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From: Robbie.Bates@p1.f381.n634.z3.fidonet.org (Robbie Bates)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: Australian AIDS News
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Date: 20 Jan 90 20:51:43 GMT
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VICTORIAN AIDS COUNCIL GOVERNMENT FUNDING UP 36%

Entire contents (C) 1990 Oz Media Ltd., Melbourne Australia.  All rights  
reserved. Reproduced by permission.

The Victorian AIDS Council and Gay Men's Health Centre (VAC/GMHC) is currently  
considering a funding offer of $991,985 from the Health Department of  
Victoria's AIDS/STD Unit program.

Representing a rise of 36 per cent on last year's funding, the offer represents  
substantially less than the $2.2 million the organisations had asked for and  
compares to a Statewide increase in AIDS spending of 39 per cent.

The increased funding is earmarked for the employment of three more full-time  
and one part-time workers: a second case/community worker (welfare and advocacy  
for people with AIDS), a beats officer (education of closetted and bisexual  
men), and administrative assistant (clerical) and a part-time training officer  
(training volunteers for home-care of people with AIDS).

In addition, the State government has agreed to fund on a permanent basis three  
positions currently funded on a temporary basis by the Commonwealth. The  
co-ordinators of the People Living With AIDS (PLWA) Working Group, the Gay Now  
program and a part- time bookkeeper will now be ongoing positions.

Proposed positions for which VAC/GMHC has been refused funding and so will be  
unable to appoint include a full-time education worker dealing with ethnic  
communities, shown in studies to be resisting other AIDS education initiatives,  
and workers tackling IV drug use, alcohol and a counselling position.

The new funding proposal would bring from 18 to 21 the total number of  
full-time jobs positions worked which, through part- time and job-share  
arrangements, would mean 29 employees.

Included in the funding proposal is $16,000 for a car for use in the beats  
program and $10,000 for a Home Care Subsidy scheme - re-imursing volunteers for  
telephone and travel expenses involved in the home care of PWAs.

Agreement to the funding offer would require VAC/GMHC to report on the  
performance of each funded project to the Health Department.

VAC/GMHC is also confident that its submissions and lobbying for the setting up  
of a separate community centre for PWAs will soon be successful.

VAC Office Manager Alan Hough told MSO that while the figures looked  
impressive, some programs such as the David Williams Fund, received no  
government funding at all and required continued gay community support.

"The government does not traditionally fund programs aimed at providing direct  
financial aid," he said.

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