The results from Just.Equal Australia’s 2022 LGBTIQA+Post Election Survey have now been released.
The aim of the Just.Equal Australia post-election survey, was to identify the factors that influenced the votes of LGBTIQA+ people and their allies in the 2022 Australian federal election vote. This information will be used to inform Australia's politicians and to advocate for the formulation of government policy.
Just.Equal Australia has released new research involving a nation-wide sample of LGBTIQA+ participants, showing that over one in five who voted Labor in 2019 voted Greens at last year’s federal election.Key reasons for this included Labor’s record on the Religious Discrimination Bill and its limited commitments on LGBTIQA+ rights.
The survey of 2,430 predominantly Labor and Greens LGBTIQA+ voters and allies, from 99% of electorates, found that 21.3% of LGBTIQA+ participants who voted Labor in 2019 switched to the Greens in 2022.
When asked what influenced their vote in 2022, LGBTIQA+ people rated climate change, then LGBTIQA+ issues and the Religious Discrimination Bill, as their main reasons from a comprehensive list which included the economy, health and housing.
Transgender prejudice and discrimination was rated fifth out of thirteen by survey respondents and was the number one issue for trans and gender diverse people.
Just.Equal Australia spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said,
"The survey shows Labor lost votes at the last election because it was not doing enough to ensure equality and inclusion for all LGBTIQA+ communities, and was seen as pandering to those who oppose our rights."
“To coincide with World Pride, Labor committed funds to LGBTIQA+ health research and overseas advocacy, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese marched in the Mardi Gras Parade, but as welcome as this is, Labor will need to do more to reclaim its lost LGBTIQA+ voters.”
"If Labor wants to win back disillusioned LGBTIQA+ voters it must develop a stronger reform agenda and a find a louder voice to advocate for those reforms."
"Given how concerned trans and gender diverse voters are about the growing threat of anti-trans prejudice, only a party that addresses this head-on will win over these voters."
Mr Croome said Just.Equal representatives will be in Canberra this week to talk to Labor MPs about the survey results.
“We will be telling the government it’s time to commit to a range of long overdue reforms. These include:
- Comprehensive protection for LGBTQA+ students and teachers in faith-based schools
- Comprehensive protection for LGBTQA+ staff, clients and volunteers in faith-based social services, including hospitals, employment services and accommodation providers
- National LGBTIQA+ vilification laws
- Counting LGBTIQA+ people in the Census
- Appointing an LGBTIQA+ Human Rights Commissioner
- Medicare rebates for gender-affirming health care
- Medicare and PBS rebates for people who are intersex and have been subjected to non-consenting surgeries now requiring lifelong medical services
- A national ban on unnecessary "normalising" surgeries on intersex infants
- Medicare rebates for surrogacy arrangements
- Trans, bi, intersex and asexual/aromantic community education programs
- Federal funding for LGBTIQA-inclusive schools and health care
- Removing the ban on blood donation from gay and bisexual men, trans women and some non-binary people who have sex with men
- Establishing permanent LGBTIQA+ advisory groups in relevant federal government agencies
- Reinstating the ministerial Equality Portfolio
Mr Croome noted that since the 2022 election, Labor has:
- Refused to include LGBTIQA+ community representatives in the Jobs and Skills Summit
- Refused to create an LGBTIQA+ Commissioner to the Australian Human Rights Commission
- Refused to remove the current gay blood ban
- Failed to clearly commit to counting LGBTIQA+ people in the 2026 Census
- Excluded LGBTIQA+ staff, clients and volunteers of faith-based services (other than schools) from the Australian Law Reform Commission’s inquiry into religious exemptions.
Dr Sharon Dane, a social science researcher who assisted with the survey design and analysis of the data, said
“New US research shows that LGBTIQA+ people are expected to be one of the fastest growing voting demographics, with one-in-seven voters likely to identify as LGBTIQA+ by 2030."
"As Australia is not likely to differ greatly when it comes to the number of people who are LGBTIQA+, the Just.Equal survey results suggest our politicians need to seriously listen to the needs of LGBTIQA+ communities or risk losing more votes to those who will.”*
Survey respondents came from 149 of the nation's 151 electorates.
Other findings
The survey found a significant number of LGBTIQA+ people and allies followed the national trend of shifting their votes from both major parties to Greens, independents, Teals and smaller left-leaning parties.
It also found LGBTIQA+ participants who identified as female were more likely than males to say transgender prejudice and discrimination affected their vote.
According to Just.Equal spokesperson, Sally Goldner,
"This confirms that women in the LGBTIQA+ community affirm trans and gender diverse people and this needs to guide further progress in all areas of life for trans and gender diverse people.”
Allies rated LGBTIQA+ issues and transgender prejudice and discrimination as the fourth and fifth most important issues to them after climate change, treatment of women and an independent commission on corruption.
A copy of the survey report is attached here.
Reference for US research
* Goldberg, S.K, Julian, C.A., Manning, W.D., Westrick-Payne, K.K., & Wetrosky, G. (October, 2022). Equality Electorates: The projected growth of the LGBTQ+ voters in coming decades. Human Rights Campaign Foundation and Bowling Green State University.
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Eli Crump published this page in Research 2023-03-06 13:46:58 +1100