Three years after calling out Victorian Labor’s policy of hiding children’s gender transitions at school from parents, Family First is renewing its calls for the government to “leave the kids alone”.
If elected, Family First will introduce legislation to make it an offence for a teacher to encourage a child to change his or her gender.
Family First will also abolish all LGBTIQA+ indoctrination in Victorian schools and get the focus back on teaching children reading, writing and arithmetic.
According to a report by The Australian’s Rachel Baxendale (October 12–13, 2025), the Victorian Department of Education’s policy allows school staff to facilitate a child’s “social transition” — such as changing name, pronouns, or gender identity — without parental knowledge, consent, or medical oversight.
Departmental documents obtained under Freedom of Information reveal that teachers are instructed not to inform parents of a child’s desire to change gender “without the permission of the child”. Staff are advised to use the “mature minor” concept to affirm a child’s gender identity, even if parents object.
Deputy Premier and Education Minister Ben Carroll admitted to Parliament that there is “no formal process” for declaring a student a mature minor, and confirmed the Department “does not collect data” on how often such declarations occur.
“This is an appalling abrogation of parental rights,” Mr Finn said. “Teachers are being told to keep secrets from mums and dads about one of the most serious and life-altering issues imaginable.”
Medical experts have also warned of the harm this policy causes. Melbourne psychiatrist Dr Alison Clayton told The Australian that social transition “is often the first intervention on the gender-affirming treatment pathway” leading to puberty blockers, hormones and surgery — with “significant associated harms, for example to sexual and reproductive function”.
Dr Clayton said there is “no international evidential or clinical consensus” that social transition improves mental health and that studies from the Royal Children’s Hospital “have not found any association between social transition and improved mental health outcomes”.
University of Queensland emeritus professor of law Patrick Parkinson described the policy as “grossly unethical”, warning that schools are “not qualified at all” to make such decisions and that future negligence suits are likely from children harmed by secret transitions.
“This is not compassion — it’s reckless ideology,” Ms Foreman said. “Victorian parents are being deliberately excluded from their children’s care, and children are being driven toward irreversible harm.”
Family First is calling for the immediate removal of all gender ideology from Victorian classrooms and for the restoration of parents’ right to know and to protect their children.
“It’s time to stop experimenting on kids and start protecting them,” Mr Finn said. “The Allan government must stop treating parents as the enemy. Family First will fight to restore common sense to our schools.”
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