Victoria has allocated a solid $500,000 to mental health funding for the LGBTI community as a direct middle finger to the Federal Government‘s canned-but-not-quite plebiscite on same-sex marriage. Two birds, one stone.
The funding will particularly focus on projects for vulnerable groups, including young people, Aboriginal people, and those in regional communities.
A full $100,000 has each been allocated to Headspace, Switchboard Victoria (a peer-based telephone counselling service for LGBTI people and their families), Kunghah (an Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander gathering of the LGBTI community) and the new Victorian Pride Centre, the latter of which will use the funds to establish a virtual platform of mental health resources and information for socially or geographically isolated youth LGBTI people.
Another $50,000 has been allocated to Drummond Street counselling service to help reduce its waiting list, while the final $50,000 has been set aside to support other services experiencing increased demand.
“Malcolm Turnbull needs to rule out this Liberal Party opinion poll that is nothing but damaging and divisive,” said Minister for Mental Health Martin Foley.
“We’re ensuring our hard working mental health organisations have additional funds to ensure those who need support get it.
He said the particular focus on online services was to ensure LGBTI people in rural or regional communities had access to support if needed.
“We’re supporting online resources because we know the fight for equality is beyond the tram lines.”
Despite the Senate blocking the same-sex marriage plebiscite late last year, last month’s Federal budget still included $170 million allocated for it.
Marriage equality advocates have long campaigned to squash the plebiscite, on the grounds that it will do very real damage to an already vulnerable community if you open debate to whether or not LGBTI people should be treated the same as everyone else (they should).
Hiba Casablanca, an advocate for LGBTI youth, told PEDESTRIAN.TV that this extra funding is “crucial” if the plebiscite goes ahead.
“We need mental health services to counter the negative effects that would come from the plebiscite and, I guess, the debate of LGBTI people’s lives,” she said.
“I think what we know [about the damaging effects of the plebiscite] is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s still young GBTI people in rural communities who find it challenging to get the support they need. It’s important that as a community we take that responsibility very seriously and invest in supporting LGBTI people, particularly those who are more vulnerable.”
Photo: Torsten Blackwood / Getty.
