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Conversion therapy is a pseudoscientific practice that attempts to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity. It has been widely condemned by medical associations and human rights bodies globally, including the Australian Psychological Society, the Australian Medical Association, and the United Nations. In Australia, conversion therapy has been recognised as a harmful practice that has damaged the physical and mental health of LGBTQI+ individuals. While there is no national ban on conversion therapy in Australia, some jurisdictions and states have taken steps to prohibit the practice. As of 2022, three states and territories—Victoria, Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT)—have passed legislation banning conversion therapy, with ongoing calls for a comprehensive national ban to protect the rights and well-being of LGBTQI+ Australians.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of jurisdictions with laws banning conversion therapy | 3 |
| Names of the jurisdictions | Queensland, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Victoria |
| Year of ban | 2020 |
| Month of ban | August (Queensland and ACT), November (Victoria) |
| Fines | AU$13,345 (100 penalty units) or AU$20,000 (150 penalty units) |
| Imprisonment | 12 months or 18 months (if the other person is a vulnerable person) |
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What You'll Learn
- Conversion therapy banned in Queensland, Australian Capital Territory, and Victoria
- No national ban exists, despite calls for one
- Conversion therapy is opposed by medical and human rights bodies
- Religious organisations and health service providers offering conversion therapy
- The harmful impact of conversion therapy on LGBTQI+ Australians
Conversion therapy banned in Queensland, Australian Capital Territory, and Victoria
Conversion therapy is a pseudoscientific practice that attempts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. It has been widely condemned by medical associations and human rights bodies globally, including the Australian Psychological Society, the Australian Medical Association, the United Nations, and the World Medical Association. The practice has been found to cause significant harm to the physical and mental health of LGBTQI+ individuals, leading to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, shame, alienation, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts.
In Australia, the state of Queensland passed legislation banning conversion therapy in August 2020, with the Health Legislation Amendment Act 2019 (Qld) criminalizing any health service provider who performs conversion therapy on another person. Offenders may face fines of up to AU$20,000 or up to 18 months in prison. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) also passed similar legislation in August 2020, with the Sexuality and Gender Identity Conversion Practices Act 2020 (ACT) offering even greater protection to LGBTQI+ individuals by extending the ban to religious organizations and protecting residents from being subjected to conversion therapy outside of the ACT.
The state of Victoria has also committed to prohibiting conversion therapy practices, with the Victorian Government introducing a Bill in November 2020 to outlaw LGBTQ+ conversion practices following broad consultation. This move has been welcomed by support groups, with Equality Australia praising the Bill's mechanisms to prevent harm and penalize perpetrators as "world-leading." While these individual state bans are a step in the right direction, there is still a need for a comprehensive national ban in Australia to protect the rights and freedoms of LGBTQI+ individuals across the country.
Despite the progress made in Queensland, the ACT, and Victoria, conversion therapy remains legal in most of Australia. This has prompted calls for a nationwide ban, with advocates emphasizing the need for law reform, complaint mechanisms, and community awareness campaigns to address the deep-rooted discrimination and prejudice that perpetuates conversion practices.
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No national ban exists, despite calls for one
Conversion therapy is a pseudoscientific practice that attempts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. It has been widely condemned by medical associations and human rights bodies globally, including the Australian Psychological Society, the Australian Medical Association, and the United Nations. Despite this, conversion therapy is not banned in most of Australia, and there is no national ban in place.
In 2020, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) passed laws banning conversion therapy, with Victoria also committing to prohibiting such practices. These bans have been welcomed by support groups and are seen as a step towards protecting the human rights and freedom of LGBTQI+ Australians. However, they are limited to these jurisdictions, and conversion therapy remains legal in most parts of the country.
The lack of a national ban means that LGBTQI+ individuals in Australia continue to face the harmful practice of conversion therapy, which has been linked to physical injuries, mental health issues, and even suicidal ideation among survivors. The availability of conversion therapy perpetuates the notion that LGBTQI+ people are in need of fixing, contributing to internalised homophobia and self-hatred within the community.
While there is growing momentum for a national ban, with South Australia's Labor opposition and the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute also calling for one, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has stated that it is "ultimately a matter for the states." This stance has been criticised, with advocates arguing that a comprehensive, nationwide approach is necessary to effectively protect the rights and well-being of LGBTQI+ Australians.
As of December 2023, twenty-eight countries have implemented bans on conversion therapy, with fourteen of them prohibiting the practice by any person. While Australia has made some progress through the bans in Queensland, ACT, and Victoria, the absence of a national ban means that LGBTQI+ individuals in many parts of the country remain vulnerable to the detrimental effects of conversion therapy.
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Conversion therapy is opposed by medical and human rights bodies
Conversion therapy is a harmful and dangerous practice that targets LGBTQI+ youth and seeks to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. It has been opposed by many professional medical and human rights bodies, including the Australian Psychological Society, the Australian Medical Association, and the United Nations.
