On Sunday, Queensland officials announced a decision to cut $2.5 million (US $2.47 million) in funding to Healthy Communities, saying the LGBT service's HIV prevention initiatives are not effective. New infections in the state have risen by 50 percent in the last year. Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said an advisory committee will be established to help guide outreach efforts.

Dr. Richard Kidd, president of the Australian Medical Association Queensland, could not say whether pulling funds from Healthy Communities was the correct decision, but the doubling of new diagnoses requires a rethinking of prevention approaches in the state. "If we just keep doing what we've always done we're just going to get the same result, and at the moment that result is that it's increased by 50 percent," he noted.

"What I'm pushing for is more funding quite urgently to go into looking quite quickly but comprehensively at why we're seeing this increase," Kidd said.

Healthy Communities Executive Director Paul Martin questioned Springborg's move, saying he did not consult Queensland Health in cutting support to the service. A ministerial spokesperson rejected that claim. "It [the funding cut] has been done with the full consultation under the department's guidance," said the spokesperson.

A rally to protest the cut is planned for May 30 in Brisbane.

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