Our Values

Our values inform who we are:

• Community – We are community made, and recognise our leadership role in the history and future of who we work for.
• Collaboration – We work in collaboration, respecting the unique experience, expertise and skills of our communities, partners and stakeholders.
• Informed – We remain informed, and rely on evidence, lived experience and consultation to make the best choices possible.

Our values inform how we work with people:

• Equity – We are committed to equity, noting that everyone faces unique barriers when creating a healthy life for themselves.
• Inclusion – We demonstrate inclusion, working with people who may experience exclusion and ensuring their meaningful involvement in our work.
• Compassion – We show compassion, knowing that individual experiences within our communities are diverse, and may be marked by stigma and discrimination.

Our values inform how we make decisions:

• Excellence – We strive for excellence, recognising our contribution to our communities’ health and the organisation’s potential for improvement.
• Courage – We show courage, recognising the need for strong leadership and honesty in overcoming challenges.
• Innovation – We encourage innovation to respond effectively to the changing needs of our communities.

Our Communities

Most people in our communities live happy, healthy and connected lives. Unfortunately this is not the case for everyone.

We work for people living with HIV and people who are sexuality and gender diverse, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and/or queer.

We are part of communities that include people whose gender identity, sexuality, or bodies have been politicised and shamed when they should be celebrated and cared for.

We also recognise the peer led networks and organisations that work for some members of our communities and respect the importance of community led responses.

We acknowledge that the health needs of all the people ACON serves are not the same, but we share a common fight against stigma and discrimination that affects our health.

We know that the identities, paths and experiences of all people in our communities are shaped by a multitude of factors, including their cultural identities, where people live and socio-economic background.

We recognise that members of our communities share their sexual and gender identity with other identities and experiences and work to ensure that these are reflected in our work. These can include people who are:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• people who use drugs
• mature aged people
• young adults
• people with disability

We know that how our communities define and describe themselves change, and we strive to ensure that all people we work for feel welcomed by the services we offer and the language we use.

Our Work

ACON’s work is focused on five areas:

Focus Area 1: Ending HIV transmission for all in our communities

• We provide up to date information and deliver innovative social marketing campaigns to our communities on a variety of sexual health issues.
• We develop peer-led prevention programs to reduce transmissions of HIV and other STIs in our communities.
• We improve access to testing with models that are responsive to the needs of our communities.
• We advocate for innovative responses to end HIV transmission and reduce STIs in Australia.

Focus Area 2: Delivering excellent, client-centred care and innovative community health programming

• We support people living with HIV to live fulfilled, healthy lives in which they are active members of their community.
• We ensure that our care and support services are of an excellent standard through ongoing needs assessment, co-design, inclusive marketing and ongoing evaluation.
• We ensure that our communities are actively and meaningfully included in our work and within our organisation.
• We seek to find better models of care and support for members of our communities that are left behind by current service provision, including the provision of support for young sexuality and gender diverse community members.
• We examine innovative ways to meet the health needs of our communities where they are at, including the establishment of an LGBT Health Centre.

Focus Area 3: Giving voice to our community and strengthening inclusion

• We ensure that ACON maintains meaningful involvement of people living with HIV, and ensures their strengths and concerns are shared with decision makers and the broader community.
• We amplify the voices of those we serve to ensure that decision makers are working with us to create opportunities for our communities to live their healthiest lives.
• We advocate for the meaningful inclusion, support and participation of our communities and the reduction of discrimination and stigma.
• We build strong partnerships and exemplify and share best practice models for inclusion and participation.
• We participate in and support research and strive for a strong evidence base to inform decisions made about our communities’ health.

Focus Area 4: Developing financial diversity, strength and growth

• We ensure that the health of our communities is a funded priority in mainstream health provision.
• We deliver bold and exciting revenue generation activities that appeal to our communities.
• We ensure diversification of our income sources to ensure that we can deliver against the health needs of our communities which may be underfunded.
• We make prudent decisions about investing our resources, and ensure that these investments are ethically sound.
• We endeavour to find efficiencies in spending and source talent and resources which are cost effective while upholding the standards of our organisation.

Focus Area 5: Building a workplace that attracts and develops the best people

• We create opportunities for staff and volunteers to develop their skills, ensuring a passionate, authentic and committed team.
• We provide a positive working environment in which staff and volunteers feel supported and justly recognised for the work they do.
• We are committed to creating an effective, efficient and healthy workplace, which will best serve our clients and communities.
• We develop strategic responses to ensure that staff and volunteers who are living with HIV, trans and gender diverse, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, culturally and linguistically diverse or living with a disability are supported towards excellence.
• We foster an environment of respect in which staff and volunteers feel supported to provide and receive feedback on their work.

