Media Releases

VAC is partnering with the Rainbow Network to host a conference aimed at improving
the health and wellbeing of lesbian, bisexual, and queer women. The forum will host a range of speakers,
including Georgie Harman (beyondblue CEO), Simon Ruth (VAC CEO), and Liam Leonard (Director of GLHV).
The event is proudly supported by beyondblue and the Commonwealth Department of Health.
Dr Ruth McNair will present a keynote address on her work with the beyondblue funded ALICE study
- a research project exploring alcohol and other drug use by lesbian, bisexual, and queer women. The
study found that over 50% of study participants had experienced mental health concerns, and just over
40% were drinking at unsafe levels. The study also found that lesbian, bisexual, and queer women were
under represented in accessing support due to a range of reasons including fear or previous experience of
discrimination in a service.
Beyondblue CEO Georgie Harman said lesbian, bisexual, and queer women are at a much higher risk of
mental health problems than other women. “LGBTI Australians are far more likely to be psychologically
distressed than non-LGBTI Australians, largely due to the discrimination, homophobia, and transphobia
they face, which can be devastating.”
“Bisexual women and lesbians however are even more likely to be psychologically distressed than bisexual
and gay men, which reflects the higher prevalence of depression and anxiety among women generally,”
she said. “No-one should be made to feel like crap just for being who they are. That’s why it’s so important
that people get the support they need and why beyondblue is proud to support this event.”
VAC CEO Simon Ruth added, “Continuing to target the specific service needs within LGBTI communities is
paramount. Our hope is that this conference allows us to give the needs of women in these communities
the attention and careful consideration necessary to offer the best possible response through our services.”
A panel of speakers including Tarn Thompson (QLife), Nadia Gavin (Harm Reduction Victoria), Wendy
Brokenshire (VAC), and Ren Greyson (YSAS) will apply best practice considerations to a hypothetical case
scenario. In addition to the panel, an afternoon series of workshops will be held.
The event will be MC’d by comedian Kelly Parry.
The event will be held on Friday 27 March at the Jasper Hotel, 489 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne and is free
to attend. RSVP is essential.
For more information or to register please visit: www.vac.org.au/WomensConference

Following the success at Melbourne’s Midsumma Carnival, VAC’s PRONTO! service
will be heading out to Daylesford to offer free rapid HIV testing to regional and rural Victorians during the
upcoming ChillOut Festival’s Carnival Day on Sunday 8 March.
In the lead up to AIDS 2014, PRONTO! began offering outreach testing sessions in venues frequented by
gay and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in and around Melbourne. This effort to make rapid
HIV testing even more accessible proved so successful that the outreach sessions were also introduced
at Midsumma Festival’s Carnival on Sunday 18 January 2015. During Midsumma Carnival, all available
testing sessions on the day were quickly booked out with a overflow directed to book online at PRONTO!’s
website.
“The high demand to use to the PRONTO! service at these events has been a clear reflection that the
community is keen to take advantage of these opportunties,” said VAC CEO, Simon Ruth. “We also hope
that PRONTO!’s presence at these events encourages more open discussions about sexual health screening
and helps to de-stigmatise getting tested.”
ChillOut Carnival attendees will be able to access available testing sessions at PRONTO!’s Carnival stall.
Then, the on-site PRONTO! van offers a secure and confidential space to then have the quick finger-prick
test to know your HIV status in a matter of minutes.
VAC Director of Services, Kent Burgess hopes making PRONTO! available in Daylesford is embraced as
much in a regional setting as it has been around Melbourne.
“We hope that PRONTO! being at ChillOut Festival will encourage regional and rural Victorians to get
tested,” he said. “Knowing your status is the best way to ensure your ongoing sexual health and wellbeing
as well as look after the people you’re hooking up with.”
For more information on the PRONTO! service or to book an appointment at the PRONTO! site in Fitzroy,
go to: pronto.org.au

