NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet agrees to gay conversion therapy ban

After initially refusing to be drawn on the topic, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has conceded he will back a ban on so-called gay conversion therapies in the state.

The premier's commitment comes days after Opposition Leader Chris Minns made a similar vow, and marks a significant win for LGBTIQ people in NSW on the official launch day of Sydney's WorldPride festival.

Though similar programs - which have long been proven to be ineffective - have already been banned in Victoria, the ACT and Queensland, with proposed legislation also underway in Western Australia, the practice is currently legal in NSW.

READ MORE: NSW Labor vows to outlaw so-called gay conversion therapy in state if elected in March

The adverse, and often severely traumatic effects these "therapies" have on queer Australians, has been well documented over time.

Many who have been subjected to the practice, through community, family or religious pressures, have told how it's left them with life-long trauma, identity issues and extreme grief.

Cases of suicide after an individual had tried the "therapy" are also not uncommon.

"When the parliament returns, my government will provide in-principle support for legislation that brings an end to any harmful practices," Perrottet told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"This is a complex matter and in working through it with parliamentary colleagues we will carefully consider the legal expression and effect of such laws."

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The backing comes after a major push from influential independent MP Alex Greenwich, who told both the Liberal and Labor parties a change to laws would be a crucial condition of his support in a minority government.

"A week ago we did not have the support of either major party to ban conversion practices in NSW," Greenwich said.

"And now today we have the support of both leaders to provide a pathway to ending these practices in NSW," Greenwich said.

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Minns on Sunday said there was no room for gay conversion therapy in 2023.

"Conversion therapy is a dangerous and damaging practice and there's no room for it in NSW," he said.

"We should not have a situation where children are being told something is wrong with them and that they need to be fixed."

The national conversation comes as WorldPride 2023 gets officially underway today.

The event is set to see some 500,000 people descend on the Sydney, injecting hundreds of million of dollars into the local economy.

It's tipped to become the biggest event in Sydney since the 2000 Olympic Games.

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