What an incredible day!

Premier Mark McGowan today announced that the WA government will move to criminalise conversion practices.

A statement posted to Facebook said:  “For years, gay and gender conversion therapy practices have been used to inflict harm on WA’s LGBTIQA+ community – practices based on the ideology that LGBTIQA+ people have a disorder and require treatment.

Not only do they undermine the fundamental value of personal dignity, but we know they negatively affect the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ Western Australians.

That's why our Government will move to criminalise practices that seek to change or suppress an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity – ending the traumatic use of conversion therapy in WA.

And we’ll work alongside the LGBTIQA+ community and medical profession to draft the new laws.

This is an important step we can take to make Western Australia a safer and fairer place – for everyone.”

The announcement came in response to the tabling of a report into the Esther Foundation, a faith-based rehab centre. The inquiry included allegations of abuse and conversion practices.

Ending Conversion Practices WA (ECPWA) released the following statement in response to the announcement:

Ending Conversion Practices WA are heartened by the Western Australian Government’s announcement that it intends to criminalise practices that seek to change or suppress an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

We have a vision for LGBTQIA+ people to be safe from harms caused by conversion practices and ideology; and instead for them to have the freedom to explore and embrace their sexual orientation and gender identity.

We are committed to working with the McGowan Government to ensure legislative reforms are informed by the lived experience of conversion practices survivors. We also look forward to seeing strong support services for affected individuals, considering that one in ten LGBQTIA+ people have experienced conversion practices.

The recommendation to prohibit conversion practices was included in the Education and Health Standing Committee Report of the Inquiry into the Esther House foundation and unregulated private health facilities. Conversion practice survivors of Esther House shared their stories of experiencing harm prior to and during the Inquiry. We thank them for this act of immense bravery.

We also thank the Committee for listening to the evidence of Ending Conversion Practices WA and supporting our recommended approach.