How We Work

ACON has a strong international reputation and has developed considerable expertise in community mobilisation, social marketing, online engagement strategies, peer education, partnership, and policy and advocacy.

We help people living with HIV take control of their health, as well as the health of their partners, by providing up-to-date information and programs such as support services and workshops, counselling and home-based care.

We help our communities take control of their health so they can look after themselves as well as their partners, family and friends. We offer a range of services including sexual health, mental health, alcohol and drugs, safety and inclusion, domestic and family violence and ageing.

We have continued to evolve as an organisation, developing significant new programs and services to meet the needs of our community, especially in the areas of training, capacity building, cancer prevention, and clinical testing and screening services.

ACON’s Strategic Plan 2019-2024

ACON’s Strategic Plan 2019-2024

ACON Reconciliation Action Plans

ACON is proud to continue walking the national reconciliation journey with the release of the second iteration of its Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

The Innovate RAP 2023-2025 adds to our organisation’s ongoing commitment to ensuring First Nations people of diverse genders and sexualities can live their healthiest lives, as well as celebrate the longest living culture on Earth, acknowledge history, build closer relationships, and to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The development of the second Innovate RAP was overseen by ACON’s Reconciliation Working Group, the organisation’s internal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisory committee made up of staff and community representatives.

Access a public copy of ACON’s Innovate RAP 2023-2025 as a PDF here.

ACON’s Innovate RAP 2023-2025 artwork was created by Wiradjuri and Birpai man Wayde Clarke, and is titled ‘Rainbow Pride, Rainbow Strong’.

ACON launched its first RAP in 2018, committing ACON to create a strategic, collaborative, and whole-of-organisation approach to its work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Across each of ACON’s RAPs, the organisation has worked with Reconciliation Australia to develop a formal framework to ensure its work supports the national reconciliation movement.

With the implementation of its second Innovate RAP, ACON will continue to foster a more strategic, collaborative and whole of organisation approach to our work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

If you have any feedback or would like to join the RAP Working Group, please fill out this short form or contact RAP@acon.org.au

ACON acknowledges and pays respects to the traditional custodians of all the lands on which we work. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.

Keep updated with our RAP e-news. Sign up here:

ACON’s Multicultural Engagement Plan

ACON has produced a Multicultural Engagement Plan which provides a three-year framework to guide the way ACON engages with and empowers community members and staff from culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse, migrant, and refugee backgrounds, and people of colour. You can read the Plan here.

Blueprint for Improving the Health and Wellbeing of the Trans and Gender Diverse Community in NSW

In 2019 ACON launched the Blueprint for Improving the Health and Wellbeing of the Trans and Gender Diverse Community in NSW.

The Blueprint for Improving the Health and Wellbeing of the Trans and Gender Diverse Community in NSW (the Blueprint) outlines the key approaches required to improve the health outcomes of trans and gender diverse (TGD) people in NSW and to strengthen the inclusion of TGD people within ACON’s programs and services.

The Blueprint was developed with the support of ACON’s TGD Community Health Advisory Group, which comprised members of the TGD community, clinicians and community organisations.

The development of the Blueprint was informed by a comprehensive review of national and international literature, and an extensive consultation process. This consultation process included a community survey of over 450 people, six community meetings across NSW (Sydney, Newcastle, Lismore, Wollongong, Wagga Wagga and Liverpool) and key stakeholder interviews with TGD community leaders, GPs, endocrinologists, sexual health physicians, NSW Health officials, and human rights lawyers.

Anyone can access and use this Blueprint to support their local, state-wide and even national advocacy efforts that seek to progress and improve the rights, health and lives of TGD communities. ACON is proud to support this work and to continue raising the visibility of TGD community priorities and needs

Download:

• The Blueprint for Improving the Health and Wellbeing of the Trans and Gender Diverse Community in NSW
• TEXT ONLY VERSION of the Blueprint
• Abridged Blueprint
• Discussion paper, Potential Priority Areas for ACON’s Trans and Gender Diverse Community Health Strategy
• Consultation Report ACON’s Trans and Gender Diverse Community Health Strategy

Our History

Incorporated in 1985 as the AIDS Council of NSW, ACON is widely recognised as an innovative and successful organisation which has adapted to changes in the HIV epidemic and responded early to emerging health issues among our communities.

