Thread by @Bernard_Lane

"Australia's federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has rejected any suggestion that he & his medical college advisers have endorsed the 'affirmative' treatment model of children’s hospital gender clinics." 1/
theaustralian.com.au/nation/politic…

"He was responding to Monday’s @AustralianStory program, in which the general medicine director of Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Sarah McNab, claimed a 2020 medical college report to Mr Hunt was 'incredibly validating' for the hospital’s influential gender clinic."

"Victoria’s Health Minister Martin Foley was quoted (by @ABCaustralia as saying) he had to 'give Greg Hunt and the federal government kudos' for letting the medical college @TheRACP 'determine the outcome'."

"But Mr Hunt told @australian he had 'not endorsed any particular model or approach to the treatment of children and adolescents with gender dysphoria'." There is rising international concern about the puberty blockers & cross-sex hormone drugs given to minors at gender clinics.

The ABC made no mention of Mr Hunt's 2020 request for the states to "develop an evidence-based national approach" to under-18 gender care, & the program gives viewers the impression Mr Hunt & the RACP have settled the gender clinic debate. No sign yet of new national approach.

The ABC denies it has misrepresented the minister, saying: "At no point did Australian Story suggest the federal minister for health had endorsed anything other than the need not to have a national inquiry into the treatment of gender dysphoria in children and young people".

A news.com.au write-up of the ABC program states: "A review of the (@RCHMelbourne affirmative gender clinic) by the RACP has since recommended that similar services be established around Australia". False, but not surprising the reporter was misled.

"The hormonal drug treatments of the gender clinics rest on a weak evidence base according to multiple systematic reviews, including a world-first review involving Dr Ken Pang, who is head of research at Dr Telfer's gender clinic."
abc.net.au/austory/statem…