The 2025-26 Federal Budget–showing the Labor government’s plans if re-elected in May–has an emphasis on public health investment, focused on strengthening primary care and improving access to PBS-listed medicines.
The previous two-year budget measure provided dedicated funding for hepatitis B and hepatitis C initiatives, supporting the implementation of the National Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Strategies. Hepatitis Australia was pleased to develop modelling to support this investment, ensuring resources were directed towards immediate and effective interventions.
This new budget features $2.7 million in 2025–26 to extend HIV programs, ACON’s National Multicultural Peer Navigation Pilot and ASHM’s HIV PrEP Workforce Development Pilot, which builds upon the $43.9 million for HIV initiatives and $126.5 million for bloodborne viruses (BBVs) and sexually transmissible infections (STIs) allocated in the previous budget. There is no specific new funding for viral hepatitis.
…$2.7 million in 2025–26 to extend HIV programs… There is no specific new funding for viral hepatitis.
Hepatitis, Indigenous, social equity and public health campaigners have all responded.
Hepatitis Australia urges all parties contesting the election to maintain a multi-partisan commitment to:
- Achieving Australia’s goal of eliminating hepatitis B and hepatitis C by 2030
- Fully implementing the National Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Strategies
- Supporting community hepatitis organisations in reaching marginalised and highly stigmatised communities affected by viral hepatitis
Hepatitis Australia Chief Executive Officer, Lucy Clynes, said, “Every Australian deserves to be able to access the health care and services they need. Australia is within reach of eliminating hepatitis B and hepatitis C, however, almost 300,000 people in Australia are still living with these chronic conditions, leading to almost 1,000 deaths per year.
“Hepatitis Australia supports full implementation of the new Fourth National Hepatitis B and Sixth National Hepatitis C Strategies, which lay Australia’s pathway to elimination by 2030. Hepatitis Australia is committed to working with Governments to ensure these strategies are released and fully implemented.”
The National Aboriginal Community-controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) has applauded measures which should have a positive effect on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
The Chair of NACCHO, Donnella Mills, said, “We knew what was coming for our sector from the announcements related to the $842m package (over six years) that the Government negotiated with our colleagues at APONT* in the Northern Territory. And we were also aware of some injections of funding in critical programs such as rheumatic heart disease (RHD). There is also funding for the Coalition of Peaks, which we are pleased to see. These are welcome announcements.”
NACCHO CEO, Pat Turner, said, “The big thing for our sector in this Budget is the increased access to Medicare and the PBS. The $8.5b Medicare package will not only help our ACCHOs, but the better access to bulkbilling and medicines will directly benefit the half a million or so Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who access our 550 clinics. It was also pleasing to hear that the Coalition supports this critical announcement.”
…more dollars for everyone except those with the least.
CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), Dr Cassandra Goldie, said, “We always knew this was going to be an election budget. In the lead up, we have welcomed some important investments in essential services, including health, public education and early childhood education.
“We’re astounded that the centrepiece of tonight’s budget is more dollars for everyone except those with the least. Only a year after the last tax cuts, the government is announcing a new set. We need a budget and an election that sets us up for the future. The last thing we need is a bidding war on more tax cuts. In the face of a serious cost-of-living crisis and overwhelming evidence to fix JobSeeker, to give $7b in tax cuts and do nothing to lift people out of poverty is simply shocking.”
Finally, the Public Health Association of Australia has described the Budget as “another missed chance to help people stop getting sick”, noting that it maintains the decades-long tradition of spending on treatments and hospitals, rather than investing in preventive health measures that stop people getting sick in the first place.
“We implore this and future governments to enact a precautionary principle to ensure the public’s money is invested in fences at the top of the cliff, rather than ambulances at the bottom of it,” Public Health Association of Australia CEO, Terry Slevin, said.
“The Australian Government’s most recent public hospitals funding agreement with states and territories showed Commonwealth spending increased by 12 per cent in one year. It is simply not sustainable for this to continue for another 20 years. The only rational response is to reduce demand by investing in making people healthier, through real commitments in prevention.”
This ought to include prevention, testing and treatment for viral hepatitis, so that people can be cured of hepatitis C and protected from hepatitis B, all of which will reduce future hospital burdens.
*Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory
Posted 26 March 2025
More from:
Enjoyed this article? Subscribe to be notified whenever we publish new stories.
Subscribe for Updates
