HIV Foundation Queensland loses funding
The HIV Foundation Queensland will not be funded after the end of its current agreement on 30 June, Health Minister Cameron Dick has announced.
Chair of the HIV Foundation Queensland, Dr Darren Russell, said the organisation has worked passionately to implement Queensland鈥檚 HIV strategy since its inception four years ago.
鈥淎t this stage of the HIV response, what is required is effective implementation like we have now,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t remains to be seen just how this is going to happen after June.鈥�
The foundation was created by the Newman Government in 2013. It will now be replaced with a Sexual Health Ministerial Advisory Committee.
Healthy Communities, now the Queensland AIDS Council, was also defunded around the time of the HIV Foundation Queensland鈥檚 creation.
Paul Martin, then-executive director of Healthy Communities, criticised the move at the time.
鈥淗ealthy Communities was only funded to provide HIV, STI and hepatitis C prevention to gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men, with a range of other non-government organisations funded separately to work with other at-risk communities and Queensland Health charged with general community awareness,鈥� he said.
鈥淲ill the Minister guarantee that all funds will in future only be used on gay men鈥檚 HIV prevention?鈥�
At the time, Queensland was the only state in Australia without state government funding for its AIDS council.
Originally published as ‘HIV Foundation Queensland to shut down’.
LOL! I’m sure the organisations that are actually involved in sexual health will be able to continue to implement the HIV strategy. Since when is sponsoring events such as Melt, Brisbane Queer Film Festival etc implementing the HIV strategy anyway? I think someone needs to have a reality check on how effective the HIV Foundation hasn’t been.