Visionary leadership shown in Brumby government’s vision for the GLBTI community

// October 26th, 2010 // AVP news, Media discussion, Within Australia, Within Victoria

The Anti-Violence Project of Victoria (AVP) welcomes state premier John Brumby’s announcement of major social policy initiatives supporting GLBTI community as visionary and ground breaking.

AVP head Greg Adkins said “If Mr Brumby is successfully re-elected at the 27 November state election, the $2.5million next-stage of the Labor government’s decade long commitment to celebrating diversity and ending discrimination and violence in our society will deliver:

  • The establishment of a whole-of-government advisory committee on GLBTI issues
  • Provision of $200,000 over four years to the Anti-Violence Project of Victoria to support victims of homophobia and help GLBTI people to report physical or verbal abuse or harassment
  • An investment of $100,000 in a campaign to reduce homophobic harassment and highlight the contribution of GLBTI communities in Victoria
  • Strengthening of laws against homophobic harassment

In addition a re-elected Brumby Labor Government would continue its support for same-sex attracted youth by:

  • Providing $320,000 over four years to build on a pilot project to help combat homophobia in schools. This project, delivered through Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria, would develop and distribute quality resources to schools, provide professional development to staff to support students and school communities, help develop a whole-of-school approach to combating homophobia, and help develop students’ own networks and further builds on work by the government which is already underway;
  • Establishing a $500,000 grants program over four years to help 10 projects a year provide a safe space for same-sex attracted youth, informal mentoring and peer support; and
  • Investing $500,000 in a partnership with Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria, Sane and Headspace to train health professionals in helping same-sex attracted youth at risk of suicide

Further to this, the GLBTI community will be asked to step-up and determine what its “voice” would look like and where the provision of a GLBTI community voice will find a home, after the Brumby Government committed a further $100,000 a year for four years for a GLBTI peak body to represent the interests and act on behalf of the community.

The Anti-Violence Project notes that the Premier’s announcement is the first ever of this magnitude by a head of an Australian state or federal government setting-out a plan to deliver state-wide social policy initiatives to ensure that gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals and communities are (in the Premier’s words) “safe, valued and respected.”

“Brumby’s GLBTI policy initiatives are further evidence that the ground has shifted politically in Victoria.  The AVP invite all other political parties to come on-board to support the Labor government’s  leadership in seeking to provide more support and a real voice for the GLBTI community.

“The Anti-Violence Project of Victoria congratulates the Victorian Government on the depth and scope its initiatives”, Adkins said.

Read the complete announcement from the Premier: More support and a real voice for the GLBTI community.

2 Responses to “Visionary leadership shown in Brumby government’s vision for the GLBTI community”

  1. Hugh says:
    November 17, 2010 at 9:36 am

    It is progressive in some ways but it’s lacking in other ways. There is not one initiative that specifically focusses on trans and intersex people. Trans and intersex groups were not consulted in developing the initiatives either.

  2. VicAVP Admin says:
    January 14, 2011 at 4:01 pm

    Thanks for commenting Hugh. Thanks for raising your point. There were in fact a range of initiatives that focussed on trans people, especially the then proposed funding for AVP. AVP has always been trans inclusive and homophobic harassment and prejudice motivated crime against trans people is most often driven my homophobia when ignorant people perceive their trans victim to be a “gay man in a dress”.

    Let me reassure you that trans community plus the small number of intersex people identifying with the gay and lesbian community, were represented in discussions at every step of the way by individuals activists including trans people as well as G&L orgs with trans as inclusive aspects to their work.

    The whole discussion is now moot as the Labor Government was defeated and the new Baillieu Government is yet to reveal how its $4.7million election funding translates into our communities and the work we deliver. Stay tuned and please share any information you obtain.

    Regards,
    All at the VicAVP

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