Media Release

Wednesday July 1st 2026

 

 

Equality Tasmania has welcomed a Tasmanian Greens’ bill to prohibit conversion practices that was unveiled for consultation today.

 

The LGBTIQA+ advocacy group says the reform will improve mental health outcomes, and warned Tasmania risks being the last state to act if the ban is not passed soon.

 

Conversion practices are attempts to change, suppress or eliminate an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

 

Spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said,

 

“Conversion practices are cruel and futile quackery that inflict deep damage.”

 

“National and Tasmanian research shows one in twenty LGBTIQA+ young people have been through conversion practices and they are three to four times more likely to have PTSD and attempt suicide than other LGBTIQA+ young people who already have elevated levels of mental health risk.”

 

 

“Although we have been calling for reform since 2016, Tasmania has now fallen behind other states and risks becoming a haven for conversion practices unless we act quickly.”

 

“We have worked closely with the Greens on this bill and believe it is the nation’s most comprehensive and effective conversion legislation.”

 

“The bill builds on the recommendations of the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute and draws on best practice from other states to create the nation’s most comprehensive and effective legislation.”

 

“We urge interested parties to submit their views on the bill during the consultation period ahead of parliamentary debate later this year.”

 

Conversion prohibitions have been passed in Victoria, the ACT, NSW, Queensland, South Australia, with only Tasmania, WA and NT remaining.

 

The bill, which has been through fourteen drafts, draws substantially from the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute’s recommendations which had the support of Premier Jeremy Rockliff when released in May 2022.

 

The bill also draws on the subsequent experience in other states by allocating education and prevention to a single government authority, the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, and by having clearly defined exemptions to eliminate confusion.

 

Consultation on the Tasmanian Greens’ bill, unveiled today by Greens’ leader, Rosalie Woodruff, will continue until July 31st.

 

Find attached a brief on conversion practices and the bill from Equality Tasmania, and an explainer about the bill from the Tasmanian Greens 

 

For a copy of this statement on the web, click here