Addressing hepatitis-C-related legal, policy and practice discrimination in a post-cure world

2020-2023

Kate Seear, Suzanne Fraser, kylie valentine, Adrian Farrugia

Dion Kagan, Emily Lenton, Sean Mulcahy, Andrew Whalley

Hepatitis C is a major public health challenge linked to profound discrimination, including in law and policy. Significantly improved treatments called direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) were introduced in 2016, with the ability to cure hepatitis C in over 95 percent of cases. The Australian Government has invested billions of dollars in DAAs, setting the ambitious goal of achieving virtual elimination of hepatitis C in Australia by 2030. However, questions remain about the stigma and discrimination faced by people who have undergone treatment, and those who continue to be affected by hepatitis C.

This project reviews the laws, policies and practices that impact people with hepatitis C in Australia, identifying opportunities for reform that may reduce experiences of stigma and discrimination. It explores people’s experience of new treatments, and their experience of life post-cure, including whether hepatitis C-related stigma and discrimination persists and which forces shape ongoing stigma and discrimination. The project is aimed at supporting better legal, social and policy outcomes for Australians cured of hepatitis C.

Download the Post-Cure Lives report here.

Partners & funding

This project is funded by the Australian Research Council.

Associated publications

Researchers at ARCSHS are working on more academic publications from this project. They will feature here as they are published.

Media highlights

Listen to a showcase of new social research on hepatis C including findings from the post-cure lives project. Produced in collaboration with researchers from the DruGS program at ARCSHS and Hepatitis Australia.

Listen to a documentary podcast about hepatitis C in the age of curative treatment including findings from the post-cure lives project. Produced by researchers from the GLaD program at ARCSHS and with Hepatitis Australia.

Report launch

This is a recording of ‘Hepatitis C–related legal, policy & practice discrimination in a post-cure world: Report launch and findings from a national qualitative study’, which was held on Monday 14 August 2023. ARCSHS shared the findings from a three-year Australian Research Council-funded study (DP200100941) on people’s experiences following hepatitis C treatment, and the laws, policies and practices that shape stigma and discrimination after treatment. The event includes reflections on life after treatment, highlights from the project’s findings, and a panel discussion of the project’s recommendations among people who work in the sector.

Website

For latest information on the project, please visit the Gender, Law and Drugs Program website and Twitter.