The Albanese government’s budget announcement that HIV elimination remains high on their agenda has been welcomed by key organisations in the sector.
Health Equity Matters, the peak body for the HIV response, say government’s continued investment in HIV prevention, testing and treatment confirmed in this week’s 2025/26 Federal Budget, puts Australia a step closer to virtual elimination of transmission.
With the budget coming just days before the federal election being called, the earmarked funding serves as an election commitment as Australian’s head to the polls.
The budget included $2.7 million in 2025–26 to extend ACON in New South Wales National Multicultural Peer Navigation Pilot and ASHM’s HIV PrEP Workforce Development Pilot and builds upon the $43.9 million for HIV initiatives and $126.5 million for bloodborne viruses (BBVs) and sexually transmissible infections (STIs) allocated in the previous budget. Health Equity Matters says this demonstrates the Federal Government’s ongoing commitment to the virtual elimination of HIV transmission in Australia.
“Tonight’s budget reinforces the Albanese Government’s dedication to the virtual elimination of HIV transmission in Australia,” said Dash Heath-Paynter, CEO of Health Equity Matters on Wednesday morning.
“The continued investment in HIV prevention, testing, and treatment programming recommended by the National HIV Taskforce, chaired by Minister Butler, is absolutely essential.”
Health Equity Matters has strongly endorsed the formal funding of a $15.5 million LGBTIQA+ health plan announced in December which includes a grants program, reinvestment in La Trobe University’s Private Lives and Writing Themselves In health and wellbeing surveys, and $500,000 to expand a specialised intersex mental health and wellbeing service.
Health Equity Matters also acknowledged the Albanese Government’s broader health investments that will benefit our communities.
They say the Government is making life-saving medicines even more affordable, with the maximum cost of a script under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to be reduced to $25, creating significant benefit to people who need to take daily HIV anti-retroviral medicine or PrEP.
The budget also allocates new investment of $8.5 billion to deliver an additional 18 million bulk billed GP visits each year. The group argues that for people who struggle to afford visits to the doctor, this investment improves access to health and significantly reduces out-of-pocket costs for some patients.
It is hoped that the easier access to doctors via increased bulk billing will make a visit to the doctor for HIV and STI screening and prevention advice cheaper.