Since our inception, we’ve been at the forefront of advocacy around issues relating to HIV and to sexuality and gender diverse health, drawing on our close connections to community to identify emerging issues and create dialogue around these issues with policy makers and researchers.

We’ve also worked alongside researchers and partners to build a stronger evidence base around HIV and sexuality and gender diverse health, much of which has subsequently affirmed the issues identified by our communities.

ACON Campaign Database

The ACON Campaigns Database is a digital archive featuring all the HIV and LGBTI health related social marketing campaigns that the organisation produced since it was established in 1985 in response to the epidemic.

Our 30th Anniversary

ACON’s 2015 Mardi Gras Float

Media Coverage

• 30 Years Of  ACONIC Moments (Star Observer feature Aug 2015)
• ACON – Here For LGBTI Health and HIV For 30 Years (SX News 17 Aug)

Past Masters

• Former ACON President Bruce Meagher Shares His Thoughts On His Time At ACON

Speeches

• NSW Health Minister The Hon Jillian Skinner’s Speech at 30th Anniversary Reception
• ACON President Mark Orr’s Speech at the 30th Anniversary Reception

Our 25th Anniversary

NSW Deputy Premier and Health Minister, Carmel Tebbutt joined leaders from the health, government, business and community sectors at a reception at Sydney’s Town Hall to mark ACON’s 25th anniversary.

Speeches

• ACON President Mark Orr’s Speech at the 25th Anniversary Reception
• ACON’s first CEO Bill Whittaker’s Speech at the 25th Anniversary Reception

Media Coverage

• ACON-25th-Anniversary-SSO-Lift-Out
• United-We-Stand- DNA Article
• ACON-25th-Anniversary-SX-Lift-Out
• Herstory of ACON
• Lemon AIDS

Past Masters

• Lex Watson ACON President 1985 – 1986
• Bill Whittaker ACON CEO 1986 – 1990
• Levinia Crooks ACON President 1988 – 1989, 1991 – 1992
• Rolf Petherbridge ACON President 1990-1991
• Bruce Meagher ACON President 1994 – 96
• David Stone ACON President 1998 – 2000
• Stevie Clayton ACON CEO 2001 – 2009

Further Reading

• Strengthening the Community – ACON and the HIV epidemic in NSW
• HIV / AIDS Timeline With An Emphasis on Australia & NSW (1930 – 2011)

Our Board

Our Board

Justin Koonin, President

Justin Koonin, President
BSc (Hons), PhD, CFA, FAICD
Justin has worked within LGBTQ community organisations for almost twenty years. Internationally, he is a member of the Political Advisory Panel for the Universal Health Coverage Movement and a former co-chair of UHC2030, the global multistakeholder partnership for Universal Health Coverage, as well as a member of multiple WHO expert panels. Justin is Distinguished Fellow and Honorary Professorial Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health, and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of New South Wales. He is also an Advisory Governor of the Commonwealth Foundation, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Not-for-Profit Chairs Advisory Forum. He is trained as a mathematician, and currently works as an investment analyst. He has also worked as a postdoctoral research associate (at the University of Sydney), and as a consultant in the areas of predictive analytics and data.

Louisa Degenhardt AO, Vice President

Louisa Degenhardt AO, Vice-President
BA (Hons), MPsychology (Clinical), PhD
Louisa is UNSW Scientia Professor, NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow and Deputy Director at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at UNSW. She was awarded her PhD in 2003, examining the comorbidity of drug use and mental disorders in the Australian population. She has honorary Professorial appointments at University of Melbourne’s School of Population and Global Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and University of Washington’s Department of Global Health in the School of Public Health. Louisa conducts diverse epidemiological studies including data linkage studies focusing on people with extra-medical or dependent opioid use, chronic pain, analysis of large-scale community and clinical surveys, and cohorts of young people. She is currently CI with CI Dore and Farrell on an NHMRC Program Grant focussed on drug dependence and viral hepatitis. In 2023, Louisa was announced as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in recognition of her distinguished services to medical research, particularly addiction and mental disorders, to psychology, and to professional associations.

Atari Metcalf

Atari Metcalf
BSc, MD, FRACGP
Atari is an openly trans Specialist General Practitioner with a focus on sexual and reproductive health. He completed his internship and residency at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney working across a variety of medical and surgical specialties in addition to completing secondments in paediatrics and Aboriginal health before going on to complete his Fellowship with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Prior to practising medicine Atari spent 15 years working in health promotion research, policy and strategy within community and digital mental and sexual health services, as well as working as an analyst on national inquiries into asylum seeker, transgender and intersex health and human rights for the Australian Human Rights Commission. Before joining ACON’s Board Atari also served as a Board Director at Suicide Prevention Australia and as co-chair of Twenty10 incorporating NSW Gay and Lesbian Counselling Services.

