Tasmania’s lower house has backed a bill to prohibit conversion practices, a move aimed at protecting people from attempts to change or suppress their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Greens-sponsored legislation passed with cross-party support and will now go to the Legislative Council. Here’s what the bill covers, what it excludes and why the next stage matters.

Essential Takeaways

  • The bill has cleared the lower house: Tasmania’s House of Assembly passed it on 29 October 2026.
  • It still needs upper-house approval: The Legislative Council has begun considering the bill; it hasn’t become law.
  • The ban targets specific conduct: The bill defines conversion practices as attempts to change, suppress or eradicate a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
  • Some activities are explicitly excluded: These include appropriate health services, religious prayer, public debate and parents discussing relevant matters with their children.
  • The reform has a longer history: The Tasmanian Law Reform Institute recommended legal action in 2022.

Tasmania’s conversion practice bill clears a key hurdle

A bill to prohibit conversion practices in Tasmania has passed the House of Assembly, marking a significant step for legislation that seeks to prevent attempts to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The vote took place on 29 October 2026, and the bill now moves to the Legislative Council.

The passage was recorded on the voices, meaning MPs did not hold a formal division. The ABC reported that Labor, four of the seven independent MPs and Liberal MPs Jeremy Rockliff, Bridget Archer and Roger Jaensch supported the bill. Tasmania’s Parliament records that the bill was amended and passed its third reading on 29 October. [2][3]

What the bill defines as a conversion practice

The legislation focuses on conduct intended to change, suppress or eradicate someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. That definition can cover more than a formal therapy session: the ABC’s explainer describes the proposed test as conduct directed towards a person with that intent. [2][4]

But the bill also spells out what doesn’t count as a conversion practice by itself. The ABC says the exclusions include appropriate health services, taking part in public debate, religious prayer and parents discussing sexuality, gender identity, sexual activity or religion with their children. [2][4]

Safeguards matter as much as the ban

The distinction between harmful practices and legitimate support is central to how the bill is framed. Under the ABC’s explainer, a health service may be exempt when a registered practitioner considers it appropriate and it complies with legal, professional and ethical requirements; genuine identity exploration and coping support are also not conversion practices. [4]

That balance echoes the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute’s 2022 recommendations. The University of Tasmania reported that the Institute called for legal reform while also recommending protections for legitimate care, expressions of faith and personal views, public-interest activity, and supportive guidance from parents or guardians. [5]

A reform shaped by years of calls for action

The lower-house vote follows a longer period of scrutiny. The ABC reports that the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute recommended outlawing conversion practices four years before the bill’s passage, while the University of Tasmania says its final report found the practices were occurring in Tasmania and posed a risk of harm to LGBTQA+ Tasmanians. [2][5]

The bill’s progress also reflects debate about how such a prohibition should work in practice. Pulse Tasmania reported that amendments were made during passage, including removing employer criminal liability for employees’ offences and removing retrospectivity. [6]

The next decision is in the upper house

The bill has not yet become law. Tasmania’s Parliament records that the Legislative Council’s first reading took place on 29 October, while later upper-house stages and Royal Assent are not recorded as completed on the bill page. [3]

Support in the lower house came from MPs across party lines, but the next stage remains important. The ABC says that if the bill ultimately becomes law, Western Australia and the Northern Territory would be the only Australian jurisdictions where conversion practices remain legal. [2]

Tasmania’s lower-house vote is a major step, but the bill’s final outcome now rests with the Legislative Council.

Source Reference Map

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