Religious groups in Queensland are pushing to keep LGBTIQ+ conversion therapy legal in the state after the Queensland government declared its intention to outlaw the practices last year.

In November, Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles introduced legislation that would ban the "highly destructive" practice of conversion therapy, defined as practices that attempt "to change or suppress a person's sexual orientation or gender identity".

The legislation would create penalties of up to 18 months jail time for health service providers performing services deemed to be conversion therapy, such as aversion therapy, psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy and counselling aimed at changing a person's gender identity or sexual orientation.

Read more: Queensland to outlaw 'appalling' gay conversion therapy

While introducing the legislation, Mr Miles described conversion therapy as a "harmful and unnecessary practice", a view that is supported by modern science.

LGBTIQ+ conversion therapy is opposed by the Australian Medical Association, the Australian Psychological Society, and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.

In submissions to the Queensland Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee, Queensland religious bodies have expressed concerns that banning conversion therapy would prevent Christian counsellors and health professionals from expressing their beliefs.

Christian Schools Australia, in a joint submission with other Christian school organisations, called on the Queensland government to "guarantee that Christian schools can continue to teach a traditional Biblical sexual ethic and a biologically and medically accurate view of sexuality".

"In simplistic terms, there are many calls within the Bible for Christians to deny or put off 'the old self' and to seek a new life in Christ – it is at the heart of the Gospel message," the submission reads.

"Is the proposed Bill seeking to make this fundamental tenet of Christian faith unlawful for health practitioners?"

In a separate submission, The Christian Medical and Dental Fellowship of Australia suggested that "the great majority of children confused over gender will re-orientate to an identity in accordance [with] their chromosomes", and argued that banning conversion therapy would force a "crisis of conscience" on therapists.

"Given the excuse that 'the government made me do it' was renounced at the Nuremburg [sic] trials, why cause crises of conscience by forcing therapists to wonder wherein lies their greater duty of care?" the submission reads.

"To obey the rulers and entrain the children to gender clinics that are prone to administer hormones and surgery? Or to disobey the government, rely on psychotherapy, and accept the consequences."

The Queensland Law Society also expressed concerns about the bill, suggesting that the current definition of conversion therapy in the legislation is "extremely broad" and may have unintended consequences.

The organisation agreed that conversion therapy is a "reprehensible practice", but wrote that the broad definition and the prospect of criminal prosecution "may fetter otherwise legitimate aspects of psychological and psychiatric treatment."

Submissions on the legislation closed on January 6. A public hearing and briefing will be held on February 7, and the committee is due to table a report on the proposed bill on February 21.

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