Benjamin Bavinton

Benjamin Bavinton
BA (Hons), MPH, PhD
Benjamin has worked in the field of HIV prevention and research for 20 years in Australia and internationally. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, and leads the Biobehavioural HIV Prevention Research Group. His research focuses on the biomedical, behavioural and epidemiological aspects of HIV prevention among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men and transgender women in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. He worked at ACON in peer education with gay, bisexual and queer men from 2004 to 2010, which also included 12 months working at UNAIDS in Bangkok, Thailand.

Christian Dunk

Christian Dunk
BA (IR) Hons
Christian has extensive experience in political advisory roles after nearly a decade of service with the NSW Government. In these roles, Christian developed expertise in sustainability, nature and climate policy development and implementation. He now works in the energy sector on regulation and market development. Christian is an alumnus of Sydney University and the Australian National University where he completed Masters and Honours degrees, respectively.

Jason Glanville

Jason Glanville
Jason is a Wiradjuri start-up founder with extensive governance expertise and experience across community, corporate, government and philanthropy. He works as an adviser on strategy, leadership, governance and systems transformation working with leaders across the commercial, for-purpose, and creative sectors to create platforms for sustainable change. Jason is a Co-founder and Director of Native Foodways, was the inaugural Executive Director of the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity program and creator and inaugural CEO of the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence. He was part of the start-up team that built Reconciliation Australia and served on its Board for five years. He is currently Chair of the Foundation for Young Australians and a member of the Board of the GO Foundation and, until recently, was Chair of PwC Indigenous Consulting and the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute. Jason is an Adjunct Professor at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at University of Technology Sydney and a member of the Indigenous Advisory Group at the Art Gallery of NSW.

Somali Cerise

Somali Cerise
BA, MSc
Somali Cerise is a gender equality and human rights expert with 20 years’ experience leading policy and research initiatives across Australia and globally. She currently works on a range of gender equality initiatives with the Elizabeth Broderick & Co, Champions of Change Coalition, UN Women, and the University of Sydney. She has previously been a Convener of the NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, a board member of the Inner City Legal Centre and Aurora Foundation. Somali is also a Member of the Policy and Advisory Committee for the National Women’s Safety Alliance and an Honorary Associate Professor at the Australian National University Gender Institute. She has a BA (UTS) and a Master of Science (Human Rights) (London School of Economics and Political Science).

Steven Berveling

Steven Berveling
SJD, BSc, LLB
Steven is a barrister specialising in town planning and environmental law. He has been HIV+ since May 1996, and lives life to the full. He is an avid competitive cyclist and amongst other races has competed 3x in the Race Across America, has won numerous golds in Gay Games, and holds the Australian record for the Hour Record (age). Steven seeks to confirm that HIV is no barrier to sport, both physically and socially, and that stigma and discrimination against HIV+ people is totally unwarranted. Steven speaks regularly to a range of groups about living with HIV.

Zoé de Saram PSM

Zoé de Saram PSM
BAgrEc, MAICD
Zoé is a highly respected professional with considerable experience in the design and execution of strategy, policy, and service delivery. She has held a number of senior executive roles in the NSW Government and has a deep understanding of the architecture of government and the way it operates. She is also very well connected to a diverse range of key personnel across Federal, State and Local governments. In February 2021, Zoé was appointed to the role of Director, Performance Audit, at the Audit Office of NSW. Prior to that she was Executive Advisor, Public Sector Practice at the North Point Consulting Group, a boutique firm specialising in designing and executing strategy, digitally enabled business models and business transformation. She is actively involved in raising awareness about breast cancer and supporting women recovering from breast cancer.

Our Senior Leadership Team

Michael Woodhouse

Michael Woodhouse, Chief Executive Officer
Michael has been an executive leader in health and human services for over 20 years including roles in both the government and not for profit sector. He has a strong interest in community led services and programs and in better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Michael has experience in primary health care, disability support, aged care, child and family services and inclusion strategies. Michael has been involved in many LGBTQ+ community organisations including a time as Co-Chair of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. He was added to the Mardi Gras Hall of Fame in 2023. Michael was appointed as CEO of ACON in September 2024.

