The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.
We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.
Surge in enrolments for First Nations health practitioner courses
Enrolments in health-related courses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have surged from 931 students to 4,227 over the past 20 years.
In a milestone achievement, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) recently reported a record 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners now registered to practice across Australia.
Dr. Karen Nicholls described the crucial role these practitioners play in fostering culturally safe healthcare environments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. She emphasised the importance of collaboration between these practitioners and other healthcare providers including doctors.
Iris Raye, Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board, commended the significant contribution of these practitioners in addressing and reducing healthcare disparities.
To learn more about NACCHO First Nations Health Worker Traineeship Program, go here.
Enrolments in health-related courses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has increased from 931 students to 4227 over the past 20 years. Image source: RACGP.org.au
Growing concerns about NT plans to lower age of criminal responsibility
A growing number of organisations, including the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Australian Medical Association NT, SNAICC, NAATSIHWP, Amnesty International, ANTAR, health professionals and human rights advocates, are raising serious concerns about the Northern Territory Government’s plan to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10.
This proposal is expected to disproportionately harm Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and has been criticised as both racist and ineffective. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS) warns that it will worsen cycles of trauma, violence, and neglect, rather than addressing the root causes of crime.
The Australian Indigenous Doctors Association also opposes the plan, calling for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised to 14, in line with global recommendations.
NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro remains committed to policies that experts say will disproportionately harm Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Image source: croakey.org.au
Advances in aged care system reform following national consultation
Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner, Andrea Kelly, has completed a national consultation process (February–June 2024) to gather feedback from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders, families, and communities about their experiences with the aged care system. Commissioner Kelly held over 135 in-person consultations across Australia and received 36 written submissions.
Key themes from the consultations include significant barriers to accessing aged care services, the inadequacy of current policies in addressing cultural needs, and the negative impact of colonial trauma. There is widespread support for the establishment of a permanent First Nations Aged Care Commissioner to ensure culturally safe and responsive care, as well as system improvements for equitable access.
Commissioner Kelly’s findings will inform a report to the Government by the end of 2024, with recommendations based on community feedback. She continues her engagement with communities and sector leaders to advocate for policies that improve aged care outcomes for First Nations elders.
Key activities during the consultation period included presenting at several conferences, roundtables, and holding workshops with First Nations peak organisations to discuss the role of a permanent commissioner. The report will be shared with the community later this year.
VACCHO to play key role in new Victorian Cancer Plan 2024-2028
The Victorian Government has launched the Victorian Cancer Plan 2024-2028, aiming to improve cancer survival rates and ensure better outcomes for all Victorians. The plan focuses on increasing access to cancer care, treatment, and support, with special attention to addressing health disparities.
A key component of the plan is its partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO). VACCHO will help deliver culturally appropriate services, including the Victorian Aboriginal Cancer Journey Strategy, the Beautiful Shawl project, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cancer Patient Journal. These initiatives aim to strengthen care for Aboriginal Victorians and boost the Aboriginal health workforce.
The plan sets ambitious goals, including increasing cancer survival rates, reducing preventable cancers, and enhancing clinical trial participation, especially in rural areas. It also focuses on improving screening rates and health literacy across communities.
Since 2014, the government has invested over $400 million in cancer treatment and prevention, including initiatives to enhance cancer care access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through partnerships with VACCHO.
Dementia Australia grants program to help First Nations organisations care for the community
Dementia Australia has launched a new grant program to help raise awareness about dementia in Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Organisations and groups from these communities can apply for grants of up to $30,000.
The program aims to address the higher prevalence of dementia in these communities and promote culturally appropriate care. Successful applicants will also receive complimentary professional dementia information sessions.
Grant applications are open until 11 October at 5 pm AEST.
First Nations Leadership Summit in the NT celebrates excellence of current and future leaders
The NT’s First Nations Leadership Summit, hosted by The Hatchery in partnership with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance (NATSIWA), celebrates the excellence of current and future First Nations leaders.
The speakers, including Wendy Anders, aim to inspire new and emerging young leaders to take up leadership roles in their communities. The summit features a lineup of senior First Nations leaders and seeks to empower the next generation of Indigenous leaders.
The Northern Territory First Nations Leadership Summit event will occur from November 13-14 in Larrakia Country in Darwin. Image source: nit.com.au
Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.
Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click hereto go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.
Sexual Health Week South Australia
Sexual Health Week invites all South Australians to have conversations around improving our sexual health and relationship wellbeing.
Sexual Health Week hopes to invite destigmatising conversations about sexual health in a fun and positive way.
Our theme this year is ‘Pleasure Positive’ and focuses on the important role of pleasure in our sexual health and wellbeing.
The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.
We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.
Boost for community-led program for First Nations children in SA
Kura Yerlo has received a $1.8 million expansion to launch the community-led Connected Beginnings program for First Nations children in Port Adelaide. The program focuses on providing early childhood education, health, and family support services to First Nations children aged zero to five. It aims to help children meet the developmental milestones necessary for a positive transition to school and will support around 350 local First Nations children.
Federal Minister for Early Childhood Education Dr. Anne Aly announced the program’s funding. The initiative is part of the government’s commitment to Closing the Gap and empowering communities to design and deliver programs tailored to their needs.
The expansion will include 50 new sites across the country, potentially supporting up to 20% of all First Nations children aged zero to five. Other Connected Beginnings sites in South Australia include Ceduna, Port Augusta, and Salisbury/Playford.
Connected Beginnings programs will be delivered through partnerships formed with SNAICC, the National Voice for Our Children, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, and the Government.
New initiative empowering First Nations pharmacists
Two future pharmacists have been awarded the 2024 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pharmacy Leadership Grant, providing students the opportunity to develop invaluable leadership skills through an international and cross-cultural experience.
The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) announced the recipients of the initiative, supported by Pfizer Australia, last week, with Barkindji woman Cheyne Sullivan and Wiradjuri woman Jes Pearson being given the opportunity to expand their already well-established knowledge.
Cheyne Sullivan and Jes Pearson have been awarded the grant to expand their knowledge and leadership skills. This initiative aims to amplify the voices of future First Nations pharmacists and improve the cultural safety and accessibility of pharmacy services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
“We are thrilled to see the calibre of upcoming Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pharmacy sector leaders. We congratulate the two winners and all applicants for their initiative and commitment,” NACCHO chief executive Dr Dawn Casey said.
2024 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pharmacy Leadership Grant recipients Cheyne Sullivan (left) and Jes Pearson. (Images: supplied/NACCHO)
How to temper extreme turnover in remote First Nations healthcare
The instability of healthcare workforces in remote areas, particularly in Aboriginal communities, has led to high staff turnover rates, negatively impacting patient care. Training local Aboriginal practitioners has been identified as a key solution to this issue.
A recent study by the Menzies School of Health Research found an average annual staff turnover rate of 151% in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
This high turnover disrupts the continuity of patient-provider relationships and is costly for the clinics. Plans are underway to support First Nations students in the program and provide them with financial and social assistance.
The Heart Outreach Program for Health Equity (HOPE) has opened two new cardiology clinics in Moreton Bay to provide specialist services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The clinics at Margate and Caboolture offer culturally safe and familiar environments for patients, aiming to address the reluctance and anxiety some patients feel when accessing health care. The clinics are a partnership between Metro Health North and the Moreton Aboriginal Torres Strait Island Community Heath Service (MATSICHS). Patients referred to the service are seen by a cardiac team including a cardiologist, sonographer, and a cardiac scientist, and telehealth access is available if required.
Specialist heart care close to home. Image supplied.
Scholarships pay homage to pioneering Aboriginal educator
A group of general practice registrars were honoured at the GPRA NT Annual Registrars Forum for their commitment to improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and rural and remote health.
The scholarship, named after cultural and education advisor Ada Parry, supports registrars interested in working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health settings.
The annual scholarship in Ada Parry’s name will continue to support general practice registrars who are committed to improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and advancing cultural understanding between patients and GPs.
(L–R) GPRA Board Director and GP Dr Siobhan Hensey, Dr Asim Razi, Dr Sophie Yeates, Dr Ella Heggen, Dr Shauna Hill, Ada Parry, Dr Leah Ginnivan, Dr Anna Walmsley. (Image: GPRA)
Every day is World Suicide Prevention Day
Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia emphasises that every day is World Suicide Prevention Day as it strives for zero suicides among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Established in 2020 as the national peak body for Indigenous social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention, Gayaa Dhuwi collaborates with the government to improve outcomes for these communities.
Despite some progress, including partnerships on key policies like the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy (NATSISPS), Gayaa Dhuwi warns that slow bureaucratic processes hinder broader systemic changes. Professor Milroy AM, Chair of the Board, and CEO Rachel Fishlock stress the urgency of immediate action to prevent further increases in suicide rates.
Gayaa Dhuwi’s Declaration Implementation Plan promotes a balance of clinical and culturally informed approaches to mental health, while the refreshed NATSISPS aims to foster genuine partnerships with Indigenous communities to drive culturally safe and responsive suicide prevention solutions.
The release also reminds media to follow the Good Yarn Guidelines when reporting on Indigenous matters and to provide crisis helpline details.
Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.
Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click hereto go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.
World Suicide Prevention Day – 10 September 2024
Suicide is a major public health challenge, with more than 700 000 deaths each year globally. Each suicide has far-reaching social, emotional, and economic consequences, and deeply affects individuals and communities worldwide.
