NACCHO @FPDNAus Aboriginal Health @NDIS 2016 progress report survey The National #Disability Strategy

” By any measure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability are amongst some of the most disadvantaged Australians; often facing multiple barriers to meaningful participation within their own communities and the wider community.

The prevalence of disability amongst Aboriginal and Torres Islander people is significantly higher than of the general population. Until recently, the prevalence of disability in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities has only been anecdotally reported. However, a report by the Commonwealth Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision made the following conclusions:

The proportion of the indigenous population 15 years and over, reporting a disability or long-term health condition was 37 per cent (102 900 people). The proportions were similar in remote and non-remote areas. This measure of disability does not specifically include people with a psychological disability. [note 1]

The high prevalence of disability, approximately twice that of the non-indigenous population, occurs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities for a range of social reasons “

SEE First Peoples Disability Network Australia (FPDN) Intro and Ten-point plan for the implementation of the NDIS in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities VIEW HERE or Below

Read over 15 NACCHO NDIS Articles published

See Background 1 below

The DSS need to improve under the National Disability Strategy.

We want to hear your thoughts about disability policy in Australia!

Are you a person with disability, a family member, a carer, or are you just interested in the rights of people with disability?

Tell us what you think about the lives of people with disability in Australia. This may include questions about things like health care, employment and access to the local community for people with disability.

Answer this survey and tell us how things have improved in the last two years. This feedback will help us understand what areas need to improve under the National Disability Strategy.

The National Disability Strategy

The National Disability Strategy 2010-2020 (the Strategy) helps us to create better policies, programs and communities so people with disability are able to lead happy and fulfilling lives.

The Strategy identifies six areas that people with disability are concerned about. They are:

Taking part in the in the community
Your rights to fair treatment
Work and money
Personal and community support
Learning and Skills
Health and Wellbeing

What will my feedback be used for?

Your feedback will help inform the 2016 Progress Report. Reporting is an important part of the Strategy. Every two years we develop a progress report that looks at the achievements of the Strategy. An important part of the report is finding out what people with disability, their families and carers think. We also work with other government agencies and state and territory governments to collect feedback and data to help inform the 2016 Progress Report.

How can I access the survey?

The survey can be completed online via the 2016 Progress Report Stakeholder Survey page.

If you would like a hard copy of the survey to complete, please email nationaldisabilityst@dss.gov.au or ring (02) 6146 2507.

Please note: Requests for a hard copy of the survey must be made by 4 August 2017.

Completed hard copy surveys can be mailed to:

National Disability Policy Team
The Department of Social Services
Reply Paid
GPO Box 9820
Canberra ACT 2601

When will the survey open/close?

The survey will be open from Monday 17 July 2017 and will close on Monday 21 August 20

Background 1 of 2

What is the NDIS?

Will the NDIS mean more or less support?

Is the NDIS diagnosis based or needs based?

Am I eligible for the NDIS?

Where is the NDIS available now?

What supports does the NDIS cover?

How does the NDIS process work?

I have an NDIS plan. What’s next?

When will the NDIS be here for all Australians?

Where can we get more help

Full details below or download Help Guide Here :

NDIS your Questions answered Download

NACCHO Aboriginal Health #disability and @NDIS : Your Top 10 Questions answered about the National Disability Insurance Scheme

BACKGROUND from FPDN

Ten-point plan for the implementation of the NDIS in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities

Introduction

We are First Peoples Disability Network Australia (FPDN) – a national organisation of and for Australia’s First Peoples with disability, their families and communities. Our organisation is governed by First Peoples with lived experience of disability

By any measure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability are amongst some of the most disadvantaged Australians; often facing multiple barriers to meaningful participation within their own communities and the wider community.

The high prevalence of disability, approximately twice that of the non-indigenous population, occurs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities for a range of social reasons, including poor health care, poor nutrition, exposure to violence and psychological trauma (e.g. arising from removal from family and community) and substance abuse, as well as the breakdown of traditional community structures in some areas. Aboriginal people with disability are significantly over-represented on a population group basis among homeless people, in the criminal and juvenile justice systems[note 2], and in the care and protection system (both as parents and children).[note 3]

The advent of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) presents an opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disabilities to engage – many for the first time – with the disability service system in a substantive way. Currently, most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disabilities remain at the periphery of the disability service system. This continues to occur for a range of reasons some of which are well established. However, one factor that remains little understood is the reluctance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disabilities to identify as people with disability. This preference to not identify presents a fundamental barrier for the successful implementation of the NDIS. The First Peoples Disability Network (Australia) (FPDN) argues that it has a central role in addressing not only this fundamental barrier but also in facilitating the roll out of the NDIS more broadly into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

FPDN argues passionately that for positive change to happen in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, the change must be driven by community itself. It cannot be imposed, implied, intervened or developed with well-meaning intention from an external service system that the vast majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disabilities have little or no experience of in the first place.

Throughout many communities across the country, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability are supported and accepted as members of their communities. However, many communities lack the resources to adequately support people with disability. Furthermore, the service system tends to operate from a ‘doing for’ as opposed to ‘doing with’ approach, which only further disenfranchises communities because they simply do not feel that they can self-direct their future. The NDIS does have the potential to address some of these concerns by giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability the opportunity to self-direct their funding, for instance. The challenge in this area will be that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability have had little or no experience in self-managing funds.

It must be remembered that in many ways the social movement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability is starting from an absolute baseline position. This is reflected, for example, by the fact that few Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability have an understanding of the language of the disability service system. It is the view of FPDN that the application of the NDIS in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities will need to have a different look and approach to what is advocated for with regard the rest of the Australian population. It may be that the application of the NDIS in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities takes a longer process. But the FPDN argues that it is critical to get it right as it is the experience of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that they are usually the first to be blamed when new programs are not taken up by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

FPDN has developed a 10-point plan for the implementation of the NDIS in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disabilities. The development of this 10 point plan is based upon extensive consultation as well as drawing upon the decade long experience of the FPDN in advocating for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people with disabilities.

The plan was launched in May 2013 at Parliament House, Canberra.

Ten-point plan

Recognise that the starting point is the vast majority of Aboriginal people with disability do not self-identify as people with disability. This occurs for a range of reasons including the fact that in traditional languages there are no comparable words for disability. Also, many Aboriginal people with disability are reluctant to take on the label of disability; particularly when they already experience discrimination based on their Aboriginality. In many ways disability is a new conversation in many communities. In these instances the NDIS is starting from a baseline position. As a consequence change in this area is likely to happen on a different timeline to that of the mainstream NDIS.
Awareness raising via a concerted outreach approach informing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, their families and communities about their rights and entitlements, and informing Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities about the NDIS itself and how to work this new system effectively. There is no better way to raise awareness then by direct face-to-face consultation. Brochures and pamphlets will not be appropriate as this is a new conversation in many communities.
Establish the NDIS Expert Working Group on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with disability and the NDIS. In recognition of the fact that there is a stand-alone building block for the NDIS focused upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, FPDN views it not only as critical but logical that a specific Expert Working Group be established to focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability. The new working group would operate in the same way the four current working groups do, that is it would be chaired by two members of the National People with Disability and Carers Council. To ensure its effectiveness but also critically to influence prominent Aboriginal leaders as well as the disability sector, members would be drawn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in community leadership positions, as well as involving prominent disability leaders. The FPDN believes such an approach is warranted not only because of the degree of unmet need that is well established but also because this has the potential to be a very practical and meaningful partnership between government, the non-government sector, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Build the capacity of the non-Indigenous disability service system to meet the needs of Aboriginal people with disability in a culturally appropriate way. Legislate an additional standard into the Disability Services Act focused upon culturally appropriate service delivery and require disability services to demonstrate their cultural competencies.
Conduct research on the prevalence of disability and a range other relevant matters. Critically, this work must be undertaken in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability to ensure a culturally appropriate methodology. There remains very little reference material about disability in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This needs to be rectified to ensure that we are getting a true picture of the lived experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability.
Recognise that a workforce already exists in many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities that does important work, often informally. This work needs to valued and recognised, with the potential for employment opportunities in some communities.
Recognise that it’s not always about services. Many communities just need more resources so that they can continue to meet the needs of their own people with disabilities. There may be perfectly appropriate ways of supporting people already in place, however what is often lacking is access to current technologies or appropriate technical aids or sufficient training for family and community members to provide the optimum level of support.
Recruitment of more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into the disability service sector.
Build the capacity of the social movement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disability by supporting existing networks and building new ones in addition to fostering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders with disability. These networks play a critical role in breaking down stigma that may exist in some communities but are also the conduits for change, and will be integral to the successful implementation of the NDIS in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ‘Launch’ sites focused upon remote, very remote, regional and urban settings. It is critical that this major reform be done right. Therefore it is appropriate to effectively trial its implementation. To this end, FPDN can readily identify key communities that would be appropriate as trial sites.

NACCHO Aboriginal Remote Health : Governments urged to fund dialysis treatment in remote communities

” The premature death of Dr G Yunupingu could have been prevented if recommended funding models for dialysis services were already in place, his doctor has said.

With a new funding model to increase the service in remote communities currently under consideration, Dr Paul Lawton urged swift government action to assist in Yunupingu leaving a legacy.

He had been in Darwin for dialysis services because there was no service for him in his home community of Galiwink’u, on Elcho Island. His situation was a high profile example of the growing urgent circumstances for remote-living Indigenous renal patients.

Lawton said there had been a lot of work done in recent years – particularly by Miwatj Health and central Australia’s Purple House – to increase on-country dialysis support, including self-operated dialysis on Elcho Island.

The kidney specialist said G Yunupingu – like Dr M Yunupingu who died in 2013 – advocated for better health outcomes and options for Indigenous people, and both would be proud to leave a legacy if their stories prompted change. ”

Reports Helen Davidson from Darwin writing in the Guardian See Full report Part 1 Below

The case for change

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience disproportionate levels of CKD regardless of urban, region or rural locality. Compared with the general population, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are four times more likely to have CKD and develop ESKD

In remote and very remote areas of Australia, the incidence of ESKD for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is especially high with rates almost 18 times and 20 times higher than those of comparable non-Indigenous peoples.

The greater prevalence of CKD in some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is due to the high incidence of risk factors including diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking, in addition to increased levels of inadequate nutrition, alcohol abuse, streptococcal throat and skin infection and poor living conditions.

See Kidney Health Australia Recommendation

Download full Budget submission Kidney Health Australia

3. Investing in appropriate patient support services in remote and regional locations

In remote areas, 78% of patients have to relocate to access dialysis or transplant services, compared with 39% of those who live in rural areas and 15% of urban Indigenous ESKD patients.

Separation from country creates significant biological, psychological, social and economic consequences on the health and wellbeing of consumers, their families, communities the wider health and welfare system.

At present, there is inadequate support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients to assist and support the renal pathway journey, including emotional and social support.

Incidence of new Indigenous patients starting kidney replacement therapy. 2010-2014

A Patients Opinion

” One possible solution is to explore the possibility of using the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS) plane which arrives every Friday from Broome with medicines for the clinic, and transports nurses in and out.

Why can’t some of our mob go on that plane for appointments, so avoiding all those hours of travel, especially for our elderly?

My wife also suffers from serious kidney issues. We have been told that renal dialysis is the next step. This will involve twice weekly dialysis which would be done in Broome. For this treatment, we will be expected to leave our family, “country” and home to live in Broome, over 1000 kilometres away.”

I am an Aboriginal man living in the remote desert area of Mulan Aboriginal Community in the Tanami Desert. see Health Authority responses below part 2

Part 1 :Dialysis funding could have prevented Dr G Yunupingu’s death, says doctor

The musician’s doctor says his premature death would have been prevented if he could have been cared for on his home island

The 46-year-old Gumatj musician and singer from remote Arnhem Land died in Royal Darwin hospital last Tuesday, after battling kidney and liver illnesses.

Media reports aired questions about how Yunupingu spent his last days before being hospitalised, but his doctor Paul Lawton said Yunupingu was in control of his health decisions even if they weren’t always on his doctor’s terms, and suffered being away from home.

“Of course he would have been much happier not to have to have a legacy but to be home supported by family on Elcho Island. He may be alive today if that were possible,” he said.

“It could have been possible if there was a funding model that allowed that to happen. Such a funding model has been proposed, and it needs to be supported and agreed to by the minister forthwith.”

