The National Hepatitis B Strategy 2023-2030 and the National Hepatitis C Strategy 2023-2030 (the Strategies) were released for public consultation by the Department of Health and Aged Care throughout June 2023.

Hepatitis Australia thanks Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Ged Kearney MP, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care for their leadership and commitment to these critical national strategies.

These Strategies set the national policy framework to achieve the 2030 viral hepatitis elimination goals.

We are pleased to see the extensive input from the 2022 targeted stakeholder consultation process is reflected in these documents.

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Where to access the consultation documents

A link to the Consultation Hub is available here: Development of the Fourth National Hepatitis B Strategy 2023-2030 and Sixth National Hepatitis C Strategy 2023-2030 - Public Consultation Online Survey - Australian Government Department of Health - Citizen Space

A link to the draft strategies, referred to within the webpage above, can be found here:

National strategies for bloodborne viruses and sexually transmissible infections | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care

Or access them directly here:

• Fourth National Hepatitis B Strategy 2023-2030
• Sixth National Hepatitis C Strategy 2023-2030

The public consultation closed on 28 June 2023.

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Process to develop the Strategies

Both Strategies were drafted in partnership with key stakeholders, following targeted consultations with jurisdictions, sector peak bodies, national community organisations including Hepatitis Australia and national research centres of excellence.

The Department has also consulted with the Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmissible Infections Standing Committee (BBVSS) (a subcommittee of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee), which includes state and territory governments and national peak body representation.

The Department sincerely thanks Hepatitis Australia and key partners for the feedback to develop these documents, and for continuing to drive this important work. This next round of feedback will help inform the development of the Strategies which are expected to be finalised in 2023.

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The revised targets were co-designed

The Strategies include consensus-based targets which were developed and agreed through an extensive process of future-focused, evidence-based workshops and related activities, undertaken in collaboration with experts with relevant lived experience and/or representing key partners in the national response. The process was community driven and embodied the National Strategies’ Guiding Principles, notably partnership and the meaningful involvement of priority populations in all aspects of the response. Hepatitis Australia coordinated this work in partnership with the Department of Health and Aged Care, and we are very pleased to see it reflected in the public consultation release.

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Agreement to use fixed point in time data for the National Hepatitis B Strategy 2023-2030 and the National Hepatitis C Strategy 2023-2030

The Department worked closely with key stakeholders including Hepatitis Australia to reach agreement on the use of fixed-point data in the new Strategies.

The Fourth National Hepatitis B Strategy 2023-2030 and the Sixth National Hepatitis C Strategy 2023-2030 will use 2020 data (including population/prevalence estimate) as published in Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project: National Report 2020 (published in 2021). While surveillance and monitoring data is expected to change over time, settled estimates at a fixed point in time are essential to enable the strategies to be consulted on, finalised and publicly released without undue delay.

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When will the Strategies be finalised?

This consultation will help inform the development of the Strategies which are expected to be finalised in 2023.

Next steps

Hepatitis Australia will convene its members to discuss the Strategies, this will be complemented by engagement with key national partners.

We encourage you to review the Strategies and determine whether you wish to make a submission to the Department.

If you would like to talk to Hepatitis Australia about the Strategies and this process please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. You can email us at [email protected]

If you have any questions about the consultation process or the Strategies themselves, please contact the Department directly at [email protected]