Matthew Vaughan

Matthew Vaughan, Director, HIV & Sexual Health
Matthew is the Director for HIV Sexual Health at Australia’s largest LGBTQ+ health organisation – ACON. He leads the strategy, and development of programs which seek to end HIV transmissions in NSW. Matthew has been working within the community services sector for the past 18 years in a variety of roles within Government, Non-Government and Community-based organisations at state, national and international level.

Dawn-Emsen Hough

Dawn-Emsen Hough, Director, Pride Inclusion Programs
Dawn started with ACON in 2009 with the remit of building a national Pride in Diversity Program and to develop a national benchmarking tool for LGBTQ+ workplace Inclusion in Australia (AWEI). Since that time, the program has grown to incorporate Pride in Sport, Pride in Health + Wellbeing and Pride Training. Pride in Diversity has also gained an international reputation for its leading practice and gold standard index. Dawn has a background in financial services, talent management and OD with academic qualifications in adult education and cognitive science. Dawn was appointed Adjunct Senior Fellow at University of Queensland 2021 and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Dr Susan Culverston

Dr Susan Culverston, Director, Corporate Services and Company Secretary
Susan has more than 20 years’ experience in management, administration and leadership across a range of environments including the corporate sector, not-for-profit organisations and both Commonwealth and State public sectors. Susan has a Doctorate in Business Administration with the focus of her thesis being ‘Collaborations in the Not for Profit Sector’. She is passionate about ensuring that organisations in the sector continue to adopt leading practices in governance and business management.

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Eloise Layard

Eloise Layard, Acting Director, Community Health
Eloise began her career as a social worker in the federal public service, before commencing at ACON over five years ago to coordinate ACON’s sexual, domestic and family violence program. Eloise is a member of a number of NSW and national sexual, domestic and family violence related advisory groups, including the National Plan Advisory Group. The Community Health Division includes ACON’s Gadigal Sydney-based Client Services programs, including counselling, care coordination and peer support; as well as NSW-wide and national LGBTQ+ health, equity and harm reduction programs.

Brent Mackie

Brent Mackie, Director, Policy, Strategy & Research
During his more than 30-year career Brent Mackie’s work has included communications, media and social marketing, management, population health, social research, and policy and program development. Brent has worked in numerous senior leadership roles in both government and non-government organisations. Brent has a Master of Arts by Research in Health and Sexuality as well as degrees in sociology and communications. Brent has extensive experience in health research and is a passionate community advocate and volunteer.

Reg Domingo

Reg Domingo, Director, Marketing, Communications & Fundraising
Reg is ACON’s Director of Marketing, Communications and Fundraising. He has over 15 years’ experience in journalism, publishing, public relations and strategic communications. He has a background in news and feature writing, as well as radio broadcasting and digital media, specialising in LGBTQ issues. Over the years, he has held a number of senior roles in publishing overseeing editorial strategy, marketing, partnerships and business development.

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Daniel McCarthy

Daniel McCarthy, Director, Regional Services
Daniel has 15 years’ experience in the health sector, including clinical healthcare delivery, HIV and sexual health, population health, clinical governance, and health service management. Daniel has a Master of International and Community Development as well as a Batchelor of Nursing. Daniel has significant experience in policy/program development and implementation, quality improvement, clinical services redesign, and community/client-centred healthcare. Daniel’s interests are in grass-roots community development and innovative approaches to wellbeing among LGBTQ+ people in rural, regional and remote settings.

Sabine D’Haeseleer

Sabine D’Haeseleer, EA to CEO
Sabine joined ACON in 2013 in the role of Executive Assistant to the CEO. Sabine is originally from Belgium, where she studied business administration/secretariat and languages. She has spent most of her working life in Canada, Norway and Angola before moving to Sydney in 2001 where she continued to build her career in different sectors and industries as a Senior Executive Assistant.

Our Constitution

Download: ACON Health Limited Constitution (PDF)

Download: ACON Health Board Diversity Statement (PDF)

Download: ACON Health Diversity Statement (PDF) 

Download: ACON Health Election Procedures (PDF)

Quality Improvement

Since 2001 ACON has undertaken regular internal and external reviews of our policies, practices and services in an effort to identify areas for improvement as well as areas of excellence.

ACON is peer- reviewed every three years using the Health and Community Services Standards developed by the Quality Improvement Council of Australia.

We have achieved National Accreditation after each external review. For more information contact our Quality Improvement Coordinator on 02 9206 2000.

