the rules of evidence.”
For a conversion-practices prohibition to be fit for purpose, it must:
- assess conversion prohibition laws in other jurisdictions and the relevance of the Queensland Vine Review and the current National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Gender Guidelines, including the interim advice on puberty suppression to be released for public consultation from November 2026;
- be precise in its definitions, in particular definitions of ‘sex’ and ‘gender identity’;
- draw a distinction between LGB/sexual orientation conversion practices and TQA+/gender identity conversion practices;
- establish a robust framework for what are and are not conversion practices, based on testimonies from individuals and medical and legal experts;
- enable the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner to receive allegations and investigate complaints without creating a whole new tier of bureaucracy and associated costs, and for the ADC to provide an Annual Report to the Minister;
- identify already known impacts from gender identity law reforms on citizens’ freedom of speech, freedom of religion, or the chilling effect on ethical, evidence-based gender medical practice;
- exclude redress schemes and civil liability for past actions taken when laws were different.
“The best option for the Government is to bin the Bill and start again with a Parliamentary Inquiry,” said Dr Caballero.
ENDS
Media Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Caballero, retired GP
President, Women Speak Tasmania
women@womenspeaktas.au
Attached Analysis
Professor Patrick Parkinson AM
Emeritus Professor of Law
Specialist in family law and child protection.