Indigenous Australians suffer kidney disease at rates up to 50 times that of non-Indigenous people. The rate of end-stage kidney disease is seven times higher for Indigenous people, and in very remote communities it is 30 times higher.

The number of people at end-stage is growing annually, forcing large numbers to travel into town centres for care, away from family, country, and culture.

“Every person from a remote community … when they end up in renal failure and have to start dialysis, the first thing people want to know is when and if they can get home and if they can receive treatment close to home,” Lawton said. “Dr Yunupingu was no different.”

In 2015 the federal government launched a review of more than 5,700 items on the Medicare Benefits Scheme to determine how they can be “aligned with contemporary clinical evidence and practice and improve health outcomes for patients”.

The review is led by expert panels exploring different areas of health, and has no mandate to find savings.

The expert panel on renal health has published its recommendations, including a new MBS item to provide dialysis in very remote areas by nurses, Aboriginal health practitioners and health workers.

The report noted the likelihood of direct costs of providing staffed dialysis services in very remote areas being much higher, but said no studies so far had considered the broader impact of relocating for treatment.

“It has undeniable social, economic and health consequences,” the report countered. “As a result of these social and economic costs, relocated patients often miss treatments, which has a negative impact on health outcomes.

“As requirements for dialysis can extend over many years, it makes sense to provide services where people live, have support and can continue to contribute to their communities.”

The report is open for public comment, and according to the department of health a final report will be delivered to the minister in December this year.

“It’s a big step forward potentially but one of the challenges in bureaucracies is that sometimes these things spend a lot of time going around in circles,” Lawton said.

“But unfortunately we weren’t able to get him home to Elcho Island because supported dialysis is not available. And clearly a blind man can’t do dialysis themselves.”

PART 2

Access To Specialist Healthcare in the Kimberley For Desert People.”

I am an Aboriginal man living in the remote desert area of Mulan Aboriginal Community in the Tanami Desert. I live with my elderly wife and extended family. Mulan is our home.

For people living in very remote communities such as ours, English is a second or third language. Communication with mutual understanding is vital.

I’m sharing this story about our recent healthcare experiences so that frail persons don’t suffer as my wife did.

Recently my wife required a cardiac appointment in Broome.

This involved a morning flight from Mulan to Halls Creek; waiting for the Greyhound bus; then leaving at 10pm that evening to ride to Broome (8 hours to the west). All this was booked through the Patient Assisted travel Scheme office (PATS).

After her appointment my wife was left in Broome with no money, no return bus fare and no accommodation. She spent the night homeless. My wife was rescued by the local police who recognised she was hypoglycaemic and took her to Broome Hospital where she was stabilised.

With the help and intervention of a friend, PATS was contacted and a return bus fare was organised for that evening to Halls Creek where my wife was hospitalised for three days waiting for a flight back to Mulan. This could have been avoided with better planning, travel, accommodation and effective communication.

One possible solution is to explore the possibility of using the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS) plane which arrives every Friday from Broome with medicines for the clinic, and transports nurses in and out.

Why can’t some of our mob go on that plane for appointments, so avoiding all those hours of travel, especially for our elderly?

Kidney disease is a major health concern in our communities. My point is why can’t we have a dialysis machine in Balgo – our biggest community in the desert, 30 minutes from my community? This would reduce the number of patients and their carers travelling to a major town, so avoiding a lot of financial and other social situations. I know there are renal machines in other communities – it makes sense! In the long run, the money spent on transferring our mob across the Kimberley would surely pay for a machine and staff.

My wife will require ongoing medical care. Yet her experience is part of a much larger story where our younger people (who escort loved ones to towns for treatment) are subject to the vices a town offers. In going to town, many of them get lost from their cultural identity. Having services in country closer to home and keeping our families in community helps to avoid these social issues.

I hope that sharing our story will result in more effective planning and improved services in the future.

Response 1 to Mulan Man

Dear Mulan Man,

Firstly I want to apologise again for your wife’s experience in Broome. It was very good of your friend to notify us of your wife’s situation at the time, and I am pleased the PATS officer on the day was able to make contact with your wife and her escort to provide them with some refreshments and return tickets to Halls Creek. You are right, there was a communication issue in the arrangement of this trip, as the PATS staff had expected your wife to return to the PATS office directly after her appointment to retrieve her return ticket, but this was clearly not your wife’s expectation. We will work to improve this communication.

I would also like to thank you very much for engaging with us in this forum to share your story, which was clearly distressing, and yet also includes suggestions for improvement. Your story is a great example of what a forum like this can bring to the planning and delivery of health services.

The WA Country Health Service aims to provide care closer to home, where this is safe and feasible. We need to hear from the people living in communities like yours to be able to gain a real appreciation of the challenges you face, and work to ease your access to our services, either by better travel arrangements, or bringing the care closer to you.

Where possible, in new remote clinic builds or funded remote clinic refurbishments, we are ensuring there is the capacity for a dialysis room to accommodate home dialysis therapy on country. Examples of this are Wangkatjunka and Looma remote clinics. There are Renal Dialysis Hostels being built or already built in Kununurra, Fitzroy Crossing, Derby and Broome, to ease the burden of accommodation when people do need to attend the dialysis centres in those towns. WA Country Health Service is also developing a Renal Health Strategy, and will continue to work in close partnership with our renal service delivery providers.

I agree there are also opportunities for us to work more cohesively with other agencies in the Kimberley in undertaking the logistics of moving our consumers, equipment and those delivering care around the region. You have provided some very logical suggestions to resolve the issues you raised, and we would like to arrange to meet with you, and members of your community, to further identify the barriers you face accessing health care and your suggested solutions to those barriers.

You can contact me to discuss how to arrange this meeting. The other signatories to this reply will also attend to engage with you and your community.

Margi Faulkner, Broome Hospital Operations Manager

Dr David Gaskell, Kimberley Regional Medical Director

Carmen Morgan, Kimberley Regional Director of Nursing and Midwifery

Response 2

Dear Mr Mulan Man

We’ve had opportunity to talk together recently which I’ve valued.

Thanks to your help, I want to share here some of the changes we’ve made in improving our health services.

As you know, the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS) provides travel and accommodation subsidies to patients for whom specialist care is not locally available.

PATS is State-funded with one policy for all WA. All PATS staff are required to follow these State-wide rules. They seek to ensure a safe and planned journey when transporting clients from home to a health service and back.

PATS policy ensures that vulnerable patients can choose a family member as escort to accompany them. This escort is responsible for assisting the patient throughout the journey. Roles include assistance in communication, physical support, need for encouragement, and help with cultural needs. You have pointed out that some aboriginal people speak other languages more fluently than English (like Kukutja). PATS staff seek to identify need for a translator and so make necessary arrangements.

Yet there are many variables beyond our control which create uncertainty – like phone coverage, bus and plane operations, timings, the conduct of the escort and other people, or the weather. For the patient, navigating all this uncertainty only compounds the stress of suffering and separation from home. Of all this, I am mindful.

So, in response to the first part of your story, have we done anything to improve the provision and quality of our PATS services?

Yes, we have made several improvements. Here’s the current situation:

The PATS booking service has been increased from 5 days to every day of the week, from 0800hrs to 1600hrs, by phone or email. This ensures that, every day, a PATS officer is able to make a booking or assist a patient with their journey. We have extended the Aboriginal Liaison Officer (ALO) service from 5 days to every day of the week. ALO hours have been extended also. Broome now has 5 positions. Between them, they work every day, including weekends, from 0630 to 2200 hours. As this period covers the arrival and departure times of all scheduled Greyhound bus and plane services, an Aboriginal Liaison Officer is present to meet clients from their plane or bus and assist them with their onward journey. So transport home can be booked, our Aboriginal Liaison Officers inform all transiting clients to present to the PATS Front Office. With arrangements in place, patients return to and wait in the transit lounge. From there, an officer takes them to the bus or plane on time. Remoter health facilities do not have a PATS Office, of course, so the PATS team works closely with local staff to ensure that travel planning and documentation are explained clearly and in person to clients. A spare seat on the KAMS (Kalamunda Aeronautical Model Society) plane, when available, has been allocated to PATS clients and will be used for this purpose in the future. A major development just pre-dating your post was that WACHS Kimberley secured the Skippers Charter Plane service from Broome to Halls Creek via Fitzroy Crossing, 3 times weekly. This flight schedule had been at risk of closure.

Thanks for your engagement on and off line. I think that being in closer touch makes so much difference. I’m aware that your wife had an awful experience not long ago. I hope that she gains some peace of mind in knowing that you sharing her story has led to improvements which will help other patients on their travels to and from health care.

Regarding the need for dialysis care closer to home, we have spoken together. I need to post this now yet I wish to reassure you here that the ‘bigger picture’ is being looked at by all the key agencies – WA Department of Health, WA Country Health Service, Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services overseeing the Kimberley Renal Service, and our visiting specialists from Royal Perth Hospital. Much thought and planning are going in to improving the delivery of quality-assured services closer to home. In the township of Fitzroy Crossing, for example, a new Renal Health Centre is soon to open with 4 dialysis chairs. Yet there are many communities (as in your desert community of Mulan in the Kutjungka) without access to a haemodialysis service nearby. We are acutely aware. All of us Kimberley Health providers want to deliver the State Government’s commitment to have a mobile dialysis unit operate here in the dry season, as soon as possible. This will allow dialysis patients to go home for a while so they can re-connect with family and friends on Country. Given the right resources, this will be delivered. I will keep in touch.

Would it be helpful if we meet together? If you would like this, if privileged to be invited, I will come to your Country soon.

With best wishes to you and your wife,

David

Dr David Gaskell

a/Regional Director, Regional Medical Director

WA Country Health Service, Kimberley

NACCHO Aboriginal Health and #PSA17Syd Part 2 of 2 Health Minister asks pharmacists to help Close the Gap

“For too long Aboriginal people have suffered shorter lifespans, been sicker and poorer than the average non-Indigenous Australian, however, highly trained pharmacists have a proven track record in delivering improved health outcomes when integrated into multidisciplinary practices,” Ms Turner said.

“Strong international evidence supports pharmacists’ ability to improve a number of critical health outcomes, including significant reductions in blood pressure and cholesterol and improved diabetes control. A number of studies have also supported pharmacists’ cost-effectiveness.

Some ACCHOs have already shown leadership in the early adoption of pharmacists outside of any national programs or support structures. NACCHO and PSA are committed to supporting ACCHOs across Australia to meet the medicines needs in their communities by enhancing support for those wishing to embed a pharmacist into their service.”

NACCHO CEO Pat Turner said disparities in the health between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians are confronting.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) have welcomed the announcement of a trial to support Aboriginal health organisations to integrate pharmacists into their services.

The trial was announced today by the Federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt at PSA17, PSA’s national conference.

Both PSA and NACCHO thank the Minister for supporting this innovative project that will improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

This practical new trial measure has strong stakeholder support and there is growing evidence pharmacists employed by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) can assist to increase the life expectancy and improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.

PSA and NACCHO celebrate the Federal Government’s initiative to implement these important reforms and to further investigate the development of new funding models to help close the gap between the health outcomes of Aboriginal

PSA National President Dr Shane Jackson said having a culturally responsive pharmacist integrated within an Aboriginal Health Service (AHS) builds better relationships between patients and staff, leading to improved results in chronic disease management and Quality Use of Medicines.

“Integrating a non-dispensing pharmacist in an AHS has the potential to improve medication adherence, reduce chronic disease, reduce medication misadventure and decrease preventable medication-related hospital admissions to deliver significant savings to the health system,” Dr Jackson said.

“Additionally, pharmacists integrated within an AHS have a key role to play in assisting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients navigate Australia’s complex health system.”

“Local community pharmacies will be first approached to see if they are able to provide a pharmacist to work within the AHS according to service requirements of the AHS. If they are unable to or this is not accepted by the AHS in line with principles of self-determination, then the AHS may employ a pharmacist directly.”

A range of stakeholders, including the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, will be on the advisory group.

This trial has been funded through the 6th Community Pharmacy Agreement Pharmacy Trial Program. PSA and NACCHO wish to credit the Pharmacy Guild of Australia for supporting such an important initiative. This trial aims to improve equity of access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and further demonstrate the fundamental role that community pharmacists play in primary health care, strengthening the future for all pharmacists and contributing to a sustainable health system.

NACCHO Aboriginal Health and #LiteracyforLife @NITV In My Own Words screens nationally, July 30

There’s a large adult-sized hole in Australia’s approach to boosting literacy levels among Indigenous children and young people.