Disclaimer & Privacy Policy

Disclaimer & Privacy Policy

Copyright
ACON materials may be reproduced in part or in full with acknowledgment to ACON. Commonwealth and NSW government information and materials on this website, including data, pages, documents, graphics, images and webpages, audio and video are protected by copyright, unless specifically notified to the contrary.

Use of materials and information
You may download, store in cache, display, print and copy a single copy or part of a single copy of information or material from this site only for your personal, non-commercial use and only in an unaltered form.

Information or material from this site may be used for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 and may only be reproduced as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (a copy of the Act is available at SCALEplus the legal information retrieval system owned by the Australian Attorney General’s Department, at http://scaleplus.law.gov.au).

Any permitted reproduction made must acknowledge ACON source of any selected passage, extract, diagram or other information or material reproduced. Any reproduction made of the information or material must include a copy of the original copyright and disclaimer notices as set out here.

Commercial and other use
You are not permitted to re-transmit, distribute or commercialise the information or material without full acknowledgement to ACON or by seeking prior written approval from ACON. For written permission to use the information or material from this site, please contact the ACON Online + New Media Producer. You may not use this website to sell a product or service, or to increase traffic to your website for commercial reasons, such as advertising sales.

Please email the ACON Online + New Media Producer with any questions you may have about our website programs or policies, or to provide feedback on this website.

The contact information is:

Email: online@acon.org.au
Postal: PO Box 350 Darlinghurst NSW 1300

Linking to this site
You may link to this site. Permission is not granted to reproduce, frame or reformat the files, pages, images, information and materials from this site on any other site unless express written permission has been obtained from the ACON Online + New Media Producer.

Disclaimer Provision
This website is presented by ACON for the purpose of disseminating health information. This website is not a substitute for independent professional advice. Nothing contained in this site is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any sexually transmitted infection (STI), HIV or hepatitis A, B or C or mental health conditions, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional’s advice. ACON does not accept any liability for any illness, loss or damage incurred by use of or reliance on the information contained in this website.

Quality of information
ACON makes every effort to ensure the quality of the information available on this website and updates the information regularly. Before relying on the information on this site, however, users should carefully evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance for their purposes, and should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. ACON cannot guarantee and assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, currency or completeness of the information.

Links to external websites
This website contains links to external websites. ACON takes due care in selecting linked websites. It is the responsibility of the user to make their own decisions about the accuracy, currency, reliability and correctness of information contained in linked external websites.

Linkage to external websites should not be taken to be an endorsement or a recommendation of any third party products or services offered by virtue of any information, material or content linked from or to this site. Users of links provided by this site are responsible for being aware of which organisation is hosting the site they visit.

Views or recommendations provided in linked sites do not necessarily reflect those of ACON.

Security
Every endeavour is made to ensure that this site is secure. However, users should be aware that the World Wide Web is an insecure public network that gives rise to a potential risk that a user’s transactions are being viewed, intercepted or modified by third parties or that files which the user down loads may contain computer viruses or other defects.

ACON accepts no liability for any interference with or damage to a user’s computer system, software or data occurring in connection with this website. Users are encouraged to take appropriate and adequate precautions to ensure that whatever is selected from this site is free of viruses or other contamination that may interfere with or damage the user’s computer system, software or data.

Privacy statement information
ACON makes every effort to comply with the Information Privacy Principles (1 –3, and 10 and 11) contained within the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 in the collection and privacy protection of its website users. A copy of the Act is available at SCALEplus the legal information retrieval system owned by the Australian Attorney General’s Department at http://scaleplus.law.gov.au.

If you have any privacy concerns, you should direct them to the ACON Online + New Media Producer.

ACON will only record your email address in the event that you send us a message by email or if you register requesting notifications. Registration for notifications may be made initially by email, postal mail or fax. Your email address will only be used for the purpose for which you have provided it and will not be added to any mailing lists without your prior consent by way of a specific request in writing. We will not use or disclose your email address for any other purpose, without your prior written consent.

Cookies and clickstream data
ACON uses a ‘cookie’ for maintaining contact with a user through a website session. A cookie is a small file supplied by ACON and stored by the web browser software on your computer when you access ACON’s website. (An explanation of cookies generally can be found at the site of the Australian Privacy Commissioner).

The cookie enables ACON to recognise you as an individual as you move from one page to another. This cookie will be immediately lost when you end your internet session and shut down your computer.

