Bill Whittaker, ACON’s first CEO and one of the key architects of Australia’s HIV response, passed away this year. We pay tribute to his lifechanging contributions, far-reaching impact and enduring legacy.

It was with great sadness that this year we mourned the loss of Bill Whittaker – ACON’s first CEO and a giant in Australia’s HIV response.

Bill Whittaker was one of the key architects of Australia’s response to HIV/AIDS who worked in HIV community development, policy and strategy locally and internationally for nearly 40 years.

He was also a prominent, passionate and pioneering gay activist who worked tirelessly to promote the health and human rights of LGBTQ communities.

Bill began his activism as a volunteer and then President of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, where he acted to strengthen the organisation’s role in fighting for gay and lesbian rights and countering homophobia. He was President of Mardi Gras at the height of the AIDS crisis in Australia in the mid-1980s, which saw unrelenting attacks on LGBTQ communities and on the Mardi Gras itself.

It was during this time that Bill forged links with other activists like Lex Watson and Don Baxter, to help build the community response to AIDS.

In 1986, Bill became the first CEO of the AIDS Council of NSW or what we know today as ACON.

Under his tenure, the organisation was built from a staff of three to a staff of over 70 and played a pivotal role in shaping both the NSW HIV response and the national response.

Bill led the reform of Australia’s clinical trial system, helped get people with HIV early access to the first HIV treatments and led the development of internationally recognised AIDS information campaigns. During this time he also helped develop Australia’s first National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which set the foundations for Australia’s successful HIV responses over three decades.

After leaving ACON in 1990, Bill then spent the next two decades working in a variety of community-based AIDS organisations.

During these years Bill held various positions including founding Chair of the National Association of People with HIV/AIDS, President of Positive Life NSW and National President of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations.

In 1992, Bill was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his service to community health through HIV/AIDS organisations.

Bill also worked extensively on the global fight against HIV. In the 1980s and 1990s, he joined other activists to help start building an international community-based HIV advocacy movement.

Bill participated in the United Nations Special Sessions on HIV in 2001, 2006 and 2011. He was a commissioner with the UNAIDS High Level Commission on HIV Prevention and a special representative of the National Association of People with HIV (Australia) and a Board member of Pacific Friends of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

Later, Bill led NSW Government’s 2012 HIV Strategy Implementation Committee, which heralded a new and transformative approach to HIV prevention and treatment. The advancements and progress we are seeing now in the HIV landscape can be attributable to the foundations laid by people like Bill. His contributions to Australia’s HIV response are truly nothing short of remarkable.

Bill passed away in September 2024. He was a fearless, devoted, brave and bold advocate. His work has improved the lives of tens of thousands of people here in Australia and around the world.

ACON pays tribute to Bill and his lifechanging contributions, far-reaching impact and enduring legacy.

He will be dearly missed, but never, ever, forgotten.

Vale Bill.