About the AIDS Action Council of the ACT
The AIDS Action Council is a community organisation that was born from a grass roots response to a looming crisis. The AIDS Action Council continues to recognise its close connections with the variety of affected communities it serves.
Vision
Leading the World beyond HIV/AIDS.
Mission
The AIDS Action Council of the ACT aims to minimise the social and personal impacts, and transmission, of HIV/AIDS.
Values
We:
- Strive for excellence;
- Empower individuals and communities;
- Commit to shared responsibility; and
- Promote equity of access, dignity and respect.
History
The first meeting of the ACT AIDS Action Committee was held in 1983 when a group of gay men living in the ACT met to respond to the looming AIDS crisis. This group then formalised and established itself as the AIDS Action Council of the ACT in March 1985. The AIDS Action Council of the ACT became an Incorporate Association in 1986. View the Council's Constitution...
Within a year of being established, the Council recognised the need to work closely with the affected communities. Specific projects were established for gay men, injecting drug users, sex workers and people with haemophilia. Care teams, treatments information and counselling were provided to people with HIV and AIDS and their significant others. From this time also, general community awareness, information and advocacy became vital work for the agency.
With the changing decade it became increasingly clear that most cases of HIV in Australia were the result of male to male sexual contact. Independent services such as ACTIV (ACT Intravenous League), WISE (Workers In Sex Employment) and the Haemophilia Foundation ACT were providing services for their respective peer groups and the Council more clearly focussed its prevention services towards gay and bisexual men. At this time, services were added to deliver broader HIV education and health promotion directly to people with HIV/AIDS.
Board
The Council Board is made up of the following members.
- Dr Alan Verhagen, President
- Mr Scott Malcolm, Vice President
- Dr Nathan Boyle, Secretary/Treasurer
- Dr Andrew Grimm, Ordinary Member
- Mr Daryl Evans, Ordinary Member
- Ms Claire Drake, Ordinary Member
- Ms Jan Weir, Executive Director
- Ms Lexx Jury - Staff Representative
- Mr Peter Kensey - Co-opted member
- Mr Damien Bond - Co-opted member
- TBA - Positive Living ACT Representative
