Transgender Health Care

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:13): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Attorney-General, representing the Minister for Health and Wellbeing, on the topic of transgender health care in our state.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: I would like to note that last Wednesday marked Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day when we mourn the lives lost due to violence against trans-people. Too often in this place, trans-people have been mentioned only in questions that seek to tear them down or use them as a way to import a US-style culture war, so I thought it would be worth asking—possibly my last question for the year—about how we can now support trans-people here in our state.

A Private Lives 3 survey interviewed almost 7,000 LGBTIQ+ people living in Australia. Of those interviewed, the study found that almost a third were living below the poverty line. To quote from that report by Equality Australia on this survey, trans and gender-diverse participants were most likely to report an income below the poverty line at 46.5 per cent for trans-men, 46.3 per cent for non-binary participants and 42 per cent for trans-women. This is significantly higher than the general population, with the latest research indicating that over one in eight people in Australia are living below the poverty line.

For trans-people a key source of financial stress is often health care, trans-specific health care, like gender-affirming procedures which, while partly covered by Medicare, can still become extremely expensive. In 2023, the ABC reported on the story of Abbie, a trans-woman who was left with an out-of-pocket surgery cost of $25,000. Abbie's private health did cover around $15,000 of that cost, but that is still around $10,000 out of pocket.

Along with the financial barriers, there is also a shortage of surgeons able to provide the surgery that trans-people need in Australia. Currently, the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide does offer a gender diversity team for gender-diverse youth, and many trans and gender-diverse youth have benefited from access to this truly life-saving care. My questions to the minister, therefore, are:

1. What is the government doing to help address the barriers faced by transgender South Australians when seeking gender-affirming health care?

2. Has the state government discussed the issue of trans health care with the federal government in terms of covering those funding gaps?

3. Will the Malinauskas Labor government commit to retaining the gender diversity team and gender-diverse support services at the new Women's and Children's Hospital?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:16): I thank the honourable member for her question. What she outlined primarily falls into the Minister for Health's portfolio areas, and I certainly will refer the questions to him and bring back a reply. However, I can reiterate our government's strong support for the LGBTIQA+ community in South Australia, and recognising the importance of ensuring public services are inclusive and meet their needs.

I think we have demonstrated as a government and this parliament collectively our support for our diverse communities, particularly with the recent passing of the criminalising of conversion practices in South Australia. Importantly, the government believes, as has been stated before, that decisions in much of this area are best made between a doctor and patient, not by politicians.

In relation to the services provided in the health system, I am aware that the new Women's and Children's Hospital will contain, as I understand it, the full range of services that are currently provided at the Women's and Children's Hospital, and that it will help deliver even better services in a whole range of areas. As I said at the start, the substance of the questions in relation to the federal government I will refer to the health minister and bring back a reply to the substantive issues.