With the rates of syphilis on the rise nationally, including Victoria, the Victorian AIDS
Council (VAC) has collaborated with a local Australian animator, Michael Cusack, to release Wayne & Kevin
- an animated short that illustrates the symptoms of syphilis and the importance of regular sexual health
screenings for gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) to maintain their sexual health and
wellbeing.
With a steady rise in the diagnosis rates of syphilis in Victoria over the last five years, this latest health
promotion message aims to clear up some of the misconceptions about syphilis. The symptoms of
syphilis are often mistaken for other things, and some cases of syphilis are asymptomatic. Syphilis is
highly contagious, and if left untreated, can damage the body’s internal organs and even lead to fatal
consequences in the long term. Regular sexual health testing is the only way to really know one’s sexual
health status.
“The earlier a person recognises their symptoms, the sooner they can be treated, and the less likely the
infection will be transmitted,” said Melbourne Sexual Health Centre Director, Prof Christopher K Fairley.
“Syphilis is a real concern for gay men and other MSM in Victoria. We’ve created ‘Wayne & Kevin’ to not
only raise awareness of the issues surrounding syphilis but to break down some of the stigma attached
with sexual health testing,” said VAC CEO Simon Ruth. “It’s a down-to-earth approach that uses realistic
language.”
Within hours of being posted on social media, the clip has had hundreds of views with positive feedback
across Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The clip can be viewed at: bit.ly/WayneKevin
For more information on syphilis, head to: www.thedramadownunder.info/bugs/syphilis

The Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) will once again be partnering with the Centre for Social
Research in Health (CSRH) & The Kirby Institute, UNSW to conduct the Melbourne Gay Community Periodic
Survey. Kicking off on Sunday 18 January at Midsumma Festival’s Carnival, the survey will continue to be
conducted at participating venues and clinics until Sunday 25 January. Now in its 17th year, the Melbourne
Gay Community Periodic Survey annually provides a snapshot of the lives of gay and other men who have
sex with men (MSM) in the Melbourne area.
Starting in Melbourne in 1998, the survey looks at the sexual practices of MSM in relation to the transmission
of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. This annual survey allows for comparisons over
time and notes changes in sexual practices including: partnering habits, HIV & other STI testing rates as
well as drug use. The Periodic Survey is conducted in other states during respective LGBTIQ community
festivals - allowing for interstate comparisons. The data collected goes on to inform both state and national
health promotion campaigns as well as education strategies.
The Melbourne Gay Community Periodic Survey seeks MSM who have been homosexually active in the
last five years to participate. MSM who do not live in Melbourne but regularly participate in the Melbourne
gay community are welcome to fill out a survey as well. The anonymous survey takes approximately 6-8
minutes to complete.
“It only takes minutes to complete the survey, so drop by our tent at the Midsumma Carnival to say hello,”
said State Coordinator Tex McKenzie. “We will be in venues and clinics during the following week as well.
Look out for our recruiters. Your support in completing the survey makes a difference and helps to guide
the direction of HIV/AIDS and STI health promotion strategies here in Victoria.”
As an anonymous survey, feedback and findings will be provided through LGBTIQ media outlets as well as
through public meetings and seminars, online reports issued by the National Centres and journal articles.

During Midsumma, Melbourne’s annual three-week queer cultural festival, VAC is
partnering with the City of Melbourne to host a one-night event that uses the “hypothetical” panel
discussion format once made famous by Geoffrey Robertson on the ABC. With a panel including Australian
Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson, media personalities Judith Lucy and Adam Richard as well as
a line up of community leaders and health specialists, the event will be held at Melbourne Town Hall
on Tuesday 20 January at 7PM and will be moderated by Rob Moodie, Professor of Public Health at The
University of Melbourne.
“A hypothetical is such a effective way of getting meaningful insights from a panel of experts and leaders.
It surprises me that we don’t see it used more often,” said VAC CEO Simon Ruth. “The Geoffrey Robertson’s
Hypothetical episode ‘Does Dracula Have AIDS?’ from 1986 changed health policy overnight. VAC hasn’t
hosted a hypothetical since 2000, so it’s certainly time to introduce a new generation of the community
to this type of event.”
The hypothetical format explores social issues using a fabricated narrative as a framework for panelists to
discuss the considerations and possible ramifications for the characters involved - often with themselves
being woven into the storyline by the moderator. Professor Rob Moodie will be moderating VAC’s upcoming
hypothetical. Moodie was the inaugural Director of Country Support for UNAIDS in Geneva from 1995-98,
CEO of VicHealth from 1998-2007, chaired the National Preventative Health Taskforce from 2008-2011 and
was a member of the Commission on AIDS in the Pacific.
Rob Moodie says the audience can expect, “a set of compelling and important issues at the heart the
hypothetical which will be unearthed by a group of opinionated, smart and funny panellists in a format
that will make Geoffrey Robertson proud! I just didn’t want to miss it.”
Entitled MJ Loves Tina, Charlie’s Chasing Harry, the upcoming hypothetical will explore the social issues
surrounding drug use within the gender, sex and sexually diverse communities here in Melbourne and
Sydney. Panelists for the event include:
• Australian Human Rights Commissioner, Tim Wilson
• Judith Lucy
• Adam Richard
• Assoc Prof Edwina Wright
• ACON CEO Nicolas Parkhill
• Assoc Prof Nadine Ezard
• Living Positive Victoria Executive Officer Brent Allan
• Jez Pez
• JOY 94.9 Presenter Dean Beck
• Steven Spencer
This event is free to attend, but spaces are limited. To register for the event, go to:
midsumma.org.au/event/mj-loves-tina

