17 August 2010

NSW Deputy Premier and Health Minister, Carmel Tebbutt will join leaders from the health, government, business and community sectors at a reception at Sydney's Town Hall tonight to mark the 25th anniversary of one of Australia's leading community health organisations.

ACON (formerly the AIDS Council of NSW) was created by gay men and their friends in Sydney in 1985 to help fight the spread of HIV and to provide care and support for people living with and dying from HIV/AIDS. The organisation was formally incorporated in August that year.

Since then, ACON has evolved to become NSW's and Australia's largest community-based gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) health and HIV/AIDS organisation, with more than 850 staff and volunteers working across nine operational sites throughout NSW. ACON staff also work with GLBT and HIV/AIDS organisations across the Asia Pacific region.

ACON President Mark Orr says during the past quarter of a century, ACON has made a significant contribution to the health and wellbeing of many communities both locally and globally. "Over the last 25 years, ACON has worked hard to improve the health and wellbeing of the GLBT community and people living with, at risk of or affected by HIV, including sex workers, people who inject drugs and the family and carers of people with HIV," he says.

"ACON began with a small group of friends rallying around loved ones dying from an unknown virus. They came together to help ensure access to quality care and support, to lobby governments, to fight for people living with HIV/AIDS and to advocate for a community experiencing persecution and discrimination.

"ACON has grown considerably since then and today plays an integral role not only in the Australian response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, but also in delivering better health outcomes for hundreds of thousands of people in areas such as sexual health, mental health, lesbian health, alcohol and other drugs, homophobic and domestic violence, housing and home-based care. We do this by providing a comprehensive range of effective programs and services as well as influencing government policy and participating in legislative reform.

"It's been an incredible journey and we're extremely proud to be commemorating 25 years of service to our community. However, we could not have accomplished anywhere near what we have without the support of thousands of people and organisations which have contributed to or participated in ACON's work over the last 25 years.

"So we thank our staff, Boards, members, volunteers and supporters, for their time, effort, expertise and support. We thank our organisational stakeholders, especially the successive NSW governments, NSW Health, Positive Life NSW, researchers and clinicians, for their remarkable and committed collaboration. And finally we thank our clients and community members, for caring for each other and working with us to build the health and wellbeing of our community."

Mr Orr says ACON's evolution will continue into the future as its programs and services adapt to whatever challenges and opportunities lie ahead. "But whatever issues we confront, be they medical, social, political, or technological, I'm sure they'll be addressed with the courage, empathy, diversity, equality, partnership and community which have guided the work of ACON through 25 years of caring for our community."