Researchers are warning that Australia's mining boom is contributing to a significant increase in HIV infections among wealthy heterosexual miners and businessmen in resource-rich states who travel to Asia for holidays. According to a recent national HIV-AIDS report, rates of HIV infections in Australia have risen by nearly 50 percent over the past eight years. The report, released by the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, stated that in 2007 alone, Australia saw 27,331 cases of HIV infection and 10,230 cases of AIDS. While homosexual men continue to make up the majority of new infections, there is also a significant number of new infections among heterosexual men in states like Western Australia and Queensland, where mining is prevalent. Many miners work extended shifts away from home, followed by time off, and some are choosing to spend their downtime in Asia engaging in risky behavior. According to Don Baxter, executive director of the Australian Federation of AIDS, a notable number of new infections are occurring among wealthy heterosexual men from resource-rich states who are vacationing in Asia and engaging in unprotected sex. Baxter noted that men from Western Australia are likely visiting Southeast Asian countries, while those from Queensland are visiting Papua New Guinea, where there is a growing concern about an HIV-AIDS epidemic. Baxter also mentioned that there has been a significant increase in infections among heterosexual males in Western Australia, nearly equaling the number of infections among gay men in the same region in 2007. Baxter mentioned that the Western Australia state government and AIDS council were collaborating with mining companies to introduce safe sex education programs for miners. Health officials reported on Wednesday that a group of men in Cairns, Queensland had contracted HIV after having unprotected sex with women in Papua New Guinea, which is located north of Queensland. The Cairns Sexual Health Service confirmed that six businessmen between the ages of 47 and 66 had tested positive for HIV in the last 10 months. Dr. Darren Russell, the director of the Cairns Sexual Health Service, warned that this small cluster of cases could be just the beginning of a larger outbreak, indicating a more widespread HIV epidemic in Papua New Guinea which could put these men at greater risk. He expressed concern that the number of cases would continue to rise in this environment. Australia's AIDS federation has urged the government to boost funding for AIDS prevention programs in order to address the increasing rate of infections. The state of New South Wales, which has a large homosexual population in Sydney, has seen little change in infection rates over the past ten years due to consistent funding for safe sex programs. On the other hand, states like Victoria and Queensland, which have reduced funding, have experienced significant increases in infection rates. Baxter emphasized the importance of investing in these programs to at least stabilize the rate of HIV infections.