LGBTI Health Alliance Farewells Talbot

Changes are afoot at the National LGBTI Health Alliance with the organisation on the lookout for a new executive director after the highly respected Warren Talbot recently tendered his resignation.

Talbot (pictured) had joined the Alliance in 2011 and is leaving for personal health reasons. He is expected to remain as executive director until mid-January to ensure a smooth transition for his replacement with the Alliance currently seeking applicants for the position.

The Alliance’s chairperson, Susan Ditter, paid tribute to the role Talbot had played for over two years.

“Since his appointment in May 2011, Warren has overseen substantial growth in the Alliance, particularly in Commonwealth Government support for Alliance work in mental health and suicide prevention, and ageing and aged care.

Warren has also worked to increase our efforts in other priority areas, such as Intersex, Trans and Gender Diverse people, and improved LGBTI health data collections,” Ditter said.

“It is with sadness and optimism that we accept Warren’s resignation and progress the recruitment process and we thank Warren for a truly tremendous job in growing the Alliance and creating an expert team.”

Speaking to the Star Observer this week, Talbot said he hoped to be back in the NGO health sector in the near future and looked back on his time with the Alliance with much fondness.

“I think one of the positives is that when I started in May 2011 the board looked at the vast array of LGBTI health issues – they set four priorities – and I am incredibly pleased the board has stuck with those priorities over this time,” Talbot said.

“Having those things to focus on has served us well in terms of making sure our finite resources go in the right place.”

Talbot added he was very pleased and fortunate that his time with the Alliance coincided with historic amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act earlier this year which for the first time provided explicit federal anti-discrimination protection for LGBTI people.

“The law reform that stands as a highlight is the Sex Discrimination Act but I would hasten to add very quickly that there were a vast number of people involved in achieving that over a long period of time,” he told the Star Observer.

“I think the Alliance did play its part in providing the public health reasons for the reform but I wouldn’t say anything that would minimise the efforts of the many.”