Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I wish to rise today to also speak on the motion on World Aids Day. I thank the previous speakers for their contributions as well. Tomorrow marks World AIDS Day, held every year to raise awareness about the issues surrounding HIV and AIDS. It is a day to show support and also to commemorate, sadly, those people who have died. The HIV epidemic is one of the largest epidemics our world is facing, and Australia is working bilaterally, regionally and globally to address the threat. Australia remains committed to supporting an effective, equitable and sustainable HIV response in our immediate region, the Indo-Pacific.

We should also acknowledge the substantial progress that has been made in expanding access to HIV prevention, treatment and care services and particularly the focus on achieving epidemic control. We hope to end AIDS as a health threat. With more people receiving treatment now more than ever before, we have seen a decline in new cases globally.

The Australian government pledged $200 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for 2014-2016, supporting its efforts to eliminate the three diseases. The benefit of this commitment can be seen in the statistics: 2.9 million people living with HIV in the Indo-Pacific region have been receiving antiretroviral treatment from global fund support; globally, 423 million people have received HIV counselling and testing through global fund grants; and 5.1 billion condoms have been distributed through the global fund to prevent the spread of HIV. While Australia is stepping up the battle against the worldwide spread of the disease, we must also acknowledge that we have not been completely successful domestically either.

Tomorrow is a great reminder that much more needs to be done in Queensland, which is one of the states that has witnessed a gradual increase in the number of new HIV notifications. Combined with its size and widespread population centres, Queensland faces its own unique problems. My own seat of Brisbane has also seen a growing number of HIV cases, for which I will continue to fight for more funding and resources. We, as the federal government, can and must do more to reverse the spread of this dreadful disease.

Another goal of the day is to affirm the commitment to support actions which reduce the stigma surrounding HIV infection, prevent new HIV transmissions and work towards a cure. I, like the member for Canberra, also saw the terrible stigma in the 1980s—the fear, scaremongering and discrimination. I experienced it every day in my own family's restaurant. It is an episode that I am sure that many of us never ever want to go through again. It really did not need to be that way, but it certainly elicited a great deal of fear in the community at the time.

I want to pay tribute to the many dedicated and committed local organisations and volunteers who provide invaluable and much-needed support, particularly the great work that they do in providing guidance to those affected by HIV and their families. In the electorate of Brisbane, the Queensland AIDS Council does a fantastic job—and I want to particularly acknowledge CEO Joanne Leamy. I also want to acknowledge Queensland Positive People; Rapid; the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland, which reaches out to the many communities that it represents by providing greater education and counselling; the Gay and Lesbian Welfare Association; and, particularly, a new foundation that has only been in existence for a few short years—HIV Foundation Queensland. I also want to pay tribute to the health minister at the time, Lawrence Springborg, who announced free HIV testing and ensured that that was expanded, particularly as part of AIDS Awareness Week back at the end of 2013. That was very much appreciated, particularly the after-hours HIV testing clinic.

Tomorrow is not just about taking stock of what has been achieved and what is yet to be achieved; it is also about the realisation that real lives are at stake. Tomorrow is not just to mark the fighting of a disease; it is also to remember the toll that has been taken, and is still being taken, on those who have that battle.

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