Hon Tim Clifford asks the Minister for Health to ensure WA Health locates and supports survivors of harmful conversion practices detailed in a 1987 article. The Minister responds that patient de-identification prevents accessing specific records, but trauma-informed care is available.

AnsweredQoN 899Legislative Council
Asked
21 October 2025
Portfolio
Health

QuestionView source ↗

Gender diverse children—Historical conversion practices
899. Hon Tim Clifford to
the parliamentary secretary representing the Minister
for Health:
Given that we now
know that the eight people described in an old article by Dr Robert Kosky were
subjected to harmful conversion practices as children in a state-funded
psychiatric hospital, and that at least one of the survivors has come forward
to explain their experience in hospital and what has happened subsequently over
the past 50 years, will the minister please give an assurance that WA Health
will exercise its unarguable duty of care for those surviving among the eight
gender diverse children described by Dr Kosky in his 1987 Medical Journal of Australia article are quickly
and confidentially located and, where necessary, provided with the trauma-informed
support required to assist their recovery from the long-lasting consequences of
these harmful practices?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question. The following answer has
been provided by the Minister for Health.
The patients in the article were de-identified, so the
Department of Health is unable to access the records of the specific
patients. Appropriate trauma-informed care is available to any persons seeking
care through adult health service providers.

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