News + Events
Prioritising HIV & AIDS ahead of the upcoming Victorian state election on 26/11/2022
20/10/2022
Joint media release from Living Positive Victoria, Positive Women Victoria, and Thorne Harbour Health on the release of HIV & AIDS Priorities document ahead of the Victorian State Election on 26 November 2022.
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release – Thursday 20 October 2022
Today, Thorne Harbour Health, Living Positive Victoria, and Positive Women Victoria have released HIV & AIDS Priorities – a document that recommends 38 actions to improve the quality of life of people living with HIV (PLHIV) and to build upon Victoria’s ongoing response to HIV.
“The 60th Parliament of Victoria could oversee the virtual elimination of new HIV transmissions in this state, and be the first jurisdiction in the world to do so,” said Thorne Harbour Health CEO Simon Ruth.
“However, a concerted effort is needed for this final stretch, which includes the State Government and Victoria’s HIV
community organisations continuing to work together in close partnership.”
Alongside advancements in prevention like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), advances in treatment have made it
possible to effectively suppress HIV replication in the body and allow PLHIV to live a long and healthy life. In fact, a
sustained undetectable viral load (UVL) eliminates the risk of HIV transmission.
“We are in an age of important advances in HIV treatment and biomedical prevention in the onward of transmission of HIV. The message of ‘undetectable equals untransmittable’ or ‘U=U’ needs to be broadcast to and embraced by the wider community,” said Living Positive Victoria CEO Richard Keane.
“HIV stigma and discrimination continues to create barriers for people living with HIV needing to access health services –
leading to late diagnoses, poorer long term health outcomes, reduced quality of life, and the risk of onward transmission.”
Yet certain population groups have not seen the same decreases in new cases as others, requiring targeted approaches
across prevention, testing, and treatment.
“It’s wonderful that many advances mean we can aspire to ending HIV in Australia, but this won’t be achieved unless there are equitable health outcomes for all people living with or at risk of HIV,” said Positive Women Victoria Executive Officer Dr Kirsty Machon.
“Women continue to bear a huge burden of HIV-related stigma and assumptions about HIV risk, which may affect
access to testing, treatment and care, and psychosocial wellbeing.”
Key priorities include government covering the PBS co-payment on HIV treatment across the state, improving
affordability and accessibility of PrEP, and reforming areas of law that continue to perpetuate stigma and discrimination
against people living with HIV. The document also calls for action on the findings from the 2019 Review of Victorian
Sexual Health and Service Needs, which was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Strengthening Victoria’s statewide clinical sexual health system would not only support our prorgression toward the
virtual elimination of new HIV transmissions, but it would put us in a better position to respond to new and emerging
outbreaks like Monkeypox,” added Simon Ruth.
“Victorians have benefitted from bipartisan support for effective actions on HIV, and the shared understanding that key
to an effective response is government working in meaningful partnership with community-controlled health services
and people living with HIV (PLHIV),” said Richard Keane.
Read the HIV & AIDS Priorities document
Media contact: Caleb Hawk, Communications Manager, Thorne Harbour Health communications@thorneharbour.org 0419 213 542