Media Releases

The Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) has come out in support of Elton John’s call to
boycott Dolce Gabbana products in response to comments made by Domencio Dolce on Italian magazine
Panorama’s website where he was critical of IVF and the notion that a child could be raised by a same sex
couple saying, “You are born and you have a father and a mother, or at least it should be like this, that’s
why I am not convinced by chemical children, synthetic babies, wombs for rent.”
In an earlier interview, Stefano Gabbana had said, “I am opposed to the idea of a child growing up with two
gay parents. A child needs a mother and a father.”
Elton John has called for a boycott on Dolce Gabbana products saying, “How dare you refer to my beautiful
children as ‘synthetic’.”
Earlier this month, VAC partnered with Rainbow Families Council to host a community forum at ChillOut
Festival 2015 to discuss the challenges, strengths, and contemporary issues faced by families in the gender,
sex, and sexually diverse communities of Victoria. After the success of this forum and noted increase in
community support, VAC CEO Simon Ruth has expressed disappointment at the comments made by the
Italian fashion duo.
Simon Ruth supports Elton John’s call for a boycott saying, “These comments are not only counterproductive
to debates around the use and benefits of fertility technology generally, they are shocking as they are
coming from two openly gay men who have been the beneficiaries of significant gay support throughout
their careers.”
He added, “We, continue to fight for the rights of the GLBTI community to parent children and create
nurturing and loving families in the face of continued opposition from the church, some political parties,
and now it seems, has been fashion designers.”

LGBTI community organisations in Victoria have united to call on the Federal
Government to support the Safe Schools Coalition when a review of the program is
submitted to the Government on Friday.
Coming together in support of the Safe Schools Coalition, the Victorian Gay and
Lesbian Rights Lobby (VGLRL), the Rainbow Families Council and the Victorian AIDS
Council (VAC) said our schools should be a safe place for lesbian, gay, bisexual
transgender and intersex (LGBTI) students.
“Going into the last election, the Safe Schools program was supported by all sides of
politics. The mental health and wellbeing of LGBTI young people should not be a
political football,” said VGLRL Co-Convenor Sean Mulcahy.
“This review will only show what we already know — the Safe Schools program is of
enormous benefit to LGBTI kids, kids with LGBTI parents and their peers, and should
be rolled out across more schools.”
Representing Victoria’s LGBTI-parented families, the Rainbow Families Council said
that the Safe Schools program creates safer schools for LGBTI children, children with
LGBTI parents and their peers.
“All children and young people have the right to feel safe in their school environment,
and schools need to provide learning opportunities for everyone within their
community about what it means to be respectful, welcoming and inclusive,” said
Rainbow Families Council Co-Convenor Amelia Basset.
"Safe Schools is a unique program that contributes to a school’s ability to create a
culture of respect and dignity for all, and protect the health and wellbeing of
its community. There are benefits all around; for example, kids in LGBTI-parented
families feel more confident to talk about their home and family life where Safe
Schools programs are running."
“Losing the Safe Schools program would not only mean an end to this critical work, it
would send a devastating message to many children and young people and families
that there is not a safe place for them in our schools - and by extension in our
communities.”
As a community health organisation VAC said the Safe Schools program is crucial to
addressing and improving the mental health of LGBTI young people.
“We know that same-sex attracted, sex and gender diverse young people are
significantly more likely to have poor mental health outcomes, and we that these
outcomes are linked to experiences of homophobic and transphobic bullying, often
within the school environment,” said VAC CEO Simon Ruth.
“The work of Safe Schools to support these young people and to create safe, inclusive
environments saves lives. It’s up to all of us to stand up for the program, and for the
absolutely vital work they do.”

The Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) and Bendigo Community Health Services will partner
in 2016 to deliver programs and services related to the prevention of blood-borne viruses and sexually
transmitted infections (BBV/STI) in the Loddon Mallee Region.
The aim of the service is to ensure people at risk of BBV/STI can access the information and services they
need to look after their health in a safe and inclusive way.
Both receiving funding from the Department of Health and Human Services for the new initiative, the two
organisations represent decades of experience and expertise in both the local community and in working
with communities living with and affected by BBV/STI.
