❓ A WA parliamentary question seeks clarification on the Department of Health's role in the chemical castration of sexual offenders, revealing the Department has no direct involvement in prescribing, advising, or monitoring these medications, deferring to specialist medical practitioners.
AnsweredQoN 697Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the use of anti-libidinal medications for the chemical castration of sexual offenders in Western Australia, and I ask: (a) what role does the Department of Health play in determining which medications are prescribed for this purpose; (b) does the Department of Health provide clinical advice, oversight, or approvals to the Department of Justice or Corrective Services in relation to the prescription or administration of these medications; (c) are there treatment guidelines, clinical protocols, or policy documents issued or endorsed by the Department of Health governing the use of anti-libidinal medications for sex offenders; (d) if yes to (c), can those documents be tabled; (e) if no to (c), why does the Department not maintain guidelines for this area of clinical practice; (f) does the Department of Health monitor or record which anti-libidinal medications are being prescribed to offenders, and if so, by what mechanism; and (g) what qualifications or authorisations are required of medical practitioners to prescribe these medications in a corrective services setting?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
18 November 2025
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health
Response time
8 days
(a) The Department of Health does not have any role in determining which anti-libidinal medications are prescribed for use by sexual offenders.
(b) The Department of Health does not provide clinical advice, oversight, or approvals in relation to the prescriptions or administration of these medications.
(c) The Department of Health does not issue or endorse treatment guidelines or policy documents for the use of anti-libidinal medications.
(d) Not applicable.
(e) The Department of Health does not routinely issue guidelines for the prescription and administration of medications that are administered under the services of specialist medical practitioners.
(f) No.
(g) An appropriately qualified psychiatrist is required to formally assess any person for whom the use of anti-libidinal medication may be considered whether for voluntarily agreed administration or in the rare case of administration as part of a supervision order under the High Risk Sex Offender Act 2020 . Other medical specialists may also be engaged to assess, make recommendations and manage the use and response to the medication (for example, endocrinologists).
(b) The Department of Health does not provide clinical advice, oversight, or approvals in relation to the prescriptions or administration of these medications.
(c) The Department of Health does not issue or endorse treatment guidelines or policy documents for the use of anti-libidinal medications.
(d) Not applicable.
(e) The Department of Health does not routinely issue guidelines for the prescription and administration of medications that are administered under the services of specialist medical practitioners.
(f) No.
(g) An appropriately qualified psychiatrist is required to formally assess any person for whom the use of anti-libidinal medication may be considered whether for voluntarily agreed administration or in the rare case of administration as part of a supervision order under the High Risk Sex Offender Act 2020 . Other medical specialists may also be engaged to assess, make recommendations and manage the use and response to the medication (for example, endocrinologists).
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