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TRANSCRIPT:
Ali fled Iran with his longtime partner ten years ago.
There, same sex relationships are criminalised, and the pair experienced severe hardships, discrimination and fear for their lives.
His identity has been obscured for this reason.
"The punishment for being LGBTIQA+ is the death penalty, but also from the community and the families we face also discrimination, bullying, violence."
Seeking asylum in Türkiye, Ali and his partner waited for six years before they were granted a humanitarian visa to Australia.
While identifying as LGBTIQ+ in Türkiye isn’t criminalised, there is widespread discrimination and an ongoing crackdown by authorities.
"I lost one of my friends in August 6 months ago, and he was murdered from his neighbour and close friend. He fled Iran seeking safety in Turkey, but unfortunately he couldn't make it to safety."
A new national program called 'Bridge to Safety' is aiming to address gaps like this.
It will provide a specific humanitarian pathway to Australia for people from the LGBTIQ+ community.
Delivered by the Forcibly Displaced People Network and the Refugee Advice and Casework Service Centre - priority processing is available for people who have fled their home country - with emphasis on those based in Asia and the Pacific.
Gretel Emerson is a senior solicitor and the LGBTIQ+ lead at the Refugee Advice and Casework Services.
"One of the main barriers we've seen both offshore and onshore for people seeking protection has been that it involves a lot of self-disclosure of someone's identity to a government or an authority, which can be a really unsafe and daunting process for someone who is queer or gender diverse."
Renee Dixson is the co-founder of the Forcibly Displaced People Network.
"We're trying to organise a holistic approach of support for our community members who are in acute need of protection. It was designed, and led and proposed by community members themselves, who went through the system and know how the system can fail them."
According to the United Nations, there are 2.5 million people in need of resettlement, with 800,000 located in the Asia Pacific region.
Less than 1 per cent of the world's refugees are resettled annually.
Humanitarian organisations estimate between 3-6 percent of all refugees identify as LGBTIQ+.
Dr Tristan Harley is a senior research associate at the University of New South Wales' Kaldor Centre.
"The Bridge to Safety program does not expand Australia's humanitarian resettlement program but rather seeks to strengthen its implementation. One of the striking things about the Bridge to Safety program is the way that it brings together community expertise and knowledge into formal government decision -making processes."
According to the Department of Home Affairs, last year’s Humanitarian Program was delivered in full with 20,000 visas granted.
A spokesperson has told SBS, this new partnership will help identify LGBTQIA+ refugees facing discrimination so their applications under the Special Humanitarian Program (subclass 202) of the Humanitarian Visa Program can be processed in accordance with Australian government policy.
For Ali, he hopes this program can provide solace for those still waiting in limbo.
"It's a light at the end of the tunnel for me. And for all the people suffering in Turkey, I informed some of my friends … that, look, this is a hope for you."