The triennial theme for World Suicide Prevention Day for 2024-2026 is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide” with the call to action “Start the Conversation”. This theme aims to raise awareness about the importance of reducing stigma and encouraging open conversations to prevent suicides. Changing the narrative on suicide is about transforming how we perceive this complex issue and shifting from a culture of silence and stigma to one of openness, understanding, and support.
The call to action encourages everyone to start the conversation on suicide and suicide prevention. Every conversation, no matter how small, contributes to a supportive and understanding society. By initiating these vital conversations, we can break down barriers, raise awareness, and create better cultures of support.
This theme also emphasises the need to prioritise suicide prevention and mental health in policy making, calling for government action. Changing the narrative requires advocating for policies that prioritise mental health, increase access to care, and provide support for those in need.
World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) was established in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention in conjunction with the World Health Organisation (WHO). The 10 September each year aims to focus attention on the issue, reduces stigma and raises awareness among organisations, governments, and the public, giving a singular message that suicides are preventable.
The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.
We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.
Aboriginal leadership on FASD Awareness Day
Today is international FASD Awareness Day – a day to increase awareness, reduce stigma and celebrate the leadership of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) in FASD support and prevention.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, or FASD, describes the range of developmental disabilities in children due to alcohol exposure during pregnancy. To represent nine months of pregnancy, September is FASD awareness month. It’s a time to build understanding about FASD and open discussions about the importance of creating supportive communities for alcohol-free pregnancies.
For decades, the Aboriginal community has demonstrated leadership in responding to FASD. This leadership continues in ‘Strong Born’ – a culturally informed and strengths-based campaign on FASD for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Strong Born is the first of its kind national health promotion campaign and includes resources (posters, booklets and media content) co-created with ACCHOs and the broader community. Importantly, the material is designed to be adapted for different local contexts. ACCHOs have shown incredible innovation in the ways they have localised Strong Born to work best for their community.
Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (NT) produced a series of educational videos featuring local community members busting myths about FASD for mums and dads to-be. You can find these videos on their facebook page in Arrente, Pitjantjatjara and English.
Dhauwurd-Wurrung Health Service (VIC) adapted the Strong Born resources to create a beautifully photographed, local woman and child on a highway billboard. An average of 1,900 people in Portland, Victoria see this billboard every day.
Port Lincoln Aboriginal Health Service Inc (SA) partnered with their local football club to run community events and promote FASD awareness.
Kimberley Aboriginal Health Services, Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service and Yura Yungi Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation collaborated across WA to deliver Strong Born resources and education to their satellite clinics in remote areas.
So, what can you do for FASD Awareness Day?
Visit the NACCHO website to read FASD FAQs or watch the Strong Born videos. Find out more about FASD and how to support alcohol free pregnancies.
Download free Strong Born resources from the NACCHO website. Click here to find posters, booklets and social media tiles for your service.
Run a local FASD awareness campaign using the Strong Born resources – take photos and tag NACCHO on social media.
Share NACCHO’s posts and fellow member services’ great work on social media.
The NACCHO team proudly showcasing their red shoes for FASD Awareness Day last year.
Ensuring First Nations children in South Australia are school ready
The Albanese Government is expanding the Connected Beginnings program to support more First Nations children. The Government partners with SNAICC National Voice for our Children and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation to deliver the Connected Beginnings program. This program connects children aged zero to five with early childhood education, health, and family support services.
A $1.8 million funding has been announced for Kura Yerlo Incorporated to deliver the program in Port Adelaide, supporting around 350 local First Nations children. This initiative aims to improve preschool enrolments and developmental outcomes and is part of an $81.8 million investment to expand the program to 50 sites across Australia.
Ignite your rebellious curiosity at the largest rural health event in Australia!
The 17th National Rural Health Conference, hosted by the National Rural Health Alliance, will occur from September 16 to 17, 2024, in Perth. Keynote speakers include Yemi Penn and Professor Jenny May.
The event will feature over 200 speakers, nearly 1,000 attendees, and a range of concurrent sessions. The National Rural Health Alliance (the Alliance) comprises 53 national organisations committed to improving the health and well-being of the over 7 million people in rural and remote Australia.
Its diverse membership includes representation from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, health professional organisations, health service providers, health educators and students.
17th National Rural Health Conference promo banner
The Australian Government’s first response to the Disability Royal Commission
The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability has delivered its final report to the Australian Government. The report outlined significant gaps in healthcare outcomes for people with disabilities and made numerous recommendations for improvement.
The report also highlighted that First Nations people with disability experience significant additional challenges in managing their health and accessing health services because of distance, lack of cultural understanding and discrimination.
You can read the Australian Government’s response here.
The recommendations included implementing the National Roadmap for Improving the Health of People with Intellectual Disability (Halfpoint/Shutterstock).
Kowanyama Primary Healthcare Centre’s renal dialysis unit completed
A remote Far North community, Kowanyama, now has a new $4.75m renal dialysis unit, providing critical health services previously requiring patients to travel hundreds of kilometres.
The unit at the Kowanyama Primary Healthcare Centre will initially serve three patients with plans to expand to 16. Services will be delivered by renal nurses initially, with future plans to implement culturally appropriate care delivered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners.
This is a welcome boost in health services for the community following calls for improved health services, as the area has some of the lowest life expectancy rates in the country.
Kowanyama is 600km north-west of Cairns. Picture: Supplied.
New VAHS health clinic in Melbourne’s north set to provide holistic and culturally-safe care
A new Indigenous healthcare clinic has opened in South Morang, Melbourne, providing culturally safe medical care for the Indigenous population. The Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) received a $2 million grant to move to a larger facility, along with an additional $600,000 for mobile outreach services.
The clinic is expected to serve over 3,500 people, with a focus on young families. The government aims to support culturally sensitive healthcare for the growing Indigenous community.
VAHS chief executive Michael Graham (second from left), Assistant Minister for Indigenous health, Ged Kearney, and Skills Minister and local MP, Andrew Giles at Friday’s opening. (Image: Dechlan Brennan)
Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.
Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click hereto go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.
FASD Awareness Day
The 9th of September is International FASD Awareness Day, the ninth of the ninth highlighting the importance of staying alcohol free throughout the nine months of pregnancy. This awareness campaign gives voice and support to those affected by prenatal alcohol exposure and encourages the sharing of prevention messages.
NOFASD Australia has created a range of resources which are available to any organisation or individual who would like to host an event during FASD Awareness Month this September. For more information, visit their website here.
The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.
We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.
FASD Strong Born Grants are Back!
Applications Open: 26 June 2024 Applications Due: 19 July 2024, 23:00 AEST / 11pm Canberra time
NACCHO invites applications for the third round of the FASD Strong Born Campaign grants. ACCHOs can apply for funding to raise awareness, enhance resources, and strengthen workforce capability around fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
Funding and Activities: ACCHOs can apply for grants of up to $60,000 (GST excl.), depending on annual client numbers. Example activities include:
Creating locally relevant communications materials and resources by using existing ‘Strong Born’ campaign materials. This covers translation services, design, printing, and publishing costs.
Hosting FASD community events and yarning circles.
Conducting FASD information and awareness sessions for staff and community members.
Refer to the funding guidelines for more information on eligible activities.
Eligibility: All ACCHOs are strongly encouraged to apply, regardless of whether they currently deliver FASD-specific programs or received funding under Grant Rounds 1 or 2 in 2023.
Timeline:
Applications Open: 26 June 2024
Applications Due: 19 July 2024, 23:00 AEST / 11pm Canberra time
Applicants Notified: August 2024
Implementation Period: September 2024 to May 2025
How to Apply: To apply, please complete the short application form, below. Key documents to assist with the application process include:
Questions: Please reach out to the NACCHO FASD Grants team at fasdprograms@naccho.org.au with any questions – we are here to help!
Victorian Rural Health Awards: Recognising Excellence in Rural Health
The Victorian Rural Health Awards, hosted annually by RWAV since 2005, hour the outstanding contributions of rural health professionals across Victoria. These awards celebrate the exceptional work of medical professionals, nurses, allied health professionals, Aboriginal health workers, and practice managers in rural communities.
In a significant win for our community, Ms. Shannon Balfour, from Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative in Mooroopna won this year’s Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Award.
This award highlights significant contributions in providing care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients and communities.
Shannon Balfour, is a proud First Nations woman and manages the Woongi Unit at Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative in Shepparton-Mooroopna. She oversees a range of mental health and social and emotional well-being programs, including Alcohol and Other Drug support, counselling, post-discharge care, family violence support, and other healing initiatives. Shannon has enhanced group yarning sessions, clinical care, language lessons, and holistic well-being approaches.
She has forged partnerships with mainstream services, secured a psychiatrist, linked Woongi to First Nations discharge plans, and collaborated with the University of Melbourne and local TAFE for student placements. Shannon’s efforts have significantly increased service use by the local First Nations community. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Management for the Bridge Youth Services in Shepparton and actively engages with the local community.
Shannon Balfour, Manager at Woongi Unit, Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative
Transforming Australia’s Mental Health System Through the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration
Webinar Highlights Mental Health Impacts of Voice to Parliament Referendum A recent webinar hosted by Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia on 21 June examined the impacts of the Voice to Parliament referendum on the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Participants discussed findings from focus groups that revealed the racism and stress experienced by these communities during the referendum, underscoring the importance of initiatives like the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration to promote social and emotional wellbeing.
