Research Reports

The Seroconversion Study has existed in several forms since 1992. This most recent version completed data collection in 2015. Seroconversion studies have played an important role in the Australian HIV response and are a useful research tool in understanding the current circumstances of HIV infection. This version of the Seroconversion Study occurred at a time of rapid and fundamental changes in our understandings, and implementation, of HIV treatment and prevention. As with previous versions of the study, it mainly targeted gay and bisexual men (GBM).

The PASH Study collected both quantitative and qualitative data from mainly homosexual men to ascertain their understandings of pleasure and how it affects the decisions they make about sex. Men were recruited from a range of sources including gay community events, online social networking websites, and gay dating websites. A website presented information about the study and provided a gateway to the online survey; men also had the option of being interviewed face-­to­‐face. 2306 men completed the survey and 40 were interviewed in depth.

For gay men living in Cairns, life probably remains very similar to how it was when the first “Out” on the Reef report was written in 2000. Men continue to be drawn there by the relaxed, tropical lifestyle, wilfully leaving behind the stress of larger urban gay communities. The men in these focus groups described differing levels of attachment to any gay community in Cairns, which generally matched their desire for it. For the most part, the wider community increasingly embraced the diverse nature of the expanding Cairns population.

Personal partnerships, particularly sexual partnerships, are central to the development of personal identity and to cultural and community affiliation. They are also crucial in promoting and supporting personal health and well being. Bonds of relationship and attachment are complex and heavily mediated by social context. We investigated how gay and bisexual men have structured their partnerships.

This study of male sex work in NSW and Queensland recruited a total of 471 respondents in NSW and 250 in Queensland, among whom 94 men in NSW (20.0%) and 55 men in Queensland (22.0%) reported having engaged in male-to-male sex work.

Health in Men (HIM) is a long-term study of an open cohort of HIV-negative gay men in Sydney. The study was funded initially (2001–2002) by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing and the New South Wales Health Department. From mid-2002 funding was provided by the US National Institutes of Health, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, as part of the Australian Thai HIV Vaccine Consortium (NIH/NIAID/DAIDS:HVDDT Award N01-AI-05395).

Review of evidence from low and middle-income countries and community acceptability of new HIV testing models to reach key populations in Papua New Guinea.

In 2018, the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney in collaboration with community advocates, clinicians and researchers from across Australia conducted the first national survey of sexual health among transgender (‘trans’) and gender diverse people. The survey was the largest study of trans and gender diverse people to have been conducted to date in Australia. 

This report of findings provides an overview of data collected via the inaugural Australian Trans and Gender Diverse Sexual Health Survey.

Australia is aiming to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030. This elimination goal is in line with global targets set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and targets included in Australia’s National Hepatitis C Strategy 2018–2022.

Prepared by Burnet Institute and the Kirby Institute, this report brings together national data sources to assess Australia’s progress towards eliminating hepatitis C. Some data were not included due to unavailability at the time of reporting; future reports will provide the most comprehensive picture possible.

This report summarises data on the prescription and distribution of hepatitis C treatments and provides insight into the initial phase of the roll-out of DAA therapy in Australia.