Current policy actions and recommendations informing our work
- Mar 3, 2025
- 12 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
The following is a summary of relevant recommendations and principles that have been proposed, supported or agreed to by the Queensland Government across State and Commonwealth policy areas. These include:
QUEENSLAND
Pride in Our Communities 2023-2032: is the Queensland Government's first strategy for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, plus (LGBTQIA+) communities.
● Impact Area One: Inclusive Culture
● Impact Area Two: Stronger Communities and Connections
● Impact Area Three: Providing responsive, inclusive and accessible services
Action 35. Embed targeted domestic and family violence (DFV) responses by and for LGBTQIA+ communities across Queensland’s extensive domestic, family and sexual violence reform program
Action 41. Work with the domestic and family violence and sexual violence specialist service sector to ensure services are inclusive of and responsive to the needs of LGBTQIA+ people
Action 42. Support DJAG-funded domestic, family and sexual violence specialist service providers to gather data about the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people in accessing DFV services, to inform ongoing Queensland Government service design and delivery.
Queensland’s Plan for the Primary Prevention of Violence Against Women 2024-28: is a 5-year plan developed by the Queensland Government to address the drivers of violence against women and prevent domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV) from occurring.
Focus Area 1: Leadership and Community Awareness and capability building. Community driven initiatives are crucial to ensuring that primary prevention activities are not just ‘delivered,’ but are developed alongside the community based on their needs and local contexts, including addressing the impacts of intersecting forms of disadvantage... Central to this is engaging everyone in the prevention of violence, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTIQ+ people, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with disability, older people, children and young people, and people living in regional and remote Queensland.
The Women's Safety and Justice Taskforce was established as an independent, consultative taskforce by the Queensland Government to examine:
coercive control and review the need for a specific offence of domestic violence
the experience of women across the criminal justice system.
The Taskforce made recommendations to the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Minister for Women and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence.
Recommendation 8. Creation of targeted, community-specific resources about coercive control and changes to the law, including LGBTIQA+ communities
Recommendation 13. The Queensland Government develop a five-year whole-of-government domestic and family violence service system strategic investment plan encompassing services and supports delivered and funded by Queensland Government agencies. The strategic investment plan will guide investment decision-making over the next five years including in relation to: …services that are better tailored to meet the needs of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability and LGBTIQA+ people, young people and older people
Recommendation 1: Primary Prevention community education campaigns inclusive of LGBTIQA+ communities
Recommendation 10: The Queensland Government develop a five-year whole-of-government strategic investment plan for the services delivered and funded by government agencies to prevent and respond to sexual violence The plan will include the provision of: …services to meet the needs of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability and LGBTIQA+ people, children, young people and older people
The Domestic and Family Violence Death Review and Advisory Board is responsible for the systemic review of domestic and family violence deaths in Queensland. The establishment of the board was a key recommendation from the Special Taskforce on Domestic and Family Violence Final Report, Not Now, Not Ever: Ending domestic and family violence in Queensland
That government funded and other organisations that currently provide support services for victims and their children, and perpetrators of domestic and family violence, review how their services are promoted and branded to ensure they are inclusive and accessible for LGBTIQ+ people where appropriate.
NATIONAL
Recommendation 2
The Australian Government Department of Social Services should require and report on LGBTIQA+ and trans and gender diverse representation in their workforce and on key advisory groups, committees and rapid reviews in key areas such as housing, domestic, sexual and family violence prevention, and community services
Recommendation 3
The Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission (DFSVC) should establish an ongoing LGBTIQA+ working group, including trans and gender diverse representation, to:
a) provide advice on initiatives to prevent and respond to gender based violence, including implementation of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022–2032
b) develop initiatives to build workforce capacity and understanding of how intersecting forms of discrimination can affect trans and gender diverse people’s experiences of domestic, family and sexual violence.
c) strengthen relationships and cross capacity building between the DFSVC, crisis response services and trans and gender diverse stakeholders.
Recommendation 4
The Australian Government Attorney General’s Department, along with state and territory governments, should establish LGBTIQA+ justice working groups that include trans and gender diverse representation. The working groups should protect the human rights of trans and gender diverse people by:
a) working with criminal justice systems (police, courts and prison systems) to design and monitor policies and practices
b) working with the trans and gender diverse community to develop methods to identify and track hate crimes, including community reporting mechanisms
c) advancing priority areas of justice and law reform, including decriminalisation of appropriate offences, justice reinvestment and measures to address and prevent discriminatory behaviours.
Recommendation 6
Federal, state and territory governments should ensure crisis accommodation and homelessness support services offer inclusive support and are adequately funded to do so. This includes increasing sector-wide awareness, understanding and capabilities about intersecting marginalisations which affect trans and gender diverse people from diverse backgrounds.
Recommendation 7
All government, government-affiliated and government-funded bodies that collect demographic data should ensure data on gender, sexuality and innate variations of sex characteristics (sometimes known as intersex variations) is collected in line with the ABS Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables (2020). This includes:
a) collecting data on gender identity from everybody to ensure that health and support services have the data necessary to meet the needs of trans and gender diverse children and adolescents
b) implementing new data collection protocols in partnership with LGBTIQA+ and trans and gender diverse specific organisations to establish community trust and ensure privacy and sensitivity concerns are understood.