For several decades, the focus has been on increasing investment in schools and refining the ways we engage Indigenous children.

But what if the most effective way to get more kids reading and writing was to give their parents those same skills?

The Literacy for Life Foundation is exploring this idea through the Aboriginal Adult Literacy Campaigns the organisation has been running in western New South Wales since 2012, in partnership with the University of New England.

The Foundation uses a campaign model known as Yes, I Can!, originally developed in Cuba. It has been used in 30 countries in the global south, including Timor-Leste where it reached 200,000 people.

Each campaign is led by local Aboriginal leaders and their organisations, supported by a small team from the Literacy for Life Foundation. So far, it has run in five western NSW communities, with completion rates over 65%.

This is five times higher than Indigenous students’ completion rates for formal, accredited Foundations Skills courses run through the national vocational education and training (VET) system, which aim to get students to a similar level on the Australian Core Skills Framework.

Nationally, the completion rate for VET Certificate One courses is only 13%, and lower in rural and remote areas. These courses are mainly funded for registered job-seekers aged 15-65, missing a large number of adults who have very low literacy.

A key difference identified in a recent NCVER study is that Yes, I Can! is taught in community, by community members, with a non-formal community education approach.

Struggle to complete everyday tasks

While adults are the focus, boosting literacy levels across an entire community creates a flow-on effect into other areas, including health, employment, justice and school education.

In initial household surveys, over 50% of adults said they did not have the literacy they needed for everyday tasks such as filling in forms.

The consequences of this can be quite dire.

Law and justice officials and community leaders in these locations report that people with low literacy are less likely to go for their drivers licences, resulting in multiple instances of fines, arrest and incarceration for unlicensed driving.

People with very low literacy also struggle to understand and respond to the official communications from Centrelink and job network agencies, which determine their continued eligibility for income support.

The lack of control that people with low literacy have over their circumstances brings with it a range of health problems. At the same time, they are less likely to access primary health care services, and to follow the instructions they are given for managing medications and treatments.

A way to get more kids reading and writing is to give their parents those same skills. Literacy for Life Foundation/Adam Sharman, Author provided (No reuse)

Impact on children

When the adults in a community experience these problems, they have obvious consequences for their children, including on their ability to participate in school.

Most importantly, parents and other adult relations who struggle with literacy are unlikely to be able to support their children at school, in the way that parents with more literacy can.

This includes reading to children when they are very young; being able to understand and respond to notes that come home from school; taking part in parent-teacher meetings; and advocating for their children when they are having trouble at school.

It should therefore come as no surprise that children who are least likely to attend regularly and do well in school are those who grow up in households where few adults, if any, have had a good education.

When Literacy for Life Foundation ran an adult literacy campaign in the small New South Wales community of Enngonia, the local school principal was one of the biggest supporters. She said:

More parents are talking to me about school and asking for their kids to be given homework. Our pre-schoolers are using the library more, too. It’s been a great thing for the community: it’s given the adults who did miss out on their schooling a chance to catch up and have a way to relate to their children.

An ARC-funded longitudinal study of the impact of the campaigns is now underway and due for completion in 2019. This will provide more detailed evidence of the links between lifting adult literacy across a community and better school outcomes for children.

In the meantime, there is plenty of evidence already in the public domain that indicates Indigenous adult literacy levels are alarmingly low and require immediate attention.

Aboriginal community leaders began calling for action on adult literacy nearly 30 years ago, and these calls were supported in the recommendations of the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.

If we are serious about getting more Indigenous kids reading and writing, we must tackle low adult literacy at the same time. If we don’t, the gap will only continue to widen.

• Read more articles in this series.

NACCHO Aboriginal Health and #PSA17SYD Minister Hunt announces Aboriginal Health Services will be able to employ a pharmacist if a link with a community pharmacy is not available

” I have reached agreement with the PSA and Pharmacy Guild of Australia to allow Aboriginal health services to employ pharmacists if there were local areas problems in accessing pharmacy services. “

The Federal government is moving to give certainty to community pharmacy over location rules, Health Minister Greg Hunt said.

Rural and Indigenous health advocacy through the infrastructure of community pharmacy

” The standard of health care for rural areas should be equal to the standards available in metropolitan areas. The Pharmacy Guild of Australia (the Guild) is guided by the principle that all Australians have a right to equity and access to community pharmacy services.

The Guild represents pharmacists who are the proprietors of community pharmacies. Approximately 20% of the total 5,350 community pharmacies across Australia are located within Categories 2-6 of the Pharmacy Access/Remoteness Index of Australia (PhARIA). “

SEE WEBSITE

Speaking at PSA17 in Sydney today, Mr Hunt announced a raft of initiatives which he says will exemplify the “vital role” the profession plays in primary health care.

Reported by AJP

A key announcement is that the government will soon introduce legislation to remove the existing sunset clause on pharmacy location rules, a move that drew applause from the floor.

Mr Hunt said feedback from pharmacy owners on location rules was that:

“The threat of taking location rules away was a threat to their very existence” and had prompted the government to action.

Mr Hunt also announced he had reached agreement with the PSA and Pharmacy Guild of Australia to allow Aboriginal health services to employ pharmacists if there were local areas problems in accessing pharmacy services.

The Minister also provided details on recent 6CPA pharmacy trial announcements around asthma management and ensuring culture-specific medicine reviews in indigenous communities.

Funding would be provided for a pharmacist and consumer awareness campaign around biosimilar medicines, he also announced.

NACCHO Aboriginal Health and Driving licences: Why they are key to many Aboriginal health, justice and job issues

” More than 70 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote locations have no public transport, and more than one in 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults report not being able to or having difficulty getting to where they need to be.

Not only would this lack of access be frustrating but it also impacts on health and social inclusion or lack thereof.”

Article – Addressing the barriers to driver licensing for Aboriginal people in New South Wales and South Australia by Kathleen Clapham, Kate Hunter, Patricia Cullen.

In the Northern Territory, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 84 per cent of the prison population and programs such as these can help reduce incidences of gaol time by preventing people from driving without a licence.

“You get picked up a few times, and very quickly that’s a very serious offence. It’s a really important thing that needs to be addressed.”

While it’s difficult to measure the direct correlation between driver’s licence access and incarceration rates, it’s certainly something that’s likely to have a big impact.”

A key driver behind the program’s success is community participation. “It’s got to be delivered in a way the community wants. The program seems to be very flexible and culturally responsive. The team go out and engage very well with the community, And that does make a big difference that they’ve got the support of the community.”

Lead researcher Professor Rebecca Ivers believes equipping a person with something as simple as a driver’s licence can help address social inequality

Drivers’ licences a road to opportunity for remote Indigenous communities: Picture above of Learners

” One of the stories within this first book talked about the high percentage of clients in the Broome Regional Prison who were there due to a driver-related offence including driving under the influence, driving unlicensed or driving under a ban.”

Article below by Dr Melissa Stoneham from the Public Health Advocacy Institute of Western Australia

First Published in Croakey SUBCRIBE HERE

In November 2011, the Public Health Advocacy Institute of WA (PHAIWA) released our first West Australian Indigenous Storybook, which was the start of a journey to showcase the many positive stories that occur in Aboriginal communities.

One of the stories within this first book talked about the high percentage of clients in the Broome Regional Prison who were there due to a driver-related offence including driving under the influence, driving unlicensed or driving under a ban.

One of the issues associated with this was that, upon release, many offenders did not have a means of transport. The purpose of the story was to talk about the ‘Life Cycle’ project that targeted pre-release offenders and provided them with skills on how to recondition an abandoned bicycle. The idea included presenting each prisoner, once released, with a bike to ensure they had access to much needed transport.

Now, not all community roads are suitable for bicycles and sometimes the wet season makes it almost impossible to ride a bike, but the general principle is a good one.

Having access to transport, whether this be a private vehicle, a bike or public transport is something many of us take for granted. But for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in some parts of Australia, accessing public transport and getting and retaining a driver’s licence can be a major challenge.

In this month’s JournalWatch, I am reviewing an article which was published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health called “Addressing the barriers to driver licensing for Aboriginal people in New South Wales and South Australia.”

Led by Kathleen Clapham from the Australian Health Services Research Institute at the University of Wollongong, the article used qualitative data collected over a four-month period in 2013 from interviews with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal stakeholders (n=31) and 11 focus groups with Aboriginal participants (n=46).

The research reported on how barriers to obtaining a driver licence were being addressed in four urban and regional Aboriginal communities: Redfern and Griffith in New South Wales, and Ceduna and Port Lincoln in South Australia.

The stakeholders were classified into a range of agencies including licensing specific agencies, job service agencies, employment agencies, community development agencies, community brokerage agencies, justice systems – police and courts, and state government licensing authorities.

The purpose of these interviews was to ascertain what programs were operating in each site to identify strengths and gaps in programs, funding and responsiveness to community need. All data were coded by themes and allowed for comparison between community member and stakeholder perspectives.

Another reason this research is important is that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are over-represented in transport-related morbidity and mortality, and have a transport injury mortality rate almost three times higher than the non-Aboriginal population.

More than 70 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote locations have no public transport, and more than one in 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults report not being able to or having difficulty getting to where they need to be.

Not only would this lack of access be frustrating but it also impacts on health and social inclusion or lack thereof. Separate to this study, a researcher in the Pilbara region of Western Australia identified how access to culture is impacted by being unable to access transport, including the need to travel for lore business, funerals, hunting and to visit family. Transport is essential for employment, schooling, accessing food, health, cultural and other services and is often a means of escape.

This is particularly so in more remote areas. Let’s take one example. If you lived in the small and remote community of Warakurna, you would need to drive 331 kilometres on unsealed roads to get to Yulara (Uluru) or 781 kilometres to reach Alice Springs.

That is a long way to get to a licensing centre, a hospital or to do a decent shop. In our vast nation, a larger proportion of Indigenous people than others live in the more remote areas of Australia and research indicates that Indigenous people have higher injury rates the more remotely they live.

Barriers to gaining a licence

So what does prevent Aboriginal people from gaining a driving licence and how does not having a driver licence affect the Aboriginal community?

A range of structural issues are involved. These include a lack of sufficient identification such as a birth certificate to prove identity. Lower literacy and the fact that English is often not a first language is a further constricting factor. The protracted, bureaucratic licensing process, the introduction of graduated licensing and the need to access technology which is not available to all Indigenous people are additional barriers.

The cost of obtaining a licence was also seen as a barrier with one community member stating that “I have a job but because I don’t really get that much so $67 is a lot for me.”

Some of the impacts of under-licensing for Aboriginal people include unsafe transport choices such as overcrowding of vehicles, riding in utility trays and driving unlicensed.

Intersections with the justice system were also raised in the research, with having a state debt due to non-payment of fines frequently cited as a reason for why Aboriginal people were unable to obtain or had lost a licence.

Options to address licensing issues

The authors were able to identify some future options to address the barriers to driver licensing, particularly through the stakeholder data.

All stakeholders were able to cite numerous examples of successful licensing support and driver education courses targeting Aboriginal people, but many of these services had been closed due to lack of funding.

The re-initiation of these types of culturally sensitive courses was seen as a priority action, as was the establishment of government licensing services in remote communities. Some legal stakeholders suggested that providing driver training while people are in custody for disqualification is a potential solution as people in custody have limited access to alcohol and other drugs.

The research found the most frequent suggestions from stakeholders about how to address local Aboriginal licensing issues were:

job service networks playing a more active role
better use of work and development orders
inclusion of driver training in high school education
funding licensing programs and community educations courses that included basic literacy skills
better provision of services in regional and remote areas
legal solutions, such as court diversionary programs.

A quick scan of existing driver licence initiatives for Aboriginal people identified a couple of options including the New South Wales Government offering 1,000 free places on the Safer Drivers Course each year to help young learner drivers from disadvantaged backgrounds and Aboriginal communities. The course helps young drivers on their L-plates prepare for driving solo when they graduate to provisional licences, and teaches them how to reduce road risks and develop safe driving behaviour.

In the Ngarliyarndu Bindirri Aboriginal Corporation (NBAC) located in Roebourne, the Red Dirt Driving Academy employs local mentors to teach local people how to drive safely and retain their licences, with support from Elders. Since 2011 the Academy has been overwhelmed by demand, and has recently welcomed the nearby regional prison authority into the program. The town also has a new road safety mural (featured, right).

Whatever the answer, it is pretty clear we need greater investment in end-to-end licensing support programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, allowing them to more readily gain and retain their driver licence in their local communities and, where possible, with local mentors.