VAC and Bendigo Community Health Services will work with the Country Awareness Network (CAN) to
integrate a number of the organisation’s unique services into this new initiative.
As part of this funding VAC has employed a staff member based in the area to oversee the organisation’s
activities and develop a presence in the region.
“We look forward to working with Bendigo Community Health Services and CAN on delivering important
HIV-prevention programs and services to the Loddon Mallee region, and we hope to build on their expertise
to engage the local community,” said Simon Ruth, CEO of VAC.
“The funding is an opportunity for VAC to extend our wide range of programs and support services to
the Loddon Mallee region, establishing a greater presence at local venues and events, delivering peer
education and support for people living with HIV, and LGBTI communities, distributing targeted information
on BBV/STI-prevention and working to reduce stigma.”
“We congratulate CAN on 20 years of work supporting LGBT people and people living with HIV in rural
communities. It is vital that LGBTI people living in regional and rural Victoria have access to health services
catering specifically to their needs.”
BCHS will build on its existing expertise regarding blood borne viruses and sexually transmitted infections
to ensure a strong suite of services are available to those needing these services such as young people,
Aboriginal communities, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
“BCHS, in collaboration with VAC, aims to reduce the incidence of blood borne virus and sexually
transmissible infections as well as ensuring that the highest level of assistance and clinical service is
available to diagnose, treat and support those affected,” BCHS CEO Kim Sykes said.
“Each organisation brings expertise critical to ensuring a successful and comprehensive approach to those
who have acquired a BBV or STI and to those who are at risk. This collaboration allows us to achieve better
outcomes for communities in the Loddon Mallee by complementing each other’s work.”

Responding to an investigation by the ABC’s Four Corners program this week into drug-related deaths, Harm Reduction Victoria (HRV) and the Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) call on the Victorian Government to implement a state-based pill testing trial.
The organisations join calls by former law enforcement and judicial officials quoted in the Four Corners report to introduce pill testing at events and help our communities remain safe. A Victorian trial could see pill testing machines implemented at parties and events, operated by trained staff, to give drug users more information about what they are taking.
HRV President Bill O’Loughlin said the organisation’s DanceWize program, which uses a peer education model to reduce drug and alcohol related harm at Victorian dance parties, could easily incorporate pill testing in partnership with medical experts.
“The time has come to do a trial of pill testing at events. Dancewize are constantly being asked if pill tests are available—the program is respected by dance patrons and would easily be able to incorporate pill testing in partnership with medical experts,” said O’Loughlin.
“People want to know what they are taking. They don’t want to go out for an evening and run the risk of dying.”
As of last year VAC has been working with DanceWize to deliver peer education around drugs and alcohol at Trough, a gay dance party in Melbourne.
VAC CEO Simon Ruth said this was an important issue for LGBTI communities. Last week the Kirby Institute released results from the Flux study, which indicated that while recreational drug use is common among gay and bisexual men, dependency is low.
“We agree that current drug measures have failed, and it’s clear we need a new approach. Pill testing has proven effective in Europe for over a decade at reducing harm, and a trial in Victoria is a clear way forward to help our communities to stay safe,” said Ruth.
Ruth also criticised the use of sniffer dogs to detect drugs at events: “We have to put an end to using sniffer dogs at events and parties. We know they don’t work, and can even lead to people taking all of their drugs at once to avoid detection, risking overdose. Victoria needs to support measures to keep people safe, not place them at further risk.”
In November VAC launched TouchBase, a national resource on alcohol and drugs for LGBTI communities.

The Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) has welcomed on board Dr Pauline Cundill to provide GP services to the trans and gender diverse community from the organisation’s Fitzroy site, where VAC’s PRONTO! rapid HIV testing service is currently based. From 22 February this new, bulk-billing service will be operating on Mondays and Thursdays, with appointments available between 9AM–3.30PM.
Dr Cundill has over 10 years experience working with trans and gender diverse patients. She has worked previously at both Northside Clinic and Prahran Market Clinic, she provides training for rural GP registrars in LGBTI health, and works closely with the Royal Children’s Hospital Gender Clinic.
