In Good Hands…
February and March 2026 saw a series of actions targeting medical practitioners who had publicly commented on gender-affirming care. The following outlines three cases.
A bit of context. In Australia, complaints about registered health practitioners may be made by members of the public or other practitioners. Complaints can be referred to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), which administers the national registration system. AHPRA works with the Medical Board of Australia, which has the power to investigate concerns and impose conditions on a practitioner's registration. These powers include taking interim action, known as immediate action, before a final determination is made. Separately, professional bodies such as the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) determine access to professional education platforms, including accredited continuing professional development.
A number of professional bodies feature across these cases. In each instance, the institution acted on complaints relating to public commentary by practitioners rather than defend the legitimacy of professional discourse.
Dr Andrew Amos, Medical Board of Australia Action (26 February 2026)
Dr Amos is a Queensland psychiatrist and chair of the Queensland Section of Rural Psychiatry with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. On 26 February 2026, the Medical Board of Australia imposed conditions on his registration using its immediate action power, which it can invoke when it forms a reasonable belief there may be a serious risk to people. An AHPRA spokesperson confirmed the decision, stating: "The conditions prohibit Dr Amos from engaging in social media posting in relation to gender medicine, gender identity and/or expression, and transgender persons." He is also barred from any direct clinical contact with patients. No finding of patient harm or unsafe clinical practice was made against him.
Dr Jillian Spencer, AHPRA Notification (March 2026)
In March 2026, Dr Spencer, a medical practitioner, became the subject of a formal complaint after reposting an article from The Australian on X that had revealed the regulatory action against Dr Amos. Her repost included a comment alleging that gender activists and AHPRA had worked together to destroy Dr Amos's career. The Health Ombudsman referred the complaint to AHPRA on the basis that her post "criticised gender affirming care and encouraged followers to petition against it." AHPRA commenced an assessment process. The matter arises alongside separate proceedings relating to her employment within Queensland Health.
Professor Riittakerttu Kaltiala, RACGP Webinar Cancellation (March 2026)
Professor Kaltiala is a Finnish child and adolescent psychiatrist whose published research into gender reassignment in minors reported that "the expected benefits, such as improved mental health, enhanced functioning, better quality of life, and reduced suicidality, have not materialized." That research contributed directly to Finland's 2020 national guidelines, which moved away from early medical intervention as the primary approach. She was scheduled to deliver an accredited CPD webinar through the RACGP on 10 March 2026 on that experience. Following complaints, the RACGP advised the session would not proceed in its original format, describing it as postponed pending redesign as a panel discussion. Professor Kaltiala rejected that characterisation. She stated: "It is obvious that there are parties who want to control what Australian GPs hear." No replacement event has been publicly confirmed.
The concentration of these events within six weeks is notable. All were directed at clinicians who share a common position and a common public profile.
Coincidence?
These three cases are not unrelated.
Dr Amos, Dr Spencer and Professor Kaltiala share a common background. Each has worked directly in the provision of healthcare for young people. In the cases of Dr Jillian Spencer and Professor Kaltiala, each was involved in the delivery of gender-affirming care, and each reached a point where their clinical experience led them to question that model. That questioning is significant. They are clinicians who worked within the system, observed the outcomes, and changed their position on the basis of what they saw.
Professor Kaltiala's published research contributed directly to Finland's decision to revise its national approach to paediatric gender care. Dr Spencer worked within the Queensland Health system until she concluded that a gender-affirming care only model was causing harm to young people in her care. Dr Amos, as a psychiatrist working in the field, has spoken publicly about those same harms. They are experienced clinicians who followed the evidence and said so.
All three were speakers at the inaugural CASC Gender Healthcare Summit, held in Adelaide in October 2025, which examined the evidence base for gender care in minors. Within six months, each has faced some form of professional or institutional consequence.
This is what a chilling effect looks like in practice.
It is also relevant that in the Family Court case Re Devin (April 2025), Justice Andrew Strum found that the expert evidence of Dr Michelle Telfer, Australia's most prominent advocate for paediatric gender-affirming care and author of the national treatment guidelines, was misleading and advocate-like rather than objective. Following Justice Strum's decision to name Dr Telfer publicly in June 2025, a complaint was lodged with AHPRA. On 12 September 2025, AHPRA dismissed it, finding she was meeting accepted standards of practice. Five months later, the Medical Board imposed immediate action conditions on Dr Amos for social media posts.
The LGB Alliance Australia stands with Dr Amos, Dr Jillian Spencer and Professor Kaltiala.
We note, without surprise, that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has yet to cover any of these three cases. The ABC's silence on these cases is notable, a story in itself.