The broad array of structural and community barriers have been identified in articles such as the one reviewed here, and it is now time to use research findings such as these to make it easier and safer for Aboriginal people to get their drivers license.

Article – Addressing the barriers to driver licensing for Aboriginal people in New South Wales and South Australia by Kathleen Clapham, Kate Hunter, Patricia Cullen., et al. ANZJPH; 41 (3):280-286.

NACCHO Aboriginal Health : Our ACCHO Members #Deadly good news stories #QLD #SA #VIC #ACT #NSW #WA #NT #Tas

1.1 VIC : Congrats to Laura Thompson at Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, HESTA Team Excellence finalist.

1.2 VIC : VAHS hosted by CEO Adrian Carson and The Institute for Urban Indigenous Health Team QLD

2.NSW : Aboriginal students were encouraged to think about a future in ACCHO health at a new Careers Expo in Kempsey.

3. Apunipima Cape York Health Council Welcomes New CEO

4. NT : OFFICIAL GARMA 2017 PROGRAM Will go ahead

5. SA Deadly Choices QLD Training in SA Community homelands

6.WA Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation

7. ACT : The ACT government is ‘patronising, paternalistic’ on Indigenous contracts says Julie Tongs

8. Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Training

How to submit a NACCHO Affiliate or Members Good News Story ?

Email to Colin Cowell NACCHO Media

Mobile 0401 331 251

Wednesday by 4.30 pm for publication each Thursday

1.VIC : Congrats to Laura Thompson at Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, HESTA Team Excellence finalist

Congrats to Laura Thompson at Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, Team Excellence finalist in the HESTA Primary Health Care Awards!

Team Excellence Award

The Healthy Lifestyle Team and #HerTribe

Victorian Aboriginal Health Service

Preston, VIC

For implementing #HerTribe — a 16-week health and empowerment program improving health and social outcomes for Aboriginal women and their families.

1.2 VIC : VAHS hosted by CEO Adrian Carson and The Institute for Urban Indigenous Health Team QLD

Thanks to The Institute for Urban Indigenous Health for hosting some of our VAHS staff this week and giving us a tour of your deadly clinics and programs!

Great to meet lots of new faces and make new connections whilst sharing the learnings of your services.

Looking forward to showing you around The Health Service when the weather warms up enough for you in chilly Melbourne.

2.NSW : Aboriginal students were encouraged to think about a future in ACCHO health at a new Careers Expo in Kempsey.

News Coverage Watch video

Local Aboriginal Medical Services Werin, Durri and Galambila are partnering with the Mid North Coast Local Health District (MNCLHD) and four local universities to present the inaugural Aboriginal Careers in Health Expo in Kempsey.

Pictured above : Mid North Coast Local Health District Aboriginal Workforce Manager Helene Jones and Workforce Support Manager Lyn Luckie prepare for the inaugural Careers Aboriginal Careers in Health Expo at Kempsey.

The expo provided Aboriginal students from across the Mid North Coast with an opportunity to explore the various career options available in the local health sector.

MNCLHD, Southern Cross University, the University of Newcastle, UNSW Rural Medical School, Charles Sturt University, TAFE NSW and local Aboriginal Medical Services Werin, Durri and Galambila participated.

Interactive activities provided more than 150 students with inspiration and insight into various roles within health. Students were offered the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with health professionals throughout the day and participate in interactive workshops related to specific careers.

Aboriginal students in Years 9, 10 and 11 from all secondary schools on the Mid North Coast were invited to attend.

MNCLHD chief executive Stewart Dowrick said the expo provided a unique opportunity for students to learn what it is like to work in the health sector and the career and study pathways available.

“We are committed to providing employment opportunities for Aboriginal people living in this region,” Mr Dowrick said.

“This event provides a fantastic opportunity to encourage young people in our area to consider a career in health.”

3. Apunipima Cape York Health Council Welcomes New CEO

Apunipima Cape York Health Council warmly welcomes new CEO Paul Stephenson who will start his new role on Monday 31 July.

Paul was Apunipima’s Executive Manager: Primary Health Care between 2012 and 2015 before taking on the role of the General Manager for Australian Regional and Remote Community Services in the Northern Territory.

Apunipima Chairperson Thomas Hudson said Paul had an impressive and extensive executive leadership and management record within remote primary health as well as governance through various Board appointments.

‘He brings a wealth of experience in primary health care within Cape York with both Apunipima and with Queensland Health so has an understanding and appreciation of both systems.’

‘Prior to working for Apunipima, Paul was an ex-officio Apunipima Board member while employed as Cape York Health Service CEO and Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area Health Service District CEO. In 2012, Paul took up the position of Executive Manager: Primary Health Care with Apunipima, a role he held for three years. Most recently, Paul has been working in the Northern Territory as General Manager Australian Regional and Remote Community Services.

‘With a registered nursing background, Paul has continued to influence the primary health profession with a track record of advocating and being involved in state level workforce advisory and health service development committees.’

Mr Hudson thanked outgoing CEO Cleveland Fagan for the invaluable contribution he had made to Apunipima.

‘On behalf of the Apunipima Board of Directors and staff I want to thank Cleveland for his commitment and dedication to the organisation.’

‘He has lead the organisation for 10 years and overseen the building of stand-alone clinics, the opening of four Wellbeing Centres, the establishment of the first electronic medical record system on Cape York and the award – winning maternal and child health initiative the Baby One Program and the commitment from government to transition community health care to a community led model.’

Cleveland has made an enormous contribution to Apunipima and will be sincerely missed. We wish him well in future endeavours.’

‘I also want to thank Executive Manager: Primary Health Care Paula Arnol for her support during the CEO recruitment process. Her professionalism and dedication are second to none.’

4. NT : OFFICIAL GARMA 2017 PROGRAM Will go ahead

The Yothu Yindi Foundation is pleased to announce the release of the official Garma 2017 Program Booklet.

The Program Booklet is the comprehensive guide for guests travelling to Gulkula, near the township of Gove in northeast Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.

YYF CEO Denise Bowden said it contained the schedules for all activities, forums and workshops taking place over the course of the four days.

“YYF prides itself on offering an innovative program that pushes the boundaries, and we’re excited to again bring new elements to the Garma experience this year,” she said.

“We continue to reflect our Board’s value on learning by devoting the first day of Garma to a day of education, with a cultural curriculum and a specific education forum on the Friday,” she said.

“We’ve put a strong emphasis on literacy by introducing a Poetry Slam competition, overseen by legendary Australian actor Jack Thompson, all of which is open to anyone who wants to participate.

“We’re also pleased to present Garma’s first ever Comedy Night, which will provide some light relief to balance out the serious conversations taking place during the day.

“The Program Booklet also highlights the many talented artists whose work will be on display at the new-look Gapan outdoor art gallery. Guests will find a Garma photographic exhibition on display, our chance to share the images that have been very popular over the many years we’ve hosted Garma.

“The booklet also places in the spotlight the talented musicians set to rock the musical stage when the sun goes down.”

Mrs Bowden said the Program Booklet would also be of interest to those not able to attend Garma this year.

“You can read about the feats of our Yolngu Heroes, the significance of the Gulkula site, an explanation of the Yolngu seasons, the importance of the bunggul performances, and the meaning behind Yolngu clan designs.

“There’s also an introduction to Yolngu matha for those wanting to learn the basics of the local language.”

The Official Garma Program Booklet can be viewed on the YYF site at: http://www.yyf.com.au/pages/?ParentPageID=116&PageID=128

Garma 2017 will take place between 4-7 August, with over 2500 attendees expected to walk through the ticketing gates.

For more information on this year’s event, please visit garma.com.au

*Please note the 4 day program is subject to change due to the very remote nature of this event. Organisers will endeavor to keep to a bare minimum any significant changes.

Media Contact: Jason Frenkel 0402 282 251.

5. SA Deadly Choices QLD Training in SA Community homelands

Did you know this fact about the word ‘deadly’? Deadly Choices is designed to help improve the excellent health choices made by Aboriginal people in South Australia.

Our Deadly Choices Facilitator training is about to kick off out at beautiful Umuwa, APY Lands #SouthAustralia

The boys are definitely enjoying themselves out at Umuwa We are lucky to host the training & educate but also learn from the Nganampa team.

Time for our team photo with the Nganampa Health Service team. It’s been a long 3 days but very valuable & enjoyed by all. #DeadlyChoices

6.WA Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation

Photos from NAIDOC Weekend “Be at your Best” Basketball Carnival July 2017

FOLLOW HERE Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation

7. ACT : The ACT government is ‘patronising, paternalistic’ on Indigenous contracts says Julie Tongs

Julie Tongs said the ACT government has “done just what governments in Australia have been doing and getting away with for centuries – blame Aboriginal people”. Photo: Melissa Adams

Written by Julie Tongs chief executive of the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Service, which tendered unsuccessfully for both the Indigenous housing services and the Step Up for Our Kids Indigenous services.

The decision by the ACT government to extend the contracts, without a public or open process, to mange the ACT’s two Indigenous homelessness services to two non-Aboriginal organisations continues the patronising and paternalistic polices favoured by the government.

It really is quite stunning, in light of the well documented failings of the ACT government to meet the needs of Aboriginal Canberrans, that it stubbornly maintains polices and attitudes that have, for example, led to the ACT having the highest Indigenous incarceration rate and the highest rate of contact of Aboriginal children in the care and protection system in Australia.

The overwhelming weight of evidence across Australia is that optimal outcomes are achieved in dealing with Indigenous disadvantage when the responses are designed in collaboration with and delivered by the local Aboriginal community and the organisations that support and sustain it.

In light of this, it is beyond the understanding of the Aboriginal community in Canberra that the ACT government has disregarded the importance of the local Aboriginal community having a role in the managing or providing of services to the Indigenous Boarding House or the Indigenous Supported Accommodation Service. The government clearly believes these Aboriginal specific, and tiny, services are better provided by Every Man Australia and Toora, two non-Aboriginal mainstream organisations.

As wonderful as these organisations may be, the fact is they are managed, led and in the main staffed by non-Aboriginal Australians. In the case of Every Man Australia, an organisation, to be blunt, set up by anglo-celtic men for anglo-celtic men and managed and led by anglo-celtic men, the government’s decision that it is better able than specialist local Aboriginal managed and staffed organisations to support vulnerable, disadvantaged Aboriginal women and children living in Indigenous specific supported housing is deeply hurtful and insulting to the Aboriginal community.

It is perhaps ironic that the decision by the ACT government to again exclude any Aboriginal involvement in the management of Indigenous specific housing in Canberra was made at the same time as the Children’s Commissioner, Jodie Griffiths-Cook, in responding to questions about the scandalous rate of removal of Aboriginal children from their families in Canberra, said that one of the things that the ACT government needed to do better “is actually engaging with the Aboriginal community in the ACT”. The commissioner said the question that needed to be asked of the government was: “What is needed by the Aboriginal families that are coming to the attention of care and protection that we’re not supporting them with?”

It is clear to the Aboriginal community, and on the basis of the commissioner’s recent comments to the ACT Human Rights Commission, that what is needed is for the government to permit Aboriginal people and reputable and experienced Aboriginal organisations a role in and responsibility for decisions over their lives. This applies most particularly to those Aboriginal people suffering grievously from generations of disadvantage and discrimination. In other words, what is required is a genuine commitment to self-determination.

The ACT government has, however, chosen in relation to its much vaunted Step Up for Our Kids Strategy, despite the fact that between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of children in out of home care in Canberra are Aboriginal (from a population base of 1.5 per cent), that “stepping up for Aboriginal kids” should be undertaken solely by non-Aboriginal organisations.

Attempts by local Aboriginal-managed services to be part of the Step Up for Our Kids Strategy have been rebuffed by the government without cogent explanation. I am sure the ACT is the only jurisdiction in Australia that has deliberately excluded Aboriginal organisational involvement in programs designed to address the shameful over-representation of Aboriginal children in the care and protection system. It can be no surprise then that the ACT is the worst performing jurisdiction in Australia.

The extent to which the ACT government is out of step with the rest of Australia in refusing to engage with Aboriginal people and service delivery organisations in delivering services to Aboriginal people is exemplified by the announcement made by Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion on July 7.

Whereas the ACT government has a practice of unashamedly favouring non-Aboriginal organisations to deliver Indigenous specific services Senator Scullion has announced that from the end of the current financial year the Commonwealth will only disburse funds under the Indigenous Advancement Strategy to Aboriginal organisations and businesses. He based his decision on the overwhelming evidence that the best outcomes from services designed to address Indigenous disadvantage are achieved when those services are designed and delivered by Aboriginal organisations.

