Labor have promised additional funding to support LGBTIQ+ people affected by domestic violence if elected to government. The opposition say their commitment to fund an additional 15 workers across community organisations will have a positive effect on 1,200 people.
The joint announcement from Linda Burney the Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services, and Senator Jenny McAllister, the Shadow Assistant Minister for Communities and the Prevention of Family Violence (pictured) commits a future Albanese government to providing specialist domestic violence workers to ensure LGBTIQ+ people receive appropriate family and domestic violence support.
In an announcement made on Thursday morning, Labor said the best approach to tackle the issue in the LGBTIQ+ communities is through peer-led organisations already working in the community.
“LGBTIQ+ people face diverse complexities of gender and violence which are best addressed through community based and peer-led organisations already working with LGBTIQ+ people.
“That is why an Albanese Labor government will fund 15 workers in LGBTIQ+ community organisations to help people experiencing domestic and family violence. This means 1,200 people who would have been turned away will now get help at one of the most vulnerable times in their life.” Labor said announcing the plan.
Labor say that under the current government people fleeing violence are turned away from accommodation and services because of insufficient funding for sector workers. The commitment to specific LGBTIQ+ funded services is part of a larger program that would see an Albanese government fund an additional 500 workers over three years so community organisations can better support people fleeing family violence.
Speaking to OUTinPerth Senator Jenny McAllister said LGBTIQA+ organisations had been leading the way in providing services, but needed government support to be sustainable.
“LGBTIQ+ organizations have provided incredible leadership over many years in advocating for and delivering family violence services into the queer community. In some places it’s funded, but the Commonwealth Government hasn’t directed resources specifically to these organisations.
“Labor has said that we’ll provide funding for 500 new community sector workers across the domestic and family violence sector. Today, we’re committing, that of those workers, 15 of them will be directed specifically to community controlled organizations that provide services to LGBTQ communities.
“What that means is the capacity for them to develop and deepen their specialisation, and also to deepen the degree to which they’re able to work with mainstream services.
Senator McAllister said Labor had listened to community organisations and would be providing a funding model that allowed for support to flow through both mainstream organisations and specialist services.
The funding commitment from Labor would run throughout their whole term of government.
“The funding will be provided over our first term of government, and it will allow new workers to come into the sector and build up their skills and capabilities right across the domestic and family violence sector.” Senator McAllister said.
Senator McAllister said it was not surprising that the Morrison government had not delivered a specific plan on tackling domestic violence with the LGBTIQ+ communities.
“Our current government has been puzzlingly absent on the question of domestic and family violence for their entire nine years. It’s taken the outrage expressed by women across the country over the last year to galvanize them into any kind of activity at all.
“In that context, it’s unsurprising that they’ve also neglected the queer community and the services that they need and services that their organisations provide.”
Research into the levels of domestic violence within LGBTIQ communities in limited, but the LGBTQ DV Awareness Foundation says the evidence indicates that over 60 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people have experienced domestic or family violence.
Despite the prevalence, LGBTQ people are less likely to find support services that meet their specific needs, are less likely to identify DFV in their relationships and less likely to report it to the police or to seek support from services.
Graeme Watson
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