Category: Australian News

Labor has signed on to the government’s anti-democracy agenda by voting for new legislation designed to silence critical voices from the nonprofit sector.
The Electoral Legislation Amendment (Political Campaigner) Bill was rammed through the Senate tonight without debate and without going to inquiry, passing after a dirty deal between Labor and the Liberals.
The new laws will mean that more nonprofits will now be classified as “large third parties”, increasing their disclosure requirements and administrative burdens.  More charities will spend more time on paperwork and less time advocating for public interest policy reforms. Many will be discouraged from advocacy work altogether.
Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:
“This bill is not about transparency and accountability. It’s not about the integrity of elections. This bill will undermine charities and the right to advocate for change.
“It’s always been about shutting critical voices out of the election debate by tying them up in bureaucracy. Whatever happened to the Liberals hating red tape?
“That’s why over 80 charities joined together to call on the government to scrap this bill. And it’s why the government has ignored them.
“Charities are already subject to strict reporting and transparency obligations under the ACNC. There is no justification for the additional reporting that a lower threshold would impose on the many organisations already struggling to make ends meet.
“This is a cynical stitch-up between the government and Labor. We’re glad to see the back of the voter ID laws but secretly trading one legislative outcome for another is not how democracy is supposed to work.
“Labor is of course patting itself on the back for getting some amendments through, but the changes do little more than make terrible legislation marginally less terrible. They don’t deserve a cookie for that.
“If this government was serious about transparency during elections, they would ban dirty donations, immediately lower the donation disclosure thresholds and require real-time reporting.
“And if they were serious about accountability and inappropriate influence, we would not have been waiting more than 1080 days for a national integrity commission.
“This is a kick in the teeth to a sector that needs more support, not more roadblocks. The Greens will continue to stand up for charities who advocate for policy reforms.”

The Greens say today’s move by the Coalition and Labor to reaffirm their dodgy deal to permanently axe Senate motions represents one more nail in the coffin for democracy and transparency.
The decision makes permanent the temporary arrangement between the Liberals and Labor in June which eliminated motions that ask the Senate to form an opinion, replacing them with two-minute statements.
Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:
“Last night we saw Labor join forces with the government to ram through laws designed to silence critical voices from the nonprofit sector.
“And today the big parties have renewed their anti-democracy pact by making permanent their decision in June to prevent Senators from moving and requiring a vote on motions.
“The elimination of motions removes a critical accountability mechanism from the Senate. It allows the big parties to weasel out of telling the public what their position is on issues that might be politically inconvenient.
“Axing motions means shutting down Senators’ rights to represent constituents and to put issues on the agenda that big parties want to stay silent on. It means that the Coalition and Labor will continue to be able to dictate which issues the Senate can vote on.
“Senate motions have been vital in building political pressure to achieve important outcomes, like the banking, disability and veterans Royal Commissions, and the passing of my National Integrity Bill by the Senate in 2019.
“The Liberals and Labor are clearly worried about the influence of smaller parties and independents and are trying to entrench their cosy duopoly.”

Minister for Sport, Richard Colbeck, has welcomed the release of the FIFA Women’s World Cup (FWWC) 2023 match schedule saying it puts our two sport-loving nations in the spotlight.
“With the opening match of the tournament in New Zealand, and the final in Sydney, the schedule demonstrates the strength in our trans-Tasman partnership,” Minister Colbeck said.
“Australia and New Zealand boast a passionate fan base, excellent hospitality, robust security arrangements and exciting tourism opportunities.
“The FWWC will showcase the best of both nations, while bringing considerable economic benefits to help as we recover from the pandemic.”
The Matildas will kick-off the first match on Australian soil with a showdown at Sydney Football Stadium on 20 July.
Australia will host six group-stage fixtures at the Sydney Football Stadium, with Perth and Brisbane both hosting five and a further four each taking place in Melbourne and Adelaide.
Sydney will also be the venue for the final, on 20 August 2023 at Stadium Australia.
The matches being played in Australia are:

• Brisbane – Brisbane Stadium, 8 games
• Sydney – Stadium Australia and Sydney Football Stadium, 11 games
• Melbourne – Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, 6 games
• Adelaide – Hindmarsh Stadium, 5 games
• Perth – Perth Rectangular Stadium, 5 games

