Such a clear headed and clearly expressed analysis in contradistinction of the misuse of language of those promoters of the monstrous gender affirming ‘care’. I cannot fathom the motivations and power of this lobby group. How can they possibly justify the egregious harm they are inflicting on children and why are they so determined to silence anyone who tries to raise the alarm ?
Professor Gary Geelhoed, paediatrician and former WA Chief Medical Officer faced an AHPRA complaint after publicly characterizing underage medical transitions as poorly evidenced and questioning the regulator's impartiality regarding these cases.
Medical history is dotted with inciteful professionals who looked deeper and wondered if indeed what was being done was based on the ‘best available evidence’ and if it wasn’t tried to do something about it:
…Dr. William McBride: In 1961 an Australian obstetrician realised that thalidomide was causing gross foetal abnormalities. His exposure led to the withdrawal of the drug.
…Peter Buxton: A U.S. PHS employee exposed the Tuskegee Syphilis Study in 1972. Revealing that hundreds of black men were intentionally left untreated for syphilis for decades—even after penicillin became a standard cure
…Dr. David Graham: An FDA drug safety reviewer exposed the dangerous CV of risks of the arthritis drug rofecoxib. In 2004 his congressional testimony revealed the FDA ignored data that the drug caused a multitude of fatal heart attacks.
…Dr. Nancy Olivieri: A Canadian haematologist who in the 1990s found that the drug deferiprone caused liver toxicity. Despite threats she published the risks.
…Toni Hoffman: An Australian ICU nurse reported the grossly negligent surgical practices of Dr. Jayant Patel whose botched surgery led to the deaths of a multitude of patients before
…Dr. Stefan Kruszewski: A psychiatrist who exposed pharmaceutical companies for aggressively marketing psychiatric drugs like Geodon off label to children and the elderly, despite severe, unmentioned cardiac risks and dangerous side effects.
This shows again that AHPRA is incompetent and should be disbanded. Since it came into existence it has increased the Registration costs of doctors enormously without any discernible benefit.
It has now been shown to be hopelessly compromised and completely scientifically ignorant.
Keep up the good fight Gary and Bernard. We will win in the end.
This just emphasises the feeling of despair when you have worked a lifetime in evidence building, health, epidemiology and science and none of it means anything when government and regulators can be blinded by and make decisions based on utter nonsense. It’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed to have ever have been associated with these organisations in the past as a psychologist. What is the point of evidence building when this utter nonsense - this ideology - has the government and regulators not understanding the basics biology of humans. And not understanding child safety. Not understanding brain development. And not understanding harm. Keep up the good work - but it feels so futile.
For those who might have had doubts, this is most reassuring:
AHPRA is headed by Justin Untersteiner who was appointed CEO in January 2025 and commenced in April 2025.
He is not a medical practitioner and does not appear to have medical qualifications.
Before AHPRA he was Chief Operating Officer at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) and spent more than 13 years in leadership positions at the Australian Taxation Office.
Mr Untersteiner is illustrative of a modern times observation. When any enterprise, of any nature, becomes successful, in economic, or social, terms ( hence a population benefit) those who have driven the success have generally been those who have acquired appropriate skills and experience, in driving the project, a feature of which includes a sufficient measure of humility to accept ,respect and , indeed invite, challenges. This model of positive evolutionary advancement of any group enterprise is uniquely and spectacularly absent across most government departments , commissions and institutions, of which there are too many to innumerate. The triumph we have seen of prioritizing D.E.I. over meritocracy, I venture to suggest has been the result of replaced genuine humility by narcissistic compassion at the core. The protagonists have been prepared to fight harder , and as Nick Cater once said “ the woke are not taking prisoners “
Free speech is “constrained if a practitioner comments, or supports comments, that can cause harm to groups or individuals”.
Great news. Surely this dramatically restricts the 'free speech' open to practitioners who promote sterilising and cutting up adolescent bodies? No? Take it to 'em.
Interesting article in today’s Australian about a court case about a Breast Feeding Counsellor who criticized a Transwoman who had attempted to breast feed ‘her’ child by the use of hormones prescribed by an endocrinologist.
It appears once again that not only does AHPRA not care about the harm done to children by the Affirmative Care model of treatment but it has no interest in possible harm done to an innocent child by its parent feeding it some spurious secretion just as long as we do not in any way offend the parent by suggesting it is not normal maternal breast milk.
AHPRA was not involved in the case but I would have thought that they would have known about it but apparently no investigation of the Endocrinologist or whether she prescribed Authority restricted hormones.
But Heaven help anyone who is critical of the transgender parent or the Endocrinologist.
I attempted to put a comment into the Australian and it was rejected within a second!!
Such a clear headed and clearly expressed analysis in contradistinction of the misuse of language of those promoters of the monstrous gender affirming ‘care’. I cannot fathom the motivations and power of this lobby group. How can they possibly justify the egregious harm they are inflicting on children and why are they so determined to silence anyone who tries to raise the alarm ?
