Just.Equal Australia has called on the federal government not to fund large inner-city LGBTIQA+ organisations to roll out national LGBTIQA+ health training.
Instead, it has called for a $10 million fund currently open to tender to go smaller trans and gender diverse organisations, and suburban, regional and rural LGBTIQA+ organisations.
Veteran transgender rights advocate and former LGBTIQA+ service manager, Martine Delaney, said many regional organisations rely on income from training programs to survive.
“Some smaller trans and gender diverse organisations and non-urban LGBTIQA+ organisations rely on income from training to fund their other services.”
“They are often more adaptable, innovative and effective when it comes to changing attitudes, responding to community need and addressing problems that arise in smaller communities.”
“That’s why Just.Equal Australia has written to Federal Health minister, Mark Butler, asking him to favour smaller and non-urban organisations when the $10 million is allocated.”
“Just.Equal has also asked him to establish a permanent and fully-representative LGBTIQA+ reference group in his department to provide advice on issues such as how funds are disbursed.”
Just.Equal Australia spokesperson, Brian Greig, who resides in regional Western Australia, said funding funding should come to people on the ground.
“Statistics show a clear shift in demographics from the inner-city to suburban, regional and rural Australia.”
“This means long-established inner-city LGBTIQA+ organisations increasingly do not represent the true diversity and spread of our communities.”
“Our submission asks the Government to recognise this shift by not automatically giving inner-city LGBTIQA+ health and advocacy organisations carriage of national programs.”
“If, as it has stated, the Government wants applications from consortia, smaller transgender, and suburban, regional and rural organisations, must be equal co-partners in these consortia, not add-ons that have no real say.”
“There is already an imbalance of power, influence and money between inner-city LGBTIQA+ health and advocacy organisations and everyone else.”
“The Government must remedy that imbalance rather than making it worse.” Greig said.
Read more about the funding program at The Conversation.
