The importance of the Community Visitors Scheme (CVS).
Javier, a volunteer from our Out & About - Connecting older LGBTI Victorians program talks about volunteering, the importance of community connection, and what the Community Visitors Scheme (CVS) means to them:
2022 Federal Budget
While Switchboard Victoria welcomes the ongoing funding for mental health in the 2022 Federal Budget, key priority groups including LGBTIQA+ populations have once again been overlooked.
In a conservative estimate, 10-15% of all suicide attempts in Australia are made by people who are LGBTIQA+.
If the government is serious about its toward-zero suicide target, we would expect at least 15% of Commonwealth funding to go toward LGBTIQA+ peer-based and lived-experience suicide prevention programs. In this case, we received 0% of national funding.
We need a targeted LGBTIQA+ response from the national government. More of the same has not worked and will not work for our communities.
Religious Discrimination Bill
Switchboard strongly opposes this dangerous Bill and the damage it has and continues to create. Whilst we would support a bill that would genuinely protect people from religious discrimination, this cannot be at the expense of causing harm and distress against another community. The freedom to discriminate against an individual based on who they are is unacceptable and has no place in our legal system, or in any future public debate. Read our full media release here.
STATEMENT ON POLICE MARCHING AT PRIDE MARCH 2022
Switchboard Victoria shares the concerns of many others regarding the proposed participation of Victoria Police marching in uniform in the 2022 Pride March. Our position is informed by our daily work providing trauma-informed support to our LGBTIQA+ communities. Switchboard believes all members of our LGBTIQA+ communities have the inarguable right to march in an environment that feels welcoming and safe for them.