Rachel Fishlock on the Declaration Rachel Fishlock, CEO of Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia, describes the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration as a call to action for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership in the Australian mental health system. The Declaration aims to achieve the highest standards of social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Social and emotional wellbeing, a multidimensional concept defined by connections to body, mind, family, community, culture, Country, spirit, and ancestors, is integral to maintaining good mental health. It is shaped by experiences of colonisation, intergenerational trauma, racism, and structural discrimination.
Systemic Changes for Mental Health The Declaration, built on principles from the 1989 National Aboriginal Health Strategy and the 1995 Ways Forward Report, calls for recognising First Nations concepts of wellbeing across Australia’s mental health system. It promotes a balance of clinical and culturally informed responses and stresses the importance of First Nations leadership and values in mental health services.
To translate the Declaration’s goals into action, a Framework and Implementation Plan have been developed. These outline strategies and priorities for the next decade, focusing on cultural strength, best practices, evidence, First Nations presence, and leadership.
Urgent Need for Action Highlighting the urgency of this work, Fishlock points to alarming statistics: in 2022, the suicide rate for First Nations men was 2.6 times higher than for non-Indigenous men, and 2.5 times higher for First Nations women. Reducing suicide rates and ensuring high levels of social and emotional wellbeing are critical concerns.
Implementing the Declaration represents an important step for mental health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country. As the recent Productivity Commission’s Review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap noted, systemic changes are necessary. The full implementation of the Declaration could lead to substantial improvements in mental health and wellbeing.
For more information on the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration, visit Gayaa Dhuwi.
Photo credit: iStock / melitas
Celebrating the Next Generation at the National NAIDOC Awards
The National NAIDOC Youth Award nominations are shining a light on the incredible achievements of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals who are making a significant impact in their communities.
Dante Rodrigues: Tiwi Islander Fighter Dante Rodrigues, a Tiwi Islander, is a professional fighter who represented his community and Australia at the World Kickboxing Championships in Portugal. Overcoming a difficult upbringing with domestic violence, substance abuse, and crime, Dante turned to sports to improve his mental and emotional well-being. Diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, depression, and anxiety at 18, he co-founded the One Percent Program with his cousin Jahdai Vigona. This program helps men in the Northern Territory become their best selves.
Piper Stewart: Swimming Advocate Piper Stewart, a proud Gulidjan woman, faced her fear of swimming at a young age and founded Bambigi at just twelve years old. Bambigi funds six months of swimming lessons for Aboriginal kids in the Griffith region, addressing financial and transport barriers. Piper’s efforts have increased Indigenous participation at local pools, improving water safety and confidence.
Ieyesha Roberts: Kidney Health Advocate Ieyesha Roberts, a 24-year-old Dunghutti woman from Kempsey, was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure at twelve. Now a research assistant at the University of Sydney, Ieyesha advocates for Indigenous health, particularly kidney health. Her work on the CARI clinical guidelines ensures culturally safe treatment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. Despite her own health challenges, Ieyesha’s dedication has significantly impacted the lives of others.
These young leaders exemplify resilience, innovation, and a commitment to their communities, proving that the future of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is bright.
This year’s NAIDOC Week theme is: Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud.
NACCHO invites Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners to nominate themselves and/or others to be part of NACCHO’s, Keep the Fire Burning NAIDOC series where we will acknowledge and celebrate the critical contribution they make in ‘keeping the fires burning’ in our sector and our communities.
We just need:
A photo of your beautiful face!
A couple of sentences answering the question:
What does this year’s theme mean for you? What ‘ignites the fire in you, to do your job?
New Resources to Enhance Cultural Safety in Psychology Supervision
The Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project (AIPEP) at The University of Western Australia has launched an innovative set of free resources aimed at increasing cultural safety in psychology supervision. The “Listening More: Embedding Cultural Safety in Supervision” initiative, led by Noongar woman and clinical psychologist Belle Selkirk and her colleague Dr. Joanna Alexi, offers tools to help psychology supervisors work more effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Under the guidance of Bardi woman and psychologist Professor Pat Dudgeon AM, the initiative is part of the Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing research project. The resources include a guide, a manual, and a reflective journal designed to address the critical need for culturally safe supervision practices in psychology.
“It is every psychologist’s responsibility to be able to work in culturally safe ways with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and this includes culturally safe psychological supervision,” said Ms. Selkirk.
These resources come at a crucial time, coinciding with proposed changes in the Psychology Board of Australia’s competencies for general registration, and aim to support the 46,000 registered psychologists in Australia.
The Listening More working group, which includes representatives from AIPEP and the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association, has produced these resources with support from the Australian Psychological Society, Australian Psychology Accreditation Council, and Heads of Departments and Schools of Psychology Association.
First Nations Women Demand Action for Female Prisoners
A powerful roundtable at Parliament House in Canberra has brought to light the urgent issues faced by First Nations female prisoners, calling for immediate government action. The event, part of the Truth Telling Yarns: Women in Prison series, was organised by Sisters Inside, an independent community organization. Former inmates and community groups shared their harrowing stories during the discussion.
Debbie Kilroy, CEO of Sisters Inside, stressed the need for First Nations communities to support their own people. “Communities need to be re-imagined by themselves to build modes of safety and security without any castle (law enforcement) tentacles,” Kilroy said. She highlighted the historical and ongoing harm faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women since colonization.
Statistics reveal a grim reality: First Nations women and girls are the most imprisoned female group globally, accounting for two in five incarcerated women in Australia, with over 80 percent being mothers. Kilroy described this as a “crisis,” comparing it to the Stolen Generations, with many jailed mothers denied custody of their children.
Senator Lidia Thorpe, a Gunnai, Gunditjmara, and Djab Wurring woman, spoke at the roundtable, arguing that incarceration and police intervention are not the solutions. “Communities can self-determine their own destiny, their own solutions,” said Senator Thorpe, who co-chaired the discussion with Senator Fatima Payman and MP Bridget Archer.
The need for community-based intervention programs was underscored by a report from the Justice Reform Initiative. The “Jailing is Failing” report highlighted research showing that early intervention programs could reduce reoffending among at-risk populations by 50 percent, preventing their entanglement in the justice system.
Kilroy called for government action, urging leaders to commit to real change. “We just need a government that has got the guts to put their money where their mouth is and actually act,” she said.
Tax Time Scammers Targeting Remote Communities in WA
Community announcement.
Financial counsellors and community leaders across Western Australia’s remote north are raising alarms about an increasing number of tax time scammers targeting residents in remote areas. The ABC has identified Facebook accounts impersonating Centrelink and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) interacting with people who appear to reside in the Kimberley region.
Elder Monica Stumpagee, from Beagle Bay, 130 kilometres north of Broome, expressed her concerns after being financially hit by the collapsed Youpla funeral fund in 2022. This experience has left her and others wary. “Who will we go to? We might get scammed again. We don’t know what to do, we’re just sitting on the edge,” she said.
Ms. Stumpagee has noticed an increase in scams within her community, including Facebook requests from accounts posing as deceased family members. “It’s really getting frequent… now we’re getting scammed on our phones, they’re pretending to be dead family members,” she explained.
Ms. Stumpagee is now participating in financial counselling sessions in Beagle Bay to educate her community. “I’m aware of all that now and I’m not going to fall for any tricks,” she said. “What can we do? We vulnerable people get scammed all the time, so we try to help each other.”
Broome Circle financial counsellor Veronica Johnson works with remote communities throughout the Dampier Peninsula to build the capacity of community members to protect themselves from scams. “[It’s] absolutely devastating for clients who are vulnerable, who are just now being taken for another ride in believing it’s Centrelink… when it clearly is not,” she said.
Last year, Australians lost $2.7 billion to scams, with older people suffering the greatest losses according to a report by the consumer watchdog. Elderly residents in remote communities are often a greater target for scammers, as noted by Ms. Johnson.
Athena Sarah, who works with Home Aged Community Care (HACC) in Beagle Bay, has also observed a rise in online scams targeting residents. She emphasised the need for banks and Centrelink agents to visit remote areas to assist the elderly. “It’s hard because you have some old people who don’t have transport to go into the bank or Centrelink,” she said.
Kevin Collard, Consumer Protection senior regional officer for the Kimberley, urged residents to report any scams to the WA government’s ScamNet website. “People may feel embarrassed or a degree of shame because they’ve been a victim of a scam,” he said. “It’s important to report so that more of the community can become aware of the types of scams that are out there.”
Stay vigilant and report any suspicious activities to help protect our communities from scammers.
Celebrate Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health: Nominate Now for the 2024 NAATSIHWP Awards!
Nominations close 5pm July 15, 2024.
Nominations are now open for the prestigious 2024 National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners (NAATSIHWP) Excellence Awards!
These awards shine a spotlight on the outstanding achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Health Practitioners who have made remarkable contributions to their communities and workplaces.
This is a chance to honour individuals and organisations that are creating exemplary models of care, fully engaging and supporting the career paths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners.
The awards are open to those who meet the eligibility criteria in the following five categories:
NAATSIHWP Young Warrior: Celebrating rising stars who are making a significant impact early in their careers.
NAATSIHWP Individual Champion: Honouring individuals who have shown exceptional dedication and achievement.
NAATSIHWP Workforce Legend (or Respected Elder): Recognising the invaluable contributions of experienced professionals and elders.
NAATSIHWP Models of Care and Career Pathways Innovation: Acknowledging innovative approaches to care and career support.
NAATSIHWP Board Memorial Lifetime Achievement: This esteemed award, previously known as the Lifetime Achievement Award, is nominated and selected by the NAATSIHWP Board.
