The Eliminate Hepatitis C Australia (EC Australia) partnership was established in 2019. It brings together people with living and lived experience, community organisations, health services, government, and researchers and implementation scientists to help build a framework for Australia’s response to the elimination of hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030.
View our partners on this page.
EC Australia is committed to supporting community and health services to increase hepatitis C testing and treatment. We want to maintain high numbers of people accessing hepatitis C testing, treatment and care.
EC Australia is a flagship initiative led by Burnet Institute. Burnet is a global leader in hepatitis C research and implementation science.
Direct-acting antivirals have revolutionised hepatitis C care.
Since becoming available through Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in 2016, over 100,000 people have been cured of hepatitis C.
The challenge is finding, testing and linking to care the 68,000 Australians who are living with hepatitis C infection.
Our work aims to address this challenge.
EC Australia takes a strategic, cohesive and multipronged approach to increase hepatitis C testing and treatment to achieve elimination.
We pride ourselves on bringing together innovative ideas and evidence-based approaches to help solve the hepatitis C challenge.
We value the dedication and passion of community leaders and elders, peers, healthcare workers, and researchers in the EC Australia partnership.
Our collective efforts strengthen our work and progress towards hepatitis C elimination.
During phase 1, we:
Phase 1 (2019–2022) was funded by the Paul Ramsay Foundation. This phase focused on health system strengthening through 5 key components:
Phase 2 (2023–2027) is funded by Burnet Institute. This phase reflects an evolution in our public health approach and our progress to hepatitis C elimination, with a targeted emphasis on 3 priority populations and 7 objectives.
The project aims to explore the role of rapid testing in improving the hepatitis care cascade from infection and diagnosis to treatment and cure.
Students will be involved in implementation trials and evaluation of the effectiveness and acceptability of new rapid HCV diagnosis pathways. The outcomes will help facilitate treatment uptake and improve the quality of care.
The project aims to explore:
The outcomes will help facilitate treatment uptake and improve the quality of care.
We delivered the first peer-led National Health Promotion Campaign It's Your Right, to increase awareness about hepatitis C treatments among people who inject drugs.
Posters from the Its Your Right campaign.
The National Reference Group for It’s Your Right includes representation from partnership organisations: Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL), Harm Reduction Victoria, Hepatitis NSW, NSW Users and AIDS Association (NUAA), Peer Based Harm Reduction WA, La Trobe University, Burnet Institute and members from the AIVL National Peer Network.
For more information:
We’ve funded and supported 21 implementation projects across all jurisdictions. These projects focused on reducing structural barriers to accessing hepatitis C testing and treatments and aimed to improve the delivery of health services and the streamlining of the hepatitis C care pathway. A number of these projects went on to secure additional funding respectively, resulting in a total of $21M in additional funding for EC Australia partners and ongoing hepatitis C projects, as a result of their initial work with EC Australia.
Four workshops have been delivered to members of the Eliminate hepatitis C Australia (ECA) partnership. The topics and length of these workshops were developed through consultation with project partners participating in ECA. Watch the recordings:
See also on this page:
This component created a partnership with Kirby Institute to prepare national annual reports with the latest hepatitis C data across Australia. The report is called ‘Australia’s progress towards hepatitis C elimination.’
This strategy cut across the other 4 key components of EC Australia. It supported a holistic, comprehensive and culturally safe approach to hepatitis C care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. This stream of work developed the first national hepatitis C campaign for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples called Every Yarn Counts.
These reports measure and monitor trends in new hepatitis C infections, counts of people tested and treated, people receiving hepatitis C‑related liver transplants, and people experiencing stigma and discrimination.
View all reports – Australia's progress towards hepatitis C elimination2022 updates and progress on EC Australia and its components.
2022 annual report [PDF 2.9 MB]2021 updates and progress on EC Australia and its components.
2021 annual report [PDF 977.2 kB]2020 updates and progress on EC Australia and its components.
2020 annual report [PDF 1.2 MB]2019 updates and progress on EC Australia and its components.
2019 annual report [PDF 711.2 kB]A 2020 report on a study exploring the potential of using jurisdictional hepatitis C notification data to improve treatment uptake in Australia.
Using hepatitis C notification data to increase access to hepatitis C treatment and cure in Australia: A formative study [PDF 1.3 MB]A 2020 discussion paper identifying issues of potential interest to funders beyond the medical research and health sector following phase 1 of the project.
Preparing for the future funding of Eliminate Hepatitis C Australia (Executive Summary) [PDF 4.8 MB]This document outlines procedures for producing outputs (research articles, commentary pieces, external-facing reports, conference proceedings) that use data collated under the direction of EC Australia.
Authorship guidelines [PDF 257.7 kB]This concept sheet is a document used to monitor the development of manuscripts and conference abstracts using ECA generated data/ideas.
Appendix 1: Manuscript concept sheet template [DOCX 56.7 kB]Working with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in Western Australia to build hepatitis C capacity.
Aboriginal Health Council Of WA Workforce Development Project [PDF 1.7 MB]Activating the healthcare workforce to support the elimination of hepatitis C.
ASHM Workforce Development And Clinical Audit Projects [PDF 662.1 kB]Increasing testing and treatment outreach in Cairns through incentives and support.
