MEDIA RELEASE

The world’s biggest ever trivia event launches nationwide community grants programme.  

Australia’s Biggest Quiz is set to engage communities across every State and Territory, in a history-making-record-breaking event to help end hepatitis C… and it could be coming to a town near you!

11 AUGUST 2022

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There’s nothing better than leading on the world stage and a new campaign is giving Australia the chance to do exactly that… twice! 

Hepatitis C has a cure and the Ending Hepatitis C campaign is raising awareness with a view to Australia becoming the first country in the world to eliminate the virus. 

This historic public health goal is being amplified through Australia's Biggest Quiz, a world-record breaking trivia event, designed to bring communities together, disseminate positive information, reduce stigma and get people talking about hepatitis C and its CURE.

Australia's Biggest Quiz will take place on Wednesday, 26 October 2022 nationwide, with 16 live events plus a virtual event online, all free to attend and open to everyone. There’ll be fun, there’ll be facts and there’ll be an attempt to break some world records (oh, and prizes). 

The landmark event forms part of the Ending Hepatitis C campaign being delivered by Hepatitis Australia and funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care as part of a wider programme of initiatives in Australia’s strategy to end viral hepatitis. 

As the adage goes ‘many hands make light work’. Organising a world record breaking event and eliminating hepatitis C will take the engagement and activation of communities across the nation. And now Hepatitis Australia has put the call out for community groups and organisations to champion the event and spread the message that there is a CURE for hepatitis C, it’s available on the PBS, non-invasive, inexpensive and can save lives.

The Australia’s Biggest Quiz community partnership program is awarding $1000 grants to local community groups, in exchange for them raising awareness about hepatitis C elimination, as well as promoting and participating in the trivia events. Active clubs, groups, associations and organisations based in any of the 16 live event locations that share the campaign ethos of connection and community are encouraged to apply today. 

Australia’s Biggest Quiz live events will take place in:

• Ballarat, VIC
• Blacktown, NSW
• Bundaberg, QLD
• Burnie, TAS
• Dubbo, NSW
• Gosford, NSW
• Goulburn, NSW
• Katherine, NT
• Melton, VIC
• Mandurah, WA
• Mundaring, WA
• Salisbury, SA
• Shepparton, VIC
• Townsville, QLD
• Tuggeranong, ACT
• Toowoomba, QLD

Community Partner Grant Applications close at midnight on Sunday, 21 August 2022.

Carrie Fowlie, CEO of Hepatitis Australia said: 

“It’s not every day that the world has the chance to eliminate a serious disease like hepatitis C, and whilst Australia’s Biggest Quiz promises to be a lot of fun it is also history in the making. 

The communities in the 16 live event locations will be an undeniable force in amplifying the campaign message “There is a CURE” and reaching those who haven’t been through other initiatives.… And what better way to have community groups get involved in our mission than by helping them with theirs. 

We hope that the grant money on offer has a ripple impact in these communities felt long after the event”

Find out more about the community partnership grant program and submit your application at https://www.australiasbiggestquiz.org/community-partners  or follow the record breaking attempt on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  

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 Notes for editors 

• Hepatitis C can be cured
• Around 115,000 people in Australia are currently living with the blood-borne virus hepatitis C
• The only way to know if you have hepatitis C is to have a blood test. Hepatitis C is not generally tested for on routine blood tests and individuals who think they may be at risk of having hepatitis C can ask their GP to test for it.
• The World Health Assembly member states have set a target to eliminate hepatitis C this decade (by 2030) and Australia could become the first country in the world to achieve the goal  
• Currently, thousands of people don’t know they have hepatitis C
• 50% of people living with hepatitis C have been cured in the last 5 years
• Australia’s Biggest Quiz is the public activation of the Ending Hepatitis C Campaign and is being delivered by Hepatitis Australia
• Hepatitis Australia is the national peak community organisation progressing national action on issues of importance to people affected by viral hepatitis 

• The Ending Hepatitis C campaign is part of a suite of initiatives being funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care aimed at finding and curing 50,000 Australians living with hepatitis C by 2023
• Liver cancer, which can result from hepatitis C, is the fastest growing cause of cancer death in Australia
• The National Hepatitis Infoline 1800 437 222 (1800 HEP ABC) provides free and confidential information about viral hepatitis and is delivered by Hepatitis Australia’s members in all states and territories.
• For more information about hepatitis C visit: www.hepatitisaustralia.com/hepatitisC

For all enquiries please contact:

Jessica Abbey
Campaign Manager
Hepatitis Australia
E: [email protected]
P: +61 419 471 852