“Gloves were off”: Australian nurses, HIV and AIDS, 1983–1996

This thesis draws on oral testimony and archival research to examine the response of nurses to HIV and AIDS in Australia, from the first recorded AIDS-related death in 1983 to the introduction of effective treatment—Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART)—in 1996. As they have around the world, nurses played a significant role in responding to Australia’s HIV and AIDS crisis. The thirty nurses whose interviews helped to shape this thesis are from diverse geographic and clinical settings; they represent each state and territory in Australia, rural and urban areas, wards, clinics and community nursing. Together, their stories paint a vivid and nuanced picture of HIV and AIDS nursing, and shed light on underexamined aspects of Australia’s AIDS crisis.