But transgender Victorians have missed out on similar changes to make the process easier, after a bill was voted down 19-19 just hours after the South Australian one passed.

The passage of the SA bill is a significant moment for transgender people in Australia, where surgery, forced divorce, and bureaucratic wrangling before correct documentation can be granted is common across most states.

The bill, which passed 10-7, overturns the current requirement for transgender South Australians to submit a court application and prove they have had sexual reassignment surgery in order to change the sex on their birth certificate.



Under the new law, transgender adults just need to provide a statement from a doctor or psychologist saying they have “undertaken a sufficient amount of appropriate clinical treatment in relation to the person’s sex or gender identity”.

Transgender people under 18 will still have to get a court order to officially change their sex.

The bill also repeals South Australia's forced divorce requirement. Previously, a married transgender person could only change the sex on their birth certificate after divorcing their partner.

South Australia is the second Australian jurisdiction to pass such legislation. The Australian Capital Territory removed the surgery requirement in 2014. In 2011, a High Court decision in Western Australia found no surgery was required for a legal sex change.

In every other state, the surgery requirement stands.