Health Equity Matters

27/08/2026

Happy Wear It Purple Day! Today we celebrate and show support for LGBTIQA+ youth.

By wearing purple, we show rainbow young people that they are celebrated and respected, and acknowledge that everyone has the right to be proud of who they are and who they are becoming.

This year’s Wear It Purple theme is ‘Colours of Courage’ which highlights the many different forms of courage shown by LGBTIQA+ young people, allies and communities every day.

Find out more here: https://www.wearitpurple.org/wear-it-purple-day-2026

NAPWHA | Scarlet Alliance - Australian S*x Workers Association | Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League - AIVL | Queensland Council for LGBTI Health - QC | ACON | Meridian ACT | TasCAHRD | Thorne Harbour Health | WAAC | NTAHC

21/08/2026

Have you seen the new Get PEP website?

It connects people who may be at risk of HIV to the nearest location to get PEP in Australia.

The website also features FAQs and support numbers.

Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4wQTyOV

NAPWHA | Scarlet Alliance - Australian S*x Workers Association | Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League - AIVL | WAAC | NTAHC | Queensland Council for LGBTI Health - QC | ACON | Meridian ACT | TasCAHRD | Thorne Harbour Health

18/08/2026

Health Equity Matters will be leading the Community Stream of the Australian Support for Pacific HIV Action (ASPHA) initiative.

This is a new grant from the Australian Government that will see us scale up our work in the Pacific, by supporting community-based organisations to impact their local HIV responses.

We recently caught up with Joeli Colati and Rochelle Naulunimagiti from Fiji Network Plus (FJN+) in our Sydney office.

FJN+ are the network for people living with HIV in Fiji and provide critical support for the HIV-positive community. They are one of the community organisations that we will work alongside under ASPHA.

Read more about the incredible work FJN+ are doing here: https://bit.ly/4wz1xPU

Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | Fiji Network Plus | Burnet Institute | Pacific S*xual and Gender Diversity Network - PSGDN | Fiji Women's Rights Movement | Pacific Conference of Churches | Australian High Commission, Fiji

16/08/2026

Hear from the team at Key Population Advocacy Consortium - KPAC PNG about gender equality, disability and social inclusion in Papua New Guinea's HIV response!

Full story here: https://unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2026/august/20260814_Papua_New_Guinea_HIV_response

Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | UNAIDS Asia Pacific

What does an inclusive HIV response look like in practice?

For Brenda Lombange, it starts with noticing what others may miss - from steps that make a clinic inaccessible to a wheelchair user, to information that is difficult to read or services that do not meet the needs of people with hearing, mobility or other disabilities.

In Papua New Guinea, community-led monitoring teams are now better equipped to identify and document these barriers, helping make HIV and antenatal services more accessible, respectful and inclusive.

“Having two women with disabilities in leadership positions shows that we are not only beneficiaries, but also leaders and decision-makers in our movements,” says Cathy Ketepa, Chair of the Key Population Advocacy Consortium.

With support through the Australian Government-funded Indo-Pacific HIV Partnership, KPAC, Health Equity Matters and UNAIDS are working together to help turn community evidence into action.

Read the full story: Seeing what others miss: Inclusion in Papua New Guinea’s HIV Response and meet the people helping make sure no one is overlooked.
https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2026/august/20260814_Papua_New_Guinea_HIV_response

14/08/2026

Health Equity Matters is happy to share the revamped Get PEP website!

Check it out here 👉 https://bit.ly/4wQTyOV

Through an interactive map and new search functionality, this website shows all locations in Australia where Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) can be accessed.

The site also features FAQs about PEP and the hotlines to call in each state or territory for questions and support.

NAPWHA | Scarlet Alliance - Australian S*x Workers Association | Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League - AIVL | Thorne Harbour Health | WAAC | NTAHC | Queensland Council for LGBTI Health - QC | ACON | Meridian ACT | TasCAHRD

13/08/2026

Health Equity Matters is proud to be leading the Community Stream of the Australian Support for Pacific HIV Action (ASPHA) initiative.

This grant from the Australian Government will see us scale up our work in the Pacific, by supporting community-based organisations to impact their local HIV responses.

Read more in our media release here: https://bit.ly/3TKCzPY

ASPHA aims to build the capacity of local Pacific organisations as they respond to surging HIV cases. These organisations include the Pacific S*xual and Gender Diversity Network, the Pacific Conference of Churches and the Fiji Women's Rights Movement.

The Burnet Institute is also part of the Consortium and will partner with a range of other organisations in implementing the program.

Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | Burnet Institute | Pacific S*xual and Gender Diversity Network - PSGDN | Pacific Conference of Churches | Fiji Women's Rights Movement

11/08/2026

New Rainbow Mob Videos are here!

Join Kye and Jay for a yarn about PrEP and HIV prevention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ_b1XpEnHY

Yarning about how PrEP can help prevent HIV and show that talking about s*xual health doesn't have to be awkward or shameful.

Watch now and find out more through Better to Know: https://bit.ly/4wiVSNL

Better to Know is a s*xual health resource for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

NACCHO Aboriginal Health Australia | NAPWHA | Scarlet Alliance - Australian S*x Workers Association | Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League - AIVL | Queensland Council for LGBTI Health - QC | ACON | NTAHC | WAAC | Thorne Harbour Health | Meridian ACT | TasCAHRD

07/08/2026

New Rainbow Mob videos are here!

Join Mason and Tahlia for a yarn about HIV and STI testing: https://bit.ly/4wiVSNL

The everyday yarn reminds us that regular testing is a normal part of looking after your health and can be included in a Health Check.

Click the link above and head to Better to Know to check out the video and more.

Better to Know is a s*xual health resource for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

NACCHO Aboriginal Health Australia | NAPWHA | Scarlet Alliance - Australian S*x Workers Association | Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League - AIVL | Queensland Council for LGBTI Health - QC | ACON | TasCAHRD | Thorne Harbour Health | Meridian ACT | WAAC | NTAHC

05/08/2026

The Importance of Self-Determined Leadership for People Who Use Drugs in Fiji's HIV Response 👇
https://bit.ly/3Ue2ob2

Fiji's HIV epidemic is growing rapidly, with injecting drug use driving many new diagnoses.

In this essay, Joël Murray, Policy & Evaluation Specialist at Australian Injecting & Illicit Drug Users League - AIVL, examines why peer-led harm reduction and the leadership of people who use drugs are critical to reducing stigma, expanding access to care, and strengthening the HIV response.

NAPWHA | Scarlet Alliance - Australian S*x Workers Association | Queensland Council for LGBTI Health - QC | ACON | Meridian ACT | TasCAHRD | Thorne Harbour Health | SAMESH | WAAC | NTAHC

29/07/2026

Interesting news out of AIDS 2026, the 26th International AIDS Conference!

Merck's investigational once-monthly PrEP pill could be manufactured and sold profitably for around $3 per person per year, making it the cheapest HIV prevention drug ever brought to market, the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro heard yesterday. But the licensing deal....