The winners will be celebrated at the 2024 NAATSIHWP Conference “Reaping the Rewards of Resilience” Gala Dinner, taking place at the Perth Convention Centre on the night of September 3, 2024.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to highlight the heroes in your community. Submit your nominations before COB on July 15, 2024.
Let’s come together to celebrate resilience, dedication, and excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health!
Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.
Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click hereto go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.
The NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.
We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.
New report calls for urgent action on diabetes prevention
Diabetes Australia’s 2024 State of the Nation report, launched at New South Wales Parliament, reveals a worsening diabetes crisis, with alarming increases in type 2 diabetes diagnoses among younger Australians.
Over the past decade, there has been a 44% rise in diagnoses among 21 to 39-year-olds and a 17% increase among those under 20. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth (15-24 years) now experience the world’s highest rates of youth-onset type 2 diabetes, with prevalence doubling in the last five years.
Diabetes Australia CEO Justine Cain expressed concern over the lack of a national diabetes prevention plan, noting that over 300 new cases are diagnosed daily. With an estimated 2 million Australians living with diabetes, Cain emphasised the urgent need for prevention efforts to protect future generations.
The report, coinciding with an upcoming Federal parliamentary inquiry, includes 25 recommendations for addressing the crisis. Key proposals include a 20% levy on sugar-sweetened beverages, promotion of type 2 diabetes remission, a national diabetes kidney screening program, increased funding for diabetes research, and new training programs for aged care staff.
To view Diabetes Australia’s media release in full, click here.
To view The State of the Nation 2024 Report, click here.
iStock.com / Brian Koellish
$16 million to support healthcare in rural and remote Australia
The Albanese Government is investing $16 million to support 11 innovative healthcare projects in rural and remote Australia that aim to provide a range of innovative models of care, including:
better care for chronic disease,
specialist geriatric services for older Australians,
culturally safe maternity care for First Nations families,
outreach to reduce liver disease among First Nations communities,
child health outreach to small rural communities,
mobile primary care clinics,
better collaboration between general practice and pharmacy,
better training and support for doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.
Projects are supported in every Australian state and the Northern Territory. This funding will support healthcare professionals to work together across disciplines in new ways, to meet the needs of people in rural and remote communities.
You can read the Department of Health and Aged Care’s media release here.
Further information on the trial projects can be found on the Department of Health and Aged Care website here.
“These trials will help build a stronger rural healthcare system, and provide better care, closer to home, for people living in the bush.”
Assistant Minister McBride
Photo: Ian Waldie, Getty Images. Image source: ABC News.
Disparities persist in childhood cancer rates
Despite national and global reports of rising incidences of cancer affecting children and young people, new analysis has found rates of childhood cancer have remained unchanged over the past 30 years in South Australia and the Northern Territory.
A new analysis reveals that childhood cancer rates in South Australia and the Northern Territory have remained stable over the past 30 years, contrasting with rising incidences reported nationally and globally. Dr. Suzanne Mashtoub from the University of Adelaide and Flinders University highlighted that this stability suggests different underlying causes for childhood and young adult cancers.
The study, involving researchers from various institutions including the Telethon Kids Institute and Menzies Research Institute, examined cancer incidence and survival among children aged 19 and under from 1990 to 2017. Findings showed a significant decrease in cancer incidence among non-Indigenous children and unchanged rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, with lymphocytic leukemia being the most common diagnosis.
While overall survival rates improved in South Australia, they remained steady in the Northern Territory. Despite significant improvements in survival for Indigenous children over the past 20 years, disparities persist compared to non-Indigenous children.
Dr. Justine Clark from the Telethon Kids Institute emphasised the need to address issues faced by Indigenous families in the NT, including timely diagnosis, financial and logistical barriers, and cultural safety within cancer services. She called for the healthcare system to tackle these challenges to improve cancer outcomes for Indigenous children.
To view The University of Adelaide’s media release in full, click here.
To view the report in full,click here.
Cancer can affect anyone. But the good news is, finding cancer early gives you the best chance of getting better.
Find out more at Yarn For Life.
Videos aim to help youth go vape-free
Vaping is a significant issue in the regions where Danny Allende works, with young Indigenous people statistically more likely to take it up. As the manager of Na Joomelah, a program addressing smoking and vaping among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Sydney and Wollongong, Allende notes that vaping impacts a wide demographic, including children as young as Year 2.
Na Joomelah, in collaboration with the Lung Foundation Australia and young First Nations people, has launched a series of animations to tackle vaping. These animations focus on the health impacts of vaping, as well as environmental and sporting concerns. The resources are being shared in schools, youth groups, social media, and community events.
Early results are promising, with a noticeable shift in young people’s attitudes towards vaping. Paige Preston from Lung Foundation Australia noted that three months into the pilot program, a third of participants had increased their knowledge about vaping’s harmful effects.
The success is partly attributed to the involvement of First Nations youth in the development process, ensuring the message resonates with the target audience. Na Joomelah also addresses the health of pregnant women and the broader community.
To view the full story in National Indigenous Times, click here.
Allied health key to critical health reform
Allied health professionals are an “untapped resource” essential for health reform, with a crucial focus on Aboriginal health, according to experts at a recent Western Sydney Local Health District event. Professor Beverley Harden MBE from NHS England emphasized rethinking allied health roles to address future health challenges.
Held on Dharug Country, the forum discussed leveraging allied health professionals to improve efficiency, retain workforce, and enhance patient outcomes amid an aging population and rising chronic diseases. Jacqueline Dominish of NSW Health stressed the need for system transformation to prevent future crises.
Innovations like the Rapid Assessment, Intervention, and Discharge-Emergency Department (RAID-ED) program were highlighted for improving patient satisfaction and reducing hospital admissions. Expanded roles for allied health professionals, including paramedics and Aboriginal Health Practitioners, were also discussed.
Belinda Cashman, Director of Aboriginal Health Strategy, emphasized incorporating a cultural lens into all initiatives to improve Aboriginal health outcomes and trust in the health system. She called for increasing Aboriginal representation in allied health careers and ensuring culturally appropriate care.
Treaty inquiry slams ‘illusion of concern’ on housing
Victoria’s truth-telling inquiry has criticised the state’s lack of progress in addressing homelessness among First Nations people, who make up 3.8% of the population but account for 20% of the homeless.
State Housing Minister Harriet Shing apologised for the historical and ongoing disadvantages faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities during her testimony at the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
Despite pointing to existing forums and advocating for more federal funding, Commissioner Maggie Walter and others expressed frustration with the ineffectiveness of long-standing bureaucratic measures. Shing acknowledged systemic issues but denied that the government intentionally set up the program to fail, while admitting the system’s failure.
Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.
Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click hereto go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.
The NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.
We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.
Danila Dilba hosts Timor Leste delegation
Limited resources including chronic understaffing, with health clinics that are supposed to have five staff making do with one or two. A population that struggles with literacy, poverty and inclusion, worsening health outcomes. Geographic barriers, both in delivering health services and accessing them. Dependency on other jurisdictions to accept referrals in serious cases. One might be mistaken for thinking this is a description of the NT’s health system, but in fact this is a description of the challenges facing one of our nearest neighbours, Timor Leste.
However, the parallels are undeniable and it is why, last Friday Darwin’s Danila Dilba Health Service, an ACCHO that services 17,000 clients and has a workforce of 220, hosted a high-level delegation from the island nation, including its Health Minister, Dr Élia A.A. dos Reis Amaral.
Danila Dilba CEO Rob McPhee said the heart of the ACCHO model was that it is “community-driven, they are run by the community. Our clients always see an Aboriginal person before they see any other clinician. That immediately establishes rapport. It aids with cultural safety and communication as well. Often they [the Aboriginal health practitioner] will know the family or they’ll be able to understand the circumstances of that individual, so it creates this whole lot of understanding right at the beginning of the process, and I think that’s what we can share with place like Timor Leste.
The above is an extract from the article Danila Dilba Health Service hosts Timor Leste delegation seeking solution to health struggles published in the Cairns Post yesterday, 28 April 2024.
Danila Dilba Health Service chairwoman Carol Stanislaus with Timor Leste’s Health Minister, Dr Elia A.A. dos Reis Amaral, April 26, 2024. Photo: Alex Treacy. Image source: Cairns Post.
Youth suicide appalling blot on national conscience
Content warning: This article contains reference to suicide. Please refer to the services at the bottom of this article for support.
The death of a 10-year-old boy in foster care is a grimly familiar one. Existing ‘prevention schemes’ aren’t preventing anything and must be reformed. A 10-year-old Indigenous child dies in apparent suicide in WA. Family and community are devastated and the incident is so utterly awful – the child so young – that it catches national attention. It happens in March and a month later, when it’s made public, everyone says something must be done. This wasn’t March this year. It was March 2016.
Eight years ago, the WA coroner, Ros Fogliani, held a special inquiry into the deaths of 13 Indigenous children and young people in remote WA. Fogliani made 42 recommendations – her key observation applied to every case: “The deaths of the 13 children and young persons the subject of this Inquest were all preventable.”
The rate of Indigenous suicide in this country, especially among children and especially in the north-west of WA, should sit as an appalling blot on our national conscience. Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among Indigenous children nationwide. Five years ago, concluding her report, coroner Ros Fogliani said “mainstream” suicide prevention programs were still being “adapted in an endeavour to fit into a culturally relevant paradigm” instead of being properly designed “in a completely different way”.
