LGBTIQA+ community leaders have welcomed $250,000 over two years for the Tasmanian LGBTIQA+ Action Plan announced in last week’s State Budget.

But they say it is not enough to deal with LGBTIQA+ discrimination and mental health risk.

Equality Tasmania spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said,

“LGBTIQA+ Tasmanians experience much higher than average levels of discrimination and stigma which leads in turn to worse employment, education, housing and mental health outcomes.” 

“We welcome the State Government’s commitment to address these disadvantages through the development of a Tasmanian LGBTIQA+ Action Plan.”

“We will continue to advocate for the Action Plan to deal as comprehensively as possible with the hurdles and barriers still faced by LGBTIQA+ Tasmanians.”

Working It Out CEO, Dr Lynn Jarvis, said,

“We welcome the State Government’s commitment to LGBTIQA+ well-being.”

“The ‘Telling Us the Story’ report, which the Action Plan will be based on, recommended a dedicated LGBTIQA+ mental health service, and further training of health workers, police and teachers in LGBTIQA+ inclusion.”

“We will work with the State Government to make this happen.”

“Telling us the Story” is based on the largest survey of the Tasmanian LGBTIQA+ community ever conducted. The survey was commissioned by the current State Government and conducted by the University of Tasmania. It forms the basis of the LGBTIQA+ Action Plan, currently being developed. “Telling us the Story” can be found here: https://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/247147/LGBTIQ-Tasmanians-Telling-Us-the-Story-Survey-Report-May-2022.pdf

For a copy of this statement on the web, click here

For more information contact Rodney Croome on 0409 010 668 or Lynn Jarvis on 0408 265 045.