NATIONAL AWARDS CELEBRATE EXCELLENCE IN LGBTQ+ INCLUSIVE HEALTH AND COMMUNITY CARE

A host of organisations from across the Australian health and community care sectors have been recognised for their efforts in advancing inclusive service delivery for LGBTQ+ populations at the 2026 Australian Pride in Health + Wellbeing Awards. 

Now in its fifth year, the awards event was live streamed across Australia, celebrating the exceptional efforts of organisations and their employees across a range of categories for their work in improving LGBTQ+ inclusive service delivery. The event is produced by Pride in Health + Wellbeing, the national not-for-profit LGBTQ+ inclusion program for the health and community care sectors, led by Australia’s largest LGBTQ+ health organisation, ACON. 

Leading the list of winners, Your Community Health, a Melbourne-based community health service, were awarded the top prize of Service Provider of the Year, whilst cohealth, another Melbourne-based community health organisation, and St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney were acknowledged as Platinum Tier Service Providers.

Other top awardees included a mix of hospital- and community-based providers involved in primary care, allied health, disability support, community and welfare services, acute care and pathology services. A Growing Understanding, Australian Community Support Organisation, Burnside Hospital, MCM Services, Northern Sydney Local Health District and NSW Health Pathology were all recognised as Gold Tier Service Providers. The award for Most Improved Service Provider was presented to NSW Health Pathology. 

The Awards showcase the results of the Health + Wellbeing Equality Index (HWEI) Submissions – a national benchmarking tool used to assess organisational progress towards LGBTQ+ inclusive service delivery within the Australian health and community care sectors against a set of best-practice organisational capabilities.

The Awards also recognise individuals for their significant contribution to, and advocacy for, LGBTQ+ inclusion for staff and service users, as nominated by their peers. 

The event was emceed by Francisco Lopez, National Health Lead, ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs. Anna Flynn, Director, Partnering with Consumers at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, delivered a keynote address titled “Person-centred care in practice – Every experience matters”, highlighting the importance of inclusion in delivering effective care for all individuals in Australia. 

ACON CEO Michael Woodhouse and Chris Keely, Deputy Director of ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs also addressed the winners, nominees and attendees. 

“It’s always encouraging to see health community care services step up to create safer experiences and more equitable outcomes for our communities,” Woodhouse said. “More services are recognising the unique needs of LGBTQ+ people and evolving their systems and cultures to deliver truly person-centred care.”

“Research from La Trobe University’s Rainbow Realities shows many people in our communities access mainstream services and simply want to be treated with respect by inclusive organisations.”

“Congratulations to all award winners, participating organisations in the HWEI, and the many individuals recognised for their leadership. Your work is driving a national effort toward equitable health outcomes for LGBTQ+ communities and gives us real confidence in the future.”

2026 Australian Pride in Health + Wellbeing Awards Recipients

Award	Recipient
Service Provider of the Year	Your Community Health
Platinum Tier Service Providers	cohealth  St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney
Gold Tier Service Providers	A Growing Understanding Australian Community Support Organisation (ACSO) Burnside Hospital MCM Services Northern Sydney Local Health District NSW Health Pathology Your Community Health
Silver Tier Service Providers	MCM Housing Silverchain
Bronze Tier Service Providers	Central Adelaide Local Health Network – Integrated Care MCM – Youth Early Intervention and Adult Homelessness Services Melba Support Services Sacred Heart Mission Central Adelaide Local Health Network – South Australian Prison Health Service WA Country Health Service (Midwest Mental Health & Community Alcohol and Drug Service) Wombat Housing Support Services
Most Improved Service Provider of the Year	NSW Health Pathology

Individual Award	Recipient
Executive Leadership Award	Vanessa Brown (she/her), Your Community Health
LGBTQ+ Ally of the Year	Dusty Johnston (she/her), MCM
LGBTQ+ Inclusive Innovation Award	LGBTIQ+ Health Symposium 2025, Northern Sydney Local Health District
LGBTQ+ Role Model Award	Dan Schneider (he/him), St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney

2026 HWEI benchmarking slides

2026 Awards Booklet

2026 Media Release