The partnership will be made up of a group of health, community, and legal organisations, such as the HIV/AIDS Legal Centre, the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM), the National Association of People with HIV in Australia (NAPWHA), and Hepatitis Australia.

The dean of the faculty of law at UTS, Professor Anita Stuhmcke, said that the faculty is known for its research that helps the community.

“The bringing together of our partners in the health, community, and legal sectors will see the faculty of law continue to achieve great impact, improving access to justice, the rule of law, and the health of our community,” Professor Stuhmcke said.

The Health+Law initiative will consist of four main components, all of which will be implemented over the course of four years (2022–2026).

1. To create Australia’s first evidence base of legal barriers and enablers to better health outcomes, a national survey of people living with HIV or Hepatitis B, in-depth interviews with priority groups representing culturally diverse and Medicare-ineligible populations, and technical legal analysis were used in the national assessment of the enabling legal environment and barriers to testing and treatment.
2. Analysing the relative impacts of legal barriers on testing and treatment, quality of life, and health service delivery to determine priorities for legal assistance and services, law, and policy reform. 
3. Development of STI- and blood-borne virus-specific legal needs screening and referral tools and education: clinicians, people with lived experience, peers, and other key stakeholders collaborated to design and validate a screening tool and online education support to help legal triage needs and determine the most appropriate legal support and services.
4. Establish a national network of STI and BBV-responsive legal services providers with standards, accreditation, and continuing legal education to detect and eliminate legal hurdles to testing and treatment.

Reflecting on, Mr Cogle commented: “We need to create a legal environment that destigmatises HIV and allows people to talk openly about HIV without fear of prosecution or affecting their migration status. By asking community members directly about their experiences, we will be building a picture of what matters most to them.” 

According to Rhys Evans, project, policy and law reform solicitor at the HIV/AIDS Legal Centre, national plans for blood-borne viruses and STIs have continuously recognised the need to eliminate the detrimental effects of legal difficulties on people’s health.

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“We are excited to see a project that will directly address these goals and create an enabling legal environment, improving access to justice and health outcomes for our clients,” Mr Evans said.

Alexis Apostolellis, the chief executive officer of ASHM, stated that clinicians who support patients living with blood-borne viruses are aware that a variety of factors, including legal needs, might affect health outcomes.

“Healthcare workers and legal services both play a vital role in supporting the health and wellbeing of people living with blood-borne viruses, and this project will help build stronger connections between the two,” he said.

Co-chief investigator, Dr Anthea Vogl, at UTS Law, stated that the project intends to break new ground in gaining knowledge of the effects of migrant status and Medicare ineligibility on health, testing, and treatment.

“These are urgent questions, and critical to our understanding of the relationship between legal needs and health,” Dr Vogl said.

The Health+Law research alliance will be led by chief investigator Dr David Carter, an expert in health law from UTS Law.