The methods of conversion therapy have been widely condemned by medical associations and mental health experts globally as ineffective and harmful to mental health. The World Health Organization, for example, has stated that there is no scientific evidence that innate sexual orientation can be changed. The American Psychiatric Association, bound by the Hippocratic oath to do no harm, cautions practitioners to refrain from attempts at conversion therapy. The practice has been described by experts as torture, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, and it is considered a violation of human rights.
The availability and use of conversion therapy have perpetuated the notion that LGBTQI+ people are damaged and in need of fixing, both within the medical community and Australian society at large. Survivors of conversion therapy have reported physical injuries, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, shame, alienation, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts. The practice has also perpetuated internalised homophobia, self-hatred, and confusion about sexuality and gender identity within the LGBTQI+ community.
A growing push to ban conversion therapy is seen worldwide. Countries such as Brazil, Malta, Germany, and parts of Spain and the United States have already banned the practice. Canada, the United Kingdom, and other countries are also moving towards implementing a national ban. In Australia, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) have passed laws banning conversion therapy, with Victoria also intending to follow suit. These bans offer hope to LGBTQI+ Australians and are a step towards protecting their human rights and freedom.
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Religious organisations and health service providers offering conversion therapy
Conversion therapy, which emerged in Australia in the 1950s, has been widely condemned by medical associations and human rights bodies globally as ineffective, harmful to mental health, and constituting a violation of the freedom from torture and inhumane or degrading treatment. In August 2020, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) passed laws banning conversion therapy, with the latter's ban extending to religious organisations and not just health service providers.
The availability and use of conversion therapy have perpetuated the notion that LGBTQI+ people are damaged and in need of fixing, both within the medical community and Australian society at large. This has resulted in survivors of conversion therapy experiencing physical injuries, mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as feelings of shame, alienation, hopelessness, and suicidality.
Religious organisations have played a significant role in the promotion and use of conversion therapy, with practices taking place in churches, ministries, and religious schools in the form of exorcisms, prayer, and deceptive pastoral care. These organisations argue that conversion therapy is necessary to address "trauma-based conflicts" and resolve issues surrounding sexuality and gender identity. However, there is a growing recognition that these practices are unethical and inflict significant harm on individuals.
Health service providers have also been implicated in offering conversion therapy, with the 2020 ban in Queensland making it an offence for these professionals to perform such practices, whether paid or unpaid. The methods employed by health service providers have included counselling, hypnosis, and even electric shock therapy. The Australian Psychological Society, the Australian Medical Association, and the World Medical Association have all condemned these practices, stressing their lack of medical and scientific validity.
While the bans in Queensland and the ACT are a step in the right direction, there is a need for a comprehensive national ban on conversion therapy in Australia to protect the human rights and well-being of LGBTQI+ individuals across the country. This ban should address conversion therapy in all its settings, including religious organisations, health service providers, educational institutions, and community settings, to ensure that LGBTQI+ people are fully protected from this harmful practice.
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The harmful impact of conversion therapy on LGBTQI+ Australians
Conversion therapy has had a profoundly negative impact on the lives of LGBTQI+ Australians. The practice, which emerged in Australia in the 1950s, involves a range of methods, including counselling, hypnosis, and even electric shock therapy, with the aim of changing an individual's sexual orientation and/or gender identity. It is widely considered to be ineffective, psychologically abusive, and harmful to mental health.
Survivors of conversion therapy in Australia have reported experiencing mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. They have also expressed feelings of shame, alienation, hopelessness, and suicidality. The availability of conversion therapy perpetuates the idea that LGBTQI+ people are "broken" and in need of fixing, leading to internalised homophobia, self-hatred, and confusion about sexuality and gender identity within the community.
The practice has been particularly pervasive in religious communities, with LGBTQI+ Australians reporting experiences of exorcisms, prayer, and deceptive pastoral care in churches, ministries, and religious schools. In 2018, a report by Melbourne-based La Trobe University and the Human Rights Law Centre highlighted the prevalence of conversion therapy in Australian faith communities.
The harm caused by conversion therapy has been recognised by various medical and human rights bodies, including the Australian Psychological Society, the Australian Medical Association, and the United Nations. In 2020, the UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity stated that conversion therapy methods could constitute a violation of freedom from torture, inhumane, or degrading treatment.
Despite the recognised harm and the push for a national ban, as of February 2025, only two Australian jurisdictions, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), have passed laws banning conversion therapy. These bans are a positive step towards protecting the human rights and freedoms of LGBTQI+ Australians, but the practice remains legal in most of the country, continuing to cause harm to individuals and perpetuating discrimination.
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Frequently asked questions
No, there is no national ban on conversion therapy in Australia. However, three states and territories have passed legislation banning conversion therapy: Queensland, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and Victoria.
Queensland passed a law banning conversion therapy in August 2020. The Health Legislation Amendment Act 2019 (Qld) defines conversion therapy as "a treatment or other practice that attempts to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity."
The ACT passed a law banning conversion therapy in August 2020. The ACT's ban offers greater protection to LGBTQI+ Australians as it extends to religious organizations and not just health service providers.
Victoria has committed to prohibiting conversion therapy, and a bill to outlaw LGBTQ+ conversion practices was introduced in November 2020. However, it is unclear when the ban officially went into effect.