To view The Guardian article Indigenous youth suicide is an appalling blot on Australia’s conscience in full click here.
he death of young boy in Western Australia’s remote Kimberley region is a stark reminder of policy failure. Photo: Richard Wainwright/AAP. Image source: The Guardian.
If this article brought up anything for you or someone you love, please reach out to, call or visit the online resources listed below for support:
Beyond Blue – 1300 224 636, beyondblue.org.au/forums
MensLine – 1300 789 978
Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800
Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
More support for Cape and Torres kids
A new child development service is taking referrals for families needing the support of a speech pathologist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist or psychologist. Designed to assess and support children from 0–18 years with complex developmental delays and disabilities, the family-centred service has already received more than 80 referrals after community visits to Bamaga, Injinoo and Thursday Island.
Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) and the Torres Strait were identified as priority areas with higher instances of children with developmental delays, but Torres and Cape Hospital Health Service (TCHHS) said it had been determined to ensure the service could be delivered to all communities within its service footprint. TCHHS allied health manager child development service Natalie Bellew said the team would spread their travel across 34 communities.
“It is so exciting that we have begun delivering this service, and such a benefit that we are able to see these children in their home communities where they can be supported by their whole family,” Ms Bellew said. “The team will work closely with local allied health teams and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, along with our maternal and child health nurses and paediatricians.” While collaborating with local Indigenous health workers, the child development service team will also travel with a First Nations community engagement officer.
To view the Cape York Weekly article More support for Torres and Cape kids with developmental delays in full click here.
The child development service team will travel across 34 Cape York and Torres Strait communities to support children with developmental delays and disabilities. Image source: Cape York Weekly.
Big diabetes investigation
Tackling the growing problem of diabetes requires action on many fronts, including ensuring that Indigenous communities have affordable access to healthy foods and priority access to essential medicines that are currently in short supply, according to Associate Professor Lesley Russell, Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney. Since May 2023 the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport has been conducting – at the request of the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler – an inquiry into diabetes. Submissions for this inquiry closed in August 2023 with 470 submissions, available here received.
Recognising the wide range of issues that need to be addressed as part of the broad Terms of Reference, a new series of hearings were convened for November last year and continue into 2024. The Committee travelled to Yarrabah, an Aboriginal community outside of Cairns, to hear from the local ACCHO, Gurriny Yealamucka, about its experiences with diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is one of the leading causes of the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more than three times as likely to live with diabetes and nearly five times more likely to be hospitalised with diabetes-related complications. A 2022 study showed that the burden of diabetes in the remote Aboriginal population of the NTis among the highest in the world.
You can read NACCHO’s September 2023 submission to the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport’s Inquiry into Diabetes in full here.
To view the Croakey Health Media article The Health Wrap: a big diabetes investigation, questions for the Treasurer, primary care reforms, and the benefits of crochet in full click here.
Gurriny and Yarrabah hosted the committee members of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes. Dr Jason King briefed the committee on the many social determinants that impact health in Yarrabah. Image source: Gurriny Yeaelamucka Facebook page 22 November 2023.
Guideline for assessing and managing CVD
The 2023 Australian guideline for assessing and managing cardiovascular disease risk provides updated evidence‐based recommendations for the clinical assessment and management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk for primary prevention. It includes the new Australian CVD risk calculator (Aus CVD Risk Calculator), based on an equation developed from a large NZ cohort study, customised and recalibrated for the Australian population. The new guideline replaces the 2012 guideline that recommended CVD risk assessment using the Framingham risk equation.
A variety of communication formats is available to communicate CVD risk to help enable shared decision making. Healthy lifestyle modification, including smoking cessation, nutrition, physical activity and limiting alcohol, is encouraged for all individuals. Blood pressure‐lowering and lipid‐modifying pharmacotherapies should be prescribed for high risk and considered for intermediate risk individuals, unless contraindicated or clinically inappropriate. Reassessment of CVD risk should be considered within five years for individuals at low risk and within two years for those with intermediate risk. Reassessment of CVD risk is not recommended for individuals at high risk.
The updated guideline recommends assessment over a broader age range and uses the Aus CVD Risk Calculator, which replaces the previous Framingham‐based equation. It incorporates new variables: social disadvantage, diabetes‐specific risk markers, diagnosis of atrial fibrillation and use of blood pressure‐lowering and lipid‐modifying therapies. Reclassification factors are also a new addition.
The full guideline and Aus CVD Risk Calculator can be accessed here.
To view The Medical Journal of Australia article 2023 Australian guideline for assessing and managing cardiovascular disease risk in full click here.
Image source: Australian Journal of General Practice.
Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.
Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click hereto go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.
World Day for Safety and Health at Work – 28 April 2024
Yesterday, Sunday 28 April 2024 was World Day for Safety and Health at Work (World Day). The latest data shows that in 2022, 195 workers in Australia were fatally injured at work. This concerning statistic amplifies the importance of increasing awareness around work health and safety (WHS) to prevent work-related injuries and fatalities.
In 2024, the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) World Day theme explores the impacts of climate change on occupational safety and health. The theme recognises that changing weather patterns can create WHS risks. Heat, flooding, and extreme weather events are increasingly likely to disrupt the normal operation of many businesses.
In addition, new technologies and industries in decarbonisation and the circular economy are emerging, creating new roles. Climate change, increasing urbanisation and proximity of humans and animals have also led to the emergence of novel infectious diseases and increased the transmission and spread of other diseases.
You can find more information about World Day for Safety and Health at Work on the International Labour Organization website here.
Image source: iStock.
Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025.
Registrations are open now for Perth: 16-17 April 2024.
The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:
The NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.
We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.
Colonial thought a barrier to listening
Indigenous peoples comprise about 5% of the world’s population, care for 20% of the planet’s lands, and 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity. This heavy lifting for the world (human life depends on biodiversity) is achieved despite imposition of some of the worst social and health inequities. It’s time to listen to the wisdom of Indigenous peoples and forge a sustainable future for our children.
Colonisation has been a planetary catastrophe. The history of ruthless violence to obtain resources and land while destroying, assimilating, and replacing original peoples is often poorly understood. A particular fallacy is that colonialism is a thing of the past. However, in the present, colonisation continues to drive significant inequities, overconsumption, and unfeasible resource extraction to the point of peril for all humans.
Those of us living in colonised countries are culturally immersed in colonialism. We tend to have problematic colonial thought processes, often without even knowing or understanding that these exist. So, if you think you have no colonial thoughts, then think again. Problematic colonial thoughts such as those listed below are very ingrained.
Western knowledge is superior to Indigenous knowledge
non-Indigenous ownership or governance over Indigenous knowledge is acceptable
devaluing elders and young ones
patriarchy
disconnection from Country and the non-human world
wealth hoarding
power, control and decision-making over Indigenous peoples’ lives
believing Indigenous inequity is caused by Indigenous peoples and not society
seeing equity initiatives as gifts to Indigenous peoples rather than rights
homogenising Indigenous peoples
erasure and changing definitions of who Indigenous peoples are
normalising policies and structures that provide inequities
To view the Monash University LENS article It’s time to listen to Indigenous peoples’ knowledge – but how do you do that? in full click here.
Making a kangaroo medicine band about connecting to Country. Image source: Monash University LENS.
Drones to improve rural healthcare access
A specialised medical drone which increases accessibility to essential health services such as pathology, treatments and telehealth services in rural and remote regions of Australia is under development at the University of Sydney. The drone is being designed to enable early detection, prevention, and treatment of health conditions common in rural and remote regions of Australia, such as sepsis, and to actively contribute to addressing the health inequities for some of Australia’s most vulnerable and isolated communities.
Huge areas of Australia do not have easy access to medical care. Current technology doesn’t allow drones to cover the required distances while being sustainable. People living in regional and rural areas face unique challenges due to their geographical location and often have poorer health outcomes than people living in metropolitan areas, with higher rates of hospitalisations, deaths, injury, and poorer access to primary health services. Rural and remote areas have double the number of preventable hospitalisations and two-and-a-half times more potentially avoidable deaths compared to metropolitan areas.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and the National Indigenous Australians Agency(NIAA), First Nations Australians make up 32% of the population of rural and remote areas and have lower life expectancies, a high burden of disease, poorer self-reported health and a higher likelihood of being hospitalised than non-Indigenous Australians.
To view the Healthcare Channel article Hydrogen-powered medical drones to improve rural healthcare access in full click here.
Aboriginal Community Finke, NT. Image source: Healthcare Channel.
LGBTQ+ health service inspired by ACCHOs
ACON, a NSW-based health promotion organisation focused on LGBTQ+ and HIV health, is opening a new health centre in South Eveleigh later this year. Called Kaleido Health, the service is claimed to be the first of its kind to provide integrated and multidisciplinary care for sexuality and gender diverse people across the state. The NSW Government has provided $4.2m in funding for the development of Kaleido Health as part of the NSW LGBTIQ+ Health Strategy 2022–2027.
ACON has been working towards the establishment of a dedicated LGBTQ+ health service since 2016 and its opening in spring 2024 marks a significant step forward. “The centre will deliver integrated care that is designed with the health needs of sexuality and gender diverse communities in central focus. LGBTQ+ people will be able to access a wide range of health services in a space that is for them, run by community, for community,” said ACON Deputy CEO and Kaleido Health Project Lead Karen Price.
