Letters to the editor
Thanks for covering ACON鈥檚 recent Annual General Meeting (鈥�鈥� Star Observer 15/11/12). I would like to clarify some of the information contained in the story.
1) The $295,000 reported as a deficit this year relates primarily to funding ACON received in 2010/11 for projects that were delivered in 2011/12. This funding could not be counted as income this year because it had already been counted the previous year. It is a requirement of Australian Accounting Standards that not-for-profit organisations recognise grant revenue in the financial year it is received, even though in some instances the corresponding service delivery and associated expenses don鈥檛 occur until the subsequent year. The adjustment made each year to account for this standard ensures income is not double counted and the prior year adjustment is reversed against retained surplus.
2) ACON鈥檚 2011/12 funding from the NSW Ministry of Health was not …cut by $1 million. The difference in income from 2010/11 to 2011/2012 was due to the receipt of special one-off funding to help ACON and other HIV-related community organisations relocate to new premises in Surry Hills.
3) ACON has not 鈥渟hifted its HIV/AIDS campaign focus from being condom-based to a new strategy of explaining the degrees of risk in unprotected sex.鈥� ACON still promotes condoms as the most effective way to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Our new campaign aims to educate gay men about the effectiveness of other risk reduction strategies which are being used by some gay men. The campaign can be viewed at www.knowtherisk.org.au.
Nicolas Parkhill
ACON CEO
Dear Editor. As an old straight guy with no experience in meeting or contacting gay people I thought perhaps your newspaper might assist by publishing this note.
I’m trying to contact Eddie G, as I am concerned has not been in contact with his close family for some years, especially his elder sister who resides in country NSW and brother Robbie ‘missing’ overseas. As we are now all over 70 now it would be nice discover if there is a reason for him disappearing with no word of goodby. I am still close to his remaining family I would like to help bridge the gap! His name is Eduart [Eddy] – brothers Robbie and Jimmy, sister Johanna and eleven nephews and nieces. Eddie and I were great friends back in the fifties when I married his sister. I am able to give my word that there are no family problems, no legal matters, or no outstanding problems Eddy should be made aware of.
Since you only have my email address and my role in this is simply to act as a conduit to re-establishing contact with his siblings. I should stress here that we do not need anything from him as we are all established and OK with our lives and that none of us have any problem whatever with his choice of life-style.
Many thanks and best wishes, Grahame.