Yes, he has put it in a nutshell.
Professor Gary Geelhoed, paediatrician and former WA Chief Medical Officer faced an AHPRA complaint after publicly characterizing underage medical transitions as poorly evidenced and questioning the regulator's impartiality regarding these cases.
Medical history is dotted with inciteful professionals who looked deeper and wondered if indeed what was being done was based on the ‘best available evidence’ and if it wasn’t tried to do something about it:
…Dr. William McBride: In 1961 an Australian obstetrician realised that thalidomide was causing gross foetal abnormalities. His exposure led to the withdrawal of the drug.
…Peter Buxton: A U.S. PHS employee exposed the Tuskegee Syphilis Study in 1972. Revealing that hundreds of black men were intentionally left untreated for syphilis for decades—even after penicillin became a standard cure
…Dr. David Graham: An FDA drug safety reviewer exposed the dangerous CV of risks of the arthritis drug rofecoxib. In 2004 his congressional testimony revealed the FDA ignored data that the drug caused a multitude of fatal heart attacks.
…Dr. Nancy Olivieri: A Canadian haematologist who in the 1990s found that the drug deferiprone caused liver toxicity. Despite threats she published the risks.
…Toni Hoffman: An Australian ICU nurse reported the grossly negligent surgical practices of Dr. Jayant Patel whose botched surgery led to the deaths of a multitude of patients before
…Dr. Stefan Kruszewski: A psychiatrist who exposed pharmaceutical companies for aggressively marketing psychiatric drugs like Geodon off label to children and the elderly, despite severe, unmentioned cardiac risks and dangerous side effects.
This shows again that AHPRA is incompetent and should be disbanded. Since it came into existence it has increased the Registration costs of doctors enormously without any discernible benefit.
It has now been shown to be hopelessly compromised and completely scientifically ignorant.
Keep up the good fight Gary and Bernard. We will win in the end.
The truth always wins.
On reading internal documents from Ahpra, I was struck by the woeful level of writing & the tone reminiscent of undergraduate politics.
This just emphasises the feeling of despair when you have worked a lifetime in evidence building, health, epidemiology and science and none of it means anything when government and regulators can be blinded by and make decisions based on utter nonsense. It’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed to have ever have been associated with these organisations in the past as a psychologist. What is the point of evidence building when this utter nonsense - this ideology - has the government and regulators not understanding the basics biology of humans. And not understanding child safety. Not understanding brain development. And not understanding harm. Keep up the good work - but it feels so futile.
For those who might have had doubts, this is most reassuring:
AHPRA is headed by Justin Untersteiner who was appointed CEO in January 2025 and commenced in April 2025.
He is not a medical practitioner and does not appear to have medical qualifications.
Before AHPRA he was Chief Operating Officer at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) and spent more than 13 years in leadership positions at the Australian Taxation Office.
Mr Untersteiner is illustrative of a modern times observation. When any enterprise, of any nature, becomes successful, in economic, or social, terms ( hence a population benefit) those who have driven the success have generally been those who have acquired appropriate skills and experience, in driving the project, a feature of which includes a sufficient measure of humility to accept ,respect and , indeed invite, challenges. This model of positive evolutionary advancement of any group enterprise is uniquely and spectacularly absent across most government departments , commissions and institutions, of which there are too many to innumerate. The triumph we have seen of prioritizing D.E.I. over meritocracy, I venture to suggest has been the result of replaced genuine humility by narcissistic compassion at the core. The protagonists have been prepared to fight harder , and as Nick Cater once said “ the woke are not taking prisoners “
Indeed, there are an lot of Mr Untersteiner's wrestling with our social and ethical challenges.
Excellent piece Bernard. Saying “Harm” is defo the abracadabra word from AHPRA. Mental note up the use of this word, with evidence moving forward. 🤬
Free speech is “constrained if a practitioner comments, or supports comments, that can cause harm to groups or individuals”.
Great news. Surely this dramatically restricts the 'free speech' open to practitioners who promote sterilising and cutting up adolescent bodies? No? Take it to 'em.
The term “cultural safety” is another favourite. Who knows what it means?
Interesting article in today’s Australian about a court case about a Breast Feeding Counsellor who criticized a Transwoman who had attempted to breast feed ‘her’ child by the use of hormones prescribed by an endocrinologist.
It appears once again that not only does AHPRA not care about the harm done to children by the Affirmative Care model of treatment but it has no interest in possible harm done to an innocent child by its parent feeding it some spurious secretion just as long as we do not in any way offend the parent by suggesting it is not normal maternal breast milk.
AHPRA was not involved in the case but I would have thought that they would have known about it but apparently no investigation of the Endocrinologist or whether she prescribed Authority restricted hormones.
But Heaven help anyone who is critical of the transgender parent or the Endocrinologist.
I attempted to put a comment into the Australian and it was rejected within a second!!
It will be interesting to see what the tribunal makes of this “chest feeding” & the calibre of the experts put up to interpret this cocktail of drugs.