“A trans and gender diverse health and wellbeing clinic is long overdue in Melbourne. Having worked in this area over the past 10 years I’ve seen the need for a community space and improved health services for the trans community,” said Dr Cundill.
“I’m excited that this clinic will be in partnership with the trans and gender diverse community to ensure that we meet community needs and expectations. My role is to provide high quality medical care in an affirming, friendly and safe space.”
Jeremy Wiggins, VAC Project Lead, Trans Health said: “This is a new era for trans health in Victoria and it’s very exciting to have so much community support behind this new service.”
Appointments for the trans and gender diverse health service can currently be booked via the PRONTO! website, pronto.org.au.
Alongside the new GP service, VAC has launched its first Trans and Gender Diverse Advisory Group, which will provide advice to the organisation on supporting and promoting the health and wellbeing of Victoria’s sexually and gender diverse communities.
VAC sought expressions of interest in late 2015, and the advisory group convened for its first meeting on Wednesday evening. Co-chaired by Jeremy Wiggins, the group’s members represent a breadth of expertise and lived experience in sexually and gender diverse communities.
The scope of the advisory group’s activities will include: general medical services, sexual health services, alcohol and drugs, HIV services, mental health, health promotion, policy, diversity and inclusion.
“Establishing the trans and gender diverse advisory group is a really important step to ensure the trans work we do at VAC is relevant to the community and led by the community,” said Wiggins.
VAC CEO Simon Ruth said the work of the advisory group will have a tangible impact on the work of the organisation.
“It’s important that these are community-led initiatives—trans and gender diverse people are identifying gaps in the services and support available in Victoria, and coming to us to tell us what needs to be done,” Ruth said.
“We want the work we do as an organisation to better support trans and gender diverse Victorians, and we’re proud to work with these communities to make that happen.”
Inaugural members of VAC’s Trans and Gender Diverse Advisory Group:
Jeremy Wiggins, VAC Project Lead, Trans Health
Kai Clancy, VAC Aboriginal Project Worker
Starlady, ZBGC Youth Project Officer
Brooke Powers, DJ/Drug User Rights Activist
Jack Metcalfe, Health Service Coordinator
Erik Ly, Treasurer of Ygender
Margot Fink, Head of Gender Diverse Projects, Minus18 Foundation
Sam Lilit, President of Ygender
Patrick Kay, Trans Advocate
Amanda Marx, Trans Advocate

On the back of the announcement of Victoria’s new and expanded PrEPX trial, the Victorian
AIDS Council (VAC) is launching two new services at the PRONTO! rapid HIV testing clinic: a PrEP Clinic and a full STI
screening service, making PRONTO! a one-stop shop for sexual health check-ups.
Clients can now book appointments online for the PrEP Clinic, where an experienced and non-judgemental GP can
take them through the basics of pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV (PrEP). The GP can even get the ball rolling on
accessing PrEP, with important baseline tests, prescriptions, and current information on how to safely and legally
import generic PrEP drugs from overseas.
“Expressions of interest are already flooding in for the PrEPX trial, but until it begins the easiest way to access PrEP will
continue to be through overseas imports using a prescription from a GP,” said Simon Ruth, CEO of VAC.
“It’s exciting to see so many Victorians keen to take responsibility for their sexual health, and the new PrEP Clinic at
PRONTO! will make sure our community has another way to access this game-changing HIV prevention method sooner
rather than later.”
PrEP is a highly effective HIV-prevention method, where HIV-negative people take HIV medication to significantly
reduce their risk of contracting HIV.
Alongside the PrEP Clinic, PRONTO! is introducing full STI testing for the first time, with tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea
and syphilis now offered as part of a standard appointment for rapid HIV testing. Appointments will also include the
option for a parallel HIV blood test, which has a shorter window period than the rapid test.
Clients who test positive for STIs can be referred to a new, in-house GP for treatment, or details can be forwarded to
your regular GP if preferred.
Associate Professor Mark Stoové from PRONTO! partner the Burnet Institute said the expansion of services was
responding to a clear need expressed by the community.
