Positive Life NSW

This is an archived copy of a Positive Life NSW newsletter. To subscribe to our newsletters, click here.

It’s been a busy few months at Positive Life! We have been involved in a number of submissions to the Commonwealth Government calling for assurances and suggesting ways to make sure that people with HIV are eligible and able to get the necessary services to live in the community or supported accommodation if they so choose. We’ll get these submissions up on website soon. You read our submission on the Public Health Act here.

We are working to get a better understanding of the impact of the changes resulting from the Commonwealth Government health reforms. The sooner we get the details to understand the impacts, the more we can highlight the impact for people with HIV across NSW from these changes to hospitals, GP services and community health.

The strategic planning process is well underway following the appointment of a working group and external consultant. We have held community forums in Newcastle, Lismore, Sydney and Dubbo, and were pleased to get your input! The next forum will be:

Tuesday, 27 July, 6pm
Sydney, Oxford Hotel, Supper Club, 134 Oxford Street
RSVP here

If you were unable to attend a forum or didn’t get to share your views, you can tell us what you think here or call the office on 02 9362 6011 or 1800 245 677 (freecall).

Finally, we redesigned our website last month and added a news feed so you can get the latest HIV-related news and personals stories on our home page. The latest issue of Talkabout is online too. The site has a few glitches that we’re hoping to fix up soon, so please bear with us. 

In brief

Here’s a round up of recent news and announcements that you may have missed.

• Advocates have been quite successful in helping to lift HIV-related travel bans and, following announcements from the USA and China earlier in the year, Namibia has lifted its HIV immigration barriers. Read the UNAIDS report. Read the strategy here.
  • For the most recent HIV-specific travel and residency information, visit The Global Database.
• The USA released its new national strategy to fight HIV on 14 July. The strategy focuses on education, stigma-free healthcare and fighting HIV in developing countries.
  • Watch a video of President Obama here.
• US researchers found two strong antibodies that neutralise more than 90% of all know HIV strains giving new hope to vaccine development. Read more.
  • Listen to an audio of the story
• The online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases reports that a low baseline CD4 cell count is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The researchers suggest inflammation caused by HIV is the likely cause. Read more.
• PlusNews reports that a UNAIDS survey reveals 92% of global respondents think the AIDS epidemic is the world’s most important health issue and 44% believe the world is not responding effectively to AIDS. Read more.

You can now keep up to date with the latest HIV news and personal stories on our website. Check out the news and living tabs in the right-hand column or visit the news page.

Keeping utilities under control

Energy comparison website GoSwitch reports that nearly 50% of respondents in a recent survey worry about their utilities bills and more than 60% would rather go cold in an effort to keep their bills under control.

If you fit into either of these categories, then take note. There are a number of programs in place to help you make ends meet and a host of online advice to help you control costs.

Mark Ludbrooke is a Senior Policy Officer at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, which established the Energy + Water Consumers’ Advocacy Program (EWCAP) to protect the interests of low-income and other residential consumers in NSW. EWCAP has successfully advocated for improvements to NSW energy and water rebates and concessions, commissioned research on electricity disconnections that resulted in improved consumer protections and successfully advocated for improvements in customer assistance programs by energy and water providers.

So, what does this mean on a practical basis?

“NSW energy regulations require all retailers to develop and implement a customer hardship charter to assist customers experiencing financial difficulty to better manage their energy bills on an ongoing basis. Hardship charters must include an outline of the range of programs that energy retailers may use to assist customers experiencing hardship; this may include payment extensions, payment plans, access to Centrepay, energy efficiency advice, access to energy audits and/or a waiver of late payment fees,” according to Mark.

All energy retailers in NSW must publish their hardship charter on their website but they must provide it to you if you are having trouble paying your bills. You should speak to your provider and check the charter to see if there is an option suitable for you.

The Energy Rebate is available to all electricity account holders with a Health Care Card issued by Centrelink. The rebate increased to $145 a year on 1 July 2010. Read more here.

There are also short-term options such as Energy Account Payment Assistance (EAPA) vouchers. These $30 vouchers are available from community welfare organisations throughout NSW.

But, there are also some preventative steps you can take to keep your bills in check. According to Mark, “The NSW Government has launched the Home Power Saving Program which provides an in-home audit of energy use and an action plan to assist eligible low-income households to use energy more efficiently.”

If you’re not keen on a formal audit, there are some online tools and tips to help you do this yourself:

• AGL - Interactive Energy Advice offers an energy calculator, tips and more
• AGL ­– Appliance Energy Cost Guide helps you find out the cost of running your appliances
• Energy Australia – Energy efficiency at home provides energy calculators, tips and information on discounts and rebates
• GoSwitch – Energy Saving Tips offers nearly 70 ways to cut costs.

Finally, if you having problems with your energy or water service that you can’t resolve, Mark suggests you contact the Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON). EWON provides free, independent complaints resolution for NSW residential consumers. You can reach EWON on 1800 246 545 or omb@weon.com.au.

Have your say

There are lots of opportunities for you to get involved and have your voice heard. Here are just a few:  

•  The National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research wants to hear from people in serodiscordant relationships (one pos/one neg). Take the survey.
• The Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) is conducting a worldwide survey on stigma and discrimination. You can share your thoughts here.
• The Talkabout reader survey is still open. Please let us know what you would like to see in the magazine by taking the survey.

Board clarifies conflict of interest

Jason Appleby joined Positive Life NSW (then PLWHA NSW) in 2002 as a speaker with the Positive Speakers Bureau. In 2004, he became a Director of the Board and held the positions of Secretary, Vice President and then President.

At Positive Life NSW’s AGM in November 2009, members of the organisation raised questions regarding Jason’s nomination for President of Positive Life. Discussion was focused around a perceived conflict of interest due his employer.

The Board informed members that Jason had advised the Board of the potential conflict prior to his employment and this was discussed and noted. The Board considered there was no actual conflict and that any potential conflicts could be managed by disclosure.

At the AGM, a motion was put and passed from the floor that the election of President be deferred for three months so that the Board could source external advice on the matter to present at a Special General Meeting and then to hold an election for President.

In December 2009, Jason notified the Board that he was withdrawing his nomination for presidency.

At the SGM in February, the Board informed members that it sought and received advice from Council of Social Service of New South Wales (NCOSS), Henry Davis York (as pro bono solicitors via the Public Interest Advocacy Centre) and the AIDS and Infectious Disease Branch (AIDB) of NSW Health. The advice consistently said there was no actual conflict of interest and the Board acted appropriately to deal with the potential conflict of interest.

Malcolm Leech thanked Jason for his years of invaluable service on the Board and the complete dedication and passion he demonstrated to the organisation over that time.

At the March Board meeting, the Board passed a motion regarding Jason’s role as President and declared that in its opinion, he did at all times during his membership of the Board, discharge his duties as a Director with skill, passion and integrity; and that as President of the organisation he acted in accordance with accepted best practice in terms of governance and conflict of interest.