Our copy of your information will be automatically deleted twenty minutes after you last used the system. This information is only used to help you use our website systems more efficiently, not to track your movements through the internet, or to record information about you.

Any system on this website that records information about you will specifically ask your permission first.

ACON makes a record of your visit and logs the following information for statistical purposes:

• the user’s server address
• the user’s top level domain name
• the date and time of access to the site
• pages accessed and documents down loaded
• the previous site visited

This information is analysed to show broken links in our website, traffic problems, and other site problems. We use this information to redesign for efficiency of use.

No attempt will be made to identify anonymous users or their browsing activities unless legally compelled to do so, such as in the event of an investigation, where a law enforcement agency may exercise a warrant to inspect the Internet Service Provider’s log files.

Personal information
Information provided through the ACON website will comply with Information Privacy Principles (see Glossary below), and particularly principles 1 to 3 and 10 and 11. Stated simply these principles are:

• Principle 1 – Collection of information must be lawful and fair
• Principle 2 – Informing people why information is collected
• Principle 3 – Ensuring personal information collected is of good quality and not too intrusive
• Principle 10 – Limiting the use of personal information to the purposes for which it was collected
• Principle 11 – Preventing the disclosure of personal information outside the agency.

ACON Health Limited trading as ACON Privacy Policy

“Protecting the privacy of health information is an integral part of providing quality health care” (WHO)

This policy applies to the whole of ACON, the Board, staff (including all levels of management), volunteers and contracted service partners.

Client confidentiality has been an underpinning philosophy and foundation of ACON’s work since our inception in 1985. ACON supports the spirit of intent and complies with and where possible strives to exceed the requirements of the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000.

ACON’s Privacy Policy outlines what happens to personal information collected by ACON, how it is used and how you can find out what information ACON holds about you. It also explains how you can have it changed or altered if it is incorrect or out of date.

Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000

The Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000 which amends the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988, sets out your rights and ACON’s responsibility relating to any personal information held about you as an individual who uses ACON’s services. This policy does not apply to information held by ACON about staff or volunteers. Different legislation applies to staff and volunteer records.

The Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000 (hereafter referred to as the Act) which includes the National Privacy Principles sets out how private sector organisations such as ACON should collect, keep, use and disclose personal information. ACON complies with and wherever possible strives to exceed the requirements of the Act. ACON complies with all of the National Privacy Principles.

The Act provides you as an individual with the right to know why ACON holds your personal information, what information is held about you, how ACON will use that information and under what circumstances your personal information may be divulged to others. You have the right to ask to see your personal information and for it to be changed or altered if incorrect or out of date. Under special circumstances ACON may refuse to allow you to see information held about you, in doing so, ACON in accordance with the Act is required to explain why. The Act stipulates that you may make a complaint if you think your information is not used or held appropriately and in accordance with the Act.

Personal Information

Personal information includes such things as your full name, date of birth, gender and address and other contact details. The Act recognises that information of a more sensitive nature may be collected by organisations such as ACON in order to provide you with, or refer you to particular services. Sensitive information is a subset of personal information. It means information or opinion about an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, membership of a political association, religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, membership of a professional or trade association, membership of a trade union, sexual preferences or practices, criminal record or health information about an individual

Collection

ACON will collect only the information, which is necessary to provide you with the highest standard of service.

• We will only collect information about you with your consent and by lawful means.
• When we collect your information you will be told what we will do with it and to whom it may be disclosed.
• Information about you will not be used in any way without your consent or other than for the reasons for which it was collected.

Where we have obtained information about you from someone other than yourself, we will take all reasonable steps to inform you about who we are, what we intend to do with your information, how you may access it and to whom it may be disclosed.

In other words where possible we will inform you of what will happen to your information as if we had collected it from you ourselves.

Use and Disclosure

Information about you will only be used or disclosed to others by ACON in ways which meet your expectations or are required by law. We will only use or disclose your personal information for a purpose other than the primary purpose for which it was collected if:

• the secondary purpose of collection is related to the primary purpose, and
• you would reasonably expect us to use or disclose information for that secondary purpose, or
• you have given permission for its use or disclosure

We will only use your information for the purpose of service promotion such as newsletters, pamphlets or fundraising providing you have given us permission to do so.

We will only use or disclose your information without your consent, when:

• it is in the interest of an individual’s health, life or safety, or
• in the interest of public health or safety, or
• we are required or authorised to do so by law

We may disclose health information about you to a person responsible for you such as a legally appointed guardian.

