Our Election Priorities – Week 1
At Drummond Street Services, we pride ourselves on centring community leadership, providing social justice-informed intervention, and evidence-based practice. Therefore, our Social Justice Committee is presenting a 5-week election campaign with some of the focus areas that we would like to see adequately considered and addressed, demanding all political parties to support inherent human rights, embrace expertise and evidence-based decisions and avoid backwards steps.
Week 1 – LGBTQIA+ communities and Family Violence
A genuinely inclusive family violence system must support people not only to escape violence, but to rebuild their lives with safety, dignity and autonomy.
Safety is just the beginning. Recovery takes ongoing support.
LGBTQIA+ people can experience family violence in intimate relationships, families of origin and other family-like relationships. Abuse may involve threats of outing, identity-based abuse, coercive control, homophobia, transphobia and discrimination.
Yet stigma, fear of discrimination and limited access to inclusive services can make it harder to seek help.
Escaping violence is not the end of the journey. Victim-survivors may continue to face housing insecurity, financial hardship, psychological distress and social isolation. Recovery requires more than crisis intervention — it requires ongoing, affirming support that recognises each person’s identity, experiences and needs.
Short-term funding makes it harder for specialist services to retain skilled practitioners, build community trust and provide consistent support over time.
Ahead of the Victorian election, we call on all candidates to commit to:
- Sustainable, long-term funding for specialist LGBTQIA+ family violence services.
- Accessible, ongoing recovery support, including LGBTQIA+-affirming counselling, case management, advocacy and referrals.
- Flexible financial and brokerage assistance for safe accommodation, relocation, transport and essential living costs.
- Lived-experience-informed decision-making that places LGBTQIA+ communities and victim-survivors at the centre of service design, funding and accountability.
We call on the Victorian election candidates to turn commitments to inclusion into sustained investment and meaningful support.