Recommendation 13:
The Australian Government should repeal Section 43A of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth).
Recommendation 14:
The Australian Government should:
a) amend section 37(1)(d) and repeal section 38 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) and make consequential amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), as recommended by the Australian Law Reform Commission in its 2024 report ‘Maximising the Realisation of Human Rights: Religious Educational Institution and Anti Discrimination Laws’
b) request the Australian Law Reform Commission to further review and make recommendations about how to amend the exemption for religious bodies under section 37(1)(d) of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth).
Recommendation 15
State and territory governments should review and amend their anti discrimination legislation to ensure that trans and gender diverse people have equal access to publicly funded services, including those provided by religious bodies.
At the heart of Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices is a collective call for safety, dignity, justice and healing, carried by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across generations. This vision is for communities where no one lives in fear: where women, children, young people, men, Elders, LGBTIQA+SB peoples, people with disability, and those incarcerated or removed from their families all live in safety, with respect and dignity.
Five Essential Threads:
Centring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice, self-determination, and agency
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander–led solutions
Reforming institutions and systems that impact safety
Strengthening evidence, research, and the data ecosystem through Indigenous Data Sovereignty
Breaking cycles of harm through strengthened housing and financial security
Recommendation 1: Fund specialist organisations to deliver accessible and culturally appropriate education and outreach on WSH. These organisations include settlement and multicultural services, LGBTIQA+ organisations, youth centres, disability services, women’s services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services. This work would complement the work of unions, the National Access to Justice Partnership Agreement 2025-30 and the Respect@Work Working Women’s Centre funding.
Recommendation 4: Amend the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (Cth) to drive safer, more inclusive workplaces by requiring data collection on the experiences of workers with disability and those from LGBTIQA+, First Nations, and culturally and racially marginalised backgrounds. Introducing numeric targets under each Gender Equality Indicator will improve visibility of systemic inequities, support evidence-based action, and strengthen employer accountability for the safety and wellbeing of all workers.
Recommendation 11: Strengthen employer accountability for preventing workplace sexual harassment by:
a) Amending section 49 of the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth) to enable better information sharing between regulators.
b) Introducing civil penalties for breaches of the Positive Duty under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth).
National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ People 2025-2035: This action plan outlines Australia’s national approach to improving the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ people from 2025 to 2035.
Action 1: Establish strong leadership within the Australian Government to champion diversity and inclusive behaviours:
a. Embed people with lived experience in governance groups across the Department of Health and Aged Care and broader government
b. Ensure LGBTIQA+ people are engaged on issues that impact them
Action 7: Build capacity and scale of health and wellbeing services for LGBTIQA+ people
a. Support LGBTIQA+ community controlled organisations providing targeted care and support across LGBTIQA+ communities
• Support LGBTIQA+ community-controlled health services providing safe, inclusive and integrated care to LGBTIQA+ people. This includes, but is not limited to general practice, mental health and wellbeing, substance use, sexual and reproductive health care, and family, domestic and sexual violence services.
b. Support Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and Primary Health Networks to improve access to services for First Nations LGBTIQA+ people
Action 9: Support LGBTIQA+ people to access appropriate family, domestic and sexual violence supports
a. Ensure family, domestic, and sexual violence responses include targeted supports for LGBTIQA+ people
• All LGBTIQA+ people, including First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse LGBTIQA+ people should have access to culturally safe and trauma informed family, domestic, and sexual violence support services. This includes protections and services for older people experiencing abuse (elder abuse)
Action 12: Build a pipeline of culturally safe and inclusive health and wellbeing workers
a. Promote LGBTIQA+ specific health care needs in workforce planning
Action 13: Upskill the existing workforce to ensure responsive and safe care
c. Work with relevant professional and peak bodies to review and update clinical guidelines to ensure they are inclusive of LGBTIQA+ people
Action 14: Improve collection, disaggregation and publication of LGBTIQA+ data across health and wellbeing datasets
a. Be guided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2020 Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables (2020 Standard) in the design of Australian Government population health datasets
Action 15: Ensure data is used routinely in policy and planning activities
c. Ensure all policy and programs evaluate impacts on LGBTIQA+ people, where appropriate
Action 16: Promote and facilitate research that builds the evidence base and addresses knowledge gaps
a. Define national research priorities for LGBTIQA+ health and wellbeing
Recommendations:
1. Establish a national LGBTIQA+ safety alliance
2. Develop a dedicated LGBTIQA+ action in the Second Action Plan 2027 – 2032
3. Build the sustainable capacity of LGBTIQA+ community-led organisations
4. Develop a national workforce and service accountability that acknowledges the specific needs of LGBTIQA+ communities
5. Research to accurately capture LGBTIQA+ people’s experiences of violence
6. Youth specific DFSV programs
7. [Programs for] LGBTIQA+ people who use violence
8. Programs responding to and preventing sexual assault in LGBTIQA+ communities
9. [Funding for] Primary prevention
Safe, Informed, Supported: Reforming Justice Responses to Sexual Violence (ALRC Report 143): The Terms of Reference for this inquiry tasked the ALRC with examining a range of issues with the aim of strengthening and harmonising sexual assault and consent laws. The referral also asked the ALRC to promote and consider just outcomes for people who have experienced sexual violence, including minimising retraumatisation.
