A VOICE AT STATE LEVEL FOR THE LGBTI COMMUNITY

By Jonathan Duffy
Queensland’s LGBTI community have set in motion the means to ascertain representation to the State Government.
A LGBTI roundtable consisting of eight community members with extensive knowledge and experience of the LGBTI community is to be established, and will be chaired by the Deputy Director General.
The intention of the round table is to give a voice to the community in the form of regular meetings with senior policy makers. In Queensland there are only two LGBTI community organisations that receive recurrent funding, of these two, only one receives funding from the State Government.
A number of LGBTI groups have commented in the past that government funding was somewhat of a catch 22 situation. In order for them to receive funding, that will in turn benefit the community, they first need to be recognised. However, in order to be recognised, they need to have received funding.

The recommendation for a LGBTI round table to consult with the department of communities came about as a direct result of this need for specific representation.
The group will consult with the Department of Communities and Minister and assist in the implementation of mechanisms that will hopefully ensure that our interests and concerns are addressed at a state level.
Russel Flynn of Open Doors told QNews that it was positive to see that change has occurred, albeit in small doses.
“Twenty years ago I would have been arrested and face very serious criminal charges, and now I was being invited to Parliament House,” he said.
Mr Flynn also reiterated the importance of staying vigilant and reminded us that this initiative was only possible because of many hours of volunteer work.
“This is a very positive step forward for our community,” he said. “We just have to work to make sure the genie doesn’t get put back in the bottle”.