Data Quality

ACON will take all reasonable steps to ensure that personal information collected, used or disclosed about you is as appropriate, accurate and as current as possible.

Data Security

ACON undertakes to ensure that all personal information is kept in a secure place or manner. We will take all reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, loss, unauthorised or unnecessary access, alteration or disclosure. ACON undertakes to destroy or de-identify your personal information when it is no longer required for any purpose by you or by law.

Openness

ACON’s Privacy Policy is available to you or anyone who requests it. Copies of this Policy may be obtained through the contact details provided at the end of this document.

ACON has a complaints procedure for anyone who believes their information is not being handled properly or in accordance with this policy. A copy of ACON’s complaints procedure may also be obtained through the contact details.

Access and Correction

The only staff or volunteers who may access your information can do so only in the performance of their duties in the provision of a service to you or specifically at your request. Staff or volunteers may not divulge any identifying information about you to each other except that, which is necessary for them to do so in the performance of their duties.

ACON will provide you with access to personal information it holds about you upon your request. In some circumstances it may be inappropriate for ACON to comply with your request, such as where someone else’s privacy may be seriously breached, or where the request poses a threat to an individual’s health or safety. In such case, if we withhold access we will provide you with the reason for doing so.

At your request we will correct any out-of-date or inaccurate information. We will do this either over the phone or face-to-face. You may arrange an appointment to view your personal information or you may request a written copy.

To obtain access to, or copies of, or to correct or up-date your personal, sensitive, information you will need to complete a ‘Personal Information Inquiry’ form. To change just your contact details you will need to complete a ‘Change of Address’ form. Copies of both of these forms may be obtained either by telephoning or writing to us or by down-loading them from our web-site.

Our contact details are at the end of this document.

Identifiers

ACON does not use identifiers or reference numbers assigned by other organisations or government departments or services. Nor does ACON assign identifiers or reference to personal information records except where we have obtained your approval to do so, such as membership numbers or client case file numbers.

ACON does not release membership or client case file numbers to other organisations. Nor do we divulge any information that may in any way identify a particular individual to other organisations, or to ACON staff or volunteers.

Anonymity

Wherever practicable and lawful, and if you want to, we will provide you the option of interacting with ACON anonymously.

Transborder Data Flows

ACON will only send your information to a third party in a foreign country with your prior consent or if the information about you has protection substantially similar to the National Privacy Principles outlined in the Act.

Sensitive Information

ACON will not collect sensitive information about you without your consent unless, the collection is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to health or life, or the collection is required by law. ACON in some instances may collect information without an individual’s consent if the person concerned is physically or legally incapable of giving consent. ACON may also collect sensitive information without consent in accordance with rules established by competent health or medical bodies that deal with the obligations of professional confidentiality eg client case notes kept about counselling sessions with professionally recognised psychotherapists or session case notes kept by enhanced care project staff.

Contacts

For any questions about ACON’s Privacy Policy contact our Web Producer by telephone 02 9206 2000, e-mail online@acon.org.au, fax Attn Web Producer (02) 9206 2069.

ACON Sydney – (02) 9206 2000

Northern Rivers – (02) 6622 1555

Hunter/Mid North Coast – (02) 4962 7700

Mid North Coast Outreach – (02) 6584 0943

Illawarra – (02) 4226 1163

The Privacy Commissioner’s web-site contains detailed information on privacy obligations including a copy of the Privacy Act http://www.privacy.gov.au and the Guidelines On Privacy In The Private Health Sector http://www.privacy.gov.au /health/guidelines/index.html#1 set out the standards for collecting, storing, using and disclosing personal information.

Acknowledgement: Use of Progress Pride Flag Design

ACON welcomes the Progress Pride flag

For decades, the Rainbow Flag – consisting of six colours – has been the most commonly-used flag to represent LGBTQ+ communities around the globe. But in more recent times, the Progress Pride Flag has been adopted by a growing number of people and organisations worldwide.

Designed by non-binary artist Daniel Quasar in 2018, the flag includes black and brown stripes to represent people of colour; and pink, pale blue and white stripes to include trans and gender diverse communities.

The increasing use of this flag reflects the broad drive in Australia and around the world to be more inclusive of the expansive breadth of identities within our communities.

As the language and our communities evolves, so do the symbols we use. As such, ACON is proud to use the Progress Pride Flag to ensure that we are an organisation that represents and reflects our unique and diverse communities.

ACON acknowledges Daniel Quasar as the designer of the Progress Pride Flag. We thank them for allowing ACON to use the design as we serve our communities.