It’s taken years and a widespread co-design process with the queer community, but finally Australia has a national LGBTIQA+ path forward.
A 10-year action plan to address disparities in health and care for LGBTIQA+ Australians has been sweetened with a $15.5 million kickstart, both announced today by the federal government.
The National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ People was co-designed with the queer community using what the DoHAC has described as “the largest national consultation into LGBTIQA+ wellbeing ever undertaken by any Australian government”. It was guided by an expert advisory group and chaired by assistant minister Ged Kearney.
“For too long, Australia’s LGBTIQA+ community has faced healthcare barriers that no one should endure – discrimination, misunderstanding, and inequity,” said Ms Kearney.
“To the hundreds of you who divulged your personal experiences for this National Action Plan – often ones painful to relive – I want to sincerely thank you, a decade of action will be shaped by your generosity.
“This plan is going to do big things.”
One in three LGBTIQA+ people rate their health as poor or fair and three in four have experienced a mental health condition.
The Action Plan is designed to guide government action, said the DoHAC announcement, to make “safe, inclusive and high-quality healthcare available to all LGBTIQA+ people”.
“The launch of the Action Plan is a significant milestone for Australia and is essential for creating a more inclusive and equitable society,” said Nicky Bath, CEO of LGBTIQ+ Australia.
“The Action Plan is providing a pathway to end the health and wellbeing disparities that LGBTIQ+ people continue to endure.
“By supporting LGBTIQA+ communities to achieve better health and wellbeing we are ensuring that everyone in Australia has the opportunity to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.”
The key areas of focus will be:
- building system-wide leadership and cultural change;
- strengthening preventive health and building health literacy;
- enhancing accessibility, availability and safety of health care services;
- ensuring workforce capability and capacity across both mainstream and LGBTIQA+ led services; and,
- improving research, data and evaluation.
The $15.5 million initial investment will be distributed as follows:
- establishing a $13 million grants program to scale up dedicated LGBTIQA+ services and support successful initiatives that build the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ communities;
- investing $2 million to collect data to underpin priority areas for action through La Trobe University’s “Private Lives” and “Writing Themselves In” health and wellbeing surveys;
- Providing $500,000 to expand the InterAction for Health and Human Rights InterLink program, a community-led professional psychosocial support service for people with innate variations of sex characteristics.
“Our communities have unique and sometimes very challenging health needs. LGBTIQ+ people continue to experience discrimination, stigma and harassment which contributes to poorer mental and physical health,” said Anna Brown, CEO of Equality Australia.
“The sector has long called for greater national coordination and investment in this area and today’s action plan is a groundbreaking step in building a health system that works for all Australians.”
Read the National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ People 2025–2035 here.