Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Leader of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity presented by the member for Riverina to speak on this important motion. After about a decade of decline, the rate of HIV-AIDS infection in Australia has been rising since the late 1990s. There are now more people in Australia with HIV-AIDS than ever before. Unfortunately, this trend seems set to continue. According to the research released in March by the University of New South Wales, Australia could actually be facing a huge surge in HIV infection rates over the next seven years. Lead researcher Dr David Wilson says that, although the numbers are lower than they were at the peak of the 1988 HIV-AIDS crisis, the trend is worrying.

On a positive note, new treatments have seen a marked increase in the life expectancy of people infected with HIV and AIDS. If you were diagnosed with AIDS in 1996, the median survival time was only 19 months. By 2003, that had increased to 34 months. For Australians with HIV, the virus is no longer a death warrant, and many people diagnosed with HIV will go on to live long lives and have HIV-free children.

The challenge before us is that people infected with HIV in developing nations have little or no chance of accessing the same treatment and medicines as Australians. Research by AusAID has found that 64,000 people, or two per cent of the population, in New Guinea are HIV positive. The research concluded that, unless interventions to address the spread and impact of HIV-AIDS are scaled up, by 2025 over 500,000 New Guineans will be living with HIV or AIDS. The effects of such an increase would be devastating: 117,000 children would lose mothers to HIV-AIDS, the workforce would decline by 12.5 per cent and 70 per cent of all hospital beds would be needed for AIDS sufferers.

These statistics show that HIV and AIDS are not just a health challenge; they are an economic challenge, they are a social challenge and they are a national challenge. The diseases affect families physically, emotionally and financially. It is estimated that by 2015 HIV will have caused six million Asian families to slip below the poverty line. International experience has shown that, with strong leadership and comprehensive responses in place, the epidemics of HIV-AIDS can be brought under control, as evidenced in Cambodia and in Thailand. The problems are large and challenging. In Asia in 2008, only 26 per cent of HIV sufferers have access to the necessary drugs and treatment. Although this is up from just nine per cent in 2004, we would all agree that there is still a long, long way to go.

Australia has been and has the opportunity to continue as a leader in the fight against HIV-AIDS. Internationally, we are recognised for our leadership on HIV policy and for technical strength in the prevention, treatment and research of the disease. Australia’s international AIDS strategy is due to conclude shortly—in fact, within seven days—and AusAID has released a consultation paper in preparation for the release of a new strategy later this year. This presents the Rudd government with an opportunity to continue Australia’s leading role in the field of HIV-AIDS treatment and prevention.

Research into HIV-AIDS must continue in Australia, for the benefit of Australian sufferers as well as the international community. Unfortunately, many governments in our region have been unwilling or unable to develop comprehensive AIDS strategies. As a result, Australia’s position as a leader in this region is vital and must be maintained and expanded. On the domestic front, access to HIV-AIDS services for people living in rural and regional Australia must be improved. Counselling and support is often very difficult to obtain, and treatment may require travel and considerable inconvenience. HIV and AIDS are terrible conditions that affect thousands of Australian families. Today, I call on the government to ensure that HIV-AIDS sufferers and their families are given the best possible options for the management of their condition.

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