Sexual health is integral to overall health and wellbeing, yet it remains stigmatised — affecting willingness to seek testing, treatment, and prevention. Australia has made significant progress in reducing HIV transmission and managing STIs, but challenges persist: rising STI rates in some populations, ongoing HIV transmission, and significant disparities in sexual health outcomes by geography, identity, and socioeconomic status. Grant funding supports the services, research, and advocacy that promote sexual health across diverse Australian communities.
STI prevalence
- Chlamydia is the most commonly notified STI — approximately 70,000 cases per year
- Syphilis has had alarming increases in recent years — particularly in remote Indigenous communities and in men who have sex with men (MSM)
- Gonorrhoea is increasing — with growing antibiotic resistance
- HIV new diagnoses approximately 900 per year — declining but still significant
HIV in Australia
- Approximately 29,000 Australians living with HIV
- New diagnoses are declining due to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and increased testing
- Most new HIV diagnoses in MSM — but heterosexual and Indigenous transmission ongoing
- Undetectable = Untransmissible (U=U) — people on effective treatment cannot transmit HIV
Disparities
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities face disproportionate STI burden (syphilis particularly)
- LGBTIQA+ communities face specific sexual health challenges and stigma
- Rural and remote communities have less access to sexual health services
- Young people (15-29) have highest STI rates
Department of Health and Aged Care
Commonwealth funds sexual health through:
- National Blood-Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategy
- PrEP access (through PBS listing)
- National syphilis response
- Cervical Screening Programme (NCSP)
- Breast Cancer screening (BreastScreen Australia)
State and territory health departments
States fund sexual health services:
- Sexual health clinics (in major cities and regional centres)
- STI testing and treatment
- HIV-related services
- LGBTIQA+ health services
Primary Health Networks (PHNs)
PHNs commission sexual health services in primary care settings — supporting GPs to provide sexual health services.
The Kirby Institute (UNSW)
Research on blood-borne viruses and sexual health — receives government and philanthropic funding.
AFAO (Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations)
Peak body for HIV and sexual health — advocacy, capacity building, some grant funding to member organisations.
ACON (NSW) and equivalents in other states
LGBTIQA+ health organisations — significant sexual health programme delivery:
- HIV prevention and testing
- STI information and support
- PrEP navigation and support
- Peer support
Positive Life NSW and state equivalents
Organisations supporting people living with HIV — some philanthropic funding.
Community foundations
LGBTIQA+ community foundations fund sexual health — particularly in major cities.
Corporate LGBTIQA+ philanthropy
Major employers with strong LGBTIQA+ programmes fund community health organisations.
HIV prevention
- PrEP access and navigation (helping eligible people access PrEP)
- HIV testing campaigns (particularly for hard-to-reach groups)
- Condom access programmes
- Community education (U=U messaging)
STI testing and treatment navigation
- Rapid testing services
- Point-of-care testing in community settings
- STI testing campaigns
- Treatment completion support
LGBTIQA+ sexual health
- Gay, bi, queer men's sexual health programmes
- Transgender health (hormone therapy, sexual health)
- Non-binary and gender-diverse health
- LGBTIQA+ youth sexual health education
Indigenous sexual health
- Community-controlled sexual health programmes
- Culturally safe testing and treatment
- Remote community outreach
- Syphilis response in priority communities
Sexual health education
- School-based sexual health education (relationships and sexuality education)
- Online sexual health information
- LGBTIQA+-inclusive education materials
- Parent and teacher education
Cervical and breast cancer screening
- BreastScreen and Cervical Screening campaign support
- Screening for LGBTIQA+ people (trans women's breast cancer risk, trans men and cervical screening)
- Indigenous women's screening access
HIV positive community support
- Peer support for people living with HIV
- Mental health support (HIV and depression)
- Stigma and discrimination response
- HIV legal advocacy
Stigma-aware framing
Sexual health applications must navigate stigma carefully — framing that avoids blaming or shaming populations while still naming the specific communities at risk. Honest, direct framing works better than euphemism or over-medicalisation.
Evidence base
HIV prevention has a strong evidence base (PrEP, condoms, TasP/U=U, regular testing). Reference best-practice prevention frameworks from Kirby Institute, AFAO, and WHO.
Community leadership
Sexual health programmes work best when communities lead them — people with lived experience of HIV, MSM-led organisations, Indigenous-led sexual health. Show genuine community leadership.
Intersectionality
Sexual health intersects with mental health, substance use, homelessness, and domestic violence. Show how your programme connects across these domains rather than treating sexual health in isolation.
Privacy and safety
Sexual health services must maintain strict confidentiality — particularly for clients in communities where disclosure of status, identity, or sexual behaviour could cause harm. Show robust privacy practices.
Tahua's grants management platform supports health funders and sexual health organisations — with programme reach tracking, testing uptake data, population outcome measurement, and the reporting tools that help sexual health funders demonstrate impact across prevention, testing, and support programmes in Australia.