“We’ve also taken inspiration from community-controlled health services operating in areas such as Aboriginal health and women’s health, and learned from service models that have been operating in the USA for over 50 years. Importantly, we’ve applied our relationships and knowledge of the NSW health system and our own experience in health service provision,” Price said. The centre will provide a range of primary care and specialist health services including general practice, sexual health services, mental health support, gender-affirming health care, drug and alcohol interventions, cancer screening services and more.
To view the Hospital and Healthcare article Specialised LGBTQ+ health service to open in NSW in full click here.
Image: NSW Health.
Upcoming flu season could be worse than 2023
NSW residents are being urged to protect themselves against serious illness as cases of influenza spike. The latest respiratory surveillance report has revealed more than 4,700 people across the state have been diagnosed with the flu over the past four weeks, a 16% increase compared with this time last year. NSW hospitals have also had 480 admissions of people with influenza-like illness between January 6 and April 2024. The upcoming flu season is predicted to be just as bad, or worse, than 2023, with one-in three people tipped to get a cold or influenza.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said more young children were admitted to intensive care with life-threatening complications from the flu in 2023. There are particular worries for those considered to be at a higher risk of severe illness, such as children aged between six months and five years, 65-year-olds and over, Aboriginal people from six months of age, pregnant women, and anyone with serious health conditions.
These vulnerable people are eligible for a free flu vaccine from their local GP or pharmacist.
To view the Bunbury Herald article NSW residents urged to get vaccinated ahead of worrying flu season in full click here.
Image source: RACGP newsGP.
Aboriginal woman make CDU history
Teegan Wattam has created Charles Darwin University (CDU) history by becoming the first First Nations graduate to receive a Bachelor of Health Science and Master of Speech and Language Therapy double degree. Originally from the NT, Ms Wattam commenced her tertiary healthcare education in Sydney however when CDU offered places for a double degree in health science and speech pathology, the proud Larrakia and Wadjigan woman jumped at the chance to return home and be part of the first cohort of the course.
“I chose to study at CDU because it’s close to home. I’m a Territory girl born and raised,” Ms Wattam said. “The biggest factor for me growing up was that there weren’t always the opportunities to study here. And most often than not, you had to leave home to access those opportunities. So having CDU open up this course, and being in the first cohort to graduate, was a really big thing for me.”
Set to graduate alongside hundreds of fellow students CDU’s Casuarina campus this week, Ms Wattam said she is eager to address healthcare challenges in the NT, particularly in helping Territorians who have speech and swallowing difficulties to communicate and manage their conditions effectively. “I think there’s such a shortage of allied health professionals up here, and because of that there are long wait lists, which is probably the biggest impact as well, that we have a really high turnover of staff,” she said.
To view the National Indigenous Times article ‘Territory girl born and raised’ makes history at Charles Darwin University in full click here.
Charles Darwin University graduate Teegan Wattam is the first First Nations student to receive a Bachelor of Health Science/Master of Speech and Language Therapy. Photo: CDU. Image source: National Indigenous Times.
Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.
Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click hereto go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.
World Immunisation Week – 24–30 April 2024
The World Health Organisation (WHO) website says the global vaccine drives of the second half of the 20th century are one of humanity’s greatest achievements. Immunisation campaigns have enabled us to eradicate smallpox, nearly defeat polio, and ensure more children survive and thrive than ever before. This year World Immunisation Week will celebrate 50 years of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) – recognizing our collective efforts to save and improve countless lives from vaccine-preventable diseases and calling on countries to ramp up investments in immunisation programs to protect the next generations.
At its inception in 1974, the EPI focused on protecting all children against 6 childhood illnesses, but today, this number has grown to 13 universally recommended vaccines across the lifecourse, and 17 additional vaccines with context dependent recommendations. With the expansion of vaccination program across the life course we now call it the Essential Programme on Immunization.
In the last few years during the pandemic, progress on immunisation slipped. While more than 4 million more children were vaccinated globally in 2022 compared to 2021, there were still 20 million children who missed out on one or more of their vaccines. Growing conflicts, economic downturns, and a rise in vaccine hesitancy are some of the threats to efforts to reach these children. As a result, the world is seeing sudden outbreaks of diphtheria and measles diseases that, until now, we’d had nearly in hand. While global vaccine coverage is good – with 4 out of 5 kids fully covered – we have more to do.
We can make it possible for everyone to benefit from the life-saving power of vaccines.
You can find more information about World Immunisation Week 2024 on the WHO website here.
Image source: PACE Hospitals website.
Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025.
Registrations are open now for Perth: 16-17 April 2024.
The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:
The NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.
We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.
Overcrowding under scrutiny amid flu outbreak
A flu outbreak in the Far North Qld Indigenous community of Yarrabah has put the issue of housing in the spotlight. Grandmother Cheryl Flanders is still recovering from a debilitating case of the flu. The Gumbaynggirr, Dunghutti and Bundjalung woman says she lived with the virus for three weeks. “I couldn’t move. Every bone, every joint in my body was aching. I really suffered.” She suspects she contracted the virus from one of her three grandchildren, who are all living in the same home.
At the town’s ACCHO, Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service (GYHS), staff have seen a significant spike in people presenting with flu-like symptoms. GYHS CEO Suzanne Andrews said, “Every year, this time of year around flu time, we do have a high uptake of mob getting the flu. We’re asking people now that we have vaccines, come and get vaccinated so you can fight flu like symptoms. It’s a big social issue particularly in Yarrabah where there is overcrowding that does make you more susceptible to getting the flu.”
It’s put a renewed focus on housing. While Yarrabah’s population according to the census is just over 2,500, health authorities estimate that figure is closer to 4,500. Community leaders like Father Leslie Baird say it’s not uncommon for multiple families to live in one dwelling. “If any outbreaks happen in the community, then the whole community is at a higher risk than what Cairns or Gordon Vale or any other place would be, because of the housing problems we have here. We have a need for at least 300 new homes, there’s only 400 homes for a community of 4,000 people.”
Father Baird says overcrowding has been an issue in Yarrabah for years. “If the housing problem is not fully addressed, then we will always be at higher risk than any other place in Australia. The government needs to begin to listen because we have the Yarrabah leaders forum which is our voice for the community which speaks to state and federal government.”
To listen to the SBS News First Nations First podcast episode Overcrowded housing under scrutiny amid influenza outbreak or read the transcript in full click here.
Image source: SBS News.
Maari Ma opens ‘holistic’ health centre
The Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC) has praised the opening of another purpose-built wellness and health facility to service a small Indigenous community of Wilcannia. Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation chair Des Jones officially opened Wilcannia’s new Health and Wellbeing Centre on the banks of the Barka (Darling) River on Thursday, a project that took 11 months to complete and has been operational for three months.
Mr Jones said “To have a community-controlled, functional, purpose-built health service here is something that Maari Ma has been striving to achieve for a long time.” Mr Jones stressed a good health service for First Nations people was more than just good bricks and mortar. “It’s a holistic concept that includes the delivery of a culturally-appropriate health service, providing respect for people and respect for cultural and spiritual wellbeing,” he said. That holistic concept is being delivered here, thanks to the architects and the builder, the services that Maari Ma is providing and the staff who are here for our community.”
The wellness centre will provide GP services, chronic disease management, child and family health – including antenatal and immunisation – as well as several mental health and social services, a healing program, dietician and take visiting medical specialists such as paediatricians, endocrinologists, cardiologists, nephrologists, optometrists, ophthalmologist, psychiatrists and obstetricians. Maari Ma’s child dental service would continue at the old hospital.
To view the National Indigenous Times article Maari Ma opens ‘holistic’ health centre in Wilcannia in full click here.
ILSC board director Roy Ah-See and corporate executive director David Silcock at the opening of the new health centre. Photo: ILSC. Image source: National Indigenous Times.
Awesome STI resources for mob
The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care has released a range of awesome resources on sexually transmissible infections (STIs):
STIs with Aaron and Tawhio – True or Gammon – 5 minute video
Aaron Fa’aoso sits down with deadly Aboriginal health practitioner, Tawhio from Tennant Creek, NT. In ‘True or Gammon’ style, they answer all your burning questions about STIs, available here.
STIs with Janty and Jecinta – True or Gammon – 6 minute video
Deadly comedian Janty Blair yarns with Aboriginal health practitioner, Jecinta from Darwin, NT. In ‘True or Gammon’ style, they shed light on some myths about STIs, available here.
Got burning questions about STIs with Janty – True or Gammon – Poster 1
True or Gammon poster encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to talk with a health worker about getting tested, available here.
Safe sex a prickly subject? – True or Gammon – Social animation
A 15-second video animation to share on your social channels to encourage yarning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, available here.
Got the kind of crabs that aren’t good for eating? – True or Gammon – Social animation
A 15-second video animation to share on your social channels to encourage yarning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, available here.
Got a slippery question about what’s on your budoo? – True or Gammon – Social animation
A 15-second video animation to share on your social channels to encourage yarning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, available here.
Got burning questions about STIs? – Green – True or Gammon – Poster 4
True or Gammon poster encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to talk with a health worker about getting tested, available here.
A rash down below got you in a flap? – True or Gammon – Social animation
A 15-second video animation to share on your social channels to encourage yarning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, available here.
Too Deadly for Diabetes program to go national
A home-grown program for helping patients with Type 2 diabetes will soon inform nationwide policy after years of success in small-town communities. The health and lifestyle program Too Deadly for Diabetes (TDFD) was developed by Gomeroi man Ray Kelly with the hopes of reversing diabetes in local Indigenous communities. “Our participants are seeing improvements in their blood sugar and blood pressure within days,” Mr Kelly said. “It also has a great flow on effect for the community, with the participants’ family and friends being inspired along with the health care professionals providing the program.”
