LGBTQIA+ health plan secures $15.5m in funding

The Australian government has unveiled a decade-long LGBTQIA+ Health Action Plan, marking a major step toward improving health outcomes for the queer community.

The plan focuses on addressing both mental and physical health challenges while dismantling the stigma that surrounds many issues faced by LGBTQIA+ people.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said that the plan will guide government action to make safe, inclusive and high-quality health care available to all LGBTQIA+ people.

“Unfortunately, too many LGBTIQA+ people continue to experience poorer health and mental health outcomes, alongside discrimination, stigma, isolation, harassment and violence,” he said.

“The plan acknowledges diversity and moves us towards a system that is flexible, person-focused, committed to equity, free of stigma and discrimination.”

Assistant Health Minister Ged Kearney, reflecting on her experience as a nurse during the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, underscored the plan’s progress.

“Our vision is of a healthcare system that is inclusive, accessible, and safe. Where LGBTIQA+ people have access to early intervention care, preventative treatment, and information,” she said.

The plan identifies specific health risk factors for LGBTIQA+ people, including challenges related to mental health, substance use, violence, and homelessness.

The plan highlights alarming health disparities, including mental health struggles, substance use, violence, and homelessness.

Research shows 62.1 per cent of LGBTQIA+ young people have self-harmed, while 74.8 per cent have considered suicide. LGBTQIA+ individuals are also 2.4 times more likely to use substances than heterosexuals and 1.2 times as likely to consume alcohol at risky levels.

Additionally, 22 per cent of the community reported experiencing homelessness, and 48.6 per cent reported having been sexually assaulted.

“Our communities, particularly transgender communities, experience poorer health outcomes when compared to the general population,” said Jeremy Wiggins, CEO of Transcend Australia, which provides education, peer support and advocacy services to families of trans, gender diverse and non-binary people.

“It’s time to transform our challenges into action and this 10 year plan aims to create a path forward for a healthier future. Our lives depend on it.”

To support the plan, the government has allocated $15.5 million, including $13 million for grants to scale up LGBTQIA+ health services and $2 million for La Trobe University to conduct Australia’s largest surveys into the health and wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ people.

Professor Adam Bourne, who helped develop the action plan, said the funding would allow La Trobe’s Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) to lead successful research into the community covering topics such as discrimination, mental health, housing, and family violence.

“It will provide a concrete and timely snapshot of the lives of LGBTIQA+ people in Australia,” Bourne said.

An additional $500,000 has been earmarked to expand the InterAction of Health and Human Rights Interlink program, a community-led psychosocial support service.

The initiative has been praised by LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, the peak body for LGBTQIA+ health and wellbeing, whose chief executive Nicky Bath described it as a “pivotal moment” for advancing equity and inclusion in Australia’s healthcare systems.

“The Action Plan provides a mechanism to collaborate with governments across Australia – regardless of political persuasion – in a non- partisan way to remove the health disparities experienced by LGBTIQA+ people and communities in Australia,” Bath said, adding that while it isn’t a complete solution, it provides a strong foundation for collaboration and progress.