Gillard to fund gay suicide prevention
The Gillard Government has today announced it will pour more than $22 million into tackling suicide in at-risk groups, including the gay, lesbian and bisexual community if re-elected.
The announcement was made as part of a $277 million package aimed at reducing suicide rates and promoting better mental health for Australians.
The Government says it will set aside $22.4 million improve community-led suicide prevention services for Indigenous people, men, and gay, lesbian and bisexual people.
There has been a mixed response so far from mental health professionals with some saying the measures do not go far enough to assist the funding-starved mental health sector.
National youth mental health organisation headspace has welcomed the announcement.
Headspace CEO Chris Tanti said if implemented the measures would be an important step forward.
“Suicide rates amongst young people in Australia have reached appalling levels — men and women aged between 15 and 24 are in the highest risk brackets when it comes to suicide,” Tanti said in a statement.
“If someone is Indigenous or same-sex-attracted the risk increases four-fold.
“We are in danger of losing a generation of young people if we don’t deal effectively with this crisis in our community.”
According to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), suicide is the leading cause of death for men and women aged 15 to 34 in Australia.
ABS data shows also homosexual and bisexual people have far higher levels of anxiety disorders than their heterosexual counterparts (31 percent compared with 14 percent); and more than triple the rate of depression and related disorders (19 percent compared with 6 percent).
we won’t be treated as equal as until we are percieved as equal and that won’t happen until we’re equal.
until we have marriage equality we’ll be the clayton’s kind of equal. the equal you have when you’re not quite equal.
julia gillard would serve the cause of helping prevent gay suicide more effectively by changing her mind on gay marriage.
Watch out people I am planning to 1.Attacking the govt. 2.shake the hell out of our education system and 3. Personally file a manslaughter case against anyone that is found out to be involved in bullying that results in a gay suicide!!!!
Do I hear Labor “pork-barrelling” again on LGBT rights??????
Ben- They should not be funding Beyond Help. They are giving money to a group that has a track record of vilification against all members of the GLBTQI community.
Not only that but it has produced some of the worst guidelines on depression in the World. Excluding us was a political decision, not one based on the clinical evidence.
They are not a clinical group, they are a Think Tank on Depression with political motives. They are setup like The Australian Institute. As they are not a clinical group they do not act on evidence or reality when it comes to depression. In short every dollar given to them for our community is a dollar wasted.
The fact Labor has chosen to give money to them for projects about us is terrible news. They will do what they did before, employ an academic to do research and then ignore the evidence once again. They have indicated they intend to do this as they said there id no evidence we are suffering depression anymore then other people. There are thousands of studies is good journals that indicates we are suffering and have higher rates of depression.
I cannot stand nor accept that Labor will fund such people as Beyond Help.
Dave, you missed the point.
Government has (finally!)recognised the need to fund Gay and Lesbian services for people at risk of suicide.
That’s unqualified good news to most people.
For those interested in Beyond Help some further reading about their vilification and ignorance. I and others are utterly disgusted with them. Even the Latrobe researcher asked to a study is not happy about them. They have been very cruel to our community. They simply do not deserve a cent of our money form Julia Gillard.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/gays-ignored-by-beyondblue-20090627-d0lf.html
http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/highrisk-teens-all-but-ignored-in-depression-advice-20100410-rzsk.html
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/kennett-gay-storm/story-e6frf7l6-1111117025363
Ben Channel 10 also runs Hillsong early in the morning.
Whilst you have a Chairman of the Board of Beyond Help vilifying people who are gay then no I do not think they should get any money. Not a cent.
Beyond Help has also ignored Clinical Evidence in the publication of guidelines for GP’s on the high risk group of depression, that of the GLBTQI community.
Your comments reflect badly on yourself and show your ignorance about Labor and Channel 10. Beyond Help is a disgraceful organization. My partner who is a Director of Medical Services at a large hospital cannot believe they chose to ignore clinical studies on our community. This and the vilification by Jeff Kennett says it all.
Ben Channel 10 also runs Hillsong early in the morning.
Whilst you have a Chairman of the Board of Beyond Help vilifying people who are gay then no I do not think they should get any money. Not a cent.
Tell that your local member you work for.
Your reply doesn’t reflect well on you.
But to your guilt by extension approach…
Channel Ten is running some wonderful anti homophobia advertisements; Channel Ten also has advertisements supporting Beyond Blue. Guess that makes Channel Ten evil as well – best not to be watching Glee.
Ben the Labor Party stooge has written in.
Ben thinks it is a good a thing for Labor Party to give money to Beyond Help. You might think you are a Child Sex Offender simply because you are gay but I do not. that is what they think about you. You might as well get Jim Wallace and the Australian Christian Lobby to look after you.
You support Jeff Kennett as Ambassader and Chairman of the Board saying employing you is no different to employing a Child Sex Offender.
The CEO, nor Beyond Help, Nor the funders such as the Labor Party have apologised for the hate and vilificiation Beyond Help stands for. The Labor Party are a gutless bunch of cowards.
You also support the money not going to all members of our the GLTBQI.
Ben your Labor Party is colour Blind.
Well we all pay our bloody taxes and deserve better then the slime and filth in the Labor Party from stooges like you writting in here.
Recognition given to the GLB community, backed up with money and still Dave manages to find it’s really an attack on us. Bizarre. And sad.
http://oiiaustralia.com/australian-labor-action-tackle-suicide/
Thank you Bayne for bringing up exactly what I was going to.
Once again the trans* and intersex communities are ignored, or presumed to be covered by the “GLB” community. It is this attitude that further purpetutates the discrimination against us and the invisibility we face within the “mainstream”.
No mention of Transgender?
Even when Transgender people are MORE at risk of suicide than Gay Lesbian and Bisexual people?
Thats not good enough. Anyone who lobbied for this and left out Transgender has blood on their hands, murderers by negligence. They better call the PM TODAY to fix the problem.
If however the lobbiests didn’t forget the T and it’s just Gillard who left out Transgender then she alone is the murderer with blood on their hands. Because once told about these deaths and with the power to prevent them you become solely responsible for them.
Either way Transgender better get added damn fast!
Now everything i just said about Transgender, well it’s true for Intersex too! So thats more blood, more deaths, more stain. These mistakes must be fixed NOW!
And where is the program to end the discrimination and abuse and harassment and assaults that fuel the suicides? Going by the recent Quuensland study a Transgender person suffers the risk of being physically assaulted of Gays and Lesbians and Bisexuals COMBINED! A huge 45% And thats not including assaults with weapons!
Once again the people with the MOST need get left out.
NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
Sadly Gillard will give millions to the homophobic Beyond Help who’s Chairman of the Board and Ambassador liken us the child sex offender. We are expected to call Jeff Kennett when are feeling down.
Beyond Help is what the nasty Gillard Government is.