Cairns Hep C Free project [PDF 1.5 MB]Supporting diagnosing clinicians to provide care for Victorians living with hepatitis C through public health follow-up. CHECCS stands for Coordinated Hepatitis responses to Enhance the Cascade of Care by Optimising Existing Surveillance Systems.
Doherty Vic CHECCS [PDF 233.6 kB]Redefining hepatitis C treatment delivery to fit client needs.
Hep QLD Community Corrections Project [PDF 554.4 kB]A nurse practitioner-led hepatitis C outreach clinic.
Hepatitis ACT NP Led Hepatitis C Outreach Clinic [PDF 1.7 MB]Supporting primary care practices to improve health outcomes for people with hepatitis C in WA.
Hepatitis WA Regional Development Project [PDF 199.7 kB]A project in NSW with screening/testing tool development and more.
Liverpool Hosp NSW SEARCH 2 [PDF 694.1 kB]An incentivised hepatitis C test-and-treat model in NSW Needle and Syringe Programs (NSPs).
NSW Project SONIC [PDF 774.7 kB]Enabling access to hepatitis C treatment in a remote setting without visiting the hospital.
NT Nurse Peer Partnership Project [PDF 1.7 MB]The Hepatitis C Peer Harm Reduction Education (Hep C PHRE) project with Peer Based Harm Reduction WA (PBHRWA).
PBHRWA Hepatitis C PHRE Project [PDF 2.5 MB]Linking people between prison and community services for ongoing treatment and support.
Quihn Prison Transition Servcie [PDF 1.0 MB]Helping people in Queensland who inject drugs to navigate their hepatitis C testing and treatment journey.
Quinh Peer Project [PDF 189.1 kB]Supporting improved screening and treatment in a high incidence area of Adelaide, South Australia.
SA GP To GP Education Project [PDF 1.1 MB]The appendix booklet contains useful resources referred to in practice support toolkits.
Appendix booklet [PDF 1.9 MB]Resources for primary care providers in the Australian Capital Territory to promote hepatitis C testing and treatment.
2021 EC Partnership Toolkit Doc ACT Digital [PDF 4.2 MB]Resources for primary care providers in New South Wales to promote hepatitis C testing and treatment.
2021 EC Partnership Toolkit Doc NSW DIGITAL [PDF 4.2 MB]Resources for primary care providers in the Northern Territory to promote hepatitis C testing and treatment.
EC Toolkit NT 2020 [PDF 5.2 MB]Resources for primary care providers in Queensland to promote hepatitis C testing and treatment.
2021 EC Partnership Toolkit Doc QLD DIGITAL [PDF 4.1 MB]Resources for primary care providers in South Australia to promote hepatitis C testing and treatment.
2021 EC Partnership Toolkit Doc SA DIGITAL [PDF 5.5 MB]Resources for primary care providers in Tasmania to promote hepatitis C testing and treatment.
2021 TAS EC Partnership Toolkit [PDF 6.5 MB]Resources for primary care providers in Victoria to promote hepatitis C testing and treatment.
2021 VIC EC Partnership Toolkit Doc FINAL DIGITAL [PDF 5.4 MB]Resources for primary care providers in Western Australia to promote hepatitis C testing and treatment.
EC Toolkit WA 2020 [PDF 2.9 MB]Results of 'It's Your Right', the first Australia-wide hepatitis C health promotion campaign involving peer workers with living and lived experience of injecting drug use.<br/><br/>The poster includes information about the campaign, evaluation methods, campaign results and conclusions.
Poster Findings From The Evaluation Of A Peer Led National Hepatitis C Health Promotion Campaign [PDF 1.3 MB]This poster describes the process of developing It's Your Right, the first Australia-wide hepatitis C health promotion campaign involving peer workers with living and lived experience of injecting drug use.<br/><br/>The poster includes co-design methods and process, feedback on the process and recommendations for future co-design activities.
Poster - Co-designing It’s Your Right, a peer-led hepatitis C health promotion campaign for people who inject drugs [PDF 959.5 kB]The showcase was held between 9 and 10 November 2022.
Day 1 recordings on YouTube Day 2 recordings on YouTubeMelinda Hassall from ASHM discusses her organisation's success in moving face-to-face BBV and STI training online during COVID-19 restrictions.
ASHM and EC Australia videoEsha Leyden, peer harm reduction worker at Queensland Injectors Health Network (QuIHN) shares how she has consulted with hepatitis C patients over the phone during COVID-19 restrictions, and how she ensures they got onto treatment.
QuIHN and EC Australia videoRobert Johnston from the Tasmanian Council on AIDS, Hepatitis and Related Diseases (TasCAHRD) discusses how his organisation has pivoted to deliver hepatitis C education via Zoom, and the success of this initiative.
TasCAHRD and EC Australia videoMegan Hughes and Karen Moore from Sexual Health Service Tasmania (SHST) discuss the success of running hepatitis C testing days at a local needle and syringe program in the greater Hobart region, where many patients feared the stigma of visiting a general practitioner or don't tend to engage with GPs.
SHST and EC Australia videoView more videos and recordings on the EC Australia YouTube channel.
EC Australia on YouTubeFour workshops have been delivered to members of the Eliminate Hepatitis C (EC) Australia partnership. The topics and length of these workshops were developed through consultation with project partners participating in ECA.
Workshop 1: How to write a survey Workshop 2: Introduction to REDCap Workshop 3: How to visually present data Workshop 4: Hepatitis C surveillance 101