AFAO 2008 HIV Educators’ ConferenceNewcomers’ Dinner

Overview of National Strategies and

National Structures&

Overview of AFAOSimon Donohoe

ManagerAFAO/NAPWA Education Team

andAFAO National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander

HIV/AIDS - Sexual Health Project

Presentation OverviewNational Strategies

State & Territory Strategies

National Advisory Groups

The Partnership

National Research Centres

AFAO’s work and structures

National Strategies• Guide Australian response to HIV

– 1985: Guiding principles, activities and strategies (Hlth Minister: Neal Blewett)

– 1989: 1st National HIV/AIDS Strategy (International Best Practice)

• Since 2005: Four separate 3-year strategies:– 5th National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2005-2008 (Revitalising Australia’s response)

– 2nd National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Strategy 2005-2008

– 1st National Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategy 2005-2008– 2nd National Hepatitis C Strategy 2005-2008

National Strategies• Due to expire 30 June 2008

– Evaluation yet to commence

– Strategies extended for 12 months (30 June 2009)• allow adequate time for evaluation of current strategies and

development of new national strategies

– Future Strategies for 5-years?

• Time for better planning and evaluation

• Span electoral cycles (non-partisan)

State & Territory HIV & BBV Strategies

• Largely in line with the National strategies’ priorities – Some variation (e.g. priority populations: NT = ATSI; Vic = gay men)– Sometime combine disease areas (e.g. HIV & STIs)– Tend to have a greater focus on on-the-ground implementation

• Report to the Commonwealth– Currently: Public Health Outcome Funding Agreements (PHOFAs)– From 1 July 2009: Australian Health Care Agreements (AHCAs)

• Challenge: competing for attention with other public health issues (e.g. hospitals, diabetes, cardio-vascular)

– No financial reporting benchmarks - high level outcomes only– Additional HIV funding at the discretion of the State/Territory

• State/Territory Strategies’ time-spans not always in alignment with National Strategies’ time-spans

Commonwealth Ministerial Advisory Structures

Ministerial advisory group structure and membership is currently on hold

Previous (Tony Abbott’s) Structure

Ministerial Advisory Committee on AIDS, Sexual Health and Hepatitis (MACASHH)

Indigenous Australians’ Sexual Health Committee

(IASH)

HIV & Sexually Transmissible

Infections Subcommittee

(HASTI)

Hepatitis C Subcommittee

Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing

Commonwealth - State/Territory Government

Intersection• Blood Borne Virus and STIs Subcommittee (BBVSS)

– Reps from all jurisdictional health departments as well as HIV/hepatitis infected and affected communities (AFAO, NAPWA, Hep Aust, Scarlet Alliance, AIVL)

• Parent: Australian Population Health Development Principal Committee (APHDPC)• Grandparent: Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Conference (AHMAC)• Dowager Duchess: Australian Health Ministers’ Conference (AHMC)

– Cross-jurisdictional HIV, STIs and hepatitis policy, strategy, coordination and implementation

The HIV/AIDS Partnershipaffectionately referred to as “The Partnership”

• UN General Assembly Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (2000)– Multi-sectoral response to HIV, including:

• Government• Civil society• People living with HIV and AIDS• Vulnerable groups

• Australian HIV Partnership• Governments (Federal, States/Territories, Local)• Health providers [s.100s drs & GPs (ASHM); sexual health sector, ancillary hlth]• Researchers (social/behavioural, scientific/medical/epi)• People living with HIV and AIDS (NAPWA, PLWHA orgs)• Affected communities (AFAO, AIDS councils, drug user orgs, sex worker orgs)

National HIV Research Centres

Clinical & Scientific

– National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (NCHECR)

– Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research (ACH2)

Social & Behavioural

– National Centre in HIV Social Research (NCHSR)

– Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS)

Who is AFAO?and

What does AFAO do?

Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations

• AFAO is the peak non-government organisation representing Australia's community-based response to HIV/AIDS

• AFAO’s Vision: Living in a world with AIDS, working for a world without AIDS• AFAO Board:

– Meets ~6 times per year

– Members:• Five ordinary members from AFAO membership and the HIV sector

– liaison with AIDS councils/GLBTI health orgs

• Reps from the National Organisations: NAPWA, AIVL, Scarlet Alliance– soon to ‘officially’ include the Anwernekenhe National A&TSI HIV/AIDS Alliance (ANA)

• AFAO Staff Representative

– Input and advice from and to members:• AFAO members’ meetings: 2 General Meetings per year - April and November (AGM)• Consultation undertaken by Board members and secretariat staff• Through working groups

– e.g. Serosorting Policy Reference Group, Education Managers Forum (EMF),Treatment Policy Advisory Group, HIV Testing Policy Reference Group

What does AFAO do?AFAO's work includes:

• Representing interests of the affected communities at the federal level• Government and Departmental committees (MACASHH / BBV & STIs Subcommittee)• Scientific Advisory Committees of the National Research Centres• Research and other project advisory groups

– e.g. NCHSR’s e-Male Study, ARCSHS’ Futures Study, AIDS Treatment Project Australia (ATPA)

• Policy analysis and advocacy• Policy advice to AFAO Board, Ministerial Advisory bodies and Dept. of Health & Ageing,

AFAO members• Submissions on pertinent policy issues to government

– e.g. National HIV Testing Policy

• Publications– e.g. HIV Australia, AFAO Briefing Papers, Discussion Papers

• National forums on current strategy, policy and advocacy issues– e.g. Positive Services Forum, National Forum on Gay Men and HIV Infections

What does AFAO do?• HIV and sexual health education and health promotion

(policy, best practice, campaigns, resources)• Gay men and MSM• People living with HIV/AIDS• Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people

• HIV Sector Capacity Building• Biennial HIV Educators’ Conference• Annual ATSIPON Forum• ANET Institutes: best practice and skills building• Issues-based discussion and briefing papers

• International projects (focus in Asia-Pacific Region)• AFAO Small Grants Scheme (private donor $)• International policy, advocacy and strategy, capacity development

ANET Staff

Phillip Keen

Dean Murphy

Jenny Duggan

Ben Wilcock

Joe Elias

Thanks for your attentionThanks for your attention

Enjoy the conferenceEnjoy the conference