The music was loud, the crowds were sweaty, and somewhere in the thick of it all, near the medical tent, in the middle of a mosh pit, or crouched beside someone on the grass, there were the wolves.  

DanceWize NSW have just wrapped up another summer festival season, and boy was it a big one. 

As the season winds down and the team takes a well-earned breather, we asked some of the crew to reflect on what it's been like out there on the ground. 

“Hepatitis C (HCV) is an easily curable condition.” That is the message health campaigns tend to broadcast.  Yet for many people living with hep C in rural and remote areas of New South Wales and beyond, the path from diagnosis to cure is far from easy. 

This edition of Users News draws on conversations with Rodd Hinton, NUAA’s BBV & Outreach Lead, and Andy Heslop, NUAA’s Chairperson who lives regionally himself. 

As Mardi Gras season heats up, more LGBTQ+ community members are opting for house parties and underground events over costly ticketed festivals, but smaller gatherings come with their own risks. ACON's harm reduction project Between the Lines shares resources and information about a free upcoming Party Safe 101 event specifically designed to build helpful skills this Mardi Gras season.

It’s Your Right was designed by and for people who use drugs, and was developed to promote hep C testing and treatment to people who inject drugs. The campaign is part of a broader national strategy to work towards eliminating hepatitis C as a public health threat in Australia.  

In this edition of Users News, Yvonne, Hep C Custodial Campaign Coordinator at AIVL and Brie, Outreach Lead at NUAA have shared some words about the campaign, its history, and how to get involved.  

Recently, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved lenacapavir for use as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This brings both exciting possibilities and important questions about access for people who want a pharmaceutical option to reduce their risk of contracting HIV.

The holiday season can be a challenging time for many people who use drugs. While December and January are traditionally times of celebration and family gatherings, they're also periods when overdose risks increase. The combination of social pressures, emotional stress, an easy access to alcohol and other drugs creates a perfect storm for potential harms.  

This World AIDS Day, NUAA Chairperson Andy Heslop shares his journey living with HIV and calls for an end to stigma. He calls on the community to drop outdated language, embrace people-first communication, and recognise that living with HIV today means living a full, healthy life.

After months of waiting, the NSW Government finally released its response to the Drug Summit on 28 October 2025, nearly a year after the Summit took place in December 2024. 

We had hoped to end 2025 on a positive note, but we are left feeling somewhat disheartened and conflicted. While there are elements of validation in the government’s response, it also highlights how much work remains to be done.