If only we had in the ACT a government with the same insight and understanding of the needs of Aboriginal people.

8. Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Training

Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Training 3rd August 2017 at piyura kitina (Risdon Cove) from 9.00am to 4.00pm : The costs are as follows:

$145- for general person/employee
$90- for students etc
$0- to unemployed Community Members
$0 for staff

NACCHO This weeks Aboriginal Health #Jobalerts : #Aboriginal Health Workers #Chronic Disease #TacklingSmoking

This weeks #Jobalerts

Please note : Before completing a job application check with the ACCHO or stakeholder that job is still available

1.Carnarvon Medical Services Aboriginal Corporation : Chronic Disease Coordinator Close 4 August

2.1-2.4 Western Australia : AHCWA members

3.Tackling Indigenous Smoking Support Officer (OVAHS) close 16 August

4.Generalist HR role Central Australian Aboriginal Congress

5. Registered Nurses Brewarrina Aboriginal Health Service Ltd (BAHSL)

6 -7 Jullums Lismore AMS Registered Nurse / Child and Family Nurse and Aboriginal Health Worker/ Practitioner

8. Rekindling The Spirit : Positions Vacant – Counsellors

9. Nganampa Health Council :Personal Care Attendant (Remote Area Aged Care Facility)

10.Chronic Kidney Disease Educator – Derby (KRS)

11.Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Ltd : Deputy Medical Director (KAMS) – Close 31 July

12.Flinders Island Aboriginal Association Inc.Tobacco Action Worker

How to submit a Indigenous Health #jobalert ?

NACCHO Affiliate , Member , Government Department or stakeholders

If you have a job vacancy in Indigenous Health

Email to Colin Cowell NACCHO Media

Tuesday by 4.30 pm for publication each Wednesday

1.Carnarvon Medical Services Aboriginal Corporation : Chronic Disease Coordinator (Registered Nurse / Aboriginal Health Practitioner) Close August 4

About the Organisation

Carnarvon Medical Services Aboriginal Corporation (CMSAC) is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service established in 1986. CMSAC aims to provide primary, secondary and specialist health care services to Carnarvon and the surrounding region.

For more information please visit http://www.cmsac.com.au

About the Opportunity CMSAC is currently seeking an experienced Registered Nurse or Aboriginal Health Practitioner to join their multidisciplinary team as a Chronic Disease Coordinator.

As the Chronic Disease Coordinator you will be supported by a diverse team of Doctors, Aboriginal Health Practitioners, Nurses, Medical Receptionists and a Clinical Practice Coordinator providing a range of culturally appropriate and comprehensive primary health care services to the local Aboriginal communities.

Your responsibilities will include (but not be limited to) the following:

Providing day to day health services to the community in a professional, confidential and culturally safe manner
Utilising a holistic approach to assessing clients and their families by supporting and developing patient understanding of their condition, treatment and prevention strategies
Conducting opportunistic screening and follow-up of patients
Developing and implementing strategies that promote health education to clients, their families and the community with a focus on chronic disease management and health prevention
Providing Support and Advice on appropriate levels of follow-up to clients requiring short and long-term pharmaceutical support including instructing client/care givers how to take medication, the correct dosage, storage and security
Maintaining accurate documentation and record of all client encounters on the patient information & recall system
Maximising Medicare billings through effective patient records processes

To be successful, you will be a Registered Nurse or Aboriginal Health Practitioner, have experience working in a similar role within an AMS or primary health setting. You will have a sound knowledge of general practice, primary health care and the social and emotional wellbeing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Your strong interpersonal, communication and organisational skills will enable you to strengthen existing community partnership, establish and sustain stakeholder relationships, determine priorities and manage workloads in order to meet agreed timelines and achieve results.

Most importantly, you must be able to effectively communicate, promote and uphold CMSAC initiatives and values, acting as a role model in the community.

Before applying please visit http://www.ahcwa.org.au/employment to view the full Position Description.

About the BenefitsA generous remuneration package including salary sacrificing options is on offer.

In addition:

CMSAC will negotiate relocation assistance with the right candidate
You’ll enjoy a fantastic work/life balance, with Monday – Friday hours, 8:30am – 5pm, with no on-call requirements
5 weeks annual leave

**The successful candidate must be willing to undergo a Drug Screen, provide a current Police Clearance and Working with Children Check and possess a C Class Drivers License.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are encouraged to apply.

Applications close 5pm, Friday 4 August 2017

2. Western Australia : AHCWA members

Current Vacancies

If you are passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Western Australia then the below opportunities may interest you.

2.1 Aboriginal Health Worker (50d)

Type: Full Time

Location: SWAMS, Bunbury

Closing Date: 5pm Friday, 4th August 2017

Here at SWAMS we have an exciting position available for someone looking to make a difference. As an Aboriginal Health Worker, you will be involved in clinical assessment and treatment, care coordination, client support and advocacy and community development activities.

2. 2 Administration Assistant

Type: Full Time
Location: PAMS, Newman
Closing Date: Wednesday 2nd August 2017, 5pm

PAMS currently has an opportunity for an Administration Assistant and to join their team on a full-time basis.

2.3 Remote Area Registered Nurse

Type: Full Time 6:2 roster

Location: PAMS, Newman

Closing Date: Wednesday 2nd August 2017, 5pm

PAMS has an opportunity for a Remote Area Registered Nurse to join their team on a 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off, fly in, fly out roster

2.4 Clinical Operations Manager

Type: Full Time
Location: DYHS, Perth WA
Closing Date: 5.00pm, Monday 31 July 2017

DYHS is now looking for an experienced Clinical Operations Manager to join their team in Perth, on a full-time basis.

APPLY HERE

3.Tackling Indigenous Smoking Support Officer (OVAHS) close 16 August

Job No: 91202

Location: Kununurra, WA

Employment Status: Full-time

Closing Date: 16 Aug 2017

Rewarding opportunity to make a real difference and help ‘Close the Gap’ in Aboriginal health!
Highly attractive remuneration package + salary sacrifice
Great benefits including annual airfares, accommodation allowance and 5 weeks’ annual leave

About the Organisation

The Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service (OVAHS) is a community controlled primary health care service. It provides culturally appropriate curative and public health services for Indigenous people in and around the town of Kununurra which is situated in the East Kimberley.

Preventative and public health programs include GP clinics, maternal and child health, women’s and men’s health, chronic disease, sexual health, mental health and drug and alcohol. Staff include doctors, Aboriginal health workers, registered nurses, health promotional workers and allied health professionals.

About the Opportunity

Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service (OVAHS) is seeking a Tackling Indigenous Smoking Support Officer to join their team on a full-time basis in Kununurra, WA.

In this highly rewarding role, you will be working closely with the East Kimberley Tackling Indigenous Smoking team to deliver on the TIS Activity plan for the Halls Creek Region.

More specifically, you will:

Delivering smoking cessation education sessions and workshops to key stakeholders across the region;
Ensuring that program activities are well planned and evaluated in keeping with the regional TIS evaluation plan;
Participating in appropriate training programs and networking opportunities;
Reporting as directed, to line manager on service delivery data and KPI’s; and
Maintaining accurate and confidential case management files in accordance with the TIS Program.

To be successful you will need:

Tertiary qualifications in community development, health or other relevant area;
Demonstrated experience delivering education and community development programs to Aboriginal people;
Experience in case management and goal setting with Aboriginal clients;
Exceptional communication skills;
Excellent literacy, computing and reporting skills; and
To identify as a non-smoker;

OVAHS is looking for candidates with well-developed interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills and the ability to maintain client confidentially at all times within and outside the workplace. While not essential, candidates with Certificate IV in Training or Assessment (or willingness to undertake studies), will be highly regarded.

Please note: In addition to the above skills and experience, the successful candidate will require a Current “C” class drivers licence, National Police Clearance and Working with Children clearance.

About the Benefits

OVAHS offers a stable, safe and supportive work environment with GP’s, Nurses, Aboriginal Health Workers, SEWB workers, Health Promotion Officers, Family Support Workers, and Allied Health Workers.

OVAHS is an organisation that truly values its team, and is committed to improving employee knowledge, skills and experience.

In return for your hard work and dedication, you will be rewarded with an attractive remuneration package (commensurate with skills and experience), plus generous salary packaging options to increase your take home pay!

In addition, you will have access to annual airfares after 12 months of employment to the value of $1,800 per year and accommodation allowance of $125 per week. You will also receive 5 weeks annual leave, giving you plenty of time to explore the region!

People of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent are strongly encouraged to apply.

Don’t miss out on the chance to develop your skills, advance your career and enhance your cultural knowledge in a stunning outback location. Make a positive difference – Apply Now!

Please note: Candidates must respond to the questions below and attach a current resume to be considered.

Candidates MUST be Australian Citizens or Permanent Residents and/or the right to live and work in Australia, as OVAHS does not undertake sponsorships.

Application Form

In the 40 years since it was established, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (Congress) has become the largest Aboriginal medical service in the Northern Territory. Congress is one of the most experienced in Aboriginal health in the country, is a national leader in comprehensive primary health care, and is a strong political advocate for the health of Aboriginal people.

Based in Alice Springs and reporting to the General Manager Human Resources, a newly created role has emerged. The Organisational Capability Manager is a generalist HR role responsible for developing and leading workforce initiatives, strategic projects, building HR capability and workforce training and development. Specific areas of focus in the first instance include :-

leading a refresh of the people performance and management framework;
leading the review of the WHS management system;
leading talent planning and implementation activities for organisational change projects and workforce development;
strengthening a reporting framework that captures meaningful data to promote organisational performance, assist decision making, minimise risk and enable achievement of the broader organisational objectives and priorities.

Applications are invited from experienced HR practitioners with appropriate tertiary qualifications and superior communication, negotiation and strategic thinking skills. Experience in developing organisational capability for a large, geographically dispersed and multi-disciplinary entity will be highly regarded. Pragmatism, intuition, commercial acumen, sound judgement, drive, energy, credibility and authenticity are also important qualities sought.

Offered initially on a contract basis for a period of 2-3 years, there is a genuine opportunity for the scope to extend well beyond this timeframe and expand in breadth of responsibility. An attractive remuneration package commensurate with skills and experience, together with relocation assistance will be offered in order to attract the right candidate.

For a job and person specification, please visit hender.com.au and for further information on our client, please visit caac.org.au

Applications in Word format only should be addressed to Justin Hinora.

Telephone enquiries are welcome on (08) 8100 8849.

APPLY HERE

5.Registered Nurses Brewarrina Aboriginal Health Service Ltd (BAHSL)

About the Organisation

Brewarrina Aboriginal Health Service Ltd (BAHSL) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving not only the health but the youth, culture, education and housing of the organisation’s clients and the Brewarrina community in general. Operating with close ties to the accredited Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service, BAHSL services are available to the surrounding communities and small towns in the area, and provide a resource centre for:

Health related issues
Medical advice and treatment
Individual and family counselling
Information and advice about issues relating to substance abuse
Sexual health services
Family violence
Children’s health/issues
Adolescent health
Women’s and men’s health
Healthy lifestyle (including healthy eating)
Eye Health

About the Opportunity

Brewarrina Aboriginal Health Service Ltd (BAHSL) has an exciting opportunity for a Registered Nurse to join their multidisciplinary team of dedicated health professionals working throughout in Brewarrina, NSW.

In this role, your primary focus will be on planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating Enhanced Primary Health Care plans for the program’s clients, in collaboration with BAHSL Aboriginal Health Workers.

To be successful in this position, you will be a Registered Nurse (List A) with experience providing Primary Health Care to those suffering from chronic disease and across a range of other settings. You will require experience in working with Aboriginal communities and have an understanding of health issues in rural/remote areas and the impact of socio-economic factors on Aboriginal communities.

Candidates with previous experience in wounds management, community care, and adult immunisation will be highly regarded.

Please note: Candidates are required to hold registration with AHPRA, a working with children check, and a criminal history check.

BAHSL will reward your commitment with an excellent base salary (dependent upon skills and experience) and access to salary sacrificing arrangements!

Applicants currently located outside the Brewarrina region will be considered – and you’ll enjoy assistance with relocation costs (reimbursed after probation period) and help in finding suitable rental accommodation!

Advance your career in Aboriginal health in this varied role – APPLY NOW!

Please note, due to the nature of this position, Aboriginal people are encouraged to apply.

