Introduction by Croakey: LGBTIQ+ community-controlled health and wellbeing organisations are under-resourced in the face of overwhelming demand, with many LGBTIQ+ people unable to access the mental health support and other health services they need, according to Australia’s peak body for LGBTIQ+ health.
Carolyn Gillespie, the Board Chair of LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, explains below why the recent Federal Budget was “a missed opportunity”.
Carolyn Gillepsie writes:
As the Chair of Australia’s peak body for LGBTIQ+ health, it was difficult not to be disappointed following the release of the 2024–2025 Federal Budget.
While I welcome the significant investment allocated to provide support for HIV and blood-borne virus prevention, there was little to celebrate for LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing.
The critical and much-awaited 10-year National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ people is in the pipeline, and funding announcements are likely planned to follow its release. Nevertheless, LGBTIQ+ people have been living with unacceptable health and wellbeing disparities for too long, and this investment is needed now.
I was delighted to represent Thorne Harbour Health on the Expert Advisory Group established to inform the Australian Government about the health needs of people in LGBTIQ+ communities as part of the development of the plan. It is in good hands and will be a turning point in how we in Australia tackle and improve the health and wellbeing of all LGBTIQ+ people.
Priority populations
The National Action Plan will hopefully push the nation forward to achieve better health outcomes across several areas, including mental health and suicidality, gender-affirming care, disability, ageing and aged care, cancer, alcohol and other drugs, and supporting LGBTIQ+ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Sistergirls and Brotherboys.
We must remember that LGBTIQ+ people are identified as a priority population in a range of national strategies, including:
- the National Preventative Health Strategy 2021-2030
- the National Men’s Health Strategy 2020-2030
- National Action Plan for the Health of Children and Young People 2020-2030
- National Drug Strategy 2017-2026
- National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032
- National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2020-2023.
LGBTIQ+ people’s health needs have been highlighted for many years, and while there has been recent and greatly welcomed significant investment in LGBTIQ+ health research and in the development of the plan, the LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing sector remains under-valued and poorly funded.
There is work that needs to be done today. As LGBTIQ+ Health Australia’s (LHA) budget submission highlighted, in addition to the National Action Plan itself, investment is needed for core funding of LHA to meet its peak role and underpin its sustainability to partner with government in implementing the plan.
We support sustainable funding models for LGBTIQ+ community-controlled organisations to develop the sector and enable it to effectively support implementing the plan, and invest in Intersex Human Rights Australia to sustain and develop an intersex community-controlled healthcare service.
Data is critical to the success of the National Action Plan, and LHA has been continuously advocating for targeted funding for data collection and research to monitor progress of the 10-Year Action Plan, including La Trobe University’s Private Lives and Writing Themselves In studies and investment to drive adoption of the ABS 2020 Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics, and Sexual Orientation Variables, including in the upcoming 2026 national Census.
Mental health and wellbeing
The most recent ABS data release on mental health and wellbeing confirmed that LGBTQ+ people experience mental ill health at much higher rates than the broader population. These adverse mental health outcomes relate directly to the stigma, prejudice, discrimination and violence that LGBTQ+ people have experienced and continue to experience simply for being themselves.
These results highlight the need to foster protective factors that promote mental health and wellbeing — such as creating a sense of belonging, establishing support networks and relationships, and ensuring all trans and gender-diverse people in Australia have access to gender-affirming healthcare. To achieve this, we need a fully funded LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing sector that is led and supported by sustainable LGBTIQ+ community-controlled health and wellbeing organisations.
LHA has close to 100 member organisations working towards reducing the health disparities experienced by LGBTIQ+ people. LHA’s full and regular members, the LGBTIQ+ community-controlled organisations across Australia, are governed and operated by and for LGBTIQ+ communities, which enables them to deliver trusted and culturally appropriate services and supports.
These organisations are essential for providing capacity building and training to generalist organisations to deliver safe and inclusive mainstream services for LGBTIQ+ people and communities.
Australia has a broad and strong network of thriving LGBTIQ+ community-controlled health and wellbeing organisations, all of which are under-resourced and often facing overwhelming demand.
If we are to ensure that there are no wrong doors for LGBTIQ+ people when accessing a range of health and wellbeing services, LGBTIQ+ community-controlled organisations must be resourced to work in partnership across health and wellbeing sectors.
Action needed now
We are living in challenging fiscal times, and I know that hard decisions need to be made. I understand that the plan will provide a framework for future investment.
Nevertheless, today there are LGBTIQ+ people who are unable to access the mental health support they need, who are unable to access safe cancer screening services, who will experience discrimination when they reach out to a GP, and LHA full member organisations will continue to be unable to meet community demand.
The recent budget was a missed opportunity, and I hope that both the 2024-2025 Mid‑Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook and the 2025-2026 budget shed light and much-needed investment into LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing.
We know that the Government values, supports and is committed to LGBTIQ+ communities. While we are gaining much-needed traction, we need to continue making a greater difference.
LHA and its members must continue to advise on the resources and opportunities needed, holding those in power accountable.
By fostering respect, camaraderie, and a shared vision, we can build a future where all LGBTIQ+ people and communities are valued and thrive with dignity and respect. Now is the time to stand united and intensify our efforts in working towards a brighter, more inclusive future for everyone.
• Carolyn Gillepsie is Board Chair of of LGBTIQ+ Health Australia and Co-CEO of the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Seeking help
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
beyondblue: 1300 224 636
13Yarn: 13 92 76
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
QLife: 1800 184 527
Check-In (VMIAC, Victoria): 1800 845 109
Lived Experience Telephone Line Service: 1800 013 755
See Croakey’s archive of articles on LGBTIQ+ peoples’ health and wellbeing
