This year the High Court and the National Museum will be joining the National Library, National Archives, National Gallery, Questacon, Old Parliament House, the National Carillon and the Captain Cook Jet in having red floodlights adorn their facades.
The campaign is part of the ongoing efforts to increase public awareness of HIV/AIDS in Canberra by the AIDS Action Council of the ACT and People Living with HIV/AIDS ACT.
For 21 years the Council has been working locally to raise awareness and educate the Canberra community about the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Council conducts free community education sessions to schools, universities and community groups, free sexual health testing and outreach services to the sex industry.
The council also supports a number of services for People Living with HIV/AIDS ACT.
The success of the Council’s efforts to date is reflected in current HIV infection statistics, which show infection rates in Canberra have stabilised while infection rates in Sydney and Melbourne are rising.(1)
However this is no reason to become complacent and the Council continues to use every opportunity to spread the message that the most effective way to avoid HIV is to ensure a condom is used during sexual intercourse.
The lighting of buildings in red, pioneered in Canberra, is to become an Australia-wide campaign for World AIDS Day 2007, with HIV/AIDS organisations in other states encouraging iconic public buildings to join the campaign.
Electronic images of public buildings lit up in red
are available upon request.
For interviews contact:
Kevin Schamburg, Acting General Manager
AIDS Action Council of the ACT on 0412 882 855
1. In 2004 there were 7 new HIV diagnoses for ACT, compared to 390 in NSW and 211 in Victoria (2005 Annual Surveillance Report: HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmissible Infections in Australia, National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, UNSW.
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