Greenwich has drafted the Conversion Practices Prohibition Bill 2023 to bring NSW in line with Victoria, Queensland and the ACT, where the highly damaging therapy is already outlawed.
Greenwich’s bill allows for investigation and potential referrals to the Health Care Complaints Commission, the Ombudsman or in the case of injury or harm, the NSW Police.
It also has extraterritorial powers to address the practice of parents sending children overseas for suppression or conversion practices.
Under Greenwich’s reforms, a person found guilty of attempting to suppress or change another person’s sexuality or gender identity faces between five and 10 years jail or significant fines if it can be proven their actions caused serious injury or harm.
[ed: this legislation piggy backs provisions mandating affirmation of gender identity with provisions banning gay conversion and the media coverage falsely frames all opposition to this as coming from the churches. There is no mention of the opposition to the extension of these provisions to “gender identity” from LGB Alliance and other lesbian and feminist groups.]
Source: 12ft | MP Alex Greenwich’s next move is to stamp out gay conversion therapy
I’m not too sure about this legislation. As mentioned above, it’s clearly piggy backing a load of laws more likely to be aimed at transexual ‘affirmative care’ practices to ensure compliance.
I may be ignorant but I have not heard of any so called ‘gay conversion therapy’ in Aus. That kind of Pavlovian conditioning I thought went out in the 1950’s.
I do note that Sam Brinton claimed to have been a victim of it but my understanding is that he has given very conflicting answers, never naming the therapist and changing his story each time he tells it.
I can however see counsellors and therapists coming under fire for daring to challenge the ‘affirmative care’ practices so in vogue in Australia at present, despite the evidence of damage to young people by organisations such as Tavistock and Mermaids, currently under investigation.
To even suggest to a young person claiming to suffer from gender dysmorphia that they wait a few years and will probably find out they’re gay would seem to fall foul of these new laws.
And again, child protection is absent from this fight…
The Victorian legislation is some of the most draconian in the world and was opposed by the Law Institute of Victoria. You can read a bit about it here: https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/gay-conversion-therapy-banned-in-victoria-after-marathon-debate-20210204-p56zls.html.