Family First National Director Lyle Shelton has called on the Crisafulli Government to act with moral clarity and legislate an outright ban on experimental child gender treatments following the Queensland Supreme Court's decision to overturn the government's pause on injecting children with puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.
"The court's decision today shows that the government's pause, while well-intentioned, is not enough. The time has come for clear legislation to protect children from unproven and harmful gender interventions," Mr Shelton said.
"The facts that emerged from the Cairns case — where a 12-year-old was among 42 children treated with puberty blockers and hormones, many without parental consent — shocked Queenslanders. These practices should never have been allowed in the first place.
"Activist LGBTIQA+ child gender clinics engaged in the greatest medical scandal of our time, often behind parents' backs, must be shut down."
Mr Shelton welcomed Health Minister Tim Nicholls' response late yesterday to the court ruling where he said he would hold his ground and impose a ministerial directive to hospital and health services to uphold the ban.
"It's good to see this response but it begs the question why Dr Jillian Spencer remains suspended from her job at the Queensland Children's Hospital for blowing the whistle on puberty blockers.
"If the minister is allowed to push back to protect children, why is Dr Spencer still being punished?"
Mr Shelton said mounting international evidence, including the UK's Cass Review, had confirmed that puberty blockers and so-called 'gender-affirming' interventions do not provide long-term benefit to gender-distressed children and can cause irreversible harm.
"The Cass Review, along with inquiries in Sweden, Norway, and Finland, have all reached the same conclusion — these experimental treatments are unsafe, unsupported by evidence, and must stop," Mr Shelton said.
"Queensland must not wait for more children to be harmed before acting. Premier David Crisafulli and Health Minister Tim Nicholls must bring legislation to Parliament urgently to ban puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgery on minors.
"David Crisafulli can't just vacate the field leaving the radical left to fight the culture wars against our children unopposed."
Mr Shelton said the government also needed to protect the definition of woman in law to safeguard girls, women, and children from the ongoing advance of radical gender ideology in Queensland institutions.
"It is time to draw a moral line in the sand," Mr Shelton said.
"Queensland families deserve to know their children will not be experimented on or indoctrinated by ideology masquerading as healthcare."
Family First commended the Premier and Health Minister for acting swiftly after the Cairns revelations but said the only way to prevent further harm was through legislation that permanently ends these practices.
"Consultation should never be an excuse for inaction. Children's safety is too important. Family First urges the government to act decisively to end this moral and medical scandal once and for all."
