On this episode of The Informer, we head to Fortitude Valley in QLD and speak to a Senior Constable who has travelled the world, looking at how police in other countries have created stronger pathways within their LGBTI communities, in order to create stronger pathways to tackle domestic violence in LGBTI relationships.

Plus we look at a report from the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission as we explore why LGBTI communities account for less than 1 per cent of over 10,000 grant-making charities in Australia who have allocated funding. Are we not reaching out and asking for support, or is this something bigger?

Your host for tonight is Ruby Susan.

With the opportunity to gain first-hand insights into issues surrounding Domestic Violence in LGBTI communities around the world, Senior Constable Ben Bjarnesen from the Fortitude Valley police station in QLD headed overseas as part of his role as the 2016 Churchill Fellowship Recipient. He conducted research into domestic violence in our communities by working closely with international police jurisdictions across four countries.

Dean Arcuri spoke to Senior Constable Ben Bjarnesen about the Churchill Trust, and what his research found.

In Australia in 2016, over $4 billion was allocated by grant-making charities to applicants in the form of grants and donations.

Of the more than 10,000 grant-making charities in Australia, only 83 reported that they had reached the LGBTI communities with their funding.

The report, published by the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission, does not specify the dollar amount that went to our communities, but with less than 1 per cent of over 10,000 grant-making charities allocating funding to the LGBTI communities, the situation doesn’t look good.

Rachel Tyler Jones spoke with the Executive Director of The Channel, Georgia Matthews,  who has called the situation “pretty bleak”, start by talking to Georgia about her organisation ‘The Channel’.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions last week called for a 7.2 per cent increase to minimum and award wages. With 60 per cent of women and 42 per cent of men in the LGBTIQ community earning less than $40,000 per year.

This increase would be a significant increase in wages for many LGBTIQ Australians.

Although last year’s report from St George Bank showed that the LGBTIQ community in Australia does, on average, earn 25 per cent more than their straight counterparts, it also outlined the financial costs for this community that negate the higher earnings.

Most LGBTIQ individuals were nearly a third less likely to own their own homes, and those who had managed to enter the property market had a mortgage 41 per cent higher than the straight individuals surveyed, plus there’s further financial strains of expensive medical procedures for many in the trans community, and high assisted reproduction costs for most LGBTIQ individuals hoping to have children.

Dean Arcuri spoke to St George Banks General Manager Ross Miller, about the research they discovered.

This segment of The Informer aired on 19th of March 2018.

GLOBAL pioneer of research into HIV, Professor David Cooper, passed away on Sunday aged 69 after a short illness.

Prof Cooper initiated ground-breaking research into the infectious disease and was one of the first to respond to the worldwide AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s.

We pay tribute to him with the following audio collected from conversations he has had over the past few years, as well as with a tribute from the president of ACON Justin Koonin, who pays his respects

On this episode of The Informer we speak to St Georges Bank, who have released further finding from their LGBTQI Financial Wellbeing Report, and we also pay tribute to the passing of one of Australia’s pioneering researchers into HIV/AIDS, and a passionate LGBTI health advocate, Scientia Professor David Cooper AO, who passed away on Sunday, aged 69 ,after a short illness.

This episode of The Informer was hosted by Lara Dickinson on JOY 94.9.

Now that marriage equality has passed nationally, it is time for other laws to get in line as well, and when it comes to same couples being able to adopt, that is now the case.

This week in the Northern Territory the Adoption of Children Legislation Amendment Equality Bill passed, allowing same sex couples, to be able to adopt and take another step closer to bringing families together legally under the law.

Dean Arcuri spoke to the Human Rights Law Centres Lee Carnie, about what this change in the law means.

This segment of the Informer aired on JOY 94.9 on 15th March 2018

Victoria is on a measles alert as of last week.

Many people may have been exposed to the virus between Saturday March 3 and Wednesday March 7 in a large number of city and rural locations.

Dean Arcuri spoke to Deputy Chief Health Officer Dr Brett Sutton about the alert, and why people need to be vaccinated.

Places where you can get help if you think you are showing symptoms are your doctor or an emergency department.

We have a link to all this information on our social media or check out betterhealth.vic.gov.au

This segment of the Informer aired on JOY 94.9 on 15th March 2018

Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, who became the first openly gay athlete to compete for the united states in the winter Olympics has delivered a powerful speech about coming out and self-acceptance after receiving the Human Rights Campaign’s Visibility Award.

In his speech he discussed how he was afraid that he wouldn’t be welcomed by the LGBTQ community because, someone like him wouldn’t be the role model the community was looking for.

This got us at The Informer thinking, where any of you freaked out because you wouldn’t be accepted or welcomed by the LGBTIQ community BEFORE you came out of the closet?

Or maybe do you feel this way now?

If so, we want to hear from you, because our diversity is our strength, and our inclusivity is what makes us a stronger, more accepting community.

We aren’t just a voice for the parts of our communities that speak the loudest or the longest, we all have something to say.

If you would like to share who you are or how you feel with us here on The Informer, then get in touch at [email protected] or via our facebook or twitter, and help us show how our it is differences, make us a stronger community.

This segment of the Informer aired on JOY 94.9 on 15th March 2018

On this episode, we hear about Victoria’s measles alert, after two people travelling have come down with symptoms, there is concern that the infectious viral disease could spread, and we are asking Victorians to be aware of measles symptoms and what to do if you are concerned.

And we also head to the Northern Territory, who have lined up with the rest of the nation when it comes to adoption equality, passing a bill this week that allows same sex couples to adopt.

Plus we touch on being yourself in marginalised communities, do you feel like you are being you?

This episode of The Informer on JOY 94.9 was hosted by Daniel Roberts.