In an ongoing effort to promote quick and convenient HIV & STI testing, the Victorian
AIDS Council (VAC) has partnered with Mr Australasia Bear 2014, Erin O’Neill, to release an online clip
promoting the PRONTO! service in Fitzroy.
Since opening in August 2013, PRONTO! has offered free rapid HIV testing to over two thousand men who
have sex with men (MSM). In 2014, the service started offering free syphilis testing as well as outreach
testing sessions in local Melbourne venues in the lead up to the AIDS 2014 conference in July. In order
to continue to engage the communities it serves, PRONTO! is working with community leaders like Mr
Australasia Bear 2014 to encourage MSM to look after their own sexual health and well-being by making
HIV & STI testing a regular part of their lives.
Erin O’Neill said, “It’s a great service that I’ve used. And PRONTO! lines up nicely with what we’re trying to
do at Vic Bears with BearHart. BearHart is the health and resources team at VicBears. Its goal is to facilitate
health promotion within the bear community. I know that there’s lots of people in the bear community
that don’t know about the PRONTO! service, so I’m happy to do my part and promote it.”
VAC CEO Simon Ruth added, “By building relationships with community leaders like Erin, we’re hoping to
incorporate the PRONTO! service into the lives of the bear community. We want quick and convenient
HIV & STI testing to be a normal part of their routine as well as the routines of all gay men and MSM in
Victoria.”
As part of this initiative for community engagement, the PRONTO! site is offering its Fitzroy site as a
community space for local groups to host events and meetings. Interested groups should contact PRONTO!
Team Leader Craig Burgess at (03) 9416 2889.
To view the clip “Visiting PRONTO! with Mr Australasia Bear” go to: bit.ly/PRONTObear

From the online web series Being Brendo to the mainstream presence of Drama Downunder raising awareness about
sexual health and STI testing to the sexually explicit but highly-effective Protection condom reinforcement campaign - health promotion
campaigns have played a vital role in Victoria’s ongoing response to HIV/AIDS. With bipartisan support, these campaigns have continued
to respond to the changing landscape of sexual health and HIV prevention in the LGBTI community. In keeping with this legacy, VAC and
Living Positive Victoria have included actions for all political parties to take into consideration as we approach the Victorian State Election.
• Maintain and develop co-ordinated HIV prevention programs for gay men and men who have sex with men (MSM) and increase the
capacity for HIV prevention campaigns targeted at marginalised and low socio-economic individuals and communities - including
funding campaigns that target hard to reach men through social media and apps
• Recognise Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) as a highly effective HIV risk reduction strategy being employed by gay men and MSM in
Victoria to avoid HIV and encourage its approval with the TGA
• Support the introduction of PrEP in Victoria by addressing financial barriers to access and funding consumer support programs
• Increase funding for peer based and community led outreach education initiatives like VAC’s Sexually Adventurous Men (SAM)
Project and Living Positive Victoria’s Positive Speakers Bureau
“We know PrEP is highly effective in the prevention of HIV acquisition. While PrEP has been made widely available in the US, we see the
demand rapidly increasing here in Australia. The next Victorian government should embrace this turning point in HIV prevention and
ensure PrEP is accessible and affordable,” said VAC CEO Simon Ruth.
VAC Director, Health Promotion, Policy and Communications Colin Batrouney went on to say, “We are at a point in the epidemic where
there have never been so many tools to prevent HIV. From rapid testing and early treatment to post exposure prophylaxis, pre-exposure
prophylaxis, undetectable viral load and of course condoms, the elements that comprise effective combination prevention are potentially
very powerful. We need to maintain our health promotion efforts, and this means ensuring that the community is offered every possible
option to end HIV.”
“HIV prevention has undergone recent significant shifts, with the second European PrEP study being closed early due to high effectiveness.
These medical interventions show us that everyone can take responsibility for ending HIV in our community. The increasing role of HIV
positive people is highlighted again and again by the growing evidence about early treatment and maintaining a low viral load to help
reduce onward transmission of HIV. This means that we have more work to do than ever before in making individuals aware of their role in
ending HIV,” says Suzy Malhotra, Health Promotion Manager and acting Executive Officer, Living Positive Victoria. “We call on Government
to continue to support efforts to get the message out to the broadest possible community to uphold Victoria’s world class response to
HIV and AIDS.”
This issue as well as the other issues outlined in the joint election document HIV/AIDS: What Your Government Can Do will be
discussed by members of the Government, the Opposition, the Greens Party and the Sex Party at VAC & Living Positive Victoria’s
upcoming Any Questions? Election Community Forum at 6:30PM on 12 November 2014 at VAC’s Positive Living Centre (51
Commercial Road, South Yarra). Moderated by former VAC Executive Director Mike Kennedy, this event will allow the community
to hear from each party as well as participate in a question and answer session. More information on this event can be found at:
www.vac.org.au/election-community-forum

