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#SaveAIVL Australia has had a fantastic history of fighting blood borne viruses (such as HIV and Hepatitis C). The work in this area has had support from all sides of the government. A defining feature of the Australian response is working in partnership with the key affected communities of the viruses. That is, gay men, sex workers, and people who inject drugs were funded by the government to form their own organisations in order to provide leadership, coordination and support to the Australian policy, advocacy and health promotion response to HIV/AIDS. This has become what is known as “the partnership approach.” AIVL is an important part of this partnership. One of the fundamental recognitions of our approach is the fact that during the moment of transmission (whether it be through unprotected sex or the use of contaminated injecting equipment), the people present are unlikely to be politicians, doctors or police, but rather community members themselves. We communicate in a way that is appropriate and relevant. Messages are much more meaningful and are more likely to be listened to when they come from people who share the same lived experience. It has been the work of peer-based organisations to enable and empower these individuals to make decisions that reduce harm and lead to positive health outcomes. AIVL leads a national membership of state based organisations, who together represent millions of drug users in Australia. To date, the partnership approach has been incredibly successful. Achievements include: The low prevalence of HIV among People who inject drugs in Australia (1.7% compared to 38% in Indonesia, where such an approach was not adopted) Workplace training in health services to reduce the stigma and discrimination experienced people who use drugs A strong peer-based response to drug related harm including education to reduce overdose, information resources regarding the prevention of blood borne viruses, support to access testing, treatment, and care for HIV and Hepatitis C Representation of people who inject drugs in policy development, research, and human rights areas A highly successful needle and syringe program, that has saved lives and returned $7 for every one dollar of investment in public health background fact sheet New areas of work for AIVL include: Developing effective harm reduction responses to challenges associated with methamphetamine use Supporting our member organisations to provide peer-based services to music festivals Working with our community towards sustainable access to new Hepatitis C treatments as they become available Creating a conduit between government and the community of people who use drugs to ensure health messages are consistent, cohesive and coordinated Unfortunately, however, these new areas of work will not be realised because the government has decided that, rather than supporting organisations like AIVL, it has restructured funding to be for particular activitiesnone of which would be available for us to continue operating after the end of this financial year. It has also opened the eligibility of that scant national funding that is available to state governments and agencies- which were excluded from competing for this money in the past. Rather than bring communities together, this new funding model is turning us against each other. All of this spells the end of the highly successful “partnership model” that has positioned Australia as a leader in the global harm reduction movement. The government is turning its back on key affected communities, the people who are not only most vulnerable to the impact of blood borne viruses, but who have worked the hardest to manage this burden on ourselves and the broader community. This devastating backwards step will significantly weaken Australia’s future response to the challenges presented by illicit drug use and blood borne viruses when we need to be more responsive than ever. We need your help. If you are a person who uses drugs or maybe you are close to someone who has- or maybe you’re just someone who supports our work- we urge you to visit our website, sign our petition, and write to your local member telling them that organisations like ours are important to people like you. www.aivl.org.au/SaveAIVL