The Missing Voice report
On 2 December 2025, Equality Australia launched The Missing Voice, a groundbreaking report on medical interventions still being performed on intersex children in Australia. I wrote analysis that underpins this work.
Page last reviewed 30 June 2026
I’ve personally been proud to work with Equality Australia in this work, in my role at InterAction for Health and Human Rights: materials released by major Australian hospitals on the treatment of children with intersex variations for the period 2018-2023 shows that children are still at risk of harm and unnecessary interventions.
Equality Australia conducted its own review and thematic analysis of the FOI documents but also commissioned three expert reviews of the material. The results of these technical reviews were drawn upon in developing the report’s findings. I conducted one of the three technical reviews and collaborated with Equality Australia’s staff on the underpinning analysis in the report. My comment on this work:
“Clinicians in this field have asserted that adults who complain received “obsolete treatments”, and their techniques have changed. I analysed recent records of team discussions in children’s hospitals for Equality Australia and InterAction. Many of the children whose treatment is discussed are still being treated in paediatric hospitals. The information disclosed is troubling and often distressing. Children with intersex variations are still not being treated in line with community expectations and human rights standards. Without accountability and deterrents this will not change.”
Thanks to my colleagues in the Equality Australia and InterAction teams, all the people who shared their personal stories, and the other technical reviewers.
We launched the report in the Victorian Parliament on 2 December 2025. The Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas, Victorian Minister for Health, very kindly opened the event, and Tony Briffa, Steph Saal, Anna Brown, Heather Corkhill and others spoke.
Update: as of 5 March 2026, a version of my report is now undergoing peer review, following the granting of an exemption for this review of publicly available data by my institutional research ethics committee.
Update: on 25 June 2026, the Hon. Ryan Park, New South Wales Health Minister, spoke at the NSW launch of the report, held at the NSW Parliament. Thanks to the co-chairs of the NSW Parliamentary Friendship Group for LGBTIQ People for their support and attendance!