The inaugural GLOBE Awards held at the Myer Mural Hall on Friday 17 October saw the
LGBTI community recognise excellence and achievement across a variety of areas. VAC congratulates all
GLOBE Award winners - in particular those whom VAC has worked so closely with over the past year.
Winning the Healthy Community Award, Young & Gay is VAC’s Peer Education program for gay men under
the age of 26.
VAC Peer Education Coordinator Budi Sudarto said, “Young & Gay has been running for 20 years, and this
award is dedicated to the many volunteers who have helped their friends overcome difficulties relating to
their sexuality while receiving education on sexual health and safe-sex. The program truly demonstrates
the benefit of engaging with young people, empowering them to empower each other, all done to improve
the health and well being of young people in particular, and the GLBTIQ community in general.”
VAC and Living Positive Victoria were recognised for their joint campaign to Repeal 19A with the award for
Protecting Our Community. The joint efforts to repeal Section 19A of the Crimes Act 1958 (VIC) resulted
in an announcement from the Victorian Government to amend the law followed by a commitment from
the Opposition to repeal the law altogether if elected in next month’s election. The law adds to the stigma
experienced by people living with HIV (PLHIV) and such laws are proven to be counterproductive HIV
prevention and policy initiatives.
Clayton Wimshurst walked away with the Volunteer of the Year Award for his worked with VAC’s Outreach
Program. Aimed at improving the sexual health of gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM),
the program has trained volunteers go out to sex on premises venues and online cruising sites to offer
sexual health information and resources to the community.
Clayton said, “I feel both honoured and privileged to receive this award with so many people doing amazing
things to help our community. I volunteer because I love the work, and it allows me to feel connected to
the community. This award has strengthened that connection.”
“Recognising those members of our community who give of their time and skills so generously is an
important thing to do. VAC relies heavily on volunteers like Clayton so that we can extend our reach and
our services to the wider community. Thanks to GLOBE for providing this event,” said VAC President Greg
Carter.

“Victoria has fallen behind in making PEP readily available to all Victorians, particularly those in regional and rural Victoria. In some
parts of Victoria, you have closer access to PEP by crossing the NSW border and getting it there,” said VAC CEO Simon Ruth. “PEP
is a vital tool in the prevention of HIV transmission, especially in urgent situations.”
Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) provides an important secondary line of defence in the event of accidental HIV exposure. If a
course of PEP is taken by an HIV negative individual within 72 hours of exposure to HIV and is continued daily for 28 days, PEP
is effective in the prevention of HIV transmission. Accessing PEP within the 72 hour window period is critical to preventing the
onward transmission of HIV. While PEP is accessible in various locations around Melbourne, for regional and rural Victorians access
to PEP is limited.
In the lead up to the Victorian State Election on 29 November 2014, the Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) and Living Positive Victoria
are recommending the following actions for the next Government:
• Develop a PEP Strategy that would increase the distribution points for PEP ensuring that no-one in Victoria lives more than 50
kilometres from a PEP dispensing point. This may include making PEP available throughout Victoria’s hospital network and/or
community health centres.
• Commit to working with the Therapeutic Goods Administration to make PEP available for purchase through pharmacies
• Fund a public awareness campaign that encourages gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), in addition to
other high risk populations, to have the PEP hotline phone number (1800 889 887) in their mobile phone contacts
In addition to distance and operating hours, people who have acquired HIV have reported not accessing PEP because of perceived
provider prejudice and not feeling comfortable disclosing their sexual behaviour to health clinicians for fear of being judged. One
participant in the ongoing HIV Seroconvserion Study stated, “On my previous two occasions I was grilled to a point that I felt like I
was begging; I would rather have just bought them [PEP] over the counter - even if it cost $400.”
One VAC client went on to share his experience trying to access PEP. “The hospital staff made me feel so embarrassed I almost
walked out. It was only knowing that I was at real risk of getting HIV that made me sit through two hours of humiliation,” he said.
“I wouldn’t go back there.”

The Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) applauds the recent announcement by Minister for
Mental Health, The Hon Mary Wooldridge at the Penington Institute’s 2014 Australian Drugs Conference.
The Napthine Government announcement includes new harm reduction programs to the value of $5.1
million dollars addressing the use of methamphetamines, specifically ‘ice’.
As one of the organisations included in these new measures, VAC will receive $160,000 over the next two
years to go toward continued innovation in peer education aimed at men who have sex with men (MSM)
about ice use and its impact on HIV risk reduction strategies.
“In our joint election platform with Living Positive Victoria, we raised concerns regarding the impact drug
use has on HIV prevention. We applaud the Government’s timely response,” said VAC CEO Simon Ruth.
VAC recently introduced Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) services throughout the greater Melbourne area
last month. For more information on these services, go to: www.vac.org.au/AODServices. As outlined
in the Government’s package measures, this new funding will go toward harm minimalisation through
a targeted peer education initiative aimed at MSM about the sexual health risks associated with ice use.

HIV should be treated as a public health issue, not a criminal offense, and the incoming Victorian government should make law reform in this area a priority if the state is to end new HIV transmissions by 2020.
Living Positive Victoria and the Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) have today called on both Labor and Coalition parties to set out a timeline and process for delivery of commitments made during July’s International AIDS Conference in Melbourne - AIDS 2014.
The organisations agree that reform is needed in two key areas to bring Victoria into line with world’s best practice:
1. Immediately repeal section 19A of the Crimes Act 1958 (VIC)
2. Establish protocols between the police, public prosecutors and public health to ensure that alleged cases of HIV exposure or transmission are managed through the public health system established under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 and not through the criminal justice system
Section 19A is Australia’s only HIV-specific criminal law and has been condemned by HIV and legal experts as a barrier to an effective HIV response, as it perpetuates stigma and discourages people from testing, disclosure and treatment. During AIDS 2014, both the Government and Opposition undertook commitments to reform Section 19A; however, the Government has not provided any details of its proposal, nor set out a timetable for delivery.
“As we approach the state election, we are putting both sides of politics on notice that we will ensure these commitments are delivered,” said Paul Kidd, Chair of the HIV Legal Working Group and past president of Living Positive Victoria. “Regardless of who forms the next government, we expect to see meaningful reform which ensures HIV is treated as a health issue, not a law and order issue.”

As well as the repeal of section 19A, the agencies argue that guidelines, modelled on those already
adopted in the UK, are needed to enable police, prosecutors and health authorities to work together
to ensure that, wherever appropriate, people who are subject to allegations of HIV transmission or
exposure are managed within the public health system, with criminal law reserved for rare cases
where intentional transmission can be proven.
“We strongly believe the right way to deal with this issue is to remove HIV from the criminal law as
far as possible. Victoria has an excellent and respected public health case management process
which is highly successful in responding to the small number of people with HIV who are alleged to
place others at risk,” Kidd said. “We welcome the commitments made during the conference and we
are reminding all parties that we will hold them to their word.”
VAC and Living Positive Victoria urge both parties to set out a timeline and process by which these
reforms will be achieved after the state election on 29 November 2014.

Knowing Your HIV status is central to our goal of ending HIV. The introduction of rapid testing in Victoria has
seen an increase in HIV and STI testing amongst gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Building on this success,
the Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) and Living Positive Victoria are aiming to increase the availability of testing. We are also advocating
for the introduction of Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).
“Protecting people from contracting HIV with one pill per day, PrEP is a vital tool that gay men and other affected communities
need access to,” said VAC CEO Simon Ruth.
With the Victorian State Election now less than eight weeks away, VAC and Living Postive Victoria are calling for all political parties
to commit to the actions outlined in their joint document HIV/AIDS: What Your Government Can Do including:
• Support increased community based rapid testing for gay men and MSM throughout Victoria using mobile facilities
and/or outposted services, with accredited peer testers
• Advocate for the availability of HIV self-testing devices with the TGA and commit to supporting these devices in
Victoria by funding a community based co-ordinated health promotion campaign targetting people who choose
to use self-testing devices
• Work with community based service providers to address systematic STI screening barriers
• Commit to better strategies targeting women and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities at risk of
HIV and promote improvements in HIV testing so that the gender and cultural gap in time-to-diagnosis is reduced
• Recognise PrEP as a highly effective HIV risk reduction strategy being employed by gay men and MSM in Victoria
to avoid HIV and encourage its approval with the TGA
• Support the introduction of PrEP in Victoria by addressing financial barriers to access and funding consumer
support programs
To view the joint document HIV/AIDS: What Your Government Can Do, go to: www.vac.org.au