Albanese Government Announces $26 Million Investment For LGBT Health Research

One in four LGBTQI young people has attempted suicide at some point in their lives, while six in 10 have accessed counselling. The Anthony Albanese government on Wednesday announced a new pathway to address the health inequities that LGBTQI Australians face.

The federal government said that a new LGBTQI national health plan and  $26 million investment in LGBTQI health research – the biggest investment in LGBTQI Health – will aim to “close the gap”. 

The funding was announced at a press conference by Health Minister Mark Butler and Assistant Health Minister Ged Kearney on the sidelines of the Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference. 

LGBTQI advocacy and health groups welcomed the funding announcement as “momentous” and a “healing moment”. 

Single Biggest Investment In LGBTQI Health

“There’s a very clear recognition in the Albanese government across all portfolios, from the Prime Minister down, that there is so much more work that we need to do as a country to close the gap in health particularly mental health outcomes for LGBTQI + Australians. To do that we need to work in partnership with the community – nothing about you, without you,” said Butler. 

“We know over a long history that close partnership with the community, listening to the community, designing programs with the community, delivers better outcomes – that’s what Australians deserve,” the Health Minister said. 

Minister Kearney said that the $26 million funding might be “the single biggest investment into LGBTQI health research by any government and maybe the biggest investment in the sector altogether by any government.”

According to Kearney, the 10-year health action plan would be informed by the community. 

“We know that our LGBTQI communities face many barriers to access care and face particular challenges. They face bias and discrimination, they face harassment. Sadly, they do face violence here in Australia. And that means that accessing regular channels for healthcare can be challenging,” said Kearney. 

“The message from the government to the LGBTQI community is that we stand with you. We want to work with you. We want to make sure that healthcare is equitable,” added Kearney. 

A Blueprint For Change

Nicky Bath, CEO of LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (LHA) said that the action plan and funding “will save lives”. 

“A 10-year plan developed with input from an LGBTIQ+ Health Advisory Group will give the government a blueprint for change. It is a foundation for improved policies, interventions and approaches to achieve equitable health and wellbeing outcomes,” Bath said in a statement.

According to Joe Ball, CEO of Switchboard Victoria, the community in Australia has been waiting for such an announcement for over a decade. 

“We have seen complete inaction on LGBTQIA+ mental health issues. In fact, previous governments, both state and federal, have driven discrimination against our communities, either directly in policies or through the rhetoric they have performed during elections. So this is a healing moment for our communities,” said Ball. 

“We have the poorest mental health of any single cohort in Australia. And for the trans and gender-diverse community, we have the highest rates of suicide. This is a crisis. But I want to be really clear that this is not because of who we are as LGBTQIA+ people but how we have been treated across our lifetime. So this moment is very significant and it is the beginning of a journey,” said Ball. 

“Now we’re not going to turn around those poor mental health and suicide statistics tomorrow. But we have got a plan here and we’ve got funding behind the plan to work together and finally start to address an issue,” added Ball.

Barriers To Accessing Health Care

Research has shown that around 64 per cent of LGBTQI respondents avoid seeing a GP, as they are not confident that the healthcare professional understands their needs, fear judgement or have had a poor past experience. 

It is statistics like these that advocacy groups hope will see a change on the ground. 

“Stigma and discrimination are enormous hurdles standing in the way of LGTIQA+ people seeking and receiving the healthcare they need. With such shocking disparities in health outcomes, it’s clear that primary health care is not working for LGBTIQA+ people. We need to better understand why and how to fix that,” said AFAO CEO Darryl O’Donnell, adding that the new investment was a “game changer”. 

Anna Brown, CEO of Equality Australia said that the funding package was “incredibly welcome news for the many people in our communities who feel their needs have not been met by the health system.”

“The fact the announcement has happened here – at the largest LGBTIQ+ human rights conference ever held in the Asia Pacific region – is a sign of how far we have come in Australia when it comes to valuing and respecting our communities,” Brown said.

“It is time to make sure our health system works for everyone, no matter who they are or who they love,” said Brown.