The FWWC 2023 will be the largest yet, with 32 teams playing. It is also the first to be hosted across two nations.
“The Australian Government is proud to support this landmark tournament, which will be one of the largest sporting events held here since the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Minister Colbeck said.
“It will shine the spotlight on Australia and bring in hundreds of millions of dollars through international visitors and viewers.”
“It will also continue the positive increase in interest in women’s sport and inspire many young females to pull on the boots.”
The Australian Government provided $5 million to Football Australia for the successful joint bid “As One” with New Zealand Football and committed significant support towards delivery of the event.
The Australian Government has also committed $15 million to build the home of the Matildas in Victoria and $12 million to support both a high-performance program for the Matildas and participation by women and girls in community football.
“Football is the game that connects Australia to the world,” Minister Colbeck said.
“It’s accessible and inclusive, played by two million participants in Australia, from 200 different cultures and spread out over 2400 community clubs.”

The Australian Government has invested a further $540 million in response to the COVID 19 pandemic including significant funding to keep Australians safe, and for COVID-19 testing.
COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on Australians’ way of life and the emergence of the Omicron variant of concern highlights that while we have come a long way, we require robust health measures to continue to underpin our COVID-19 Health Response.
The Australian Government has committed more than $33 billion in additional health spending since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, to protect the health of all Australians.
Of this funding, $492 million will be invested into measures to continue support for all Australians, including:

• The Aged Care Preparedness Support Measures Extension
• The Victorian Aged Care Response Centre (VACRC)
• Support for Aged Care Workers in COVID-19 Program (SACWIC)
• COVID-19 Indigenous and Remote Response Measures
• The National Incident Centre
• MBS fee for COVID-19 pathology items
• COVID-19 pathology testing in aged care
• Aged Care: RAD Loan Scheme

In addition, $48 million will be invested into COVID-19 medical research to explore multiple aspects of COVID-19, including vaccination, treatment and modelling.
Since March 2020, the Government has delivered funding to secure life-saving vaccines, support for our hospitals, aged care, and to provide access to primary health care, including telehealth.
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the significant investment in health has saved the lives of thousands of Australians who would have died of COVID-19.
“Over the past two years, health has been a focus of the entire Australian population, and the measures we have put in place have helped ensure Australia has one of the lowest mortality rates and highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world,” Minister Hunt said.
“Compared to the average of the OECD, our actions have helped save approximately 30,000 lives, compared to the United States and the United Kingdom, we have saved approximately 45,000 lives.”
“The availability of highly accurate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing has been critical in identifying COVID-19 cases and genomic sequencing to understand variants of concern in Australia since the pandemic began, allowing health authorities to respond quickly to manage and curb the disease’s spread.
“COVID-19 testing remains an important part of the Australian Government’s strategy to contain the spread of COVID-19, particularly as Australia continues to open up in accordance with the National Plan to Transition Australia’s National COVID-19 Response.
The new investment will extend Australian patient access to bulk-billed COVID-19 tests under the Medicare Benefits Scheme.”
Funding is also being extended for the National Incident Centre (NIC) within the Department of Health, which has been stood-up, without a break, since the Samoan measles outbreak in September 2019.
“The NIC is the epicentre of Australia’s COVID-19 public health response, and is central to advising Government and National Cabinet on COVID-19 in Australia and around the world,” Minister Hunt said.
“It also contributed to the Australian Government’s evidence-based public health response and underpinning the goals of the National Plan and the COVID-19 vaccination program.”
Five research projects around the nation will also share in $15 million in funding and $33 million in competitive grant opportunities will be provided to further support researchers as part of the Morrison Government’s ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response.
The $15 million will be provided for projects led by the University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, University of Western Australia, Murdoch University, and Monash University.
These projects will support early research into the long-term health impacts of COVID-19, clinical trials to improve COVID-19 vaccination planning for Australians who are immunocompromised, and clinical trials focussing on the effectiveness of combining different COVID-19 vaccines.
In addition, $33 million in further funding support will be made available through five streams of research to investigate different aspects of COVID-19.

• $4 million to evaluate safety, effectiveness, and feasibility of new treatments for COVID-19 in Australian clinical settings
• $16 million to accelerate the development of antiviral candidates to prevent or treat SARS-CoV-2
• $7 million to study COVID-19 immune response in children, adolescents, adults and vulnerable populations
• $3 million to study SARS-CoV-2 airborne transmission to inform new and/or improved modelling, and
• $3 million to create a national linked data platform bringing together health data sets to strengthen evidence-based public health and health system planning and management.

