Findings from Australia’s largest national survey of the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQ people to date, show that our communities are continuing to experience significant disparities across a range of health and wellbeing indicators, and concerning levels of discrimination, harassment and violence, compared to the general population.
We welcome the release of Private Lives 3 National Report, the third iteration of the Privates Lives surveys conducted by the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) at La Trobe University.
Whilst recent policy changes and advances in our human rights are important, it is not enough.
“How many more iterations of Private Lives studies do we need to get equitable health responses for LGBTI communities across the country?”, CEO of the Alliance Nicky Bath, said.
Of particular concern, 41.9% of the 6, 835 LGBTIQ survey participants reported that they had considered attempting suicide in the previous 12 months, and almost 75% had considered attempting suicide at some point during their lives.
“This report is a wake-up call to everyone who has the power to make a positive difference to our health. We need strategic national leadership to create close collaboration across all jurisdictions to address these ongoing and unacceptable health disparities, Ms. Bath, said.
Australia has a strong network of community controlled LGBTI health organisations, all of which are under resourced and ill equipped to respond to the increasing demand and we know that LGBTI people continue to underutilise much needed healthcare for fear of actual or perceived discrimination and stigma.
According to PL3, less than half of LGBTIQ participants felt accepted when accessing health or support services. Furthermore, it found that over 75% of participants reported that they would be more likely to use a service if it has been accredited as LGBTIQ-inclusive.
Increased investment and improved national coordination when it comes to our health and well-resourced LGBTI community-controlled organisations across the country are essential when working with our marginalised communities.
“We are part of the solution and LGBTI community-controlled health organisations are ready and waiting for the much-needed resourcing and investment so they can meet our community’s needs. The strength of our health will be measured by the strength of our community-controlled organisations”, Ms. Bath, concluded.
If you are experiencing distress and would like to talk with someone on the phone or over the web, then please call QLife on 1800 184 527 or go to www.qlife.org.au
Media Contact: Nicky Bath, CEO | Mobile: 0432 328 706 | Email: [email protected]