The LNP Government announced today that it would strip the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities (QAHC), Queensland's only LGBT health and wellbeing organisation, of all its Government funding.
If the $2.6 million funding from Queensland Health is revoked, QAHC says it will mean an end to their health promotion work with gay men, LGBT awareness training, drug and alcohol services, and the loss of 26 of its 35 staff.
This is a very disappointing decision indeed, and together with the LNP's position on civil unions, just reinforces the notion amongst LGBT people in Queensland that our Government is not supportive and inclusive of our community. While I have been prepared to give the LNP the benefit of the doubt up until now, I am beginning to feel quite concerned about the LNP's position on LGBT issues. Indeed, on the same day the LNP announced this funding cut to QAHC, there was a story leaked to The Sunday Mail reporting that the Attorney-General will in the next few weeks bring proposals to Cabinet to amend the civil union legislation.
The LNP's decision
What is particularly concerning about the announcement by the Health Minister, Lawrence Springborg, to cut the funding to QAHC, is that the Minister's reasons are so weak and demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of the issues and the role QAHC plays in our community. A reading of the Minister's media release suggests there were two main reasons behind this decision.
HIV diagnosis rates
First, is the claim that QAHC has been failing in reducing HIV diagnosis rates:
Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said annual HIV diagnosis rates had doubled in the last decade: from 2.7 per 100,000 population in 2000, to 5.4 in 2010.
Mr Springborg said the HIV diagnosis rates represented an alarming failure in public health policy and public health outcomes over the last decade; and said he had been advised the diagnosis rates represented the highest levels in Queensland since figures became available in 1984.
“When it comes to health, unlike Labor, I refuse to throw good money after bad and I refuse to turn a blind eye to what are obviously ineffective campaigns at reducing HIV diagnosis rates,” Mr Springborg said.
“This clearly indicates that the campaigns and strategies, and the way those campaigns and strategies have been provided, is in need of urgent review and re-direction,” he said.
As is pointed by QAHC in their Response to Media Release by Minister Springborg and other material on their website, blaming QAHC for this is misguided for several reasons:
- Gay men have decreased as a proportion of people diagnosed with HIV over the past 10 years. This is in part because QAHC has been doing its job effectively and conscientiously within the LGBT community.
- QAHC only receives funding for HIV prevention among gay men. Other organisations and Queensland Government services receive funding for prevention and care and support work withother at risk communities. Indeed, QAHC only receives 13% of funds Queensland Health expends externally on HIV, Hepatitis & Sexually Transmissions Infections. QAHC cannot be held solely responsible for HIV or gay men’s behaviour, especially when Queensland has no mandatory sex and relationships education in schools, Queensland Health has not delivered general community HIV or sexual awareness campaigns for over a decade, There is no access to modern technology such as rapid HIV testing in Queensland, and when there is still a great deal of stigma and discrimination about HIV.
- If the Government wishes to review HIV strategies in Queensland - which is something they would certainly be entitled to do - then it would make sense to conduct the review first and then decide where funding should be cut or redirected, not the other way around. As Paul R Martin, Executive Director of QAHC, says, "Surely it would be more sensible to conduct a review of HIV strategies in Queensland first, then decide on where funding should go, rather than remove funding from one organisation, ours, andsort things out later." However it is worth noting that that the last time a review of this nature took place - as recently as last year - no adverse findings were made about the work done by QAHC. “An independent evaluation of the Queensland HIV, Hepatitis C and Sexually Transmitted Infections Strategy conducted in 2011, made no adverse comments about the work of Healthy Communities and no recommendation to defund Healthy Communities” said Paul R Martin.
- It is crucially important that HIV prevention among gay mean is done as part of a holistic approach to health issues for gay men. Drugs and alcohol, mental health, relationship issues, stigma and discrimination all impact on the decisions we make and our ability to implement those decisions. Promoting the wider health of gay men makes HIV prevention more successful. As Paul R Martin says, "Providing HIV prevention for gay men within the context of wider LGBT health issues is good for HIV prevention and good for the health of gay men."
