Ten months ago the state government of Queensland banned the use of puberty blockers for new patients under 18.

Trans activists were upset with the move and sought judgement from the Supreme Court about the matter. On the same day this week the ban was found to be unlawful by the court, but just seven hours later was reinstated by Health Minister Tim Nicholls using his extraordinary powers. 

Under the reissued directive the Minister did not need to outline why he believed gender dysphoric children not already being treated with puberty blockers shouldn’t be able to access them through the public health system, only that he believed it was “in the public interest”.

The move came after Supreme Court Justice Peter Callaghan SC, in a landmark decision just before midday on Tuesday, ruled the government’s initial puberty blocker ban was made unlawfully.

He deemed the amount of consultation undertaken by Queensland Health director-general David Rosengren in the lead-up to the January 28 directive – a 22-minute online meeting with health service bosses – insufficient.

Activists and a small handful of parents celebrated the move by the Supreme Court. It is extraordinary that anyone would want children placed on chemical castration drugs that render children sterile, without sexual function and are left as life-long medical consumers due to complicated consequences of taking the drugs.

Mr Nicholls, in a statement shortly after the court ruling, said the government’s position on puberty blockers remained unchanged and that “we owe it to children to ensure care is grounded on solid evidence and we act with caution”.

“The Supreme Court was concerned with the treatment, with the circumstances of making the directive, not whether a pause on stage one treatment or stage two treatment was appropriate,” he said. “The government’s position remains unchanged.”

By 6pm on Tuesday evening Mr Nicholls had reissued the directive.

An independent review of Stage 1 and Stage 2 hormone therapies is currently underway in Queensland with recommendations due by November 30.

Most western nations and nordic countries have ceased using the harmful drugs. Many reviews and reports have confirmed that the drugs are harmful and created problems rather than alleviate them. Every child has the right to go through puberty to become a fully functioning, mature human adult.

No child can consent to the harm done by such drugs and no child has ever been born in the wrong body.