Bill Shorten will commit funding to tackling HIV in Australia

Labor leader Bill Shorten is expected to make a major funding commitment to tackling HIV.

The Brisbane Times has reported that the Opposition Leader will announce a $53 million dollar commitment to supporting peak HIV organisations, expanding PrEP trials and addressing the growing rate of new cases of HIV in aboriginal communities.

Labor’s health spokesperson Catherine King has commented on the issue saying a SHorten Labor government would be committed to bring the number of new transmissions of the virus to zero.

“In the 1980s the Hawke Labor government led the world with its response to the epidemic. Now, we need to renew the effort to make HIV history.” King said.

Based around a plan put forward by the Australian Federation of AIDS Organsiations (AFAO) the number of people able to access PrEP treatment would be expanded to 17,500. Western Australia’s PrEP program which recently launched is currently open to 2,000 people.

PreExposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) treatment is a one a day pill that is taken by people who are of higher risk of getting HIV. While taking the medication the possibility of contracting the virus is reduced to nearly zero.

Territories such as San Francisco and London, where there has been significant uptake of the treatment, have reported the biggest drop in the level of new diagnosis since the AIDS crisis began.

Alongside providing more funding to peak bodies, the funding strategy would see $3 million dollars annually being used to target specific populations that may not be receiving the current HIV prevention strategies. This includes aboriginal communities and non-English speaking migrants.

OIP Staff