Coalition pledges GLBT youth support
The Victorian Coalition has promised to invest $4 million in mental health and suicide initiatives to target GLBT young people, if elected to government.
The announcement was made today as part of the Coalition’s $108.55 million commitment to improve Victoria’s mental health care.
Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu said investment in mental health under the Brumby Government had been neglected.
“The Coalition’s plan will support Victorians with a mental illness in managing their illness at home or in the community, and in the process have the added benefit of reducing the demand for hospital beds,” Baillieu said of the overall package.
“The Coalition will build a new approach to improved mental health by removing the barriers to care and providing Victorians affected by mental illness with the treatment they need and deserve in hospital and in the community.”
The Opposition has also pledged $6 million will go to headspace youth mental health centres around the state.
“Same-sex attracted young people are three times more likely to attempt suicide; six times more likely in rural and regional areas,” headspace CEO Chris Tanti said.
“This is not something we can ignore.
“Headspace calls for the government to do more to address what is happening to same sex attracted young people.”
The Brumby Government last month promised a $2.5 million GLBTI funding package if returned to power after November 27.
info: headspace offers gay-friendly youth support services. Visit headspace.org.au if you or someone you know needs help.
One might ask what law reform will the Victoria Liberal Party take to end our oppression? What have they announced to end the discrimination? How about protecting us from the haters? What law changes are they going to make to allow us to adopt? Ok nothing, but what law changes will they make so we can work freely in all tax payer funded jobs? Well, they are doing nothing about all this. Not a thing. No even lifting a pen. Nothing.
Ok they are giving some money to help those with mental health problems. But what did the Liberal Party do to Jeff Kennett, for saying in his role as Beyond Blue Chairman, employing one of us is like employing a pedophile. Well you guessed it. Nothing again. Could a young gay football player in a country town be thinking about suicide? Oh well at least the Liberals are spending money on some of the problems they create. That is the only thing they are doing. No law reform. Nothing for years and years in a Liberal Government.
On October 6 1997, The Age newspaper in Melbourne published information, documents and allegations leaked from the Victorian Police Force, presumably by a former police officer or an internal whistle blower, that sent shock waves through Victoria’s diverse social change networks.
The leaks about Victoria’s Secret Police were front page for a week, detailing how undercover police officers had infiltrated, spied on, bugged, taped and collected files on just about every group in society that had something to say. The surprise for many activists was not that the Victorian Police were infiltrating and spying, but the extent to which the covert police targeted relatively mainstream and ‘conservative’ lobby groups. Aside from that, the leaks revealed a fascinating insight into police operational procedures and the way police view all activists as potential ‘threats to society’.
The confidential dossiers, records and files obtained by the Age date from 1985, compiled after the then Victorian Government disbanded the Special Branch in 1983, and cover the years up until 1992 when the Unit’s role was taken over by the ‘Protective Security Intelligence Group’ who continue to gather information today.
The Melbourne Peace Fleet, The Melbourne Rainforest Action Group, Friends Of the Earth, the East Gippsland Coalition, Duck Rescue and Animal Liberation, Greenpeace, the Wilderness Society and many other groups and campaigns were all infiltrated by undercover police officers at various times, and had dossiers compiled on their activities and files kept on many individual members.
Alongside these groups were a few far-right and neo-fascist groups such as National Action. However, there were also hundreds of other groups such as the Council of Single Mothers, The Australian Conservation Society, Friends of the ABC, Victorian Council for Civil Liberties, Koorie Information Centre, community legal centres, feminist groups, migrant groups, HIV/AIDS and gay activist groups, tenants groups, community radio stations 3CR, 3RRR and 3JJJ, disabled groups and elderly groups.
On the massive but incomplete police list of 1240 individuals obtained by The Age are teachers, lecturers, trade unionists, and even Democrat and Independent politicians, church ministers, an Order of Australia recipient and many names of nonviolent activists involved in the groups above.
http://www.activistrights.org.au/cb_pages/surveillance_of_activists.php
The Liberal Party is wanting our vote. But I have a few problems with that. Ted Baillieu is offering money to help prevent youth suicide but his actions promote suicide through policies of oppression and hate that deny people basic human rights simply because of their sexuality.
You see the Liberal Party, and in particular Ted Baillieu, want children to grow to be oppressed because of their sexuality. To be denied marriage. To be denied employment in a tax payer funded service, such as a hospital or a school, if the business is run by a religious institution.
Should that child grow up and have their own family and seek to adopt, then the Liberal Party would rather have a child rot in a religious institution then go to a loving home. They will tell you that you can foster a child at risk, but you cannot adopt, ever. You are not good enough just because of your sexuality.
I remember when the Liberal Party was last in power in Victoria. A gay man walked out of a cinema and was charged with having a deadly weapon. It was a small studded belt. Heterosexual people wore them but were not charged. This was a time when police tapped the phones of GLBTI journalist. When people were stripped searched at the Tasty Night Club. And when police went to parties dressed in drag and then strip searched everyone. Those were terrible times.
Ah to be free of oppression. That is all I want. The Liberal Party has no place in society supporting laws of hate and oppression. They foul the air we all breathe while they cling onto the laws of hate.
I want equality. So sorry but I cannot vote Liberal while they deny good and decent people basic human rights. I believe we should not be hated and excluded from marriage, adoption, employment, and we should free from harassment by the police. I cannot vote Liberal. I do not want our community to go to the very dark place they want to take us. I will refused to be oppressed by the Liberal Party. I will not vote for hate and discrimination. I will not vote Liberal.
Thanks Ted. Much appreciated.