Operated primarily through local Aboriginal Medical Services, TDFD has been making waves since its inception in back in 2017. Having a culturally-informed approach to tackling the disease is essential, as Indigenous Australians suffer higher rates of diabetes as well as a higher rate of hospitalisation and death from diabetes than non-Indigenous Australians.
The 10-week program focuses on sustainable weight loss, healthy eating, and physical activity; key components in managing and preventing Type 2 diabetes. “Across NSW we’ve worked with 16 communities so far and they’ve lost more than 5800 kilos in total,” Mr Kelly said, After catching the attention of the NSW government, Mr Kelly’s program received a significant funding boost in August 2023, enabling its expansion into more communities across the state, including Tamworth and Werris Creek.
The above is an extract from the article Home-grown health program goes national to tackle diabetes crisis published in The Northern Daily Leader earlier today (22 April 2024).
You can find more information about the TDFD program on the TDFD website here.
NSW Regional Health Minister Ryan Park and Too Deadly for Diabetes program director Ray Kelly outside the Tamworth Aboriginal Medical Service. Picture supplied by the office of Hon Ryan Park MP. Image source: The Northern Daily Leader.
Program helps young men get life back on track
When Jahdai Vigona and Danté Rodrigues were heading down the wrong path after high school, they had two options: keep going or make a change. They chose the latter, and ever since they have been working tirelessly to improve the mental and physical health of Indigenous men in their community.
The two cousins, who are are both proud Tiwi Islands men, say that with the help of mentors, family members and positive role models, they were able to turn things around for themselves, and hope to do the same for others. “Jahdai and I grew up around a lot of things like domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse and crime and for a while we were even going off on our own wrong path,” Danté says. “I’m only 22 and I’ve lost more friends and family than I can count,” Jahdai adds. “I’ve attended more funerals than weddings in my lifetime. That’s just the harsh reality for someone like me coming from the NT.”
Jahdai and Danté decided to take matters into their own hands — or boxing gloves. “How can you expect someone to be a good person, if you don’t teach them how to be,” Danté says. “We are lucky that we had a lot of positive role models to help us, but for a lot of people in the NT, Indigenous or not, they just don’t have that support.” With their One Percent program, they try to help young Indigenous men in the NT become better versions of themselves day by day, 1% at a time.
To view the ABC News article How two cousins from the NT formed the One Percent Program to help young men get their lives back on track in full click here.
Jahdai and Danté have used their own personal experiences and backgrounds to develop the program. Photo: Leah White, ABC News.
Ten justice reinvestment programs have secured support through the federal government’s First Nations justice package. Announced last Friday (19 April 2024) the community-led initiatives follow nine initial grants delivered under the package in February. They form part of the federal government’s $109m First Nations justice package, with $79m allocated to support up to 30 community-led justice reinvestment initiatives in First Nations communities across Australia. The investment marks the largest commitment to justice reinvestment ever delivered by the Commonwealth.
Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, said the initiative will deliver place-based projects to improve lives, support safer communities and help to close the gap.”Justice Reinvestment is all about putting First Nations communities front and centre when it comes to preventing contact with the criminal justice system,” Ms Burney said. “Communities can work together with local police, organisations, education and health services and local government to drive local solutions.”
Justice reinvestment is a long-term, community-led approach to preventing crime, improving community safety and reducing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and children in custody. Following assessment by an independent panel, ten community-led justice reinvestment initiatives have been selected across the NT, Qld, SA, WA and NSW. Applications for funding under the federal government’s justice reinvestment programs remain open year-round, with communities encouraged to apply via the GRANTS.GOV website herewhen they are ready to do so.
To view the National Indigenous Times article Community-led justice reinvestment initiatives secure commonwealth support in full click here.
Linda Burney said projects announced under the federal government’s justice reinvestment initiative will deliver place-based projects to improve lives, support safer communities and help to close the gap. Photo: Lukas Coch/AAP. Image source: National Indigenous Times.
Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.
Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click hereto go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.
Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025.
Registrations are open now for Perth: 16-17 April 2024.
The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:
The NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.
We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.
Enduring inequities in breast cancer care
Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) today joined an international call to raise the standard of breast cancer care and close gaps that exist between and within countries – including in Australia. Earlier this week he new Lancet Commission on Breast Cancer released findings and recommendations on improving breast cancer care globally. Globally, breast cancer is the most common cancer and by 2040, the incidence of new breast cancers is predicted to be more than 3 million per year.
BCNA’s Director of Policy, Advocacy & Support Services Vicki Durston welcomed this landmark report. “While advances have been made in breast cancer, there remain significant inequities including access to care and treatment among disadvantaged groups, financial toxicity, and a lack of comprehensive cancer data to inform global policy development,” Ms Durston said.
“Although the five-year survival rate for breast cancer is high in Australia, there are still significant equity of access issues, particularly for those with metastatic breast cancer, and people from priority populations including First Nations, LGBTIQ+, CALD and rural and remotes communities.”
You can read the BCNA’s article BCNA joins international call to challenge enduring inequities in breast cancer carehere and access the Lancet Commission report in full here.
Learning from 50 years of alcohol programs
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-led initiatives to reduce alcohol harms are profiled in a new book that privileges, prioritises and amplifies First Nations voices. Nicole Hewlett, a Palawa woman and co-author with Peter d’Abbs of Learning from 50 Years of Aboriginal Alcohol Program, available here, says their book showcases “the solution-focused, strengths-based and resilient spirit of our people, despite the challenging realities we live in”.
The story of this book began with Peter d’Abbs, a non-Indigenous researcher. Over the past 50 years, d’Abbs witnessed the cycles, patterns and changes of government. He has firsthand accounts of how and why alcohol policy and programs were decided upon. Most importantly, he understood that the knowledge of those with lived experiences of the impact of such policies and programs.
The evidence that has informed government policy decisions such as the 2007 Intervention in the NT had unilaterally imposed a blanket ban on alcohol on all Aboriginal land in the NT has almost always not included the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who become pawns in a game to win the white middle-class vote. Despite this, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have continued to stand up and get on with supporting our communities.
To view the Croakey Health Media article “This book provides a gift of knowing, of truth and of hope” in full click here.
Co-authors Nicole Hewlett and Peter d’Abbs at a recent roundtable meeting in Parliament House. Photoe: Mel Hill Photography & FARE. Image source: Croakey Health Media.
Injuries: leading cause of disability and death for kids
Injuries are the leading cause of disability and death among Australian children and adolescents. At least a quarter of all emergency department presentations during childhood are injury-related. Injuries can be unintentional (falls, road crashes, drowning, burns) or intentional (self harm, violence, assault). The type, place and cause of injury differs by age, developmental stage and sex. Injury also differs by socioeconomic status and place of residence. Injuries are predictable, preventable events, and understanding where and how they occur is essential to inform prevention efforts.
A new report, availablehere, from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, released yesterday, tells us injury patterns differ between boys and girls and the causes of injury in children change as they progress through different stages of development. The Australian government has drafted a new National Injury Prevention Strategy, available here, which is expected to be released later in 2024. This will provide clear guidance for all levels of government and others on prevention strategies and investment needed.
In the meantime, better injury surveillance data is sorely needed to better identify the cause of injuries (such as family violence, alcohol and other drug misuse, intentional self-harm or consumer product-related injuries), and to identify where injuries took place (home, school, shopping centre, and so on). There is also insufficient attention paid to priority populations, including people of low socioeconomic status, those in rural and remote areas and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
To view The Conversation article Falls, fractures and self-harm: 4 charts on how kids’ injury risk changes over time and differs for boys and girls in full click here.
Image source: The Telethon Kids Institute website.
Wide ranging health benefits for mob of clean energy
Onsite renewables, such as solar farms, will help improve health outcomes for Indigenous communities by increasing energy security and lowering costs, according to submissions to a Federal Government consultation. Submissions informing development of a First Nations Clean Energy Strategy say replacing polluting, expensive diesel generators would allow for the continued operation of essential health equipment. A more reliable energy supply would also help improve online access to health resources.
The importance of improved housing for Indigenous communities in a warming climate is also highlighted in submissions to a consultation by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). While Australia’s transition to clean energy could bring important health benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, submissions stress that achieving these outcomes will require greater autonomy and decision-making in designing solutions, particularly when it comes to housing policy.
In its submission, the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) noted that the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities was undermined by many economic and social determinants of health and wellbeing. It said the climate crisis would result in “more respiratory and cardiovascular disease, injuries and premature deaths related to extreme weather events, changes in the prevalence and geographic distribution of food and water-borne diseases, implications for food and water security, changes in the prevalence of infectious diseases, and potential impacts on the mental health of First Nations people”.
To view the Croakey Health News article National consultation highlights wide-ranging health benefits for First Nations communities from clean energy in full click here.
The image below is from an article How climate change is turning remote Indigenous houses into dangerous hot boxes, available here, published in The Conversation on 17 June 2022.
A poorly insulated home in Yuendumu, NT. Photo: Dr Simon Quilty. Image source: The Conversation.
Integrated health helping 2 year-old Carter hear
For the first two years of his life, everything was a little quiet for Carter Ah Chee-Maytum. Mum Yolandi Ah Chee said she quickly realised her baby was suffering from hearing loss — and behavioural issues like scratching, fights with his sister, yelling and the inability to understand people were rife. “He was a very angry little boy, because he just couldn’t hear anything for the first two years of his life,” she said. Faced with an 18-month waitlist and thousands of dollars in medical bills at a private doctor, Ms Ah Chee said it was a struggle to access medical intervention.