“Funding research projects through this grant opportunity will help protect Australians from COVID-19 by increasing the options available to clinicians to treat people who are infected and improve our ability to predict the spread of the virus and better target our response,” Minister Hunt said.
Minister for Regional Health, Dr David Gillespie, said support will be extended for the Remote Community Preparedness and Retrieval measure, which is keeping regional Australians safe and helping address COVID-19 outbreaks,
“Our Government will extend the Remote Community Preparedness and Retrieval measure has been in place since March 2020,” Minister Gillespie said.
“This will continue to assist in the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine to rural and remote areas, utilising the resources and expertise of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
“The Government also recognises that COVID-19, including potential new variants present a risk to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, who experience a burden of disease more than double that of non-Indigenous Australians.
“To ensure potential outbreaks are caught early, the Remote Point of Care Testing (POCT) Program, which is operated through the Kirby Institute, will be extended as well.”
The POCT Program will help to detect and manage outbreaks of COVID-19 in rural or remote communities. Outbreaks in these communities have the potential to be very serious due to the risk of rapid spread, the burden of disease, and barriers to access to some health services.
These measures will continue to support the joint outbreak preparedness and response work the Australian Government undertakes with the Indigenous health sector and state and territory governments through the expert leadership of the national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group on COVID-19.
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring our senior Australians are protected against COVID-19 which has had a disproportionately significant impact across the aged care sector, particularly in 2020.
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck, said the Government is continuing to assist aged care service providers to manage the direct impacts of the pandemic.
“Our investment will continue funding the Aged Care Support Program Extension grant opportunity, which reimburses providers for eligible costs incurred as a direct result of managing COVID-19,” Minister Colbeck said.
“Ready to deploy surge workforce arrangements also remain in place to ensure the continuity of care for aged care residents even in the event of an outbreak within their residential facility.
“The spending on aged care preparedness will also continue intensive case management support available to aged care services experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak amongst residents and/or staff. This will ensure we remain ready to assist providers experiencing outbreaks.”
The Australian Government recognises the outstanding efforts of our aged care workforce in protecting the health and wellbeing senior Australians throughout the pandemic, and will provide additional funding to continue the Support for Aged Care Workers in COVID-19 (SACWIC) grant opportunity. This grant opportunity is being extended to 30 June 2022 to ensure support remains available as required.
At times where there is significant community transmission of COVID-19, the SACWIC grant enables aged care workers to adhere to single site restrictions without being financially disadvantaged. Single site restrictions are voluntarily enacted to mitigate the risk of workers unintentionally spreading COVID-19 between facilities.
As Australia transitions to living with COVID-19 the need for rapid response in our aged care sector, including access to diagnostic testing, will continue.
Minister Colbeck said the residents of Australia’s aged care facilities are a very highly vaccinated population and the same is true of the aged care workforce, but testing remains a critical tool to manage potential outbreaks.
“The Government will provide funding to extend the ‘in-reach’ COVID-19 pathology services for residential aged care facilities, as we work towards a future approach were rapid antigen testing becomes the standard for COVID-19 surveillance in aged care,” he said.
“We are also making funding available to continue the work of the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre (VACRC) to support preparedness activities and rapidly respond to COVID-19 outbreaks in that state.
“The VACRC has been critical in prioritising the quality of care and protection of residents, and ensuring a rapid and effective response for providers, and communicating with families.”
The existing Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD) Support Loan Program will be extended to continue to support the residential aged care sector, preventing the unnecessary insolvency of providers as a result of the pandemic.
Some residential aged care facilities have experienced declining occupancy rates during the pandemic, as senior Australians look to remain in their own homes or with family.
The RAD Support Loan Program has helped facilities manage the financial impact of declining resident numbers, which has minimised the flow-on cost to taxpayers.

Disabled person and spokesperson for Disability Rights and Services Senator Jordon Steele-John has announced the Australian Greens have released a plan to improve the lives of disabled people across the country.
Australian Greens Spokesperson for Disability Rights and Services Senator Steele-John said:
“I am so excited to release the first stage of our monumental Greens plan for disabled people ahead of International Day of People with Disabilities.
“The Australian Greens are committed to centering the needs and voices of disabled people. Our Accessible Australian plan provides a clear pathway forward to fix the broken systems disabled people interact with every day, and will enable our community to live fully, and enjoy our lives.
“One of the systems that must better meet the needs of disabled people is the NDIS. I am committed to ending the uncertainty and distress experienced by many on the NDIS, that’s why The Greens are committed to properly funding, staffing, and resourcing the NDIS.
“In the balance of power, the Greens would push to remove the age limit that prevents disabled people over 65 from being accepted in the NDIS. The aged care system is not providing sufficient support for disabled people over the age of 65. The Australian Greens want to ensure everyone is able to access support to live a good life.
“Outrageously, we experience violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation by those who are there to support us, or at the hands of institutions we have no choice but to interact with. That’s why The Greens are committing to investing $300 million in the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission so it is able to undertake its compliance and investigative capacity.
“Working together, The Greens and the disability community have achieved many things. We’ve stopped the Morrison Government’s attempts at implementing Independent Assessments, successfully negotiated stronger confidentiality protections for people sharing their experiences with the Disability Royal Commission, and obtained justice for Thalidomide survivors. We’re determined to improve our NDIS too.”
The Australian Greens Announcement has been supported by The Disability Doesn’t Discriminate Campaign, Polio Australia, and Young People In Nursing Homes National Alliance. 
Mark Townend, CEO of Spinal Life Australia, the organisation behind the Disability Doesn’t Discriminate Campaign supports this policy position of Senator Jordon Steele-John and the Australian Greens.
“We have been campaigning to expose the disgraceful and deliberate decision, made in 2013, to exclude people with disability from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) on the basis of age. Disability can impact anyone at any time and doesn’t discriminate, so why should age matter? It is unfair, unjust, and unacceptable, and it must end now,” Mr. Townend said.
“It is unconscionable that Australians with a spinal cord injury over 65 who are excluded from the NDIS, are forced onto the My Aged Care Scheme, which provides a maximum of $52,000 a year in support, has a waiting list of up to 18 months and is means tested. A younger person with the same spinal cord injury, can qualify faster for the NDIS and receive a funding package of up to $200,000 a year. At Spinal Life Australia we hear these heartbreaking stories every day and hope this decision by the Greens will end the shocking inequity once and for all.
“Some of our members have missed out on NDIS funding packages by mere weeks. These are Australians who have fought in wars, paid taxes all their working life, and don’t deserve to be discriminated against,” Mr Townend said.
Polio Australia said:
“Polio Australia welcomes this announcement from the Australian Greens. Those permanently disabled by polio in their early childhood were optimistic about the creation of the NDIS. Survivors thought the NDIS would provide disability support not available through the aged care system, but were devastated when the scheme was capped at age 65.  It’s imperative to remove this artificial limit and end the unconscionable age discrimination against those with a lifelong disability.”
Dr Bronwyn Morkham, Young People in Nursing Homes National Alliance said :
“Properly funding the NDIS goes hand in hand with completing the National Injury Insurance Scheme. Both are needed to provide a comprehensive disability support system for Australia.”
Our Greens Plan will ensure all people are supported to live a good life with access to inclusive education and employment, and ensuring access to essential services like healthcare is made completely accessible.
The Greens will:

• • Ensure that the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is available to all disabled people who need it.
• • We’ll reduce wait times by properly staffing, training, and resourcing the NDIA and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
• • Increase support for the advocacy organisations and intervention services that are needed to protect disabled people from abuse and bring perpetrators to justice.
• • Boost NDIS funding and reinvest the $160 million the Morrison Government committed to corporations as part of their failed attempt to roll out Independent Assessments.

 

When First Nations people fight for Country, against dirty mining companies or corporate landowners with deep pockets, they’re often locked in a long, expensive and ultimately unfair legal battle.
The Greens have a plan to balance the scales, by making billionaires and big polluters pay their fair share of tax. Through a ‘billionaires tax’ and a ‘corporate super-profits tax,’ we can put resources towards an environmental and cultural heritage legal defence fund.
“We need better resources so Traditional Owners can fight back and assert their rights to Country.” Said the Greens spokesperson for Justice and First Nations: Gunnai, Gunditjmara and DjabWurrung Senator Lidia Thorpe.
“Right now, there’s no money and no support when we take big corporations to court. In balance of power, The Greens will contribute $51m to establish a First Nations Legal Defence Fund so Traditional Owners can access independent legal advice.”
“We saw at Beetaloo how the Labor and Liberal parties decided to destroy Country, in favour of a company that makes big donations to both of their parties. Too many sacred sites have already been destroyed.”
“We heard evidence in the Senate Inquiry into the Juukan Gorge crisis that mining companies manufacture consent. They talk to corporations who say they represent the Traditional Owners, when they don’t. We need to make sure the right people are making decisions about what happens on their Country.“ Said Thorpe.
Yamatji-Noongar Senator for Western Australia Dorinda Cox: the Greens spokesperson for Mining and Resources said:
“In some state-based legislation, there is no right to appeal. There is no right to veto. First Nations people do not have bags of cash lying around to take mining companies and corporate landowners to the Supreme Court to protect their cultural heritage.”
“The Australian Cultural Heritage Bill and the Senate Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge show that legislation protecting Country is weak. It was written in the interests of mining and development.”
“We need designated resources for First Nations people to assert their rights and fight for Country.”

Labor has signed on to the government’s anti-democracy agenda by voting for new legislation designed to silence critical voices from the nonprofit sector.
The Electoral Legislation Amendment (Political Campaigner) Bill was rammed through the Senate tonight without debate and without going to inquiry, passing after a dirty deal between Labor and the Liberals.
The new laws will mean that more nonprofits will now be classified as “large third parties”, increasing their disclosure requirements and administrative burdens.  More charities will spend more time on paperwork and less time advocating for public interest policy reforms. Many will be discouraged from advocacy work altogether.
Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:
“This bill is not about transparency and accountability. It’s not about the integrity of elections. This bill will undermine charities and the right to advocate for change.
“It’s always been about shutting critical voices out of the election debate by tying them up in bureaucracy. Whatever happened to the Liberals hating red tape?
“That’s why over 80 charities joined together to call on the government to scrap this bill. And it’s why the government has ignored them.
“Charities are already subject to strict reporting and transparency obligations under the ACNC. There is no justification for the additional reporting that a lower threshold would impose on the many organisations already struggling to make ends meet.
“This is a cynical stitch-up between the government and Labor. We’re glad to see the back of the voter ID laws but secretly trading one legislative outcome for another is not how democracy is supposed to work.
“Labor is of course patting itself on the back for getting some amendments through, but the changes do little more than make terrible legislation marginally less terrible. They don’t deserve a cookie for that.
“If this government was serious about transparency during elections, they would ban dirty donations, immediately lower the donation disclosure thresholds and require real-time reporting.
“And if they were serious about accountability and inappropriate influence, we would not have been waiting more than 1080 days for a national integrity commission.
“This is a kick in the teeth to a sector that needs more support, not more roadblocks. The Greens will continue to stand up for charities who advocate for policy reforms.”

The number of people waiting to receive a home care package continues to decrease as the Morrison Government ensures more senior Australians can live at home for longer.
The Home Care Packages Program Data Report (1st Quarter 2021-22) shows the number of people accessing a home care package grew to 204,146 at 30 September 2021 – an increase of over 41,000 older Australians in 12 months.
The number of people waiting for their approved home care package also dropped by 25 per cent from 30 September 2020 to 30 September 2021.
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck, said it underlined the action taken by the Morrison Government in its comprehensive response to the final report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
“Senior Australians want more choice, they want support to remain in control, to stay connected to their community and to remain as independent as possible, in their own home,” Minister Colbeck said.
“We have seen a 25 per cent decrease in the number of people who are waiting for a home care package at their approved level since 30 September 2020.
“The significant investment in home care packages and a shorter waitlist shows the Government is ensuring senior Australians have access to this kind of support when they need it.”
The Government is investing $6.5 billion for an additional 80,000 home care packages to support senior Australians who choose to remain in their own home.
Minister Colbeck said the packages, which commenced roll out from 1 July 2021, are expected to further reduce waitlist and wait times.
Importantly, 99 per cent of senior Australians waiting for a package at their assessed level have also been offered support from the Government, including an interim package or Commonwealth Home Support Programme and continue to have access to Australia’s world-class health care system.
“We’re rolling out the packages quickly” Minister Colbeck said.
“In addition to the 40,000 packages released in 2021-22, another 40,000 packages will become available in 2022-23.
“This means that by 30 June 2023 there will be around 275,600 packages available.
“This allocation continues to significantly reduce the wait list while we work through the design phase of the new home care system which we aim to implement by July 2023.”
Minister Colbeck said the Government remained committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of senior Australians remained a priority.
“We are working hard to make sure more senior Australians than ever before are able to receive the support they need to live at home and in the communities they love.”
The Home Care Packages Program Data Report (1^st Quarter 2021-22) can be viewed here.

A new funding agreement that increases total program funding from $52.6 million to $151.1 million over four years will significantly expand the National Aged Care Advocacy Program (NACAP) to support greater choice and quality safeguards for senior Australians.
The Morrison Government committed to an increase of $99.6 million for the NACAP program, as part of its $17.7 billion aged care reform package, announced in the 2021-22 Budget.
This responds to the Royal Commission into Aged Quality and Safety recommendation to expand aged care advocacy, recognising advocacy support that identifies and actively considers consumer needs is essential to an aged care system that delivers respect, dignity, and consumer choice and control.
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck, said the role of the NACAP was as important as ever.
“Our five-year, five pillar reform package is transforming aged care by prioritising the individual needs of senior Australians,” Minister Colbeck said.
“An expanded National Aged Care Advocacy Program will ensure those seeking support are empowered to make informed decisions about their care, understand their rights, and have support to resolve complaints when they arise, in a time of great change.”
The expanded NACAP will improve access to face-to-face and virtual aged care advocacy through:

• doubling the workforce to support more than 15,000 additional advocacy cases and adding more than 1,000 local networking and education sessions each year;
• new community advocacy activities, including increased capability for self-advocacy, home and community care vulnerability check-ins, and education around home care service costs;
• support for aged care reform and emergencies, including extending COVID-19 response advocacy activities, and
• education for providers to better understand the diversity of the community they are serving and help remove any related barriers to access.

The NACAP will continue to be provided by the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN), which builds on its record since 2017 of effectively delivering essential free, independent and confidential advocacy support and information to seniors and their families of choice or representatives.
Minister Colbeck said OPAN had a strong track record of advocacy for senior Australians through the NACAP, particularly since the emergence of COVID-19.
“OPAN is providing critical advocacy and support services to aged care residents and their families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including those in facilities that have had an outbreak,” Minister Colbeck said.
OPAN delivers NACAP through its network of nine service delivery organisations across Australia.
People in need of advocacy or information can contact an OPAN member organisation in their area on 1800 700 600 (free call), or via OPAN’s website at www.opan.com.au/opan-network.

The Morrison Government is marking World AIDS Day by announcing over $50 million in new funding to extend access to HIV treatment in Australia and to support activities that will support the health and mental wellbeing of people living with blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections.
World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year. It remembers the 30 million people worldwide who have died of HIV/AIDS and reminds us of this ongoing global pandemic.
The theme of World AIDS Day 2021 is ‘End inequalities. End AIDS’
This year is the 40th anniversary of the first official report of the immune illness that would be later recognised as AIDS. In 2020, there were 633 new diagnoses of HIV in Australia and more than 29,000 people living with HIV.
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt said, the Morrison Government was investing more than $39 million over 5 years to support people living with HIV in Australia, who are not eligible for Medicare, to access the treatment they need.
“This investment will benefit an estimated 1,000 people currently living with HIV in Australia each year, providing access to appropriate and equitable HIV treatment and care,” Minister Hunt said.
“By expanding treatment to more people living with HIV in Australia, we can improve health outcomes for individuals and contribute to curbing the onward transmission of the virus.”
The Morrison Government will continue to work with the states and territories to establish the new access arrangements which will commence from 1 July 2022.
Improving access to treatment for HIV positive people in Australia regardless of their nationality will contribute to decreasing the transmission of HIV in Australia, a key goal of the Eighth National HIV Strategy which has been agreed by State, Territory and Commonwealth Governments.
“Our Government will also provide more than $11 million in new funding to Australia’s blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections peak bodies to continue their important work across the country,” Minister Hunt said.
The Morrison Government works closely with the peak bodies, including the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations, the National Association of People with HIV in Australia, Hepatitis Australia, the Australian Injecting Drug Users League, Scarlet Alliance – Australian Sex Workers Association, and the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine.
Access to new and flexible testing arrangements is also being expanded through recent changes by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to increase the availability of the Atomo HIV Self-Test, the only HIV self-test approved for sale in Australia.
New rules now allow easier on-line access, over the counter sales in pharmacies, and supply of the at-home test through organisations or institutions who work with HIV at-risk communities if they have appropriately trained staff.