Shoppers, advocates and service workers are watching Canberra’s next move on LGBTIQA+ equality , the ACT Government has rolled out a Second Action Plan (2026–28) with fresh measures to tackle violence, lift data collection and expand peer-led supports, but community groups say detail and funding still need to catch up.

  • New commitments: The Second Action Plan adds 36 actions across government, building on the first plan’s 37 measures and responding to the 2025 LGBTIQA+ Communities Survey.
  • Violence focus: The ACT Budget commits more than $1 million over four years to a dedicated LGBTIQA+ domestic, family and sexual violence program , plus targeted funding for trans supports and family services.
  • Data and inclusion: The plan prioritises better government data on LGBTIQA+ experiences and specific work for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQA+ people.
  • Community concern: Meridian and other groups welcome the direction but warn many actions lack clear funding, measurable outcomes and community-led delivery.
  • Practical note: If you work with LGBTIQA+ clients, expect expanded peer-led services but push for clarity on who will actually deliver them.

What’s new and why it matters now

The headline here is the plan’s sharper focus on safety , you can almost feel the priority in the language around family and domestic violence, a problem the government admits affects LGBTIQA+ people at higher rates. According to the ACT Budget, there’s more than $1 million over four years to create a dedicated program within the domestic, family and sexual violence sector, with extra funding for trans and gender-diverse peer supports and for parents and carers. That’s a practical step, because services set up around heterosexual norms have often left queer people stranded.

This Second Action Plan builds on the 2024 strategy and responds to the 2025 LGBTIQA+ Communities Survey, which flagged ongoing concerns about discrimination and access to services. For everyday Canberrans it means the government is trying to move beyond pledges to deliver specific supports , though the proof will be in outcomes and who’s at the table when decisions are made.

Better data: why counting matters for policy

Improving how government collects data on LGBTIQA+ experiences is a clear priority, and for good reason. You can’t design good services for communities you don’t properly measure, and better data should feed smarter health, safety and housing responses. The Office of LGBTIQA+ Affairs is named as a central player in lifting reporting and cross-agency coordination.

But data isn’t neutral. Meridian and others have pushed for community-led approaches to how questions are asked and how results are used, so that marginalised voices , including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQA+ people , aren’t glossed over in bureaucratic summaries. Practical tip: service providers should start reviewing intake forms and reporting tools now, to align with the new collection standards when they land.

Violence and supports: concrete funding, but questions remain

The budgeted funding signals a shift from talking to resourcing, yet community groups say many plan items still lack implementation detail. The government’s commitments include peer-led services funded at $688,000 over four years for trans and gender-diverse people, and $118,000 over two years for LGBTIQA+ parents and carers , welcome, targeted dollars that could make a real difference on the ground.

Still, Meridian’s leadership has cautioned that without sustained investment in community-controlled organisations these amounts may not scale to meet demand. The message is simple: money matters, but so does where it goes. If peer organisations aren’t resourced to expand, waitlists and service gaps will continue.

Community-controlled delivery: who gets to lead?

A common thread in the reaction has been a demand for genuine community leadership. Meridian CEO Joshua Anlezark said the plan looks good on paper but questioned how thoroughly community groups were involved in drafting it; consultation, he argued, was largely limited to a survey rather than co-design. That critique matters because organisations already doing frontline work bring practical expertise and trust that government bodies don’t.

The plan does retain funding routes such as the Capital of Equality Grants Program and continues support for peer-led organisations. Still, expect advocates to press for clearer contracts, capacity-building funding, and shared governance arrangements so community bodies can deliver rather than simply advise.

What to expect next and how to engage

A newly established LGBTIQA+ Ministerial Advisory Council will keep an eye on emerging issues and the plan’s rollout. That gives an institutional mechanism for oversight, but community groups are likely to watch closely for measurable outcomes and transparent reporting.

If you’re an advocate, service worker or interested Canberran, there are practical things to do: ask for timelines and KPIs for specific actions, push for co-design roles in funded projects, and keep pressure on agencies to publish progress updates. The plan sets a direction , community-led delivery and clear measurement will be the deciding factors.

It’s a step forward, but real equality will depend on committed funding, meaningful partnerships and how these actions are turned into on-the-ground change.

It's a small change that can make every service safer and more effective if the community gets to help steer it.

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