Eliminate Hepatitis C Australia (EC Australia)
We're partnering to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health threat in Australia by 2030.
The Eliminate Hepatitis C Australia (EC Australia) partnership brings together people with living and lived experience, community organisations, health services, government, researchers and implementation scientists. EC Australia is led by Burnet Institute, a global leader in hepatitis C research and implementation science.
11
ongoing projects with our priority populations: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, people who inject drugs, and people at risk of liver cancer.
70+
partners with research institutes, universities, health providers and community groups.
$6m
of EC Australia funds distributed to partners to deliver projects since 2019.
What we do
From 2023 to 2027, EC Australia is funded through Burnet. We’re working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, people who inject drugs and people at risk of liver cancer. These groups face greater hepatitis C health risks and unequal access to care.
Learn more about ongoing partner projects:
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Women‐led peer health clinics for women who inject drugs (QuIHN)
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Testing and treatment for women who inject drugs accessing domestic violence services (Hepatitis SA)
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Peer-based referral program for Aboriginal people who inject drugs to get safe injecting equipment, testing and care (Peer Based Harm Reduction WA)
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'Community of practice' for liver health and people who inject drugs (QuIHN)
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Regional health 'community of practice' with health workers and people who inject drugs (INHSU)
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Work and Development Order framework to let young people pay off fines by attending treatment and care. (Burnet, EC Australia)
- Use qualitative research to explore the experiences of people who inject drugs who live with hepatitis C and liver cirrhosis (liver scarring). (Burnet, AIVL)
- Use that research to develop a community‐based model of public health surveillance to track and monitor HCC, a type of liver cancer.
- Analyse the cost‐effectiveness of our community-based model.
What we've done
From 2019 to 2022, our project was funded by the Paul Ramsay Foundation. We:
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set up a network of more than 75 partner organisations and provided funding to key elimination activities
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delivered the first peer‐led national health promotion campaign (It’s Your Right)
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received $1.25 million to deliver the first national hepatitis C campaign for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (Every Yarn Counts)
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funded and supported 21 implementation projects
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mapped policy priorities and coordinated a national advocacy committee
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secured an additional $21 million for partners and ongoing hepatitis C projects.
Tracking our progress
Since 2019, we’ve worked with Kirby Institute to measure and publish a report on progress to eliminating hepatitis C as a public health threat.
Student opportunities
Elimination of hepatitis C through rapid testing and treatment in pharmacies
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.
Open to
- Masters by research
- Honours
- PhD
Supervisors
Contact
Eliminating hepatitis C infection in Australia through harm reduction, education and treatment scale up
The project aims to explore:
- improved harm reduction strategies
- workforce development and health service delivery
- supports needed for prescribers to start treatment.
The outcomes will help facilitate treatment uptake and improve the quality of care.
Open to
- Masters by research
- Honours
- PhD
Supervisors
Contact
Toolkits and guidance
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For pharmacists
Our Hepatitis C Pharmacy Support Toolkit, endorsed by Hepatitis Australia. This toolkit contains resources for hepatitis C testing and treatment in pharmacies. It helps ensure people remain engaged in care to prevent further liver damage and reduce the likelihood of hepatitis C transmission to others.
Hepatitis C Pharmacy Support Toolkit -
For primary care providers
Downloadable resources for primary care providers in each state and territory to promote hepatitis C testing and treatment. The appendix booklet contains useful resources referred to in practice support toolkits.
Appendix booklet for practice support toolkits [PDF 1.9 MB] ACT practice support toolkit [PDF 4.2 MB] Northern Territory practice support toolkit [PDF 5.2 MB] NSW practice support toolkit [PDF 4.2 MB] Queensland practice support toolkit [PDF 4.1 MB] South Australia practice support toolkit [PDF 5.5 MB] Tasmania practice support toolkit [PDF 6.5 MB] Victoria practice support toolkit [PDF 5.4 MB] Western Australia practice support toolkit [PDF 2.9 MB] -
For researchers
The authorship guidelines outline procedures for producing outputs (research articles, commentary pieces, external reports, conference proceedings) that use data collated under the direction of EC Australia. The concept sheet is a document used to monitor the development of manuscripts and conference abstracts using EC Australia-generated data and ideas.
