Enhancing  Relationships

• We are delighted to announce the new QPP’s website with renewed feature and more focused information and resources for people living with HIV, their allies, and health providers.  It also includes a redeveloped events page, which gives users the ability to search easily for an event near them, add it to their own calendar and more.  We are really proud of the new site, but are always keen to improve so we welcome your feedback. Reach out to us via feedback@qpp.org.au 

• The QPP website has been slowly growing its readership, and now with the new sites more focused and searchable content it is accessed by over 3000 visitors each month.  Our pages and articles on HIV Testing, Cost of HIV Treatment, Monkeypox (MPXV) and HIV and the law in Queensland are some of the most utilised.
• Our QPP Facebook page reached 18,876 people, which is a 173% increase on the previous year.
• We had 1,223 page visits, up 5% on the previous year, with 76 more followers to our page, which is nearly a 30% increase from the previous year.
• QPP creates newsletters, social media and promotions for QPP, health and education, community events and opportunities of interest. Planning is also underway to reinvigorate our membership program.
• QPP Plus is our monthly community newsletter – it delivers an easy to read, colourful approach on everything QPP is engaged in at the time.  It also provides links to the latest health information and social events that may interest our community.
• QPP is also working closely with our community and government partners to ensure we have the most up to date information on the response to MPXV, including developments on transmission and vaccination program roll outs.   

• Large colourful digital billboards at five sites throughout Queensland. This was a two- week campaign, running from 22 November to 05 December 2021. The Digital Billboard Campaign had approximately 2.8 million views.
• A press release was distributed using a PR Agency to 1193 press contacts, including national news agencies and contacts throughout Queensland, enabling us to reach  newspapers, radio and television and of course our social media network.
• The Brisbane Candlelight Vigil, held in Newstead, was attended by at least 100 community members, including council dignitaries with more attendance online.
• The Cairns Candlelight Vigil, held at the Cairns Esplanade, was attended by at least 80 community members with more online.  
• Both candlelight vigils included an inaugural reading of lives lost to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, to commemorate those the community have honoured and remembered throughout the 40-year history. Both vigils included a community gathering afterwards.
• Red Commemorative Lighting at 23 sites across Queensland. Even more buildings and structures around the state were illuminated in red throughout World AIDS week and on World AIDS Day, as more councils were contacted and agreed to support.
• Four World AIDS Day grants awarded to community groups across regional Queensland. QPP and QC worked collaboratively to implement and promote the Regional Grants Program. Through this program we were able to raise awareness and amplify the HIV positive voice through the following events:

Held on 1 December, World AIDS Day is the longest-running awareness initiative of its kind. Since 1988, World AIDS Day and the iconic red ribbon raise awareness about issues surrounding HIV/AIDS and commemorate those lost to the pandemic. While fundraising is no longer a primary focus, funds raised for World AIDS Day across Queensland are donated to The HOPE Fund.

This year, a strong key message from the community was that, although treatment and support has changed for the better, PLHIV still experience extreme stigma and discrimination in Queensland.  QPP in partnership with Queensland Council for LGBTI Health (QC) and the Queensland World AIDS Day Alliance (QWADA), led by the HIV+ voice, developed messaging to get this point across.

The curated messages explored five areas where there had been substantial changes in the response to HIV or more work was required.

These were:

• “It’s been 40 years of HIV and who would have thought……?”
• Now, most people on treatment, cannot pass on HIV to their partners.
• People living with HIV are still treated differently by others.
• You can get help to live with HIV.
• You can now prevent HIV with a simple medication, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, or PrEP.

• World AIDS Day Community BBQ – Cherbourg Regional Aboriginal & Islander Community Controlled Health Service (CRAICCHS)
• World AIDS Day BBQ and candlelight vigil with speaker – Gold Coast Rainbow Communities
• World AIDS Day Herbert Street Family Medical Centre Bowen
• Townsville Sexual Health candlelight vigil including remembrance walk, red themed dinner with a positive guest speaker.

• Many other regional events were held around the state, including those for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HIV Awareness week.  WAD merchandise were distributed for use at the event.
• Our  social media campaign  was a huge success with 17,750 people reached, with 163 shares, 789 likes, 48 comments and 671 people clicked on the links to the Queensland World AIDS Day website for more information.   

Our social media campaign was a huge success and resulted in the following:

For more than three decades, the Citizens Welfare Committee (CWC) Charity Cabaret, has helped to raise much-needed money for those impacted by HIV/AIDS in Queensland. Each CWC Cabaret has wowed audiences with a unique cavalcade of performers who donate their time, talent, and enthusiasm to one of the most anticipated events on the Brisbane drag calendar.

With the amazing talents of the CWC master of ceremonies, performer, and organiser extraordinaire Betty Nature, CWC Charity Cabarets were held in November 2021 and March 2022 at the home of Brisbane drag, The Sportsman Hotel who are longstanding supporters of our events. Both events included an array of drag identities from all Brisbane queer venues, as well as some of Queensland’s best-loved performers from years gone by.

On the 30 October 2021 the Brisbane Pride Rally & March alongside the Brisbane Pride Fair Day went ahead, on a warm sunny day. A group of QPP and RAPID staff, QPP board, alongside members of QPP’s community advisory group strolled down Brunswick Street, proudly waving the QPP banner, alongside approximately 2000 members of the LGBTIQ+ community and their allies.

QPP and RAPID, with the support of ATOMO Diagnostics, had an information stall the at Brisbane Pride Fair Day, which was help in New Farm Park, the conclusion of the 2021 March and Rally. Our stall was staffed members of both the RAPID and QPP teams, helping to inform the community about RAPID's HIV Home Test Kit program, and QPP's services. We also handed out free water, condoms, carry bags, World AIDS Day ribbons, and delicious rainbow lollipops to the over 150 fair patrons who visited us.

U=U Global Summit at AIDS 2022