“This is a fantastic and much needed innovation for PRONTO! Our evaluation of the service during the trial period
indicated a unambiguous need to integrate STI testing with rapid HIV testing,” Stoové said.
“With the addition of a PrEP Clinic, PRONTO! now represents a world-leading model for community-based and
accessible sexual health care for gay men.”
PRONTO! manager Peter Locke said that despite these new additions to the service, it will continue to feel like the safe,
community-led space clients have come to trust over the past two and a half years.
“Existing clients who have come to trust PRONTO!’s world-class, peer-led model can rest assured that the peers are
still running the same service, we’re just offering a few additional options for STI testing,” said Locke.
To book appointments for the PrEP Clinic, a rapid HIV-test or full STI testing, visit pronto.org.au.

The Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) welcomes the Victorian Government’s announcement of PrEPX, a new and expanded
trial making PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV) available for 2600 Victorians who need this vital HIV-prevention
technology.
VAC CEO Simon Ruth congratulated the Andrew’s Government on partnering with VAC, Alfred Health, and the Burnet
Institute to fund this expansion study, which will allow thousands of Victorians at risk of HIV to protect themselves
and their communities.
“VAC applauds the Andrew’s Government for taking such a significant step towards reducing HIV transmissions in
Victoria by introducing the PrEPX study. PrEP is a game-changer when it comes to HIV prevention, and it’s going to play
a big role in helping us reach the ambitious target of eliminating HIV transmissions by 2020,” Ruth said.
“We want to acknowledge the work of Alfred Health and our community partners on the Victorian PrEP Accord. We’ve
seen some amazing work from grass-roots community activists to not only educate our community about PrEP, but
to set up their own access schemes. This community advocacy has played a vital role in demonstrating that ours is an
engaged and informed community of people who want to take responsibility for their sexual health.”
Victorian PrEP Accord partner and online community group, PrEP’D For Change, welcomed the announcement.
“PrEP’D For Change was thrilled to see the expansion of places for the EPIC NSW PrEP study. Now, only two months
later we’re seeing a government-funded commitment that will see thousands helping to end HIV transmissions in
Victoria too,” said PrEP’D For Change co-founder Daniel MacPhail.
“PrEP’D For Change is committed to educating those wanting to learn about PrEP whether they are part of a study
or accessing it privately. The substantial expansion of the study in combination with our strong community-based
movement has absolutely put Victoria in a leading position to reach Australia’s 2020 transmission elimination targets.”
PrEPaccessNow chairperson Phillip Joffe added, “PrEPaccessNOW met with senior Government advisors early in
January to discuss the urgent need for the expanded trial in Victoria. We were given assurances that there was no
opposition to the trial and that it was just a matter of funding holding back an announcement regarding approval.
We are very pleased to hear that an extra 2600 Victorians will have access to PrEP in the coming months and hope
that pressure will now be brought on the TGA to approve PrEP, and for a PBS listing to follow as soon as possible. We
continue to provide access to low-cost PrEP via the links to our website to Australians country-wide who believe that
PrEP is the right choice for them.”
PrEP is a highly effective HIV-prevention method, where HIV-negative people take HIV medication to significantly
reduce their risk of contracting HIV. PrEP is not currently approved by the TGA in Australia, but it can be prescribed
‘off-label’ for the purposes of HIV prevention. An application has been made to the TGA for PrEP to be approved in
Australia and then listed on the PBS, but a decision is not expected before 2017.

After the huge success of last year’s inaugural, booked-out event, the Victorian AIDS Council’s (VAC)
Midsumma Hypothetical is back for 2016, featuring an all-star line-up of comedians, politicians and community leaders.
Using the format once made famous by Geoffrey Robertson on the ABC in the late 1980s, the event sees a panel of guests
discuss the implications of a hypothetical narrative around a particular theme.
VAC has today announced the full line-up for the hypothetical’s panel, including comedians Tom Ballard and Denise
Scott, Victoria’s Gender and Sexuality Commissioner Rowena Allen, community leaders Nic Holas and Aram Hosie, and
returning panellist, Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson.
