Tasmania Moves to Ban 'Conversion Practices'

Stateline

Topic: LGBTQIA+

Wednesday, 1 July 2026, at 5:31 am

Rosalie Woodruff is working on a bill to ban conversion practices in Tasmania, which will be voted on by the end of the year.

In short:

The Tasmanian Greens will introduce a bill to ban conversion practices.

Conversion practices try to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity.

What's next?

A vote on the bill is expected by the end of the year.

Tasmania was the last Australian state to make homosexuality legal in 1997.

Many people are ashamed of the arrests, protests, and discrimination that happened before then.

Thirty years later, things have changed a lot.

Tasmania has led the country in passing laws that support LGBTQIA+ people.

Rodney Croome has been fighting for LGBTQIA+ rights for a long time.

After more than 30 years, Mr. Croome thinks banning conversion practices is the last big step.

He says these practices are at the heart of the problem.

Rodney Croome was arrested in 1988 for running a gay law reform stall.

Conversion practices try to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity.

These practices are banned in most of Australia, except in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and Tasmania.

Many Tasmanians are embarrassed that their state took so long to make homosexuality legal.

Now, Tasmania might be the last state to ban conversion practices.

Rodney Croome thinks banning these practices is very important.

There is hope for change.

The Tasmanian Greens have been working on a bill to ban conversion practices for years.

They think this bill is the best chance to finally ban these practices and plan to vote on it in September.

Survivors of conversion practices say they were told they were 'wrong' and 'damaged'.

Research found that one in 20 LGBTQIA+ people in Tasmania has been through conversion practices.

Three Australians who went through conversion 'therapy' say it was not therapeutic at all.

People who went through conversion practices are more likely to have PTSD and try to kill themselves.

Bronwyn Larkins and Glenn Worrell know how harmful these practices can be.

Ms. Larkins says conversion practices don't just tell you that you're wrong, but also that you're broken.

Ms. Larkins was sent to hypnotherapy when she was 16, which affected her life.

She still feels the effects today.

Mr. Worrell is also still struggling with the effects of conversion practices.

He says the basic idea of these practices is that you are flawed and need to be fixed.

Mr. Worrell still struggles with feeling flawed.

Both Ms. Larkins and Mr. Worrell have been fighting for a ban on conversion practices.

Ms. Larkins says she didn't have the chance to be herself and had to pretend to be someone else.

Mr. Worrell says he tried to change for 21 years, but it didn't work.

Mr. Worrell doesn't want others to go through what he went through.

This has been a 10-year campaign.

Tasmania was the first place where conversion practices were raised as an issue, in 2016.

Mr. Croome, who raised the issue, is frustrated that Tasmania might be the last state to ban these practices.

He's worried that practitioners from other states will come to Tasmania to perform these practices.

The Tasmanian Law Reform Institute found that conversion practices are still happening in Tasmania and causing severe harm.

The institute recommended that the government ban these practices.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff supported the report and said he wanted to ban conversion practices.

But the legislation introduced by Attorney-General Guy Barnett had too many loopholes and was never passed.

The Greens' bill focuses on prevention.

The Greens have been working on the bill with experts and people who have gone through conversion practices.

After many drafts, the party is ready to share the bill for feedback.

The bill aims to stop conversion practices from the start.

If these practices do happen, there will be consequences, such as making it a crime to perform them.

Rosalie Woodruff says the bill is about preventing harm and educating people.

The bill also makes it a crime to take someone out of the state for conversion practices or to advertise these practices.

While the Greens have passed legislation before, this bill is very important.

Both major party leaders and many independents support banning conversion practices, so the bill is likely to pass.

Dr. Woodruff is hopeful that the bill will be passed because many leaders support LGBTQIA+ people.

She thinks this can be a unifying bill for the parliament.

Tasmania has changed and wants to be inclusive.

Mr. Croome looks forward to a Tasmania where no one has to live in shame or fear.

Ms. Larkins is hopeful that the ban will pass and make Tasmania a safer place for young people.

Mr. Worrell would be 'elated' if the bill passed and hopes that others won't have to go through what he did.

The bill is now open for feedback, and the Greens expect a vote by the end of the year.

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