Kay Hull (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have put this motion on the agenda simply to raise awareness of the issues that are confronting us with the HIV-AIDS populace and strategy. I just attended the UN National Assembly on HIV-AIDS in New York. It is my view that most countries are showing a lack of political leadership. At times, when we listened to the interventions and the presentations that were made at the assembly, it seemed that if the rhetoric counted for anything we would not have a problem. Sadly, the reality does not yield a positive picture. Whilst we have come a long way, we have a long way to go. In particular there are issues of treatment—more specifically, the lack of trained practitioners to deliver treatment—that we must deal with. There must be investment in workforce availability across the world to enable the delivery of antiretroviral therapies to those who are affected. It is a fact that many developed countries are poaching trained professionals from developing countries, and we are sadly leaving these areas with no ability to treat this HIV-AIDS epidemic.

Prevention is still by far the best solution. When we are faced with figures that indicate that for every one infected person we treat there are 2.5 people who become newly infected, it is obvious to me that we need to have serious preventative measures and serious strategies that are concerned with the cheapest solution of all—prevention. That for every one person we treat 2.5 people become newly infected obviously puts significant pressure on maintaining and enhancing our funding. There has been a ridiculous notion that there is too much money going into responding to HIV-AIDS globally when in fact this is not correct. Treatment and intervention, particularly that which has a strong impact, is indeed very expensive and fewer than half of the people affected with HIV currently have access to treatment. Frankly, prevention is far less expensive and attention must be given to delivering prevention campaigns designed to target those most at risk.

A serious rethink of Australia’s strategy should be undertaken. We must openly evaluate the success of the delivery of HIV care in all areas, including rural and regional areas. We must seriously re-evaluate our prevention message to determine if we have been effectively targeting our most at risk. Our first strategy was formulated in 1988 and it had bipartisan support that over the years successfully prevented many Australians from becoming infected. It began the process of eliminating discrimination. Indeed, it determined that all affected people would be provided with compassionate care.

We have now seen four national strategies. My belief is that we are now heavy on rhetoric and the principles but that we are most definitely lacking leadership and drive in the delivery on the ground of a real HIV strategy. It is a fact that the strategy ends in only seven days time. Justifiable concerns have been raised that key programs could have their funding jeopardised. I urge the Minister for Health and Ageing to announce that the funding for programs under the old strategy will continue until the new strategy is in place.

We cannot afford to take our eye off the ball. We must continue our practice of bipartisan responses to ensure that the sensitive issues are put on the table and discussed. This has been the platform—the key to the success—of the Australian control of HIV since the inception of strategies. It has been the desire of members of parliament on both sides of the House to discuss the sensitive issues of males having sex with males, intravenous drug use, sex workers and many other issues involved in HIV-AIDS and hepatitis C strategies.

Every member in this House has an obligation to be a part of a candid response to HIV-AIDS, and it requires some significant thinking. We need to incorporate the UN declarations and the commitments from the UN into our strategies. We endorsed the declaration back in 2001, but we have never included the measures of that statement and the declaration into our own strategy. It is imperative that we look at ways to continue to show great leadership in the international areas. We have undertaken many reviews in respect of HIV and hepatitis C. There has been research into the epidemic and the disease, yet over the years we have seen few of these recommendations effectively implemented or even adopted. The states and the territories have been particularly lax and directionless in their response to HIV-AIDS. The Commonwealth must demand a better response from all parties. We can do better, and we must do better. There are many, many things that we need to apply in order to ensure that people have equity in treatment and services.

We have an option to lead the world and to suggest greater implementation of new and emerging programs. The one thing that I was most interested in was to ensure that, in our strategy for HIV-AIDS—in the national strategy and the international strategy—we include a positive and proactive plan of action for those people who are survivors of rape and incest. If they were to get a postexposure prophylaxis for HIV, it would stem from some of the many problems that are now emanating from quite brutal actions in many Asia-Pacific countries. Indeed, Australia is not free from that either. We as a nation have always acted in a bipartisan way. It is time that we took the strategy, reviewed it precisely and determined its effectiveness on the ground in respect of controlling new infections, as we have over 1,000 new infections per year. Obviously, we have a problem that we need to address.

I am concerned that the strategy has not yet been endorsed or implemented. Whilst I recognise that it is out there for consultation, many of the program operators are waiting for some sort of recognition or lead as to whether or not to continue their programs. Following my visit just recently to New York—and having now been appointed to the IPU HIV-AIDS task force—I feel quite confident that Australia still has so very much to offer. However, in order that we continue to be world leaders and provide direction for the rest of the world—and that in our international aid programs we can provide key advice and directions in those areas—it is very important that our strategy addresses the UN declaration, and that which is contained within the UN declaration, so that we continue to lead the way.

This motion is before the House because we have only seven days before our strategy expires. I urge the minister—and I know that she is very aware of and significantly concerned about this issue—to ensure that our programs continue and that we take the opportunity to have a full and no-nonsense review of whether or not our strategy is being successfully delivered on the ground and what changes need to take place in order for us to provide whole-of-life and whole-of-health care for all of those HIV-AIDS sufferers and their families in communities in rural Australia and city areas alike. I applaud the House for allowing me to bring forward this private member’s motion.

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