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FACT SHEET
Public Health (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2015
The Public Health (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2015 proposes to repeal the HIV/AIDS
Preventive Measures Act 1993 and make various amendments to the Public Health Act 1997.
Repeal of the HIV/AIDS Preventive Measures Act 1993
Since the introduction of the HIV/AIDS Preventive Measures Act 1993 (HIV Act), HIV infection is
now managed as a chronic communicable disease rather than a terminal illness, due to antiviral
treatments.
The Act is now out-of-date and is regarded as no longer being best clinical practice, overly
prescriptive, and superseded by other legislation, most notably the Public Health Act 1997.
The Bill repeals the HIV Act and transfers the needle and syringe program to the Public Health
Act 1997. This consolidates the prevention and management of all communicable diseases
under one Act.
The Needle and Syringe Program (NSP)
The NSP is a long-standing and important public health initiative that distributes unused
equipment to injecting drug users through approximately 100 outlets (mainly pharmacies and
healthcare organisations, and a small number of vending machines).
The program significantly lowers the risk of harm associated with injecting drugs and reduces
the spread of blood born viruses such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. Each jurisdiction in
Australia has a needle and syringe program.
The revised NSP will remain a permit based scheme administered by the Director of Public
Health. Healthcare providers and businesses will be required to obtain a permit and staff
supplying equipment must undertake approved training.
Existing impediments to the lawful distribution of unused equipment among injecting drug
users will be eased by limiting the permit requirement to organisations and businesses; and by
extending existing exemption from certain offences and crimes around the possession and
supply of equipment, and trace elements within used equipment.
Miscellaneous amendments to the Public Health Act 1997
In addition to including a revised needle and syringe program, the Bill makes a number of other
amendments to the Public Health Act regarding emergency management, disease management,
tobacco control, drinking water management, the Cervical Screening Register, and the
disclosure of information.
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Whilst the changes do not represent a set of significant policy reforms, they are considered
important and necessary to:
ensure the powers and functions of the Director of Public Health and councils as
regulators are clear;
ensure the Act better supports more contemporary public health practices; and
maintain the purpose of the Act and enhance its effectiveness as the centrepiece of
public health legislation in Tasmania.
Amendments to the Corrections Act 1997
There are also a small number of consequential amendments to the Corrections Act 1997 as a
result of the repeal of the HIV/AIDS Preventive Measures Act.
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