At National AIDS Trust, our mission is to ensure that the rights of people living with HIV are at the forefront of policymakers’ minds. This is vital so that we can secure the changes that are needed to challenge discrimination and to ensure that people can live well with HIV.
Our work goes across so many areas – responding to any issues that affect people living with HIV as they live their lives. This includes benefits, migration, employment rights, and countless others. We’ve been keeping a close eye on some of the laws that the new Government are looking to introduce in the next year, so that NAT can make sure that they best support and respond to the needs of people living with HIV.
- Employment Rights Bill – This Bill will implement the Government’s “New Deal for Working People”, aiming to improve employment rights for all. Employment unfortunately remains one of the most common settings where people living with HIV face discrimination so we will closely analyse and scrutinise the Bill to ensure that the proposals properly protect people from insecure employment and discrimination.
- Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill – We were highly critical of the previous Government’s asylum and immigration policy, particularly the now-disbanded Rwanda scheme. We will work to ensure that the new Government’s immigration policy takes account of and responds to the needs of migrants living with HIV. In particular, advocating for free access to HIV medication for all migrants who need it, including those who are in immigration detention, and we will continue to campaign to end the harmful ‘no recourse to public funds’ policy.
- Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill – NAT has long called for changes to the offence of “reckless HIV transmission”, which criminalises people living with HIV who unintentionally transmit HIV to others. This offence, prosecuted under Victorian criminal law, causes harm to many accused, and unnecessarily exacerbates HIV stigma amongst police and prosecutors. NAT will soon be publishing a research report exploring the impact of the criminalisation of HIV transmission for people living with HIV. We will closely follow the proceedings of this Bill to understand this Government’s approach to criminal justice, so we can work to mitigate the impact and harm that criminalisation causes.
- Draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill – We know that people living with HIV often find it more difficult to find employment. We also know that people living with legally defined disabilities like HIV are likely to get paid less than those not living with disabilities. We are pleased to see the Government announce the intention to introduce laws that will enshrine equal pay for people with disabilities, and disability pay gap reporting. We will work to ensure that people living with HIV are included in this legislation.
- Draft Conversion Practices Bill – NAT have for many years added our voice to support the ban on conversion practices, which seek to change a person’s sexuality or gender identity and cause immense physical and mental harm. We will continue to push to ensure the ban is trans-inclusive, with no loopholes for any harmful practices. The Government must not stall any longer on bringing this ban forward.
- Mental Health Bill – The Positive Voices survey found that approximately 40% of people living with HIV are also living with a mental health condition. We are therefore pleased to see the Government’s commitment to update and modernise mental health legislation. We will work to make sure that the specific mental health challenges that face people living with HIV are considered as this updated legislation progresses through Parliament.
And the work doesn’t stop there! Beyond these specific Bills, we also will continue to push the Government to take the necessary action to end new HIV transmissions by 2030, end the ban on people living with HIV accessing fertility treatment, safeguard data protection for people living with HIV, ensure access to formula milk for those that need it, and we will continue to call for any other action needed to safeguard the rights of people living with HIV.
The new Government now has the opportunity to really deliver for people living with HIV in their legislative programme. We will always be there to hold policymakers to account, to champion the views and priorities and secure the changes that will make a real and significant difference for everyone living with HIV.