Monash Council's inaugural LGBTIQA+ Action Plan

Published on 05 December 2022

Monash Council endorsed its inaugural LGBTIQA+ Action Plan on 29 November 2022.

Monash Mayor, Cr Tina Samardzija, is proud that the Plan was endorsed at her first meeting as Mayor.

“As the closest level of government to the community, we have an important role in celebrating diversity, encouraging social inclusion and ensuring equity, safety and access across Monash for everyone, regardless of sexuality, sex characteristics or gender identity,” said Cr Samardzija.

“Our first LGBTIQA+ Action Plan builds on Council’s commitment to LGBTIQA+ inclusion and provides a framework and actions to better understand and respond to the experiences and priorities of LGBTIQA+ communities in Monash. This will include working with other Council advisory groups, such as our Multicultural Advisory Committee, to explore and encourage inclusion of LGBTIQA+ people.

“The initial idea of this Plan stems from Council’s response to the marriage equality debate in 2017 when Councillors realised that we can, and should, be doing more to represent and support LGBTIQA+ communities in Monash.

“This Plan now provides a significant opportunity to capture lessons learnt, build upon evidence, and further strengthen diversity, inclusion and belonging to transform LGBTIQA+ people’s lives for the better in Monash.

“I thank everyone who gave their time and voice to shaping this plan. Especially our LGBTIQA+ Advisory Committee, my fellow Councillors, Council staff and the LGBTIQA+ people and their allies who we consulted.

“We see you, we hear you, and we’re here to support you” said Cr Samardzija.

You can read the plan and learn how community consultation helped to shape its development on Shape Monash.

Not sure what LGBTIQA+ stands for? At Monash we use LGBTIQA+ for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning and asexual. The plus sign acknowledges that language may evolve in how we describe the diverse ways in which people can experience gender, sexuality, and sex characteristics.