Australia- Katter attempts to force discussion on abortion access in Queensland parliament despite ban on debate

By Sarah Richards and Ned Hammond
June 2, 2026

An attempt by Katter's Australian Party (KAP) to dodge a debate ban and revive abortion access discussion has been shot down in state parliament.

The subject became an issue ahead of the last Queensland election in October 2024, when KAP pledged to introduce legislation to repeal abortion laws after the poll.

After winning government, Premier David Crisafulli banned MPs from amending the Termination of Pregnancy Act or debating any motion that allowed the parliament to express a view on the law over the LNP's first term.

Continued; https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-02/katters-australian-party-abortion-drug-debate-crisafulli/106750096

02.06.2026

Termination of Pregnancy Act

Queensland’s new public hospital to refuse voluntary assisted dying care, abortions and contraception for religious reasons

By Emma Pollard and state political reporter Jack McKay
May 20, 2026

The Queensland premier has opened the state's first major new public hospital in almost a decade — at Springfield, south-west of Brisbane — but it will not offer some services for religious reasons.

Mater Hospital Springfield is a 186-bed facility expected to care for around 185,000 patients each year in one of the south-east corner's major growth corridors.

Continued: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-20/queensland-new-mater-hospital-springfield-opens/106702558

Australia – Minister pushed one-time rival from hospital role, then changed board laws

By Matt Dennien
December 15, 2025

Queensland’s health minister pushed a prominent abortion advocate to quit a hospital board concerned that her public work could harm its relationship with the new LNP government.

Documents obtained by this masthead show Health Minister Tim Nicholls directed former board member Daile Kelleher – once a candidate for his seat of Clayfield – to “resolve” what he deemed were unmanageable conflicts between her roles.

Kelleher, the chief executive of Sexual and Reproductive Health Australia, decided to speak out after state parliament last week passed laws giving cabinet the power to dismiss health service board members without reason.

Continued: https://archive.is/FLJtv
(https://www.smh.com.au/politics/queensland/minister-pushed-one-time-rival-from-hospital-role-then-changed-board-laws-20251211-p5nmue.html)

15.12.2025

Family Planning Alliance Australia

Linda Waugh

Sexual and Reproductive Health Australia

Australia – The public hospital patients who ended up paying abortion clinics for miscarriage care

By Emma Pollard
Monday 22 September

Women having miscarriages say they were denied surgical care at the public Mater Mothers’ Hospital in Brisbane because of its religious policies on abortion.

Two women have told ABC News they ended up going to an abortion clinic because the Catholic-run hospital, which receives some taxpayer funding, would not provide them with a surgical procedure when they were having what’s called a missed miscarriage.

Continued; https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-23/qld-mater-miscarriage-care-catholic-hospital-abortion/105781022

Australia – Mater Hospital’s religious abortion ban left couple feeling ‘abandoned’

By Emma Pollard
July 22, 2025

After a miscarriage and unsuccessful IVF attempts, Brisbane woman Elisa and her husband Brent were feeling cautiously joyful at their 12-week pregnancy scan early this year. It showed a "beautiful baby" with 10 little fingers and 10 little toes.

"I have to say we did fall in love with our little baby girl and we were … really thinking that it's finally happening for us," Elisa said.

That joy came crashing down less than 30 minutes later.

Continued: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-23/mater-hospital-religious-abortion-ban-couple-feeling-abandoned/105532550

Queensland – LNP moderates warn of ‘rum rebellion’ if trio who backed abortion rights disendorsed

LNP moderates warn of 'rum rebellion' if trio who backed abortion rights disendorsed
Meeting in Bundaberg could open up longstanding schisms in merged party

Ben Smee
Fri 16 Nov 2018

Queensland Liberal National party moderates have warned of a “rum rebellion” if the party’s state council meeting in Bundaberg this weekend takes action against three MPs who voted for abortion rights.

Three state MPs from Brisbane and the Gold Coast – Tim Nicholls, Steve Minnikin and Jann Stuckey – could be disendorsed for supporting a bill to decriminalise abortion last month.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/nov/17/lnp-moderates-warn-of-rum-rebellion-if-trio-who-backed-abortion-rights-disendorsed

Australia – Punishing LNP MPs who backed abortion rights could ‘light the fuse’ for demerger

Punishing LNP MPs who backed abortion rights could ‘light the fuse’ for demerger
Warren Entsch, who opposed the merger, says one party cannot represent the diversity of views among members

Ben Smee
Sun 21 Oct 2018

Leading moderates in the Queensland Liberal National party have warned that any recriminations against MPs who supported abortion rights would “light the fuse” for a demerger push.

Three MPs – Tim Nicholls, Steve Minnikin and Jann Stuckey – used their conscience vote in parliament to support the Palaszczuk government’s abortion decriminalisation bill.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/oct/22/punishing-lnp-mps-who-backed-abortion-rights-could-light-the-fuse-for-dermerger

Australia – Politicians Who Voted to Legalise Abortion Are Now Receiving Threats

Politicians Who Voted to Legalise Abortion Are Now Receiving Threats
Anti-abortion groups have vowed to "remove" MPs who voted for change.

by Gavin Butler
Oct 18 2018

This week, the Queensland parliament voted to change a 119-year-old clause in the state’s criminal code and officially legalise abortion. Both Labor and Liberal National Party (LNP) members were given a conscience vote, and the legislative change—which now grants people the right to request an abortion up to 22 weeks into the pregnancy—was approved by a comfortable majority of 50 votes to 41.

Among those 50 were three LNP MPs—Tim Nicholls, Steve Minnikin and Jann Stuckey—who voted against their party’s formal policy on abortion in support of the new laws. In so doing, the MPs opened themselves up to criticism and condemnation from within their own ranks, The Guardian reports—to say nothing of the wrath from anti-abortion activists.

Continued: https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/yw9jy5/politicians-who-voted-to-legalise-abortion-are-now-receiving-threats

Queensland abortion laws passed: List of MPs shows it was mostly men who voted to keep abortion illegal

Queensland abortion laws passed: List of MPs shows it was mostly men who voted to keep abortion illegal
THIS list of male and female MPs shows who voted to block an amazing, historic law in Queensland overnight should outrage every Australian woman.

Rebecca Sullivan
October 18, 2018

IT TOOK just 50 people to change forever the lives of hundreds of thousands of Australian women, when Queensland MPs voted to scrap laws making abortion illegal on Wednesday night.

Queensland women will now be able to choose to have an abortion without risking criminal prosecution.

Continued: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/queensland-abortion-laws-passed-list-of-mps-shows-it-was-mostly-men-who-voted-to-keep-abortion-illegal/news-story/b5460470e064ec4168995c9026243afe

Queensland parliament votes to legalise abortion

Queensland parliament votes to legalise abortion
Abortion will become legal until 22 weeks gestation, and thereafter with the approval of two doctors

Ben Smee
Wed 17 Oct 2018

Abortion will become legal in Queensland, after the state’s parliament voted to support new legislation and erase a 119-year-old “morality” section of the state’s criminal code.

Loud cheers in the legislative assembly chamber at 7.42pm on Wednesday brought to an end a 50-year struggle by women’s groups in a state once notorious for its conservatism.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/oct/17/queensland-parliament-votes-to-legalise-abortion