Joe Ball (he/him) is the Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ Communities. He is a proud transgender man. The Commissioner advocates for the rights, safety and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ communities. Joe is a longstanding LGBTIQA+ advocate who has had a 25-year career in disability, housing and homelessness, and social services.
Commissioner Ball was formerly CEO of Switchboard Victoria where he oversaw the establishment of Rainbow Door, the Statewide family violence and mental health helpline. Joe is a member of the Expert Advisory Group for the National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQ+ People 2025-2035, the Victorian Family Violence Reform Advisory Group and has participated in leading advisory bodies including for Safe + Equal Safe and EqualAbout | Safe and Equal, 1800RESPECT and the National Suicide Prevention Governance Committee for the National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2025-2035.
What does wellbeing mean for you?
Wellbeing means having the freedom to be who you are, surrounded by safety, respect and love. It’s about belonging and hope: even in hard times, having reasons to keep going, and people to keep going with.
That's the kind of wellbeing I want for everyone.
What exciting prevention work is coming up in the next 6-12 months for your organisation?
Throughout my career I have worked predominately at the response end, this has given me a deep understanding of how critical it is to work together to prevent harm before it occurs. I also understand that prevention is seldom a single intervention —it’s an ongoing, often cyclical process of interacting with people living with distress or in unsafe environments. During my time in suicide prevention, I had to hold onto what I call the radical practice of hope: grappling with the reality of suicide while fiercely believing we could still prevent it.
Now, as Commissioner, my role focuses on advocacy, representation and bringing the lived experiences of LGBTIQA+ communities into government. I oversee the implementation of Pride in our future, Victoria’s landmark 10-year LGBTIQA+ Strategy, working across all departments and agencies to strengthen inclusion.
Prevention is central to this work. I collaborate with all levels of government, community organisations, service sectors and businesses to build awareness and understanding of LGBTIQA+ communities — our issues, strengths and aspirations. This includes combating homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and discrimination against intersex people, and seeing inclusion as a key prevention measure against violence, stigma and discrimination.
This takes many forms. One day I might speak to emergency management professionals about building relationships with LGBTIQA+ communities before disasters strike, so trust is there when needed. The next, I’m at a suicide prevention conference discussing the life-saving importance of gender-affirming healthcare for trans and gender diverse young people, and challenging misconceptions about what this care involves.
Recently, alongside Thorne Harbour Health, I co-hosted a safety forum for gay and bi+ men who have been targeted over the past year in violent, tech-facilitated assaults and ‘post and boast’ crimes.
Later this year, I’ll be partnering with Safe + Equal to host a series of panel talks on rights, safety and freedoms during the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence.
Can you outline a standout example of prevention work that your organisation has led that aligns with the Victorian public health and wellbeing plan?
I've been in the role of Commissioner since September 2024. I have a small team of three, including me. I don’t lead major prevention programs or projects, but I do advise on them.
However, I do want to highlight the multi-award-winning trans and gender diverse prevention campaign The Unsaid Says a Lot, developed by the Equality Unit at the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, with input from my office. You can view the campaign the unsaid.
Can you suggest a couple of key actions/activities that the prevention sector can do to support health and wellbeing equity outcomes?
Co-design with purpose: Ensure your prevention initiatives are meaningfully co-designed with LGBTIQA+ people and organisations. Match the lived experience of individuals and the expertise of LGBTIQA+ organisations to the specific area you’re working on. For example, if you’re a harm minimisation organisation working in alcohol and other drugs, partner with LGBTIQA+ experts who understand these intersections - don’t assume all LGBTIQA+ people can speak on every issue.
Normalise inclusion through universal approaches: Build prevention programs that are universally inclusive. Use language and frameworks that start with equity and fairness for all, and make sure your policies and communications reflect this. This helps avoid the narrative that LGBTIQA+ people are asking for "more" or "different" — we’re asking for the same safety, care, and dignity.
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When working with community, what does a successful partnership look like to you?
For me, it’s about building a space where there’s enough trust that we can risk being truly honest with each other. Too often, people are so afraid of saying the wrong thing that nothing real gets said at all. That’s not fertile ground for prevention work, which often demands uncomfortable truths and hard conversations.
A successful partnership looks like moving beyond polite agreement. It’s genuine co-design where you don’t arrive with the answers already tucked in your back pocket. It means paying people properly so the work doesn’t burn them out, and so community wisdom is valued as expertise, not charity.
At its best, it's a relationship where we can test ideas together, disagree respectfully, and stay at the table - because that’s how you end up with something that has the potential to work. If you can’t change minds in the design of a project, you are really going to struggle to change minds in its delivery, particularly in the field of prevention!
For further information, email prevention@health.vic.gov.au