Government strips QAHC of funding
The Queensland government has all but declared war on the state’s LGBT community, announcing it will defund the state’s only LGBT health and wellbeing organisation for what it says is a failure to reduce HIV rates and too much of a focus on “political issues”.
The move came just 24 hours after increased speculation that Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie was about to recommend repealing the state’s civil union laws.
Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said today that a rise in HIV diagnosis rates across Queensland (from 2.7 per 100,000 population in 2000, to 5.4 in 2010) represented an alarming failure in public health policy and public health outcomes over the last decade.
He said he had been advised the diagnosis rates represented the highest levels in Queensland since figures became available in 1984.
“When it comes to health… I refuse to throw good money after bad and I refuse to turn a blind eye to what are obviously ineffective campaigns at reducing HIV diagnosis rates,” Springborg said.
“This clearly indicates that the campaigns and strategies, and the way those campaigns and strategies have been provided, is in need of urgent review and re-direction.”
Springborg said he would immediately move to re-direct more than $2.5 million in government grants that had been channeled through the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities (QAHC) to conduct HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention strategies.
“Instead of this funding being administered by QAHC, which has published its intention to move the core of its activity away from AIDS/HIV to more general, political issues, it will be moved into the control of an expert panel – a Ministerial Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS,” he said.
QAHC has been in operation for 28 years with offices now in Cairns, Maroochydore and Brisbane.
They employ 35 full and part-time staff, 26 of whom would lose their jobs as a result of the funding decision.
“We are shocked at the announcement made by Minister Springborg today,” QAHC executive director Paul R Martin said.
“There has been no warning, discussion or negotiation with us about our current service agreements with Queensland Health, nor has there been any previous question about the quality or focus of our work.
“We understand that the government is looking to find savings, and we are more than willing to work with them on that. But to cut the only HIV prevention service for gay men and the only LGBT health service is astonishing.”
Every other state and territory in Australia funds community based organisations to deliver gay men’s HIV prevention services and LGBT health services.
“There is clear evidence of health need, we are a well performing organisation and the only gay men’s HIV prevention and LGBT health organisation in the state. Something else must be
motivating this decision” said QAHC president Mark Morein.
Springborg said the Ministerial Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS would be formed in the coming months when funding for QAHC programs ceased.
He suggested it was possible that the Advisory Committee may recommend some programs be funded through a non-government organisation that had, as its primary focus and goal, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention.
QAHC has been given three months notice, under the terms of its service agreement.
[…] googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1391136631100-0'); }); One of Labor’s major promises during the six-week election campaign was the complete restoration of funding to Queensland AIDS Council (QuAC), which was stripped of government funds after it was accused of becoming political. […]
You know that when the conservatives get in, social services are the first thing to go. They are nothing but a bunch of self-serving imbeciles and i wouldnt be suprised if a good dose of homophobia was behind this decision. And Richard Olsen you are an idiot.
Is Queensland slipping back into the bad and dark years of John Bjelke-Peterson. seems like it.
The Rednecks are starting to upset everyone again including the Unions, Sisters Inside, QAHC, Queensland Writers, Biella, and Indigenous citizens. Watch out!
Let’s give them a big shovel so they can dig their own hole.
Think I’ll get out of my rocking chair and get active again.
Campbell Newman and the LNP are chanting around fiery cross GLBTI people have no clue about GLBTI issues? Let straight folks tell them what is good for them? No so long ago some of that Klan called for desert camps to be setup for homosexuals to live their life out. I guess this is a new fresher version of the Liberal/National Party policy of Hate Thy GLBTI Neighbour.
We need to setup facebook pages about this, and about boycotting QLD.
QPP is more valuable to positive people. The internal health department advertising and marketing department, I’m sure, is more than capable of making HIV awareness campaigns with exactly the same impact as QAHC.
a drop in the ocean perhaps but i’ll never again head north for a holiday. i’ll spend my money where i get respect. Cya QLD!
Enough talk. Why doesn’t someone outside Queensland organise a boycott of Queensland products and services until they see the light?
Good riddance. I hope ACON is next.
Queensland and Western Australian Heterosexuals also from the mining areas are indulging in sex holidays in Thailand and Papua New Guinea.
It is reported “they have contributed to the rise of HIV infections”.
Rubbery figures from Health Minister Springborg.
It won’t be long before they are ripping condom machines from the walls of venues in redneck town.
Goodness. Unless one hopes for no onward infection of HIV positive people, a position I imagine even Mr Springborg appreciates is not possible, the only way to keep infection rates under control is by making sure that members of the existing HIV positive population dies.
As well, the simplicity of what Mr Springborg has said, not taking into account the dramatically improved survival rates for HIV positive people (such as myself) and paying no attention to testing levels and the extent of undiagnosed positive people, is frightening.
I hope the Premier is able to control his Health Minister from pursuing this absurd policy any not making any more ridiculous statements of this level.
Anyone that voted LNP and says they are a ‘friend’ is NOT!
Don’t forget this is only two days after it was revealed the LNP has arranged it so that every MP can sit on a committee and thus get an extra $8000+ in their pockets. Yup, $2.9 million is too much for LGBT health, but $600K extra to pay LNP MPs to do the jobs they should be doing anyway is a drop in the ocean in the grander scheme of things.
Thats quite honestly disgusting of the QLD Gov. Im all for the Liberals getting QLD out of financial trouble but at the cost of the people that they are trying to help pull out?? “We’ll fix the money, but it will cost you your health.” Im seeing yet another swing in government next state election