- The approach adopted by QAHC reflects international best practice: "Most other HIV prevention services for gay men in Australia and the developed world also address wider health issues. This is international bestpractice” said Paul R Martin.
QAHC and political issues
The second main reason advanced by the Minister is seemingly the suggestion that QAHC has become a political organisation:
Mr Springborg said he would immediately move to re-direct over $2.5 million in government grants that had, until now, been channeled through the Queensland Association for Healthier Communities to conduct AIDS/HIV awareness and prevention strategies.
“Instead of this funding being administered by QAHC, which has published its intention to move the core of its activity away from AIDS/HIV to more general, political issues, it will be moved into the control of an expert panel - a Ministerial Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS.
While I would hope that the Government's announcement today was not politcally motivated, you cannot help but wonder whether this is - at least in part - political retaliation for the leading role a variety of LGBT community groups - including QAHC - have taken with respect to LBTI rights, especially civil unions and gay marriage, political positions that are currently supported by the LNP. Regardless of whether these political undertones are real or just perceived, the Minister's gratuitous comment about QAHC engaging in "political issues" is unfair. This is because QAHC's current service agreement with Queensland Health requires them to deliver advocacy on LGBT health issues:
Funded Service Type: Advocacy.
The organisation will represent consumers and/or consumer groups to advocate for theirhealth and wellbeing needs within the community as required.The organisation will target service providers and community organisations to promote community awareness of the needs and issues of consumers. The organisation will provide consultancy advice and support to health and communityservices on LGBT health and wellbeing issues.
If the Government was concerned about any advocacy activities currently carried out by QAHC, it would always amend that current service agreement to reduce or cut eliminate that role. That said, I think it is important that all health organisations - not just QAHC - are able to provide public policy advice to government. As Paul Martin says:
We are concerned that the defunding of Healthy Communities sends a message to other Queensland Health funded organisations that they are not allowed to provide public policy advice togovernment or the community. This is a series threat to the independence of the non-government 20 May 2012For immediate release ealth sector and future reform of our health system.
More specifically on the issue of QAHC's advocacy for civil partnerships and marriage equality, stable relationships, facilitated by civil partnerships and/or marriage is good for people’s health, including same-sex couples. This is also the position of the Australian Medical Association:
6.6 The AMA is supportive of legislation that proscribes discrimination and provides of same-sex unions and families as this will lead to legal, societal, financial and healthcare equity within the community.
As such, you would expect QAHC to advocate for civil partnerships and marriage equality.
What this all means
While I am pleased that the Government is still continuing to provide the samel level of money for HIV prevention, in light of the above reasons, I do not understand why there is a need to shift the money to the control of an expert panel - a Ministerial Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS - instead of continuing the good work by QAHC. It will create an additional, unnecessary bureaucratic body, provide further disruption in the fight against HIV, undermine the holistic approach to health issues for gay men, and greatly undermine the confidence the broader LGBT community has in the now LNP Government in Queensland. This is a deeply disappointing, short-sighted and ultimately counter-productive decision by the Government.
So what can we do?
On Facebook, QAHC has set up an event called Safe Healthy Communities. It suggests we all take the following steps:
- Join this event and invite your friends to support Healthy Communities. Tell people online how the organisation has helped you. Post pictures and video. Use the Twitter hashtag #SaveQAHC
- Contact the Health Minister Lawrence Springborg (tel: 3234 1191 email: [email protected] ) and Premier Campbell Newman (tel: 3224 4500 email: [email protected] ) and your local MP ( http://apps.aec.gov.au/eSearch/LocalitySearchResults.aspx?filter=4556&filterby=Postcode ) and call for our funding to be reinstated.
- Encourage your friends, family, colleagues and community members to take creative action.
- Express your views online, write to newspapers, on forums, the radio, everywhere!
- Donate to our fighting fund: www.healthycommunities.org.au/saveQAHC
I know I will be taking all of these steps, and I would encourage you to do the same.
More information
There is more information on the Save Healthy Communities website, including:
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