APPLY HERE

6 -7 Lismore AMS Registered Nurse / Child and Family Nurse and Aboriginal Health Worker/ Practitioner

Jullums Lismore AMS is currently looking for the following positions to join the team:

Registered Nurse / Child and Family Nurse

This is an identified position open to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people

However, Registered Nurses who are not indigenous but able to meet the Selection Criteria are encouraged to apply

Aboriginal Health Worker/ Practitioner

This is an identified position, open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Minimum qualifications, Certificate IV

About Us:

Jullums Lismore Aboriginal Medical Service is a not-for-profit Aboriginal Community Controlled Health service under the management of Rekindling the Spirit, providing primary health care services to Aboriginal people throughout the Lismore area. Jullums is committed to promoting health, wellbeing and disease prevention, involving a holistic approach to diagnosis, and the management of illness.

About the Role:

Reporting to the Practice Manager, both these positions are responsible for a high standard of primary health services that focuses on the prevention, early detection and management of health problems for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. As a member of a multi-disciplinary team these roles ensure effective screening, service delivery and administration practices are delivered in accordance with our patient centred Model of Care.

The ideal candidates will have proven experience in providing health services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

To request a copy of the Position Description and Selection Criteria, or if you wish to apply for the position by sending a covering letter with your CV, please contact

amanda@rubirockservices.com

8 Rekindling The Spirit : Positions Vacant – Counsellors

Rekindling The Spirit is a Lismore based, community organisation run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, who offer a holistic approach to working with those families and communities to support the achievement of positive and lasting changes in their lives.

Rekindling the Spirit supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women to find their own path of empowerment through spiritual and emotional healing, by offering services that can help relieve poverty, distress, sickness, destitution, trans-generational trauma and other misfortunes. Our counselling, assistance, education and supplementary services focus on reducing the occurrence of domestic and family violence plus child abuse through the promotion of healing and wellbeing within families and the community.

Rekindling The Spirit is looking for a number of Full Time Male and Female Counsellors to provide front line, face to face services to support the implementation and ongoing management of a new program for our clients and community.

Ideal candidates will be Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people with proven experience in providing counselling services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. All counsellors with experience providing counseling services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are encouraged to apply to ensure Rekindling The Spirit is able to recruit the highest quality candidates to support our community.

As the successful applicant, you will be responsible for a number of aspects of the programs, including: Conducting client intake and assessments for the RTS DV Perpetrator Program

Provide face to face counseling
Facilitate Rekindling The Spirit group based activities

Conduct exit interviews and evaluation of participants
Develop and maintain effective referral pathways
Arrange and participate in meetings, team activities, community network presentations, special ceremonies and approved events and field work activities as required
Participate in program and service planning, review and evaluation, including data collection and documentation of new initiatives

To be successful, you will:

hold a minimum of a Diploma or relevant qualifications in Counselling, Substance Misuse, Mental Health, Aboriginal Health Worker, Community Services or another related field or be willing to undertake further study.
have proven experience in providing counselling and/or group facilitation experience in, drug and alcohol, domestic violence, health, social and emotional wellbeing counselling to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people;
have a demonstrated ability to work appropriately and effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people;
possess high level communication skills and well developed computer skills.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are encouraged to apply.

Criminal history screening and working with children/vulnerable persons checks will be carried out prior to commencement of employment.

If you have a strong interest in this role and wish to apply for the position, please send a covering letter with your CV to amanda@rubirockservices.com

9.Nganampa Health Council :Personal Care Attendant (Remote Area Aged Care Facility)

Nganampa Health Council is an Aboriginal owned and controlled health organisation operating on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in the far north west of South Australia. Across this area, we operate seven clinics, an aged care facility and assorted health related programs including aged care, sexual health, environmental health, health worker training, dental, women’s health, male health, children’s health and mental health.

When you join Nganampa Health, you are joining a community of primary health care professionals, united by our desire to make a difference. We learn and experience something new every day, and we are supported by the professionalism and spirit of our colleagues and our organisation.

A fantastic opportunity now exists for a full-time Personal Care Attendant to join our dedicated aged care team, based in Pukatja (Ernabella), in remote North West, South Australia.

Working under the direction of the Residential Care Manager, you will be responsible for planning and delivering person centred care to residentsof theTjilpiku Pampaku Ngura aged care facility.

To be successful, you will have demonstrated experience in Australia as a Personal Care Worker, working with frail, aged and disabled people in an aged care setting. You’ll hold a Certificate III or IV in Aged Care, or an equivalent EN qualification. This could also be a great opportunity for an existing EN looking for a change in role or to move away from a traditional hospital environment.

We are seeking an adaptable and flexible individual who can display the initiative, discretion and cultural sensitivity needed to support and drive the organisation’s objectives and values. You must be able to both communicate and participate effectively within a cross-cultural, multi-disciplinary health team.

Why join the Nganampa Health team

As a Personal Care Attendant at Nganampa Health, you will receive an excellent remuneration up to $58,880 (with Certificate IV qualifications), plus super. You will also receive a range of benefits including:

Annual district allowance;
Furnished rent-free housing including some meals;
Penalty & leave loadings and overtime entitlements;
Free electricity and subsidised internet and telephone access;
Relocation assistance (negotiable);
Generous leave provisions: 6 weeks annual leave, 3 weeks recreation leave, 3 weeks sick leave and 2 weeks study leave!
Annual airfares; and
Salary sacrificing options to greatly increase your take home pay by up to $16,000!

These incredible rewards bring your salary package up to an approximate $133,000 per annum!

APPLY HERE

10. Chronic Kidney Disease Educator – Derby (KRS)

About Kimberley Renal Services

Kimberley Renal Services (KRS) includes 4 Renal Health Centres based in Fitzroy Crossing, Broome, Kununurra, and Derby and a mobile prevention unit.The incidence of Kidney Disease in the Kimberley is one of the highest in Australia. Chronic Kidney disease (CKD) and End-Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) incidence within the Aboriginal population of the Kimberley greatly exceeds the national burden of disease. Dialysis prevalence for this region has more than tripled in the last decade and is increasing at a much faster rate than in the rest of Western Australia (WA).KRS and the regional Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) have developed a renal strategic plan to help combat this health crisis. This has enabled many patients to return to the Kimberley from Perth, which is 2,500kms away, to receive their treatment.

About the Opportunity The Kimberley Renal Service has an opportunity for a Chronic Kidney Disease Educator to join their multidisciplinary team based in Derby WA. This role will be offered on a full-time basis.Reporting to the Renal Health Centre Manager, you will be responsible for raising awareness and understanding of the factors which lead to development of chronic kidney disease.

To be successful in this role, you will be an experienced Registered Nurse – eligible for registration with the national nurses board of Australia – and advanced renal clinical skills. You will also have a commitment to the philosophy and practice of Aboriginal Community Control and knowledge of Equal Opportunity and OSH legislation.

KRS is looking for candidates with strong communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills, along with the ability to work both autonomously and as part of a multidisciplinary team. A high level of integrity and a dedication to maintaining patient confidentiality will ensure you flourish in this position.

About the Benefits

KRS is an organisation that truly values its team, and is committed to improving employee knowledge, skills and experience. In addition, staff development programs are not only encouraged but are often paid for by KRS. These are highly attractive opportunities for someone with a desire to develop their professional knowledge and experience in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health!

There are also a wide range of fantastic additional benefits for the role, including:

Attractive base salary of $84,960 PLUS Super;
Accommodation Allowance of $13,000;
Electricity Allowance of $1,440; and
After 12 months of service, you will receive annual airfares of $1,285.

APPLY HERE

11.Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Ltd : Deputy Medical Director (KAMS) – Identified Position

Job No: 90703

Location: Broome, WA

Employment Status: Full-time

Closing Date: 31 Jul 2017

Do you want to really make a difference in your career?
Take on this rewarding management role with the region’s leading provider of Aboriginal health services!
Attractive remuneration circa $230,000 base, PLUS district allowance AND accommodation allowances!

About the Organisation

Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services LTD (KAMS) is a well-established regional Aboriginal community controlled health service, founded in 1986, which provides centralised advocacy and resource support for 6 independent member services, as well as providing direct clinical services in a further 6 remote Aboriginal communities across the region.

KAMS has successfully delivered high-quality, accessible comprehensive primary health care services over its 30 years of operation and has provided innovation and national leadership in areas such as health information management and evidence-based best practice in primary health care.

About Broome

Broome is located 2,240km north of Perth and has a permanent population of 14,436. Broome promotes a relaxed and easy-going lifestyle, with nearby shopping centres, Sunday markets as well as a broad range of restaurants and entertainment options. It is founded on the traditional lands of the Yaruwu people and is rich in history, culture and beautiful surrounds.

Broome has a deep history in the pearling industry, spanning back to the 1800’s, with memorials throughout the town to commemorate those lost in the early years of pearling. Cable Beach is also a must-see, being named in honour of the Java-to-Australia undersea telegraph cable that reaches shore there. You can explore its beautiful scenery with a bit of 4WDing at low tide, or you can even take a camel ride every day at sunset!

Roebuck Bay is known as one of the most beautiful beaches that surround Broome, with its “Staircase to the moon” phenomenon drawing food and craft markets each time it occurs. The combination of a receding tide and rising moon create a natural phenomenon that can only be described as breath-taking.

About the Opportunity

Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Ltd (KAMS) now has a rewarding opportunity for a full-time Deputy Medical Director to join their team in Broome, WA.

Please note: Due to the nature of this role, applicants are required to be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This is a genuine occupational requirement for this position, which is exempt under Section 14 of the Anti-discrimination Act.

Reporting to the Medical Director, you’ll be responsible for providing comprehensive primary health care in line with accepted best practice standards.

Some of your key duties will include (but will not be limited to):

Assisting in the development and maintenance of high quality health services, ensuring continuous monitoring, quality improvement and innovation in the delivery of comprehensive primary health services;
Supporting the education, training and on-site up-skilling of the KAMS primary health care workforce;
Acting as a cultural champion for health services in the Kimberley;
Leading and participating in clinical audit activities in KAMS and member services
Assisting the Kimberley Renal Service with medical cover; and
Assisting the Medical Director when required.

To be successful you will need:

FRACGP, FACRRM or equivalent, with eligibility for medical registration in WA;
Significant experience in the delivery of general practice / primary heath care;
The ability to act as an effective member of a multidisciplinary health team;
Experience in working effectively with Aboriginal people;
The competency required to manage emergencies in a remote setting; and
A commitment to the philosophy and practice of Aboriginal Community Control.

KAMS are looking for candidates with well-developed interpersonal and communication skills, along with the ability to maintain client confidentially at all times within and outside the workplace. You will have experience working within an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation or an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Community Organisation and a strong interest in developing the skills required to lead an Aboriginal Health Organisation.

A ‘C’ Class Driver’s License, Federal Police Clearance, Working with Children Clearance, and willingness to travel often by 4WD vehicles and light aircrafts will be required.

To download a full position description, please click here.

About the Benefits

If you are looking for a change of routine, a change of lifestyle or a new adventure, this is the role for you. You will see and experience more of Australia’s real outback than most people ever will – and get paid to do it!

KAMS is an organisation that truly values its team, and is committed to improving employee knowledge, skills and experience. In addition, staff development programs are not only encouraged but are often paid for by KAMS. This is a highly attractive opportunity for someone with a desire to develop their professional knowledge and experience in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health!

While you will face diverse new challenges in this role, you will also enjoy an attractive remuneration circa $230,000 + super.

There is also a wide range of additional benefits for the role including:

On call allowance – 10% of base salary;
District allowances – $2,920 single $5,840 double p.a;
Electricity allowance $1,440
Accommodation allowance $13,000;
Mobile phone allowance $100 per month;
6 weeks’ annual leave & 2 weeks’ study leave;
Annual Airfares to the value of $1,285 pa (after 12 months of employment).

Don’t miss this exciting and rewarding opportunity to have a positive impact on the health outcomes of Indigenous communities in the spectacular Kimberley region – Apply Now!

Please note: Candidates must respond to the questions below and attach a current resume to be considered.

Apply HERE

12.Flinders Island Aboriginal Association Inc.Tobacco Action Worker

Flinders Island Aboriginal Association Inc. (FIAAI) currently have a vacancy for a Tobacco Action Worker within FIAAI’s Tackling Indigenous Smoking Program. Contracted until June 2018 (with the possibility of extension beyond this date), this position presents an opportunity to be part of a small Launceston-based team dedicated to reducing the level of Aboriginal smoking throughout Tasmania.

DOWNLOAD pdf tis_job_ad

Reporting to the local Team Leader, this role is available full time or part time by negotiation.

As the Tackling Indigenous Smoking Program involves collaboration with Aboriginal (and other) organisations, schools and Communities around the state, a willingness to undertake some travel in the role is essential.

A driver’s licence is also essential, and significant connection to Tasmanian Aboriginal Communities is highly desirable.

If you’re interested in making a difference to Tasmanian Aboriginal health outcomes and can demonstrate the above we’d love to hear from you.

For more information about this position and a job description which includes process for applying contact Lee Seymour at the FIAAI

Tackling Smoking office on 6334 5721 or via

email at:

lee.seymour@fiaai.org.au

NACCHO Aboriginal Health : Pat Dudgeon “Closing the Mental Health Gap ” Special Issue : Indigenous Psychology

” The available data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage has shone a light on the Indigenous mental health and wellbeing gap.

In their commentary in this special issue, Calma, Dudgeon, and Bray (2017) provide details of the challenges in mental health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and what needs to happen to change the situation.All articles in this issue are concerned with and aimed at contributing to closing the mental health gap.”

Pat Dudgeon Pictured above with NACCHO CEO Pat Turner at the recent launch of the ATSISPEP report

Download all reports HERE

Articles

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health (pages 255–260)Tom Calma, Pat Dudgeon and Abigail Bray
The Australian Psychological Society’s Apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People (pages 261–267)Timothy A Carey, Pat Dudgeon, Sabine W Hammond, Tanja Hirvonen, Michael Kyrios, Louise Roufeil and Peter Smith
The Uti Kulintjaku Project: The Path to Clear Thinking. An Evaluation of an Innovative, Aboriginal-Led Approach to Developing Bi-Cultural Understanding of Mental Health and Wellbeing (pages 268–279)Samantha J. Togni
Narratives of Twitter as a Platform for Professional Development, Innovation, and Advocacy (pages 280–287)Lynore Geia, Luke Pearson and Melissa Sweet
Addressing the Mental Health Gap in Working with Indigenous Youth: Some Considerations for Non-Indigenous Psychologists Working with Indigenous Youth (pages 288–298)Stephen Ralph and Kelleigh Ryan
Using Culturally Appropriate Approaches to the Development of KidsMatter Resources to Support the Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal Children (pages 299–305)Samantha Smith, Lyn O’Grady, Carmen Cubillo and Sarah Cavanagh
Keeping on Country: Understanding and Responding to Crime and Recidivism in Remote Indigenous Communities (pages 306–315)Glenn Dawes, Andrea Davidson, Edward Walden and Sarah Isaacs
Decolonising Psychology: Validating Social and Emotional Wellbeing (pages 316–325)Pat Dudgeon, Abigail Bray, Belinda D’Costa and Roz Walker

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land across Australia and pay our respect to the Elders past, present and future.

We also acknowledge young people as they are our future leaders, the custodians of our stories, cultures, histories and languages.

We as seniors must create opportunities and encourage our youth to realise their full potential (Calma, 2015).This special issue on Indigenous psychology is timely in a changing landscape for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereon Indigenous) people and their participation in an Australian nationhood. A range of significant landmark events suggests that both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and Australians are in a process of decolonisation.

In our first special issue of Australian Psychologist: Indigenous Australian Psychologies (2000), we marked the changes that were taking place and our hopes for a better future. Here our focus was on psychology, Indigenous issues, and reconciliation. Looking back to that time 17 years ago, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs have clearly advanced.As a result of the work of Indigenous communities, their leaders, and social justice advocates, there is now a greater public awareness of the social and cultural determinants of Indigenous health and a range of government policies and actions aimed at closing the health and life expectancy gap between the Indigenous peoples of the land and other Australians.In his role as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Professor Tom Calma released a landmark document, the Social Justice Report (2005).This called for the nation to commit to achieving health equality for Indigenous people by 2030, and saw the establishment of the Close the Gap campaign in 2007.Dialogues about the underlying and deeply entrenched socio-economic disadvantage that contributes to this gap are now part of the national dialogue. Government policies and action to close the gap have also now become a national priority that is annually reviewed.This year, the Prime Minster presented the ninth annual report card to Parliament (Closing the Gap Prime Minister’s Report, 2017).Notably, Indigenous mental health and suicide prevention is highlighted as a priority in this report, which is acknowledged by all Australian governments.

Closing the Mental Health Gap

The available data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage has shone a light on the Indigenous mental health and wellbeing gap.

All articles in this issue are concerned with and aimed at contributing to closing the mental health gap.

For example, in Addressing the Mental Health Gap in Working with Indigenous Youth: Some Considerations for non-Indigenous Psychologists Working with Indigenous Youth (Ralph & Ryan, 2017), an overview of therapeutic approaches with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly youth, is provided.

Ralph and Ryan (2017) stress that an understanding of Indigenous social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) is necessary for all those who work with youth: “for practitioners working with Indigenous youth and others there is a need to work from within a social and emotional wellbeing framework and a need to adapt the application of any focused psychological strategies to the cultural context of the individual client.” They also express justifiable concerns that “the average number of sessions provided under ATAPS for youth aged 12–25 is only 4.8 sessions.”

The SEWB of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth is also the focus of Using Culturally Appropriate Approaches to the Development of KidsMatter Resources to Support the Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal Children (Smith, O’Grady, Cubillo, & Cavanagh, 2017).

In this article, Smith, O’Grady, Cubillo, and Cavanagh (2017) describe the methodology behind the development of resources in the KidsMatter Aboriginal Children’s Social and Emotional Wellbeing Project. An inclusive process of workshops and consultations with Aboriginal people was informed by participatory action, narrative therapy, and critically reflexive practice. This process enabled researchers and the community to build effective learning tools for children for use by Aboriginal families, schools, and early childhood and health and community services.

Another article in this special issue, Narratives of Twitter as a Platform for Professional Development, Innovation and Advocacy (Geia, Pearson, & Sweet, 2017) offers a compelling argument for the online engagement of psychologists—both Indigenous and non-Indigenous—in raising community awareness of strategies for decolonisation, for circulating empowering, strength-based approaches to Indigenous wellbeing, and supporting and recruiting potential practitioners.

This paper describes the significant success of some transformative Indigenous Twitter movements. Lynore Geia, a Bwgcolman woman from Palm Island in Queensland, discusses #IHMayDay the day long Twitter festival raising awareness of health issues; Luke Pearson, a Gamilaroi man, describes how he set up @IndigenousX and the subsequent global and local impact on healing and knowledge building, and Melissa Sweet discusses the important #JustJustice campaign.

The connections between the criminal justice system and SEWB are also focused on in a significant paper on the urgent need for justice reinvestment, Keeping on Country: Understanding and Responding to Crime and recidivism in Remote Indigenous Communities (Dawes, Davidson, Walden, & Isaacs, 2017). Outcomes from a qualitative study using a multidisciplinary research team that engaged the community through a specific participatory action research process are discussed.

Their findings resonate with the principles of justice reinvestment; Dawes, Davidson, Walden and Isaacs (2017) suggest that with the right methodological approach Indigenous communities themselves can easily identify the underlying factors contributing to crime. With the community, localised strategies to address over-representation in the justice system can be developed. Further, adopting a self-determination approach provides a strength-based position for psychologists working in the area.

Cross-cultural understanding and developing and maintaining local culture in remote communities is the focus of another unique article, The Uti Kulintjaku Project: The Path to Clear Thinking. An Evaluation of an Innovative, Aboriginal-led Approach to Developing Bi-cultural Understanding of Mental Health and Wellbeing (2017).

The results of 3 years of research was an innovative approach to strengthen shared understandings in mental health. The research work undertaken is at the heart of cross-cultural relationships, that is, exploring and articulating deep understandings of language and concepts. Both the community leaders and the non-Indigenous workers in the research team have benefited from this appropriately long-term project.

It increased the empowerment and capacity building of the leaders involved, and increased the cultural understanding of non-Indigenous service providers. Togni (2017) demonstrates that the building of stronger bi-cultural wellbeing literacies will “lead to increased help-seeking, strengthened cultural competency within health services and Anangu leadership in strengthening Anangu social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB).”

The importance of recognising the contributions of Indigenous concepts of SEWB is also the focus of Decolonising Psychology: Validating Social and Emotional Wellbeing (Dudgeon, Bray & D’Costa, Walker, 2017) which uses findings from the National Empowerment Project to explore the seven domains of SEWB, namely body, mind and emotions, family, community, culture, Country, and spirituality.

In this article, Dudgeon, Bray, D’Costa, and Walker (2017) highlight how SEWB, (an emerging concept within Indigenous psychology), is important in holistically addressing the well being needs of Indigenous people.

The breadth of topics and approaches of the articles in this special issue are a testament to the strong emergence of Australian Indigenous psychology and are just some of the numerous innovations being made in the field across the nation. New methodologies, important findings, strategies for research futures, and guides for practitioners are offered. Each paper makes a significant contribution to both the discipline, the project of Indigenous social justice, and closing the mental health gap.

Indigenous PsychologyIndigenous psychology is emerging as a powerful new discipline and was recognised at a global level with the establishment of the Task Force for Indigenous Psychology in the Society for Humanistic Psychology, Division 32, American Psychological Association in 2010. The Task Force describes Indigenous psychology as:

A reaction against the colonisation/hegemony of Western psychology.
The need for non-Western cultures to solve their local problems—Indigenous practices and applications.
The need for a non-Western culture to recognise itself in the constructs and practices of psychology.
The need to use Indigenous philosophies and concepts to generate theories of global discourse.

We address each of these factors below; however, it is noted that implicit within these is a recognition that the principle of self-determination, confirmed as an underlying principle in the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) (2007), is central to wellbeing and the survival of cultural rights. Specifically, there are provisions regarding obligations to respect, recognise, and uphold Indigenous peoples’ individual and collective rights to develop, maintain, and use their own health systems, institutional structures, distinctive customs, spirituality, traditions, procedures, and practices in pursuit of their right to health and mental health and wellbeing. Authors such as Dudgeon and Walker (2015) have examined this relationship in other papers.

1.A reaction against the colonisation/hegemony of Western psychology

The measured and principled response of Australia Indigenous psychology to the colonising impacts of Western psychology has challenged the discipline to re-think foundational assumptions. Since the 1990s Indigenous psychologies across the world have illuminated the ways in which Western therapeutic paradigms have privileged a concept of individual mental health. In short, the normalisation of Western individualism has reduced our understanding of psychological distress and healing. Indigenous therapeutic knowledge about the self as a dynamic flow of connections have until quite recently been silenced, and even pathologised. Yet gains in the discipline over the last few decades have seen a shift from Indigenous people being framed as objects of research to being agents of meaning and transformation. The marginalisation of Indigenous psychological research within the academy is still, however, an issue which requires change.

2.The need for non-Western cultures to solve their local problems—Indigenous practices and applications

There is a broad consensus across Australian Indigenous communities that culturally strong therapeutic knowledge and practices are ones which articulate solutions identified by local communities (Dudgeon et al., 2014). Respect for the cultural knowledge of Elders is also important in the capacity building of on-country healing programs aimed at reducing youth suicide and “highlight the need for continued support for Elders in maintaining and passing on their cultural knowledge to young people” (Solutions That Work: What the Evidence and Our People Tell Us, 2016, p. 22).

3.The need for a non-Western culture to recognise itself in the constructs and practices of psychology

This form of recognition is foundational to the process of decolonisation and for communities to identity their own solutions and articulate their own cultural concepts. However, it is equally important for Western psychology to recognise how the discipline has constructed Indigenous subjectivity and practiced culturally inappropriate therapeutic interventions. In this respect, the Australian Psychological Society has made history by being the first to formally apologise to Indigenous peoples for past oppressive practices and to vow to make systemic changes. The 2016 people was made at the Australian Psychological Society Congress 2016 in Melbourne. This has become a significant event that gained considerable worldwide media attention and has impact not only in Australia but internationally, with the American Psychological Association now developing a similar apology to their Indigenous people. It is fitting that those involved with progressing the APS apology comment in this special edition. Carey et al. provide a brief overview of the APS’s involvement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and issues, tracing the history that contextualises the apology. The apology, how it came about and the reaction to it, particularly by APS members, describes a changing discipline. Following the Australian Government’s landmark apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Stolen Generations in 2008, the APS apology speaks to a maturing sense of race relations and nationhood. In my opinion, the apology formally owns and acknowledges the wrongs done, and the denial of the past, the injustice and oppression that was the lot of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In some respects, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have suffered a double burden—of suffering injustice and also of having that suffering denied. The apology from the nation and the APS is important; they value people and their experiences and give people respect and a genuine presence. A shared journey of healing for us as a nation can progress.

