On 31 January 2025, the Hon Mark Butler MP (Minister of Health and Aged Care) announced that the National Health and Medical Research Council will undertake a comprehensive review of the Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines for Trans and Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents in Australia, and to develop new national guidelines. 

Consistent with the College’s Position Statement 103: The role of psychiatrists in working with Trans and Gender Diverse people, the College supports the development of a nationally consistent framework for service provision and outcomes monitoring. The College will actively advocate to the Department for the opportunity to participate in this review.

Trans and gender diverse people deserve equal access to safe and effective care that is underpinned by dignity, empathy and respect. A nationally consistent framework would be a welcome step for providing practitioners, patients and their families more certainty in making decisions about their care.

College Committees including the Committee for Evidence Based Practice, Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Practice, Policy, and Partnerships Committee will be updated on this development, and members will be informed of additional details as they are announced.