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 He calls on the community to drop outdated language, embrace people-first communication, and recognise that living with HIV today means living a full, healthy life.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. 

The NSW Government has delivered its response to the 2024 Drug Summit Report, and there's both progress to acknowledge and work still to be done.  

The government supported or supported "in principle" over 50 of the 56 recommendations – a significant commitment that reflects months of consultation with over 700 Summit participants and 3,669 written submissions.  

While many in our community and the sector had hoped for bolder reform, there are genuine wins here that will make a difference to people's lives. 

Whether you're new to injecting or have been doing it for years there are always risks to be mindful of. The good news is that there are practical ways to look after your veins and keep them healthier for longer. Tony, a blood borne virus (BBV) outreach worker at NUAA, sat down with Users News to share his knowledge about all things vein care.

Over the years, the humble fish-shaped soy sauce bottle has become synonymous with the use of GHB, and became an unlikely harm reduction hero. What are the implications for our community when governments ban single-use plastics such as these? 

I went from the kid who could do no wrong to the black sheep of the family. At 17, I was crying in bed, deep in cannabis withdrawal. To my parents, I’d become a stranger, someone they thought might steal their wedding rings for a gram of bud.

This Sunday August 31st marks International Overdose Awareness Day. The theme for 2025 is "one big family, driven by hope", a sentiment thar resonates deeply with our community here at NUAA. On this day we reflect on our shared hope, honour the loved ones we’ve lost to overdose, and come together as a community to further our overdose prevention efforts.