Dear Premier,  

When you came to power in October last year you made a commitment to govern “for all Queenslanders”. You committed to prioritising the health and wellbeing of Queenslanders, particularly those in regional areas, by empowering frontline clinical staff and reducing patient wait times. 

Only a few months later, contrary to expert medical advice and against the wishes of patients and their families, you have chosen to deny a small and particularly vulnerable group of young Queenslanders access to their essential healthcare. 

We write to you as human rights organisations, human rights lawyers, academics, health and community-controlled organisations and groups concerned about the physical and mental wellbeing of trans and gender diverse children currently awaiting care and who already face increased risk of harm because of discrimination, social exclusion, bullying and violence.

The right to health is at the heart of this issue and it is our firm conclusion, based on the vast weight of scientific and medical evidence, that Directive QH-HSD-058 – Treatment of gender dysphoria in children (the Directive), is a serious and unjustifiable limitation of that right.  

Queensland is one of only three states in Australia to have enacted a Human Rights Act and is the only state to enshrine in law the right to access health services without discrimination.  Other rights that are unreasonably and disproportionately limited include the right to privacy (which includes a right to bodily autonomy), the right to non-discrimination, the rights of families and children, and the right to free expression. 

We consider that the Directive may be a decision that is not compatible with human rights, and the government has not given sufficient proper consideration of human rights, contrary to the Human Rights Act 2019. This decision is unreasonable, unnecessary and disproportionate, considering that: 

• Concerns were raised about a Cairns sexual health service that is entirely separate from the Children’s Hospital Gender Service, which provides the majority of care, and the Directive effectively stops all access to medication throughout the state.  

• The Directive denies treatment to individuals already on a treatment plan who had not yet commenced medication, even if their treatment was set to begin immediately, causing huge distress to children and their families. 

• The Directive is not set to be reviewed until 28 January 2026, and for children who have a short window prior to commencing puberty, this is clearly much too long to wait.  

We implore you not to pursue a policy avenue that risks causing enormous harm to an already misunderstood minority, with potentially fatal outcomes if the issue is not resolved. Especially given an independent review only last year found the state’s paediatric gender services were ‘safe and evidence-based’.

In 2020 former health minister Greg Hunt received advice from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) that stated withholding or limiting access to gender affirming healthcare would be unethical and have serious impacts on the health and wellbeing of young people.      

To lead a government that truly governs for all Queenslanders you must not deny one especially vulnerable group their vital healthcare, causing them immense emotional distress and with the potential to result in great harm. 

We call on you to: 

• Revoke Directive QH-HSD-058 immediately 

• Meet with the affected patient group and their parents 

• Recommence care, consistent with best practice guidelines, throughout the state of Queensland.