I Can See Queerly Now

Looking to the future of NSW’s GLBT community is the focus of a new initiative called GLBT NSW 2020. So what’s it all about and how can people get involved?

Remember the Federal Government’s 2020 Summit earlier this year? Lots of prominent Aussies putting in their two cents about Australia’s future? Well some of NSW’s leading GLBT community organisations got together recently to kick start a bit of forward thinking about NSW’s GLBT community.

“Our community is evolving, and is doing so at a rapid pace,” says ACON President Mark Orr, one of the organisers of GLBT NSW 2020, a special initiative which aims to create a plan for the development of NSW’s GLBT community. “So we need to know what people are concerned about and where they see their lives heading.”

Online questionnaires, focus groups and public forums are all set to be part of a wide-ranging community consultation to determine the best approach to dealing with the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for NSW’s GLBT community.

"While the Federal Government’s commitment to amending some pieces of discriminatory legislation is encouraging, there’s a lot more to do to gain full equality and inclusion for GLBT people,” Mark says.

“There are also many challenges within the GLBT community itself. In a health care context, these include social isolation, the impact of alcohol and other drugs, an ageing population and, or course, HIV. But there are lots of issues that need to be addressed and we’re confident this initiative will deliver the information we need to move forward.”

The 2020 initiative began in late September when representatives from about 20 leading GLBT community organisations met to discuss the parameters and how it should proceed. Following the meeting, an interagency working group has been formed to drive the initiative through the process of public consultation.

“We need to speak to individuals and hear all voices,” Mark says. “What is a key issue for a 22 year old man from Darlinghurst will be vastly different to an older lesbian couple living in the Blue Mountains. The way the community connects is also changing, with many GLBT people moving out of the traditional ghettos and into suburban areas. But we are all part of the same community and it’s this complete range of voices we need to hear.”

Details of the consultation phase will be announced in early December and organisers expect the process to take about six months. The findings will ultimately help determine planning decisions across the health, legal, business, sporting, youth, media and cultural sectors as well as the next round of initiatives to be put into action by ACON and other key GLBT community organisations.

“We need the community to tell us what they really need,” Mark says. “This is the time for people to talk, and for them to know that what they’re saying is leading somewhere that we hope will help everyone.”