Recently, Dr Louise Kirby released an Open Letter to Health Minister Mark Butler, raising serious concerns about the direction and integrity of the NHMRC’s guideline process for treating minors with gender dysphoria.
Importantly, this letter is formally endorsed by the Australian Medical Professional Society (AMPS) and the Nurses Professional Association of Australia (NPAA)—two organisations representing frontline clinicians who are deeply concerned about evidence, ethics, and child safety.
These clinicians warn that the NHMRC’s current guideline process is deeply flawed. They state that:
- current practices lack proper scientific and medical evidence,
- governance and oversight have been inadequate,
- the process has been influenced by activist frameworks instead of clinical standards, and
- the guidelines fail to reflect major international evidence reviews from the UK, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and—most recently—New Zealand, which has now banned puberty blockers for minors.
The clinicians conclude that these failings amount to “systemic malpractice” and place Australian children at risk if evidence-based standards are not urgently restored.
Read the Open Letter below
Media Release from The Australia Doctors Federation on 26.11.25
