Now they might act.Up to 20,000 Australians were infected with hepatitis C or HIV during the 1970s to 1990s from contaminated plasma products and routine blood transfusions.Hundreds died, while others have lived for decades with serious medical consequences.Infected blood was a global scandal I'd tie it up and try and get rid of it," Niel tells Australian Story.A rising star in the Australian Federal Police, Niel was forced to take early retirement in his 30s.There was also a lot of stigma that came with hepatitis C, a virus traditionally associated with people who inject drugs and who share needles."It certainly alienated me from a lot of my colleagues and friends," he says.It also strained his personal relationships.After undergoing two rounds of treatment to clear the virus, which was as debilitating as the virus itself, Niel no longer has hepatitis C, but the damage to his liver had been done.Hepatitis C treatments today are far more effective, and side effects, if any, are considerably milder.But for many people, irrespective of treatments now available, the disease itself has caused ongoing health problems."We're often told this is an historical issue, but what [the government] fail to realise is that people are still suffering, people are still dying," Tristan says.Like Tristan and Tony, Lyn Hatch's son Martin, born with mild haemophilia, was infected with hepatitis C