EC Australia authorship guidelines [PDF 257.7 kB] Appendix 1: Manuscript concept sheet template [DOCX 56.7 kB] Appendix 2: Membership list [PDF 296.6 kB]
Reports and recordings
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Australia's progress towards hepatitis C elimination report
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 elimination -
Findings from the evaluation of a peer-led national hepatitis C health promotion campaign
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. 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] -
Co-designing ‘It’s Your Right’, a peer-led hepatitis C health promotion campaign for people who inject drugs
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. 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]
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Preparing for the future funding of Eliminate Hepatitis C Australia (executive summary)
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] -
Using hepatitis C notification data to increase access to hepatitis C treatment and cure in Australia: A formative study
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] -
Event recordings
View videos and recordings on the EC Australia YouTube channel.
EC Australia on YouTube
Partners
Partners (A-M)
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service
- Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia
- Aboriginal Health Services TAS
- Aboriginal Victoria
- ACT Health
- Alfred Health
- Alfred Hospital
- Australasian Society for HIV Medicine
- Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations
- Australian Hepatology Association
- Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League
- Australian Medical Association
- Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association
- Barwon Health
- Cairns Sexual Health Service
- Canberra Alliance of Harm Minimisation and Advocacy
- Centre for Social Research in Health
- Country SA Primary Health Network
- Danila Dilba Health Service
- Department of Health NSW
- Department of Health NT
- Department of Health QLD
- Department of Health TAS
- Department of Health WA
- Department of Health and Human Services VIC
- Doherty Institute
- East Melbourne Primary Health Care Collaborative
- Gastroenterological Society of Australia
- Harm Reduction Victoria
- Health Central Adelaide
- Hepatitis ACT
- Hepatitis Australia
- Hepatitis NSW
- Hepatitis QLD
- Hepatitis SA
- Hepatitis WA
- Hunter New England Local Health District
- Institute for Urban Indigenous Health
- Kirby Institute
- Kirketon Road Centre
- La Trobe University
- Liverpool Hospital
- LiverWELL
- Menzies School of Health Research
- Monash University
Partners (N–Z)
- Northern Territory AIDS and Hepatitis Council
- NSW Users and AIDS Association
- Peer-Based Harm Reduction WA
- Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
- Princess Margaret Hospital
- Queensland Injectors for Advocacy and Action
- Royal Adelaide Hospital
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
- Royal Melbourne Hospital
- Royal Perth Hospital
- Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
- SA Health
- Sexual Health and Blood Borne Viruses Evaluation Network (SIREN)
- Social Policy Research Centre
- South Australia Health and Medical Research Institute
- St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
- TasCAHRD
- Tasmania Statewide Sexual Health Service
- Tasmanian Users Health and Support League
- Telethon Kids
- University of Melbourne
- University of NSW
- University of Queensland
- University of Sydney
- VHITTAL Committee of the North West Melbourne PHN
- Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
- WA Primary Health Alliance
- Western Australian Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies
- Youth Link
- You Yangs Medical Clinic
Funding partners
- Paul Ramsay Foundation (2018-2022)
- Commonwealth Department of Health (‘It’s Your Right’ and ‘Every Yarn Counts’ campaigns)(2021- 2022)
- Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care (It’s Your Right)( 2025-2026)
- Burnet Institute (2023-2027)
Project contacts
Main contacts
Associate Professor Alisa Pedrana
Eliminate Hepatitis C Australia Coordinator
Student supervisor contacts
Professor Joseph (Joe) Doyle
Deputy Program Director, Disease Elimination; Co-Head, Infectious Diseases Clinical Research; President, Hepatitis Australia; NHMRC Clinical Research Fellow
Project team
Associate Professor Alisa Pedrana
Senior Research Fellow; Deputy Discipline Head, Public Health; Eliminate Hepatitis C Australia Coordinator
Paul Armstrong
Co-lead Policy and Advocacy, Eliminate Hepatitis C Australia
Troy Combo
Program Manager, Aboriginal Health Plan, EC Australia
Emily Adamson
Program Manager, Health Promotion, EC Australia
Freya Saich
Lead Policy Officer, EC Australia
Dr Jacqui Richmond
Program Manager, Workforce Development and Health Service Delivery, EC Australia
Dr Anna Wilkinson
Senior Research Fellow
Associate Professor Nick Scott
Head, Modelling and Biostatistics
Associate Professor Jessica Howell
Co-head, Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer; Senior Research Fellow
Shannon Christensen
Research Assistant, Eliminate Hepatitis C Australia (EC Australia)
Dr Daisy Gibbs
Evaluation Officer
