WORLD AIDS DAY AND THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT

World AIDS day has been and gone but you wouldn't have noticed anything out of the ordinary from the Federal government.

During the past year it has been noticeable how in the federal parliament when parliamentarians are shown, they have more often than not -symbolic only, of course - worn something or other in their lapels or on their garments to indicate their "theoretical" support for an issue of "national" importance.

For World AIDS Day, despite statistics showing that the numbers of new infections had risen beyond what is reasonable in 2012 considering that educational programmes have been around for well over 25 years, the federal government totally ignored the Day! Even Obama managed to recognise the event, despite the United States' appalling record locally and internationally on HIV/AIDS support.

The current Australian parliament, and in this respect I mean all politicians of all flavours, left -ha ha ha -, right and centre - well left of extreme right ignored World AIDS Day as if the issue was irrelevant in this country.

When the next out-of-control disaster occurs, Australia will be less prepared than many countries with very poor infrastructures and resources, but who are aware of the daily HIV rates and their ongoing crisis figures.

Here is the World AIDS clock which gives a picture of the ongoing unfolding crises:

AIDS CLOCK

To find out the number of people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, click on the above link

SYDNEY CANDLELIGHT MEMORIAL - SUNDAY 20 MAY 2012

A news item in the Star Observer of 27 April 2012 states that the annual Sydney Candlelight Memorial for people who have died from AIDS will take place on Sudnay 20 May 2012 to coincide with International Candlelight Memorial Day.

The announcement goes on to state that the memorial will be held at Slide bar, 41 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst.

What is so extraordinary about this announcement is that there is in existence a ready made venue for such events to take place. The venue is called the Sydney Park AIDS Memorial Groves (SPAIDS) and is an ideal area for holding such commemorative events.

In past years SPAIDS has contacted the organisers of such events and suggested they hold the event at Sydney Park, but we have never even had the courtesy of a response.

The same story applies to the World AIDS Day Events held around 1 December each year. One event is a fund raiser and people are invited to do walks in the Sydney Botanical Gardens. Sydney Park is a fantastic venue for such events, but SPAIDS has been met by stony silences from the organisers.

It is interesting to know that people who come to SPAIDS on tree planting days, once a year on National Tree Day at the end of July each year are people who would attend some of these other events at these other venues.

SPAIDS realised a long time ago that the Sydney AIDS organisations are not interested in dealing with activists who aren't in the AIDS political mainstream, but it is their loss, and we are pleased to know that some groups, such as IDAHO and the Sydney Beat Project have felt that SPAIDS is a wonderful venue to hold events and also has the attribute of being conveniently situated in inner Sydney and easily accessible by all forms of transport. Sydney Park AIDS Memorial Groves (SPAIDS)