For the first time, Telethon will now fund a services coordinator and full-time speech pathology service for the super clinic. Ear, nose and throat surgeon Francis Lannigan said chronic ear disease was considered by UN agency the World Health Organisation as a marker of public health — and Australia was leading the world in its disease rates. “When you reach above the level of about 4% it’s considered to be a public health crisis,” he said. “In remote communities, up to 70% of Aboriginal children have chronic ear disease.”
Dr Lannigan said more needed to be done to address the healthcare disparities — including addressing the disease rates in Government commitments like Closing the Gap. “I’d like to see a cohort of First Nations children arrive at kindergarten with normal speech and language,” he said. “I cannot understand why it isn’t a bigger focus of the Closing the Gap program.”
To view The West Australian article Telethon: Cockburn Integrated Health helping kids like 2yo Carter to hear his mum in full click here.
Yolandi Ah Chee said she notice early on that Carter was impacted by hearing loss. Photo: Kelsey Reid, The West Australian.
Investment in culturally relevant vocational training
The Victorian government has announced more culturally relevant training for First Nations people through continued investment in the vocational educational and training sector. More than $6m in funding was announced at the Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative farm in Mooroopna for nine projects to help expand skills and training pathways for Indigenous people in the state.
Minister for Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney also visited Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association to launch Koorie Education in Learn Locals: Best Practice and Protocols. This is a practical tool helping Learn Locals – over 200 of which operate across the state, offering courses in maths, literacy and workplace skills to help find work or pursue study – better meet the needs of Koorie learners and communities. The new protocols for Learn Locals offer guidance on building relationships with local Koorie communities as well as making sure the learning communities are culturally safe.
The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI) president Geraldine Atkinson said: “We are very pleased to see the Koorie Protocols and Principles launched today and shortly distributed to every Learn Local in Victoria. It’s an important step in ensuring Aboriginal learners are welcomed and encouraged to succeed in community adult education.”
You can access more information on Learn Locals here and view the National Indigenous Times article More investment for culturally relevant vocational training in Victoria in full click here.
VAEAI President Geraldine Atkinson. Photo: James Ros, AAP. Image source: National Indigenous Times.
Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.
Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click hereto go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.
Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025.
Registrations are open now for Perth: 16-17 April 2024.
The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:
The NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.
We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.
Health professionals call for mob to get flu vax
With the onset of flu season, the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) is calling on all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The influenza vaccine is available and free at clinics now and with the flu particularly serious for First Nations people, the IUIH are urging all people to visit a health professional as soon as possible.
Community Liaison Officer Uncle Billy Gorham said he regularly addressed misconceptions about the vaccine from community members. “I hear all sorts of things about the flu. Some people think they’re young and healthy, or they take vitamin C, so they’ll be ok; that the flu isn’t bad,” he said. “I always say they should yarn with their GP or someone at their local clinic, it’s important they know what’s true and how they can look after themselves and our Mob.”
Mr Gorham said he has already taken his flu shot, because he didn’t want to get sick so he could protect his family. “We all live with people we care about, we don’t want to bring home the flu and make everyone sick. Even if you think you’re OK, think about those Mob you care about,” he said. IUIH Public Health Physician, Dr Jacqueline Murdoch, said First Nations people are at a higher risk of serious illness from the flu, which includes elevating the risk of heart attacks, stroke and pneumonia.
To view National Indigenous Times article Health professionals urge Indigenous people to get the flu vaccine in full click here.
Image source: Victoria Harbour Medical Centre website.
Alice Springs kids failed by system
In Alice Springs Aboriginal Elders are crying out to be heard – and say, unless, the voices of the community are listened to, the cycle of over-policing and crime is doomed to be repeated. Arrernte man William Tilmouth, the founding chair of Children’s Ground, an Aboriginal organisation that focuses on prevention, early intervention and empowerment rather than crisis and deficit says Aboriginal people are the most policed people in the world and also subjected to the greatest injustice, racism and oppression. “We have a history of over-incarceration of our people and over-representation in the criminal justice system,” he said. “The damage that this does and how this response perpetuates trauma in our families and in our culture.”
Youth in Alice Springs have been under a night time curfew for weeks since violence broke out after a funeral. The curfew lifted yesterday (Tuesday 15 April 2024), coinciding with school going back. Children’s Ground wants to see comprehensive government investment into learning, health, culture and wellbeing and says policies that promote punitive measures will see history repeat. “This is a created condition from generations of neglect,” Mr Tilmouth said.
“Anyone walking into any community or town camp or homeland will be struck by the abject lack of community facilities, infrastructure, resources and opportunities and the devastating overcrowding. Our children and young people have been failed by the system and that must be addressed now,” Mr Tilmouth continued. The Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council, an Anangu-led organisation that delivers heath, social and cultural services in Central Australia, says young people deserve the best possible chances in life.
To view the National Indigenous Times article Children failed by the system, say First Nations groups in full click here.
Indigenous leaders want to see early intervention and prevention instead of over policing. Photo: Mick Tsikas, AAP Photos. Image source: National Indigenous Times.
Health Care Homes program study results
The results of a study to assess the impact of the Health Care Homes (HCH) primary health care initiative on quality of care and patient outcomes was published in the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) earlier this week.
Practice registration for the HCH trial included 227 practices (165 of which ultimately enrolled patients), including 32 Aboriginal Medical Services and ACCHOs, in 10 primary health networks following expressions of interest in late 2016 (Adelaide, Country SA, South Eastern Melbourne, Brisbane North, Hunter New England and Central Coast, Nepean Blue Mountains, Western Sydney, NT, Perth North, and Tasmania) — and the enrolment of patients of any age who attended participating HCH practices commenced on 1 October 2017.
The study concluded that the HCH initiative was associated with greater access to care and improved processes of care for people with chronic diseases, but not changes in diabetes‐related outcomes, most measures of hospital services use, or risk of death. Its impact was limited by lower than expected enrolment of both patients and practices, variations between practices in implementation, and the short trial period. Patient‐centred primary care is one of three reform streams outlined in Australia’s Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan 2022–2032. Evaluations of future patient‐centred primary care initiatives should be larger scale randomised controlled studies of longer duration, with more efficient linkage of primary care records and administrative datasets.
To view the MJA research paper The Australian Health Care Homes trial: quality of care and patient outcomes. A propensity score‐matched cohort study in full click here.
Katherine’s culturally-led approach to mental health
A culturally-led response to mental health needs in Katherine is set to influence positive change and ensure adults are supported to access the mental health services needed. John Berto, CEO of the Jawoyn Association Aboriginal Corporation (JAAC) said combining clinical responses with cultural protocols would “foster innovate responses for all community members seeking mental health support. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with other local health and service delivery organisations and together (we will be) shaping the way our community responds to the needs of our diverse community.” JAAC will be the lead organisation of the Katherine-based “Satellite Site” for the Australian Government’s Head to Health program.
Lisa Mumbin, Chairperson of JAAC said the Association was “uniquely placed” to deliver this work by leveraging off existing successful culturally-led programs that are managed by the Banatjarl Strongbala Wimun Grup. Programs include family support, domestic violence prevention, youth engagement for social enterprise, and other cultural activities including bush medicine.
“We understand that connection to country is medicine and that this is supportive of all in our community, no matter where we are from,” Ms Mumbin said. “Jawoyn is about sharing country and culture and we have healing protocols and places that when combined with western ways of supporting mental health, together we can make a difference to people’s lives.”
The story has been extracted from a Katherine Times article Head to Health to kick off published on 15 April 2024.
Lisa Mumbin. Image source: Katherine Times.
World Health Summit Regional Meeting 22-24 April
The World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2024 in Melbourne, Australia from 22-24 April will bring together stakeholders from all relevant sectors of global health – under the theme Shape the future of health across Asia and the Pacific.
For the first time the World Health Summit Regional Meeting is being held in Australia, and the three-day meeting is hosted by Monash University, Melbourne. With more than 40 sessions and over 150 speakers from around the world, the goal will be to address strategies to improve global health and health inequities in the Asia-Pacific region.
Topics include:
The health of Indigenous Peoples
Achieving health equity for women and girls
Accelerating towards sustainable and resilient health care services
Clinician-led health system reform
Putting lived and living experience at the centre of mental health care
Priorities for education, training and a future-proof health workforce
The impact of AI when ancient ways of knowing and new technology collide
Protecting and improving health in an increasingly divided world
Global preparedness for the next pandemic
Leadership opportunities in SDGs and health
Misinformation itis: the impact of tech on health (open public session)
To view the Monash University media release World Health Summit Regional Meeting in Australia opens on 22 April in Melbourne in full click here.
Image source: Australian Global Health Alliance website.
Grants to expand delivery of CHSP to mob
Forecast opportunities for Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) growth funding grants have been published on the Australian Government GrantConnect webpage.
The CHSP First Nations Growth Funding 2024-25 Grant Opportunity seeks to expand delivery of culturally safe CHSP services for First Nations older people.
You can find more information about the CHSP First Nations Growth Funding 2024-25 Grant Opportunity on the Australian Government GrantsConnect website here.
If you have any questions on the CHSP program and/or the CHSP growth funding opportunity please reach out to the Australian Government Health Grants team by email here.
Image source: Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care website.
Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.
Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click hereto go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.
Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025.
Registrations are open now for Perth: 16-17 April 2024.
The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:
