Media release – Roger Jaensch, Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, 13 November 2024
LGBTIQA+ health Action Plan released
A plan to continue improving health outcomes for LGBTIQA+ Tasmanians and building an inclusive healthcare system over the next four years has been released.
Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Roger Jaensch, said the release of the Action Plan is an important milestone, building on work already underway to improve health outcomes of LGBTIQA+ Tasmanians.
“We know from local and national research that continued stigma and discrimination leads to poorer physical and mental health outcomes amongst the LGBTIQA+ community,’’ Minister Jaensch said.
“An important part of our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future is about taking action on issues affecting Tasmanians, which includes delivering more health supports and services,” Minister Jaensch said.
“Our Government is committed to listening to and working with LGBTIQA+ organisations and community members, and continuing to promote inclusion, acceptance and understanding across our health services.
“I would like to thank the LGBTIQA+ Reference Group and other members of the LGBTIQA+ community who have helped to develop this action plan, but also those who have contributed to this important work throughout the years.”
Media release – Equality Tasmania, 13 November 2024
Tas Health Department launches groundbreaking LGBTIQA+ Action Plan
Equality Tasmania has welcomed the launch of the Tasmanian Health Department’s first LGBTIQA+ Action Plan.
Spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said,
“Local and national research shows that LGBTIQA+ Tasmanians have poorer health, including mental health, than other Tasmanians and other LGBTIQA+ Australians, and that our poorer health is due to discrimination and stigma.”
“The Department of Health’s LGBTIQA+ Action Plan shows a strong commitment to improving these poor outcomes through training of staff, improved access to services and addressing discrimination.”
“Many of the initiatives in the Action Plan will make a substantial difference to LGBTIQA+ health outcomes and are groundbreaking nationally.”
“We congratulate the Department, and its LGBTIQA+ Reference Group, on developing a Plan that will help ensure discrimination and stigma are no longer hurdles to LGBTIQA+ Tasmanians living healthy, happy lives.”
The Plan, launched today by Mental Health Minister, Roger Jaensch, and Department Secretary, Dale Webster, commits the Department to a set of actions over the next three years including:
- Piloting a Tasmanian LGBTIQA-specific mental health service
- 85% of mental health staff trained in LGBTIQA+ inclusive health care
- Improving health outcomes through a promotional campaign addressing anti-LGBTIQA+ prejudice, stigma and discrimination
- Improving gender affirming care by reducing wait times and establishing a lived-experience advisory group
- Advancing current work to ensure all Department data gathering recognises sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics
- An LGBTIQA+ mental health small grants program
- Promoting best-practice care for people with innate variations of sex characteristics
- Do more to advocate for LGBTIQA+ health equity at a national level and to showcase the Department’s achievements
One of the major sources of information for the Action Plan was the “Telling Us The Story” report commissioned by the Tasmanian Government and conducted by the University of Tasmania.
Today’s launch coincided with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Department’s LGBTIQA+ Reference Group in 1999.
The Action Plan can be found here: https://www.health.tas.gov.au/
A photo from the launch is attached (L to R: Rodney Croome, Dale Webster, Lynn Jarvis, Roger Jaensch)
A short film released today about the history of the Tasmanian Health Department’s LGBTIQA+ Reference group can be found here: https://vimeo.com/
