Gender Guidelines Development Committee

Terms of Reference

The Gender Guideline Development Committee will oversee and provide expertise on the development of clinical practice guidelines for the care of trans and gender diverse people under 18 with gender dysphoria.

The Gender Guideline Development Committee will:

• Provide advice on the scope of the guidelines and key issues for consideration.
• Advise on the evidence evaluation process by:
  • identifying relevant guidelines and resources to be considered in the Australian context
  • prioritising topics and questions for a systematic evidence review
  • evaluating the evidence identified through a systematic search and selection process
  • applying the GRADE methodology to develop recommendations.
• Advise on comments received from stakeholders through the Stakeholder Reference Panel.
• Develop a draft of guidelines for public consultation, to be provided to NHMRC Council for consideration and NHMRC CEO for release.
• Consider feedback from public and targeted consultation activities and advise on changes for the final version of the guideline.
• Develop a final draft of the guidelines in accordance with NHMRC Standards, to be provided to NHMRC Council for consideration and for the NHMRC CEO to issue under section 7(i)(a) of the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992.

The Guideline Development Committee will be effective for the period 12 September 2025 to 4 September 2028 and will report to the Chief Executive Officer of NHMRC and Council of NHMRC, through the Gender Guidelines project team.

Member selection and appointment process

NHMRC Standards for Guidelines require guideline development groups to be composed of a mix of expertise and experience, including those most likely to be affected by the guideline such as consumers, clinicians, and researchers.

As part of its scoping activities, NHMRC consulted on the disciplines and areas of expertise required to produce guidelines for the topic. NHMRC sought candidates through nominations from medical colleges, NHMRC research networks, state and territory gender clinics, and support organisations. All nominations were assessed against a statement of requirement.

In forming the Gender Guidelines Development Committee, consideration was given to:

• clinical, research, and lived experience necessary to advise on the evidence
• disclosed interests
• geographic location
• gender balance of the committee
• the diversity of experiences among trans and gender diverse people, including their varied journeys in accessing care
• ensuring a mix of experts who have worked in trans and gender diverse child and adolescent health care, and those who have relevant expertise who have not worked directly with the population.

The NHMRC Project Team engaged directly with transgender, gender diverse, and cisgender individuals with personal experience of seeking gender services while under 18 in Australia, including those who have continued, paused, or discontinued aspects of their care, as well as parents of trans and gender diverse young people.

Declarations of interest from all potential members were assessed by NHMRC and the Gender Guidelines Governance Committee using an established risk rating matrix, prior to the member’s appointment. Candidates underwent NHMRC research integrity checks.

There are 18 members of the Gender Guidelines Development Committee, including 4 people with lived experience of accessing gender services in Australia, either personally (including those who are trans and gender diverse) or as someone caring for a person who has. Other members include clinicians and researchers with expertise in paediatrics, endocrinology, pharmacology, adolescent medicine, psychology, psychiatry, fertility preservation, general practice, Indigenous health, health law, bioethics, and statistics.

Committee membership

Prior to appointment to the Gender Guidelines Development Committee, candidates were required to provide information on their interests and complete a Disclosure of Interest form.

Committee members are required to disclose their interests on an ongoing basis and consider both perceived and actual interests.

A summary of the interests disclosed by each member is available below.

Members with personal (lived) experience of accessing care

The Gender Guidelines Development Committee includes 4 people with lived experience of accessing gender services in Australia, either personally (including those who are trans and gender diverse) or as someone caring for a person who has. There are 3 young people and one parent on the Committee. In recognition of the importance of protecting their privacy and ensuring their safety, members with lived experience will not be publicly named.

Members with lived experience are also required to disclose their interests on an ongoing basis and to consider both perceived and actual interests.