Author: Dr Elizabeth Caballero
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Reflections from the CASC Conference: Day Two in Adelaide
The second day of the Coalition for Advancing Scientific Care (CASC) Gender Healthcare Summit opened early in Adelaide under the theme Courageous Conversations, Better Care. The programme examined clinical assessment, adolescent development, medical outcomes, health data and the legal responsibilities involved in treating children and young people experiencing gender-related distress. The CASC convenor set the…
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Musings from the CASC Conference: Day One in Adelaide
My trip to Adelaide for the Coalition Advancing Scientific Care (CASC) 2026 conference began with a little time to myself before the dinner. It was raining, but it was that gentle spring rain that makes a walk enjoyable rather than miserable. With the evening not starting until after 6 pm, I decided to walk from…
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Children’s Development and the Questions Surrounding Sex and Gender
Children are not small adults. They are developing human beings whose cognitive, emotional, social and physical capacities change substantially as they grow. How children understand themselves and the world around them is therefore influenced by their stage of development, their relationships, their environment and the information available to them. These developmental realities matter when adults…
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Child Safeguarding and the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act: What the HGY Decision Raises
A recent decision of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal raises an important question for child safeguarding and the future operation of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW): how should anti-discrimination protections interact with reasonable identity and background checks designed to protect children? The question arises from HGY v Secretary, Ministry of Health in respect of…
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Gender Dysphoria in Children: Where Australia Stands Before the NHMRC Review
A national situationer before NHMRC interim advice on puberty suppression Australia is approaching an important point in the national debate about the clinical treatment of children and adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria. In January 2025, the Australian Government asked the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to develop new national clinical practice guidelines for the…
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High Court Brings Giggle v Tickle Litigation to an End
The long-running legal dispute between Giggle for Girls founder Sall Grover and Roxanne Tickle has now reached its conclusion, with the High Court of Australia refusing special leave to appeal the Full Court of the Federal Court’s May 2026 decision. On 10 September 2026, the High Court refused the application, with costs. The refusal means…
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Women’s Sport in Australia: One Category, Different Rules
Women’s sport in Australia is increasingly governed by different rules about who is eligible to compete in the female category. At Olympic level, the International Olympic Committee has now adopted a policy restricting participation in the female category at the Olympic Games and other IOC events to biological females, with eligibility determined through a one-time…
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Women’s Prisons Were Built for a Sex Class. Who Enters Them Is Now a State Policy Choice.
Australia has no Commonwealth statute that says who may be housed in a women’s prison. That is how the country is built. States and territories run adult corrections. Section 120 of the Constitution requires each state to hold people convicted of Commonwealth offences in its prisons. There is no separate federal civilian prison system. A…
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In the Name of the Child: Melbourne Conference Examines the Harms of Surrogacy
On 21–22 August 2026, the Association Representing Mothers Separated by Adoption (ARMS) hosted a two-day national conference, In the Name of the Child: The Perils of Surrogate Motherhood for Mother and Baby, at the Greg Craven Centre, Australian Catholic University, in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Women Speak Australia attended the conference, which brought together Australian and international…
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Surrogacy in Australia: If It Requires So Many Safeguards, Should We Be Regulating It or Ending It?
Surrogacy is legal in every Australian state and territory, yet Australia has no single national surrogacy law. Instead, it is regulated primarily through separate state and territory legislation. There is one broad point of agreement: commercial surrogacy is prohibited across Australia, while altruistic surrogacy is permitted. In an altruistic arrangement, a surrogate may have certain…