Submission to the ACT government on the Variations in Sex Characteristics (Restricted Medical Treatment) Bill 2022

IHRA has made a full and detailed submission to the ACT government in respect of the consultation draft Variations in Sex Characteristics (Restricted Medical Treatment) Bill 2022.

In our submission we express our profoundly thanks for the leadership shown by Chief Minister Andrew Barr and his Directorate to ensure that the human rights of people with innate variations of sex characteristics are protected in medical settings, and we acknowledge the benefits of an unusually open and collaborative process for developing the draft bill.

We outline the clinical and human rights context for the legislation, and make overarching comments on the scope of the proposals and detailed comments on the clauses of the draft bill.

The submission was drafted by Morgan Carpenter, executive director of IHRA. We would like to acknowledge the discussions we have held while drafting our submission, including with board, staff and community members, participants in a legal workshop held by the ACT government, and organisations including Gilbert + Tobin, Relationships Australia and Equality Australia. IHRA remains responsible for our interpretation of those discussions and our analysis.

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