The Albanese Government announced its action plan for LGBTIQA+ health this week, laying out its ambitions for improving the physical and mental health of our communities.
Health Minister Mark Butler revealed The National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ People 2025 – 2035 on Wednesday, that he says “acknowledges diversity and moves us towards a system that is flexible, person-focused, committed to equity, free of stigma and discrimination.”
While a number of advocacy groups have welcomed the initiative, Just.Equal Australia have labelled the plan “weak and inadequate”.
Just.Equal spokesperson Rodney Croome says the government should be providing targets for improved LGBTIQA+ health.
“All we have is a list of parenthood statements,” Croome said.
“The associated funding of $15.5 million is woefully inadequate, especially for a ten-year plan.
“For the plan to succeed, the government must commit to critical law and policy reforms that will improve health outcomes by reducing discrimination.”
Just.Equal Australia are urging the Albanese Government to include concrete targets for 2035, with specifics including the number of healthcare workers to be trained in LGBTIQA+ inclusion, how many LGBTIQA+ people will have access to dedicated healthcare services, and reduction of wait times for gender affirming care.
“Without specific targets the plan is just a wish list with no in-build measures of success and no accountability for failure.”
Regarding concerns over the level of funding, Croome says $15.5 million is not enough to address the poorer health outcomes of LGBTIQA+ Australians.
“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.
“If the funding is for a decade, it’s $1 each per year.”
Just.Equal are also hoping to see the plan address the role of law in reducing discrimination, and in turn, improving health outcomes.
“The action plan would be much more effective if it committed the government to a range of critical law and policy reforms including stronger hate speech laws, a prohibition on discrimination in faith-based hospitals and schools, ending medically unnecessary surgeries on infants with innate variations of sex characteristics, and allowing transgender people to claim gender affirming treatments on Medicare,” Croome continued.
“The fact that successive governments have ignored our health needs does not mean we must be happy with the weak plan and inadequate funds on offer from this government.
“The plan and the funding should be renegotiated, preferably by a wider and more representative group of community advocates.”