4.The need to use Indigenous philosophies and concepts to generate theories of global discourse

There is a growing recognition of how psychology has been complicit in the processes of colonisation and oppressing Indigenous peoples. Recognising and acknowledging this past is important, hence the importance of the APS apology. Such acknowledgement and apology allows us to move forward, acknowledging colonisation allows decolonisation for both groups and into a more advanced discipline. It allows space for other viewpoints and understandings to emerge that not only benefit Indigenous peoples but all Australians. There is reason for optimism and the potential for empowerment and genuine inclusion of Aboriginal peoples in the discipline. In order to decolonise psychology in Australia, the discipline needs to consider and incorporate Aboriginal culture and beliefs into mental health services and research. We see this happening from the papers in this special edition. There is focus on the development of Aboriginal paradigms, standpoints, and concepts such as social and emotional wellbeing. Further, there is a deep appreciation of cultural difference and a willingness to work to develop mutual understandings. The papers in the special edition show the promise of different approaches and the development of a new phase of Australian psychology.

In 2017 we stand at a new beginning. We are living in a time of continual change. Twenty years ago Ernest Hunter wrote:

‘Self determination’, ‘quality of life’, ‘wellbeing’: these are terms that have only recently entered the vocabulary of mental health professionals working in indigenous settings. They are unfamiliar and handled with uncertainty and, at times, temerity; they are also unavoidable (1997, p. 821).

This special issue attests to how such terms are now a common part of discussions about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing, and part of a vanguard movement in psychology.

Such terms have a substantial material force and a political history, as well as being part of the discourse of Indigenous psychology. Globally, the focus on decolonisation has emerged as a new defining movement which is in the process of transforming all disciplines, not only psychology. Decades of complex Indigenous struggles, debates, and victories are driving decolonisation, and it is because of this that terms such as “self-determination” and “wellbeing” resonate with a particular historical dignity.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health movement is decolonising the discourse of Australian mental health not only within specialised journals but within the public sphere through the opening up of national debates about the relationship between racism and wellbeing. In doing so, the movement has also contributed to the national projects of overcoming racism and de-stigmatising psychological distress by providing insights into the social and cultural determinants of mental health.

TerminologyA range of words are used to describe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and non-Aboriginal peoples. The term Indigenous is also used by authors, as this includes both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. While encouraging authors to use terms that best fit the people they write with, I acknowledge that the preferred term is “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.” The Australian Human Rights Commission explains this term in further detail:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples retain distinct cultural identities whether they live in urban, regional or remote areas of Australia. The word ‘peoples’ recognises that Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders have a collective, rather than purely individual, dimension to their lives. This is affirmed by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2012, p. 6).

NACCHO Aboriginal Health Events #SaveADate #amafdw17 #HealthyAustralia #NACCHOAgm17 @IAHA_National @AIDAAustralia

23- 29 July : NACCHO supports Family Doctor Week #amafdw17

July 26 : Martin Bowles from the Dept. of Health Twitter live stream

4 August : Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s day

7 August : Victorian Aboriginal Health Education Conference

8-9 August : 2nd World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Viral Hepatitis Alaska in August 2017

13 September : Webinar Reducing the mental health impact of Indigenous incarceration on people, communities and services

20-23 September : AIDA Conference 2017

26-27 October Diabetes and cardiovascular research, stroke and maternal and child health issues.

10 October : CATSINAM Professional Development Conference Gold Coast

18 -20 October 35th Annual CRANAplus Conference Broome

30 October –2 Nov :NACCHO AGM Members Meeting Canberra

27-30 November :Indigenous Allied Health Australia : IAHA Conference Perth

If you have a Conference, Workshop Funding opportunity or event and wish to share and promote contact

Colin Cowell NACCHO Media Mobile 0401 331 251

Send to NACCHO Media

mailto:nacchonews@naccho.org.au

23- 29 July NACCHO supports Family Doctor Week #amafdw17 :

See our NACCHO post : Our ACCHO doctors – are the key to better physical and mental health for all our mob

July 26 Martin Bowles from the Dept. of Health Twitter live stream

How do we create a #HealthyAustralia?

Join at 8am this Wed on Twitter+livestream for a #GeorgeTalks with Martin Bowles from the Dept. of Health

4 August each year, Children’s Day

SNAICC has announced the theme for this year’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s day

Held on 4 August each year, Children’s Day has been celebrated across the country since 1988 and is Australia’s largest national day to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

The theme for Children’s Day 2017 is Value Our Rights, Respect Our Culture, Bring Us Home which recognises the 20th anniversary of the Bringing them Home Report and the many benefits our children experience when they are raised with strong connections to family and culture.

The ‘Children’s Day’ website is now open

7 August Victorian Aboriginal Health Education Conference

See above for registration links

13 September : Webinar Reducing the mental health impact of Indigenous incarceration on people, communities and services

Developed in consultation with NACCHO and produced by the Mental Health Professionals’ Network a federally funded initiative

Join our interdisciplinary panel as we explore a collaborative approach to reducing the mental health impact of Indigenous incarceration on people, communities and services.

The webinar format will include a facilitated question and answer session between panel members exploring key issues and impacts of incarceration on individuals, families and communities.

The panel will discuss strategies to enhance cultural awareness and develop responsive services for Indigenous communities affected by incarceration. Strategies to increase self-esteem and enhance emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing of individuals will also be explored.

When: Wednesday 13th September, 2017

Time: 4.30pm – 5.45pm (AEST)

Where: Online – via your computer, tablet or mobile

Cost: Free

Panel:

Dr Mark Wenitong (Medical Advisor based in QLD)
Dr Marshall Watson (Psychiatrist based in SA)
Dr Jeffrey Nelson (Clinical Psychologist based in QLD)
Julie Tongs (OAM) (CEO Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service – Narrabundah ACT)

Facilitator:

Dr Mary Emeleus (General Practitioner and Psychotherapist based in QLD)

Register HERE

20-23 September AIDA Conference 2017

The AIDA Conference in 2017 will celebrate 20 years since the inception of AIDA. Through the theme Family. Unity. Success. 20 years strong we will reflect on the successes that have been achieved over the last 20 years by being a family and being united. We will also look to the future for AIDA and consider how being a united family will help us achieve all the work that still needs to be done in growing our Indigenous medical students, doctors, medical academics and specialists and achieving better health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

This conference will be an opportunity to bring together our members, guests, speakers and partners from across the sector to share in the reflection on the past and considerations for the future. The conference will also provide a platform to share our individual stories, experiences and achievements in a culturally safe environment.

Conference website

30 Sept : The 2017 Human Rights Photography competition Closes

The 2017 Human Rights Photography competition is now open to children and adults around the country, with a $600 camera prize up for grabs for the most outstanding image!

For almost a decade, the Australian Human Rights Commission has been holding photo competitions every couple of years. Our last competition attracted a record 450 entries.

Photography is a powerful medium with a long history in the promotion and advancement of human rights around the world. Photos foster empathy for the suffering and experience of others, community engagement and positive social change. No one can forget the impact of photos such as Nick Ut’s famous photo The Terror of War of child Kim Phuc after a napalm attack during the Vietnam War.

Our focus for this year’s competition will be the experiences of people at home. The theme for the 2017 competition is Home, inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous quote “Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home…”

The shortlisted and winning photos to be displayed at the 2017 Human Rights Awards on 8 December in Sydney.

So, what are you waiting for?

About the competition

Enter at https://photocompetition.humanrights.gov.au/
There will be two categories for entries: Under 18 and 18 & over.
Overall winners will receive their prizes at the 2017 Human Rights Awards on December 8 in Sydney. A selection of photos from the Competition will also be on display.
Main prizes worth $600.
The competition will close on 30 September 2017.

If you have a query about the competition, please email photocomp@humanrights.gov.au

Photo Credit: Nimboi’s Bat by Sean Spencer, from the 2011 competition.

10 October CATSINAM Professional Development Conference Gold Coast

Contact info for CATSINAM

18 -20 October 35th Annual CRANAplus Conference Broome

We are pleased to announce the 35th Annual CRANAplus Conference will be held at Cable Beach Club Resort and Spa in Broome, Western Australia, from 18 to 20 October 2017.

THE FUTURE OF REMOTE HEALTH AND THE INFLUENCE OF TECHNOLOGY

Since the organisation’s inception in 1982 this event has served to create an opportunity for likeminded remote and isolated health individuals who can network, connect and share.

It serves as both a professional and social resource for the Remote and Isolated Health Workforce of Australia.

We aim to offer an environment that will foster new ideas, promote collegiate relationships, provide opportunities for professional development and celebrate remote health practice.

Conference Website

26-27 October Diabetes and cardiovascular research, stroke and maternal and child health issues.

‘Translation at the Centre’ An educational symposium

Alice Springs Convention Centre, Alice Springs

This year the Symposium will look at research translation as well as the latest on diabetes and cardiovascular research, stroke and maternal and child health issues. The event will be run over a day and a half.
The Educational Symposium will feature a combination of relevant plenary presentations from renowned scientists and clinicians plus practical workshops.

Registration is free but essential.

Please contact the symposium coordinator on 1300 728 900 (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm) or via email at events@baker.edu.au

30 October –2 Nov NACCHO AGM Members Meeting Canberra

We welcome you to attend the 2017 NACCHO Annual Members’ Conference.

On the new NACCHO Conference Website you find links to

1.Registrations now open

2. Booking Your Accommodation

3. Book Your Flights

4. Expressions of Interest Speakers, case studies and table top presentations Close

5. Social Program

6.Conferences Partnership Sponsorship Opportunities

7.NACCHO Conference HELP Contacts

The NACCHO Members’ Conference and AGM provides a forum for the Aboriginal community controlled health services workforce, bureaucrats, educators, suppliers and consumers to:

Present on innovative local economic development solutions to issues that can be applied to address similar issues nationally and across disciplines
Have input and influence from the ‘grassroots’ into national and state health policy and service delivery
Demonstrate leadership in workforce and service delivery innovation
Promote continuing education and professional development activities essential to the Aboriginal community controlled health services in urban, rural and remote Australia
Promote Aboriginal health research by professionals who practice in these areas and the presentation of research findings
Develop supportive networks
Promote good health and well-being through the delivery of health services to and by Indigenous and non-Indigenous people throughout Australia.

Where :Hyatt Hotel Canberra

Dates : Members’ Conference: 31 October – 1 November 2017
Annual General Meeting: 2 November 2017

CLICK HERE

27-30 November Indigenous Allied Health Australia : IAHA Conference Perth

Abstracts for the IAHA 2017 National Conference are now open!

We are calling for abstracts for concurrent oral presentations and workshops under the following streams:
– Care
– Cultures
– Connection

For abstract more information visit the IAHA Conference website at: https://iahaconference.com.au/call-for-abstracts/

NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News

The national authority in Aboriginal primary health care – Our Health in Our Hands

Monthly Archives:

NACCHO @FPDNAus Aboriginal Health @NDIS 2016 progress report survey The National #Disability Strategy

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NACCHO Aboriginal Remote Health : Governments urged to fund dialysis treatment in remote communities

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NACCHO Aboriginal Health and #PSA17Syd Part 2 of 2 Health Minister asks pharmacists to help Close the Gap

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NACCHO Aboriginal Health and #PSA17SYD Minister Hunt announces Aboriginal Health Services will be able to employ a pharmacist if a link with a community pharmacy is not available

Rural and Indigenous health advocacy through the infrastructure of community pharmacy

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NACCHO Aboriginal Health and Driving licences: Why they are key to many Aboriginal health, justice and job issues

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NACCHO Aboriginal Health : Our ACCHO Members #Deadly good news stories #QLD #SA #VIC #ACT #NSW #WA #NT #Tas

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NACCHO This weeks Aboriginal Health #Jobalerts : #Aboriginal Health Workers #Chronic Disease #TacklingSmoking

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NACCHO Aboriginal Health Events #SaveADate #amafdw17 #HealthyAustralia #NACCHOAgm17 @IAHA_National @AIDAAustralia

Register HERE

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Trailer for Sydney Film Festival 2017 VIEW HERE

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Rural and Indigenous health advocacy through the infrastructure of community pharmacy

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