"As a member of that community and as someone who has experienced those challenges firsthand, Gippsland Pride's work is critical," said Britt who is personally donating $25,000 to the cause.

Aussie Broadband said the funding will allow the Gippsland Pride Initiative to “facilitate training for health professionals and community educators to better address the needs of the Gippsland LGBTIQ+ community, as identified in the recent Rainbow Brick Road survey.”

“The donations that Aussie Broadband and I have made will allow Gippsland Pride to move from their totally volunteer base, to having the support of a dedicated staff member to further their work,” said Britt.

“We have no doubt Aussie Broadband will be walking alongside us in bringing this to fruition for our region,” said Gippsland Pride Initiative president Caitlin Grigsby.

The Gippsland Pride Initiative was launched in 2019 by the Gippsland Ranges Roller Derby.

The Initiative conducted an extensive three-month consultation process across the Gippsland region, meeting with local community, LGBTIQ+ organisations and other related bodies, to develop and plan inclusive events for LGBTIQ+ people in the Gippsland community.

Today, the organisation has grown dramatically, and is responsible for the organisation of several key LGBTIQ+ events across Gippsland, including the inaugural Gippsland Pride Festival held in January of this year.

In 2022, the Gippsland Pride Initiative launched the Rainbow Brick Road Project.

The project was a large-scale survey of the region’s LGBTIQ+ people, to better understand the needs of the community, the urgency of support required, and to collect the data necessary to better allocate resources and funding to these communities.

Grigsby describes the organisation as “a grassroots movement fuelled by passionate volunteers and community sponsorship, that advocates and empowers the LGBTIQ+ community in Gippsland.”

Grigsby highlights the importance of the organisation within the community, particularly after the intense commentary and debate during the 2017 Marriage Equality Plebiscite saying, “it was impossible to sit and do nothing for our bruised community, particularly in a federal seat that voted No.”

She describes the experience of forming the Gippsland Pride Initiative as a journey of shared learning and has brought the power and voice back to the community.

The response from the community was overwhelming, signalling that greater resources are needed from the government and other services to support the region’s LGBTIQ+ people.

The Rainbow Brick Road Report 2023 has now been published; its key findings, and recommendations can be found on the Gippsland Pride Initiative site.

Aussie Broadband have been key supporters of the Gippsland Pride Initiative since its formation.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 19 May 2023.