Our Commitment 

LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (LHA) is dedicated to addressing the unique challenges faced by LGBTIQ+ communities in relation to domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV). 

Like the general population, LGBTIQ+ individuals may experience sexual assault, violence in intimate relationships, and violence within their families of origin, carers, and extended family. A lack of comprehensive data, coupled with a focus on cisgender men’s violence against their cisgender female partners, often excludes LGBTIQ+ people from policy, practice, and service frameworks. 

LHA advocates for unified, inclusive action to ensure that policies and initiatives address the needs of LGBTIQ+ communities, fostering a safer and more inclusive society for all Australians. 

Our priorities include: 

• Calling for targeted actions in the federal government’s national plans to end violence. 
• Advocating for the inclusion of LGBTIQ+ measures in national programs and strategies to prevent and respond to violence. 
• Supporting the implementation of the ABS 2020 Standard to improve DFSV data collection. 
• Supporting our members in their work to address domestic, family and sexual violence. 

LHA remains committed to ensuring all LGBTIQ+ Australians have access to safe, inclusive, and effective support systems. 

National Plans 

The National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ People 2025–2035 highlights the need for culturally safe and inclusive approaches to address DFSV, acknowledging intersectionality and the compounded effects of discrimination. 

The National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children (2022–2032) (the National Plan) explicitly acknowledges that LGBTIQA+ populations are impacted by gendered violence and highlights that LGBTIQA+ people experience violence in their intimate partner relationships at levels comparable to those in cisgender heterosexual relationships, and that they also face significant violence within their families of origin, particularly as children and young people. 

Inclusion in the National Plan is critical in recognising, responding to and ending violence within LGBTIQA+ communities. The foundations have been laid for governments, programs, and services nationally, to collaborate with LGBTIQA+ communities. Clear, targeted actions, a plan for implementation and the necessary resources for implementation are urgently needed. 

National roundtable and report  

In October 2024, with the support of a $15,000 grant from the Department of Social Services, LHA hosted a national roundtable for specialists in LGBTQ+SB domestic, family and sexual violence. 

This roundtable was convened to address the longstanding lack of opportunities for collaboration among LGBTQ+SB professionals and the absence of coordinated strategies within the LGBTQ+SB DFSV sector. The lack of core funding and strategic action for LGBTQ+SB DFSV services and programs has led to persistent gaps in service provision, data collection, and prevention initiatives, hindering efforts to address and reduce violence in our communities. 

The outcomes of this roundtable are presented in the report Where to From Here: An Approach to Ending Gender-Based Violence in LGBTQ+SB Communities. The report outlines nine key recommendations for improving safety, support, and policy for LGBTQ+SB communities. 

It calls for coordinated action across all levels of government to address gender-based violence and implement these recommendations through collaborative efforts. 

Read the report

Sexual violence prevention projects 

As part of the Fourth Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010–2022, LHA was engaged by the Department of Social Services (DSS) in 2021 to undertake a co-design process with member organisations and community representatives across Australia to provide recommendations on sexual violence and harassment prevention activities that meet the specific needs of LGBTIQA+ people and communities. 

The consultation process identified nine potential pilot programs. In June 2022, DSS funded three of these pilots for development and delivery: 

• Peer support for LGBTIQA+ people with disabilities experiencing isolation, led by Meridian in the ACT. 

• Protecting personal autonomy for intersex individuals, led by InterAction (formerly Intersex Human Rights Australia). 

• Safety, acceptance, and identity initiatives for LGBTIQA+, Two Spirit, Sistergirl, and Brotherboy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, led by LHA in NSW and 2Spirits in QLD, in partnership with a range of Aboriginal organisations and individuals. 

All three pilots will conclude in June 2025.

Financial abuse in LGBTIQ+ communities 

There is limited information on financial abuse in LGBTIQ+ relationships in Australia. To address this gap, from 2024 – 2025, LHA partnered with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s Customer Advocacy and Vulnerability team to raise awareness and provide support for those impacted. 

Together, we created resources to help individuals and professionals understand financial abuse and access help: 

Support options: 

If you need information or support for domestic, family and/or sexual violence, please contact one of these services:  

Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline:
Phone: 1800 497 212 
https://fullstop.org.au/get-help/our-services/rainbowviolenceandabusesupport 
Telephone support for anyone in Australia who is from LGBTQ+ communities who has recently or in the past experienced sexual, domestic or family violence. 

1800RESPECT
Phone: 1800 737 732  
www.1800respect.org.au  
Information and support for anyone in Australia experiencing DFV or sexual assault 24 hours/day, 7 days/ week. The website has an LGBTIQ specific information section.  

QLIFE:
Phone: 1800 184 527  
www.qlife.org.au  
Free telephone and web-based counselling, referrals and support for LGBTI people and their families   

For more information: 
If you would like more information on LGBTQ+ relationships, please go to www.sayitoutloud.org.au