Last year the panel took on partying and drug use in our community, but this year the hypothetical looks to the future of
LGBTI issues with 2022: A Queer Odyssey. What if a syphilis super-virus is making people blind? What if a boat of LGBTI
Muslim refugees arrived in Sydney Harbour? What if equal marriage still isn’t law in Australia?
Throughout the evening, the panel will scrutinise, dissect and tease out the issues arising from the hypothetical narrative,
with the panellists themselves often woven into the storyline by the moderator.
“A big part of why the hypothetical was so successful last year is down to how the storyline tapped into an important
topic for our community, partying and drug use, and got smart, engaging people talking about it in a public space,” said
VAC CEO Simon Ruth.
“We have an election coming up later this year, so this time around we wanted to use the theme to get stuck into some
of the big issues facing LGBTI people across the nation.”
Comedian Adam Richard is returning in 2016 to moderate the hypothetical, after featuring as a panellist last year.
“Last year’s show was enormously fun, but also it was challenging. All the feedback I got from people was that they found
it fascinating, insightful, and on another level, quite silly and fun,” he said.
“I would describe it as Q&A with actual jokes.”
Nic Holas, HIV activist and founder of The Institute of Many, said the format showed the value of public community
discussions.
“As an activist, I’m often asked how to get people to see the world the way you do, so things can change. That’s not really
my activism. I just want people to talk more about issues they are passionate about. We used to descend upon town halls
and talk it out,” he said.
“The internet is great for discussion, but there’s something even greater about being the in same room. It’s impossible
to forget everyone’s humanity.”
Victorian Gender and Sexuality Commissioner Rowena Allen added: “I’m excited to join the panel to explore the
hypothetical, 2022: A Queer Odyssey. Join us for the adventure.”
The full line-up of panellists for the 2016 VAC Midsumma Hypothetical:
• Tom Ballard, comedian
• Denise Scott, comedian
• Tim Wilson, Australian Human Rights Commissioner
• Rowena Allen, Victorian Gender and Sexuality Commissioner
• Nic Holas, founder of The Institute of Many
• Sophie Ismail, ALP candidate for Melbourne
• Aram Hosie, trans rights advocate
• Associate Professor Edwina Wright, HIV researcher
• Kim Gates, Executive Director of the Northern Territory AIDS and Hepatitis Council
• Dean Beck, journalist and broadcaster with JOY 94.9
2022: A Queer Odyssey is onTuesday, 19 January at 7PM at the Deakin Edge at Federation Square.
The event is free to attend, but spaces are limited. To register for the event, go to www.vac.org.au/hypothetical.

The Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) along with the Centre for Social Research in Health
(CSRH) and the Kirby Institute at UNSW will again be conducting the Melbourne Gay Community Periodic
Survey in 2016, beginning at this year’s Midsumma Carnival on Sunday, 18 January.
From Carnival until the following Sunday, 25 January, gay and bisexual men who have sex with men (MSM)
will be asked to participate in the survey at a range of locations across Melbourne, including medical
clinics, social venues such as pubs and bars, and sex-on-premises venues. Only Melbourne men who have
had sex with another man in the past five years should complete a survey form, as well as men who don’t
live in Melbourne but who regularly participate in the Melbourne gay community. The survey is completely
anonymous, and the results are communicated later in the year via LGBTI and other media, through public
meetings and seminars, in online reports, and through journal articles.
First conducted in Melbourne in 1998, the short survey takes a snapshot of gay men’s sexual practices
related to the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. The survey is important
because it gives a snapshot of the lives of gay and homosexually active men in Melbourne from year to
year. It allows comparisons to be made over time and for a picture to emerge of the changes in sexual
practices and partnering habits, drug use, HIV and STI rates, and testing habits.
The Periodic Survey is also conducted in other states during gay community festivals so that comparisons
can be drawn between states. Data from the surveys are used to form local and national sexual health
promotion campaigns and education strategies.
“It only takes a few minutes to complete the survey, so drop by our tent at the Midsumma Carnival to say
hello,” said the survey’s Victorian coordinator, VAC’s Tex McKenzie.
