The National LGBTI Health Alliance have welcomed the announcements of this week’s budget from Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, but are cautioning the government to consider the significant health disparities for LGBTI+ people.
National LGBTI Health Alliance (or The Alliance) is the national peak health organisation for groups and individuals who provide health-related services and programs for LGBTI+ people.
CEO Nicky Bath says LGBTI+ people once again “remain invisible in the waterfall of announcements.”
“We know that the continued push to support generalist responses will mean that our communities continue to be left behind,” Bath said.
“A good example of a broad response are the measures to tackle unemployment, which we of course welcome. This investment may not necessarily simply translate to employment opportunities for some in our communities as we know from the available research that it is much harder for trans and gender diverse people to secure employment due to stigma and discrimination.”
Bath adds that there is an urgent need to address these barriers for LGBTI+ Australians and to ensure that new measures are for the benefit of everyone.
“There is a great deal of work to be done nationally and at the jurisdictional level to ensure that our communities are not left behind. It is disappointing that there was no targeted investment in LGBTI people’s health and wellbeing, our community-controlled services and programs as well as greater investment in preventative health.”
The Alliance is calling for investment in LGBTI+ people’s health and wellbeing, highlighting the organisation’s Pre-Budget Submission.
“The Alliance’s Pre-Budget Submission 2020-21 outlined much needed specific investment across mental health and suicide prevention, ageing and aged care, disability, drug and alcohol, trans and gender diverse health, intersex people’s health and wellbeing, research, cancer, smoking, domestic and family violence, intimate partner violence and sexual assault,” Bath continues.
“The Alliance also called for much needed funds to support its peak functions in the same way other NGO health peaks are supported through the Health Peak and Advisory Bodies Programme.”
“These issues are not going away, and we are left again needing to continue to use our scarce resources to advocate and act on behalf of our members without the support that many other health peaks receive. Our members will continue to operate underfunded and in some cases with no funding.”
“We need strong and stable community controlled LGBTI health organisations across Australia so that we can deliver the services our communities need. Without this we will not be able to tackle head on the significant health disparities that we are living with.”
OIP Staff
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