The New South Wales Health Minister says he will seek advice on processes at a gender clinic in Newcastle after a budget hearing was told it may be putting children on puberty-blocking medication too quickly.
Maple Leaf House is a state-run clinic for transgender and gender diverse children.
During the budget estimates health hearing, Labor's Greg Donnelly said he had grave concerns about its processes after speaking to families and clinicians associated with the clinic.
Transcripts for the hearing, which was held last week, were released on Monday.
The committee chair, who opposed same-sex marriage, abortion, allowing same-sex couples to adopt children and pushed for religious exemptions to assisted dying laws, said he was worried young people were being treated with puberty-blocking medication after after "only two or three medical appointments".
Mr Donnelly told the hearing that the "rapid movement" ran "completely contra" to what was happening overseas and said that a "cautious approach" was part of the official guidance in Sweden, France, Finland and the United Kingdom.
"The situation is that there is a rapid progress of young people through at least the first two stages of puberty blocking and the cross-sex hormones," Mr Donnelly said.
"NSW Health, at the John Hunter Hospital, has a children's part of the hospital associated with Maple Leaf House.
"It promotes itself as being an affirmation facility with affirmation clinicians.
"I have been informed that only after two to three medical appointments, they are moved on to the commencement of puberty-blocking medication."
Mr Donnelly said he feared there was too much focus in facilities on an "affirmative approach" rather than a "cautious" one.
The gender affirmation approach refers to being recognised or affirmed in a person's gender identity. It is a broad term that includes social, psychological, medical and legal affirmation.
Gender affirmation can be different for everyone; it may include methods such as changing your name or pronouns, clothing, hairstyles. The prescription of puberty blockers is one of the options for medical affirmation.
Minister will seek answers
Maple Leaf House was opened by the Health Minister Brad Hazzard, who told budget estimates he would seek advice from health officials about the situation.
"I'm happy to look closely at the issues you have raised and to take advice," Mr Hazzard said.
"I think that is appropriate from what you have asserted, but I have actually visited a number of these services and I think it is, as you rightly said at the beginning, a very complex issue — very complex worldwide.
"I will raise the issues with the health people and try and get some insights into it and get a better understanding of the issues from a worldwide perspective.
"I have to be really forthright that it is such a complex issue — I am not sure that is an appropriate issue for me as a Health Minister to determine.
"It is more the clinicians.
"I am certainly not going to insert myself into what is the most complex of complex issues for youngsters who might be suffering from gender dysphoria."
Children thoroughly assessed
The ABC asked Hunter New England Health about the centre's approach to children with gender dysphoria, their ages and whether processes had been rushed.
The health district did not respond to the questions, but issued a statement.
"Transgender and gender diverse children and adolescents are a very vulnerable population with high rates of depression, self-harm, attempted suicide and actual suicide, and require access to expert and appropriate care and treatment," the statement said.
"All patients referred to Maple Leaf House undergo a specialised and comprehensive assessment involving consultation with specialists in psychological medicine, adolescent medicine and endocrinology.
"Young people are only ever considered for stage one treatment (puberty blockers) once this assessment has taken place and in close consultation with the patient, parents and treating medical teams."
The health service also stressed that the treatment for stage one was reversible.
A clinic in Britain has also come under fire for allegedly rushing treatments.
Editor's note (October 27, 2022): This story has been amended to include an explanation about the gender affirming approach and to clarify that certain terms were used by Greg Donnelly. The reasoning about the Tavistock clinic's closure was removed because it was incomplete.
