Renewed push to ban 'conversion practices' in Tasmania

Conversion practice ban legislation set to be debated in Tasmanian parliament Wed 1 Jul 2026 at 5:31am In short: The Tasmanian Greens will soon bring a bill to the state parliament that would ban conversion practices. Conversion practices are any attempt to change, suppress or eradicate an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity. What's next? A vote on the proposed legislation is expected in September. In 1997, Tasmania became the last Australian state to decriminalise homosexuality. The arrests, protests and discrimination that led up to that historic moment are looked upon with shame by many. Three decades later, much has changed. Once condemned by the United Nations for its homophobic laws, Tasmania has led the nation with some of its inclusive legislation. Rodney Croome has been at the heart of the campaign for change. After more than 30 years of fighting for the rights of LGBTQIA+ Tasmanians, Mr Croome said he felt like there was one final frontier — so-called conversion practices. "They go to the heart of the problem," he said. "They send the message that if you're gay or trans then you're somehow broken and that you can somehow be fixed." Conversion practices are any attempt to change, suppress or eradicate an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity. They have been banned in all jurisdictions except Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania. "Many Tasmanians were deeply embarrassed that it took us so long to decriminalise homosexuality," Mr Croome, from Equality Tasmania, said. "Here we are again, risking being the last state to pass an important reform." But hope is on the horizon. The Tasmanian Greens have spent years working on a bill to end the practice, taking inspiration from the laws of other states. They believe this bill offers the best chance yet of finally banning conversion practices — and they're hoping to put it to a vote in September. Survivors say conversion practices convince them they're 'wrong' and 'damaged' Research from La Trobe and Macquarie universities found that one in 20 LGBTQIA+ Tasmanians has been subjected to conversion practices. Those individuals were three-and-a-half times more likely than other members of the queer community to be diagnosed with PTSD and almost four times more likely to attempt suicide. Bronwyn Larkins and Glenn Worrell know first-hand the damage the practices can inflict. "It's not just convincing us that we're wrong," Ms Larkins said. "It's convincing us that we're broken or damaged or less than." Ms Larkins was 16 years old when her mother sent her to hypnotherapy. That decision altered her life. "I was unable to attend most of my year 9 schooling due to how badly it affected me mentally and, of course, that affected me physically,"she said. "Still today, I know I'm affected by it." Mr Worrell is also still "very much struggling" years later. "One of the basic premises is that you are deeply flawed and that you need to be fixed," he said. "I still struggle with that very much." They have both spent years advocating for a ban on conversion practices so others don't have to suffer as they did. "One of the things that I hope for is that people can just be themselves,"Mr Worrell said. "I didn't have that opportunity. I needed to be always someone else, someone different. "I went through 21 years of trying to be different, and that doesn't go away really." A 10-year campaign Tasmania was the first jurisdiction where conversion practices were raised as an issue. That was in 2016. Mr Croome, who raised the issue, said it was frustrating that the state was now risking being last, but his concern is not just about reputation. "The other great risk from being one of the last states to ban conversion practices is that there will be conversion practitioners from other states who come here to inflict those practices on young Tasmanians because they've been thrown out of their mainland state," he said. "We can't afford to risk Tasmania becoming a haven for conversion practices for the rest of the nation." The Tasmanian Law Reform Institute released a report in 2022, which found conversion practices were still happening in Tasmania and had caused "severe harm" to people. It recommended the government ban it. Premier Jeremy Rockliff soon backed the report, confirming he supported a ban on conversion practices. "I understand how much it has affected individuals to the detriment of their wellbeing, to put it mildly," he told a parliamentary committee in 2022. But the legislation Attorney-General Guy Barnett introduced in 2023 was criticised by advocates as having too many loopholes and it was never tabled. Prevention the 'core' of Greens' bill For the past two years the Greens have been working on a bill with legal experts and people with lived experience. After more than a dozen drafts, the party is ready to put it out for consultation. Greens Leader Rosalie Woodruff said the principle of the bill was to stop conversion practices harming people from the beginning. "The core is a prevention and education framework, but we recognise if and when conversion practices do happen, there have to be consequences," she said. "So the bill also creates a number of crimes. Such as conducting a conversion practice." Along with outlawing conversion practices, the bill would make it an offence to take someone out of the state for conversion practices. It would also make it illegal to advertise conversion practices. While the Greens have been successful in getting their legislation through the parliament before, the significance of this bill is not lost on Dr Woodruff. "It will make a profound difference for people who have already suffered from conversion practices to know that this state draws a line and says that this is a crime and no one should ever suffer this way again,"she said. Both major party leaders support a ban on conversion practice, as do many independents, meaning the numbers are likely there for it to pass. Dr Woodruff said when she looks to the debate, she sees leaders in Jeremy Rockliff, Josh Willie and many independents in the parliament, "people who are on the record for supporting LGBTQIA+ people". "So I feel really hopeful at the prospect of this being a unifying bill when this goes through parliament," she said. "Something that we can come together as a parliament and recognise that Tasmania has changed, we're not what we were before, where we were the last state in Australia to ban homosexuality. "We're a state of people who want to be inclusive, who want to recognise people for their true selves." After decades fighting for greater acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people, Mr Croome said he looked forward to a Tasmania where no one had to live in shame or fear. "I want a Tasmania where everyone feels that they belong,"he said. Ms Larkins is holding her breath, but said she was hopeful this time was for real. "I'll be so proud of Tasmania and Tasmanians for saying, 'actually, you know what, we care about our young people and we want to make sure that everybody feels safe and secure'," Ms Larkins said. As for Mr Worrell, when he was asked what it could be like if the bill passed, his spirits notably lifted. "Elated" was the word that sprang to mind. "I turned myself inside out to change. Couldn't. I found peace when I accepted myself, and that's what I hope for other people," he said. "That they don't have to experience what I experienced. That they can just be who they are." The bill is out for consultation now and the Greens expect a vote by the end of the year.