“We will be in the venues and clinics during the following week as well, so look out for our recruiters. Your
support in completing the survey makes a difference and helps to guide the direction of HIV and STI health
promotion strategies here in Victoria.”
VAC CEO Simon Ruth added: “The Periodic Survey is an important piece of research that helps us target
not only campaigns around HIV and STI-prevention, but around mental health issues and alcohol and drug
use in our community as well.”
“The data we gather from the survey over time is an invaluable resource for both state-based and national
campaigns.”

Community organisations, grass-roots activists and medical researchers have come together in
Melbourne to sign a historic accord on pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV, or PrEP.
The accord grew out of a community PrEP summit hosted last month by the Victorian AIDS Council (VAC), which
included all of the groups who have signed the accord: VAC, PrEPaccessNOW, PrEP’d for Change, Time4PrEP, Living
Positive Victoria and researchers from the VicPrEP clinical trial.
The accord outlines a set of shared principles around the adoption of PrEP as an important HIV-prevention tool,
including:
• The need for information on PrEP to have a sound scientific basis informed by medical and social research
• Educating the community around issues such as access and adherence
• The need to challenge misconceptions and stigma associated with PrEP, and to frame sexual health in a way that is
sex positive, inclusive and without prejudice
• Supporting efforts to have PrEP approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and listed on the
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
PrEP is a highly effective HIV-prevention method, where HIV-negative people take HIV medication to significantly reduce
their risk of contracting HIV. PrEP is not currently approved by the TGA in Australia, but it can be prescribed ‘off-label’
for the purposes of HIV prevention.
Simon Ruth, CEO of VAC, said: “The accord is an opportunity to ensure that VAC and others who are working to make
PrEP available are all on the same page. Even if we’re taking different paths, we’ll support each others’ work—we don’t
want to inadvertently impede the progress we’re making,”
“We all have the same goal: making PrEP available for those who need it.”
Daniel MacPhail from Facebook group PrEP’d for Change said: “PrEP’d For Change recognises that helping the community
to form educated opinions of PrEP is crucial in the implementation of such a groundbreaking HIV prevention strategy.”
“We’re truly excited to stand united with these passionate organisations who all have their own important mission and
work to do, and who are all moving towards the same common goal - the elimination of HIV transmission and stigma
in Australia.”
Phillip Joffe from PrEP access scheme PrEPaccessNOW said: “PrEPaccessNOW came about to ensure that Australians
and in particular Victorians who wanted PrEP would be able to access it easily and at the lowest possible cost until such
time as the TGA and PBS approved and listed it as a subsidized option. We recognise that PrEP is the most exciting new
development that will contribute to achieving the goal of no new HIV infections by 2020.”
“In aligning with other groups who are as passionate about achieving the same goals as we are, we believe we will be a
formidable force in working towards the elimination of stigma and an end to new HIV infections.”
Warwick Emanuel from Facebook group Time4PrEP said: “Time4PrEP sees treatment as prevention and PrEP creating
equality in relationships, redefining safer sex, and building partnerships across the sero-divide.”
“We are all working to end HIV stigma and end HIV. We are stronger together! Time4PrEP welcomes and joins the
Victorian PrEP Accord.”
Dr Dean Murphy, Investigator on the VicPrEP Study, said: “The Accord recognises the role of community representatives
and advocates in ensuring increased access to PrEP and educating gay men about its benefits.”
The accord was signed at the second birthday celebrations of VAC’s PRONTO! clinic, a peer-facilitated, rapid HIV-testing
service. The service has had particular success reaching men at higher risk of HIV and men who have never been tested
for HIV, with over 4600 HIV tests conducted since PRONTO! launched in 2013.

Victoria’s HIV community has welcomed the announcement that the Andrews Labor Government will develop new guidelines to provide better and safer access to Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent the spread of HIV.
The new guidelines will provide information and clinical guidance to doctors to inform discussions with patients requesting PrEP, a highly effective HIV-prevention method where HIV-negative people take HIV medication to significantly reduce their risk of contracting HIV. While PrEP is not currently approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia, it can be prescribed ‘off-label’ for the purposes of HIV prevention.
