The Tasmanian Liberal Government released their state budget this Thursday, revealing $175,000 in funding to develop a state LGBTIQ+ Action Plan.

The funding will be shared evenly between advocacy organisation Equality Tasmania and support and education service Working It Out to assist in the plan’s development.

Equality Tasmania President Rodney Croome says the funding will ensure the LGBTIQA+ community informs the development and implementation of the proposed plan.

“The funding acknowledges that the LGBTIQA+ community has an indispensable role to play in developing the policies and programs that directly affect it.”

“This is a milestone for Equality Tasmania because it is the first time in 35 years we have received government funding.”

“We look forward to exploring future funding agreements with the State Government that allow LGBTIQA+ voices to be heard in the development of policies and programs for our community.”

In 2021, the Tasmanian Government conducted a large-scale survey of the state’s LGBTIQA+ community, the results from which were released as the Telling Us The Story Report in May 2022. The recommendations of that survey are informing the development of a new State Government LGBTIQ+ Action Plan.

The funding allocation will help Equality Tasmania, Working It Out and the broader LGBTIQA+ community contribute to the development of the Action Plan.

The State Government has also increased the Tasmanian LGBTIQ+ Community Fund from $60,000 to $100,000 per year, facilitating community-led projects that address discrimination and stigma against LGBTIQA+ people.

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