Recommendation 1: The Australian Government, together with state and territory governments, should fund relevant organisations... to provide the following three services (Safe, Informed, and Supported Services, or SIS Services):
a. Independent Legal Services
b. Justice System Navigators
c. Safe Places to Disclose
Recommendation 38: The Australian Government should resource and support ongoing public education about consent. The Australian Government should build upon existing initiatives, with an emphasis on identifying gaps and meeting the needs of different communities.
d. Education programs should be developed through a process of participatory design, which includes children and young people, older people, First Nations communities, LGBTQIA+ communities, neurodiverse people, people with disabilities, and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Reform area 5: Inclusion and intersectionality:
● Systemic and structural transformation of mainstream government organisations is necessary to improve accountability and respond to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly in the family violence, child protection and justice systems. This... has particular salience for LGBTIQA+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy, and gender-diverse people.
● Explore creation of accessible and trauma informed crisis and accommodation services, suitable for LGBTIQA+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy, people with disability and Elders across the nation
● Support Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations aimed at preventing and responding to violence experienced by LGBTIQA+, Sistergirl and Brotherboy in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities e.g. rainbow tick accreditation (racism and homophobia).
The National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032: is the overarching national policy framework that will guide actions towards ending violence against women and children in one generation. It highlights how all parts of society need to work together to end gender-based violence in one generation.
● The National Plan seeks to explicitly include LGBTIQA+ people and children as part of Australia’s commitment to ending all forms of gender-based violence
● LGBTIQA+ people experiencing or recovering from violence must have access to safe, inclusive and affirming services, and have choice and control over the services they access. To achieve this, the National Plan promotes increased investment in sexual, domestic and family violence services and programs led by LGBTIQA+ specialist services across Australia. It also promotes building the capacity of the broader service system to respond to the needs of LGBTIQA+ people
● Collaboration and partnerships between specialist domestic, family and sexual violence services and other services such as... LGBTIQA+ community organisations... are critical in increasing the ability to provide tailored, expert care and support
● work to address violence against LGBTIQA+ people should be led by organisations and individuals within those communities, based on their own frameworks and priorities
The Commonwealth Inquiry into Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence 2021: On 4 June 2020, the House Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs adopted an inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence. The inquiry was referred by the Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, and the Minister for Families and Social Services, Senator the Hon Anne Ruston.
Recommendation 43: The Committee recommends that policies and programs relating to family, domestic and sexual violence as it affects LGBTQI communities be developed in partnership between government agencies and LGBTQI organisations.
National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030: is the first of its kind in Australia, and provides a nationally coordinated, strategic framework for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse. It seeks to reduce the risk, extent and impact of child sexual abuse and related harms in Australia. The National Strategy was a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (Royal Commission), and responds to approximately 100 other Royal Commission recommendations to address child sexual abuse in all settings.
Implementation Standard 2: Accessible and inclusive services Organisational and service activities
● Maintain partnerships with ACCOs and others who provide specialist services to priority groups (for example, LGBTQIA+)
● Are accredited with related standards (for example, Rainbow Tick, Child Safe Accreditation)
2030:
Long Term Outcome 5: Victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, including secondary victims, receive high quality therapeutic responses and support at all stages of life… Support also must meet the needs of diverse groups of people, including those who… identify as LGBTQIA+
Priority area 3 – Chronic conditions and preventive health
Priority 3. Tailor health services to meet the needs of all women and girls.
Action: Ensure health policy development for women and girls addresses the needs of priority populations.
Detail: Focus on Women’s population groups where poor health outcomes are experienced, including [intersectionally marginalised cohorts such as] LBTI communities.
Priority Area 5 – Health impacts of violence against women and girls
What needs more attention:
Women who experience multiple forms of inequality and discrimination experience higher rates of family and intimate partner violence, sexual violence and reproductive coercion. This is particularly prevalent among intersectionally marginalised cohorts such as] LBTI women.
Investing in research
Priority 1: Strengthen and diversity research and data collection across identified health priorities for women and girls
Action: Establish and improve data collection processes and disaggregation of existing and future data and research to develop better understanding of health access, experiences and outcomes, and to inform policy design.
Detail: Include identifiers for… Intersex Australians and national population-level data for LBTI communities.
Strengthening partnerships
The Strategy acknowledges the vital role that specialist health delivery services for women, … LBTI services, and others play in improving the outcomes for women with intersectional issues such as gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and disability.
The Strategy acknowledges the vital role that specialist health delivery services for women, … LBTI services, and others play in improving the outcomes for women with intersectional issues such as gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and disability.