Speaking at the launch of World AIDS Day themed ‘Getting to Zero’ at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, the Victorian Minister for Health, the Hon. Jill Hennessy MP was also joined by the City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle to announce that Melbourne will become the first Australian city to join the Fast-Track Cities initiative, signifying a commitment to end HIV.
Launched on World AIDS Day 2014, Fast-Track Cities is a joint initiative of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), UNAIDS, UN-Habitat and the City of Paris, which encourages cities to fast-track their responses to HIV to achieve the UNAIDS 90-90-90 treatment targets - by 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90% of all people diagnosed with HIV will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have suppressed viral loads.
Professor Sharon Lewin, Director of the Doherty Institute, commended the Victorian State Government and City of Melbourne, and said Melbourne was on track to achieve the targets.
“At present in Australia, 86% know their HIV status, 66% are receiving antiretroviral therapy and 62% have suppressed viral loads,” she said.
“In addition to the treatment targets, we must also focus on getting to zero – zero new infections, zero stigma and discrimination and zero AIDS related deaths. We all play an important role in achieving these targets.”
Brent Allan, Chief Executive Officer of Living Positive Victoria, said, “I emphasise the urgency in getting to the 90-90-90 targets. This requires a long term and resourced investment in tacking HIV stigma in the community.”
Simon Ruth, Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian AIDS Council (VAC), said, “VAC welcomes the new PrEP guidelines being developed by the government. The guidelines will increase access to this vital HIV prevention tool by giving prescribers the security and confidence they need to prescribe PrEP to those in our community who need it the most.
“It’s also great to see the City of Melbourne signing on to the Fast-Track Cities initiative. With programs like VAC’s PRONTO! rapid HIV-testing clinic, we’ve been working with our community to make testing easier, and the community’s positive response to the service shows how needed it is.”
Associate Professor Mark Stoové, Head of HIV Research at the Burnet Institute, said, “Relative to other cities around the world, Melbourne is extremely well-placed to achieve these ambitious targets.”
“Our world-class HIV health services are highly engaged with the community and with the most up to date prevention research. Importantly, we also have among the world’s best systems to monitor our progress towards achieving these targets.”
By the end of 2014, there were an estimated 36.9 million people living with HIV globally, with approximately two million people becoming newly infected with the virus1.

The Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) has responded to allegations made in an anonymous
statement issued by unknown individual(s), accompanied by a number of posters. The statement claims
VAC’s has been inactive on pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV (PrEP) in the face of community demand.
VAC CEO Simon Ruth responded to the criticisms:
“We agree—and have always acknowledged—that this process is taking too long, but in the interim we
have not been sitting on our hands. We marched with 6000 people down the streets of Melbourne in July
last year demanding PrEP’s approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. We have been working with
state and federal governments and nationally with other AIDS councils to do anything we can to expedite
the approval process or provide access to PrEP in other ways. We’ve run successful PrEP community forums
for over 18 months to inform and educate our community and encourage active conversation—just last
night we ran a PrEP forum in Adelaide.”
Ruth continued: “We do not believe that this statement represents the community. For the past month
we have been working with community activists looking to provide access and education around PrEP.
One outcome of these discussions has been the development of an accord showing our common ground
on this issue, which will be launched in the coming weeks once all stakeholders involved have signed on.
This accord will ensure that VAC and the activist groups are working towards the same goal: we want PrEP
available now.”
One of the community activist groups involved in the development of the PrEP accord has been PrEP
Access Now, who earlier today issued a statement in response to the criticisms. The statement condemns
the criticisms, and calls for “cooperative community action”:
The statement reads: “[PrEP Access Now] and its current committee members believe in cooperative
community action, we do not believe that attacks and the spreading of vitriol by an individual who seeks
to push an agenda will help the community achieve greater access and education of PrEP. We have been
in regular communication with all organisations within the HIV sector in Australia and with all communityrun
organisations relating to PrEP and as such we understand the processes involved in bringing PrEP to
Australia and we believe the premises of this recent poster campaign are incorrect and are not factual.
We have been made aware of the impending announcements of PrEP access schemes in Australia that will
make it even easier for people to use this HIV preventative.”