The Australian response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s was one of the most effective in the world.
The early 1980s saw countries around the world scramble to develop policy responses to what was then an unknown, highly infectious disease with no cure. In Australia, under a new federal government, heated public debate took place against a backdrop of new medical discoveries, a long campaign for gay rights and an at-times panicked media landscape.
The Australian government’s response to the AIDS crisis is widely recognised as being one of the most successful in the world, commended today for its pragmatism, creativity and effectiveness in harm minimisation.
As part of the 2014 International AIDS Conference, taking place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre this month, the University of Melbourne is convening an AIDS ‘Witness Seminar’, an opportunity to capture testimony from several individuals who were influential during the height of the AIDS crisis, and reflect on the critical role of government and academic institutions in determining and communicating policy at that time.