How Do Community Orgs Feel About Australia’s First LGBTIQA+ Health Action Plan?

Yesterday, Australia’s first-ever national LGBTIQA+ health and wellbeing action plan was launched by Assistant Minister for Health Ged Kearney.

The Action Plan outlines the specific health and wellbeing challenges and discrepancies faced by the LGBTQIA+ community in Australia, and acts as ground work for a way forward for tackling these challenges.

The National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ People 2025-2035 is a ten-year action plan, and covers an enormous amount – physical health, mental health, and how things like stigma, discrimination, and lack of knowledge about LGBTQIA+ people can affect our community’s health and access to health services.

What has the response the LGBTIQA+ Health Action Plan been like?

The reception to The National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ People has been mixed, with some community organisations and leaders, saying it’s a positive step, and others saying it’s too little and too late.

ACON welcomed the Action Plan, with CEO Michael Woodhouse saying he looked forward to working with the federal government on advancing LGBTQIA+ health and wellbeing issues.

“There has been clear evidence for a long time that the health of our communities need specific attention from government. Many people tell us that they do not feel comfortable revealing their sexuality or gender identity to health care providers and cannot find services that understand their needs,” ACON CEO Michael Woodhouse said.

“Our communities also need health information and programs that respond to health risks including higher rates of mental distress and drug use. We will make the most impact on these issues by the community and government working in partnership.

“To have the Federal Government recognise the health needs of our communities, then work alongside us to deliver the first national 10-year action plan on LGBTIQA+ health and wellbeing is a significant outcome.

Woodhouse thanked Health Minister Mark Butler and Assistant Health Minister Ged Kearney on behalf of ACON, saying, “We are deeply grateful for their support and efforts in fostering a collaborative approach to improving national LGBTIQA+ health outcomes,” Woodhouse said.

But not everyone was so impressed. Long-time LGBTQIA+ advocate and activist Rodney Croome said in a statement that felt the Action Plan is “weak”, because it has “no measures of success” and therefore “no accountability for failure”.

“What we need from the Federal Government is a set of targets for improved LGBTIQA+ health, but all we have is a list of parenthood statements.”

Croome said the plan should have included ‘concrete targets’ for the next ten years. He listed examples such as how many health care workers will be trained in LGBTIQA+ inclusion, how many LGBTIQA+ people will have access to dedicated health services, how much shorter wait times will be for gender affirming care, and how much lower mental health risk will be.

“Without specific targets the plan is just a wish list with no in-built measures of success and no accountability for failure.”

He also said the funding was inadequate, particularly because it is a ten-year plan.

“The associated funding of $15.5 million is woefully inadequate, especially for a ten-year plan… If we conservatively estimate there are 1.5 million LGBTIQA+ Australians, that’s $10 each over one year which is obviously not enough to remedy decades of discrimination,” Croome explained.

“If the funding is for a decade, it’s $1 each per year.”

Greens MP Stephen Bates said he and the Greens welcomed the Action Plan, but felt disappointed by the Action Plan being ‘light on deliverables and funding’.

“After two years of delays, it’s disappointing that the final plan is so light on deliverables and so light on funding. Guardrails and guidelines are a good starting point but making up for years of sector neglect needs more than that,” explained Bates.

“This plan just sets out to improve consultation and make sure our health system is inclusive. This has to come with broader systemic reform that delivers material help to queer people struggling with out-of-pocket healthcare costs.

“If the Government wants some ideas, they could start by removing out of pocket expenses for gender affirming care, expanding eligibility for IVF and reproductive health programmes to LGBTIQA+ families, and making sure every community, from capitals to the regions, have access to comprehensive and LGBTIQA+ friendly health services.”

Despite his concerns, Bates concluded his statement by thanking the many LGBTQIA+ people who that contributed to the document, and advocates who have fought for reform in space for decades:

“I want to thank everyone who contributed to the important work of the expert advisory group and all the LGBTIQA+ organisations who have been calling for real action on our community’s health and wellbeing for decades.”

You can see the full National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ People here.