Your Honour and distinguished members of the AusDoc jury, may I respectfully disagree with the defensive views of my learned colleague and friend, Dr Paul Nisselle.

I refer to his recent article ‘Indemnity for transgender care — are MDOs wrongly dictating what is appropriate medical practice?’

It covered the decision by MDA National to restrict cover for those in private practice initiating gender-affirming hormone therapies to under 18s and who work outside a hospital-based multidisciplinary team.

Cover would also be denied if a claim eventuated after a private doctor made an assessment that a child or adolescent was “suitable for gender transition”.