NACCHO Aboriginal Children’s Health and #racism : Speech Ms June Oscar AO, Aboriginal Social Justice Commissioner

“Australia’s First Peoples have endured an intolerable amount of grief and trauma, which has had a splintering effect on our health and wellbeing for generations. There is no question that racism causes trauma

As a result, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live out our lives overshadowed by ongoing and relentless experiences of trauma.

Cycles of trauma results in lifelong chronic illnesses and health implications for our people. It weighs heavy on all our hearts and if unaddressed, exacerbates drug and alcohol dependence and mental health risks such as anxiety, depression and suicide.^[4]

We warn people against drug and alcohol dependence however – society should always be safeguarding against ever creating trauma because it is what is at the root of our public health crisis.

But there are positive practices where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are stepping up to and creating their own responses to social disadvantage and trauma.

Envisioning change, I would like to imagine what children and young people can be and give to the world when they are free from discrimination.

Our children and young people are our future – they are the next generation of leaders and lawmakers for our communities

The nature of the challenge that we face is complex and overwhelming – but for the sake of our children, we must tackle this, one step at a time, one person at a time, one policy at a time.

A voice gives us the ability to do that.”

Selected Extracts Ms June Oscar AO, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner

All references here :

Read all 80 plus NACCHO articles Aboriginal Health and Racism HERE

Jalangurru lanygu balanggarri.
Yaningi warangira ngindaji yuwa muwayi ingirranggu, Boon Wurrung way Wurundjeri yani u.

Good morning everyone.

I stand here today on the lands of the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri People.

I acknowledge the people of the Kulin Nations, in particular the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri people, the traditional owners of the land upon which we meet today and I pay my respects to their elders both past and present, and the generations to come.

I come from the Bunuba people, and Warangarri, my traditional lands in the Fitzroy Valley, Western Australia.

Thank you to Sarah Joseph and your team from the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law for bringing us together and inviting me to speak to you all.

Earlier today, I was reflecting on speaking here at an institute named after the late Ron Castan QC, who was a remarkable man. A steadfast human rights lawyer committed to advancing the rights of Australia’s First Peoples.

As we recently commemorated the 25^th anniversary of the Mabo No.2 High Court decision, we cannot forget those who stood by Koiki Mabo and his co-claimants to fight the decade long legal battle which ensued.

I’d like to acknowledge Ron’s wife Nellie and their daughter Melissa who are here today.

Nellie I treasure the memory of your visit to the Kimberley with your late husband a couple of years after the Mabo 2 High Court judgment. Your husband was such wonderful and cheerful company who reached out to all he encountered with his easy going manner and great sense of humour and conversation.

His giant intellect was natural and inclusive and never consciously asserted. Although the judges of the High Court may have had a different view when he argued Koiki Mabo’s case so persuasively.

Role of the Social Justice Commissioner

I address you today as the first Aboriginal woman appointed to the role of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.

Some of you here today may agree with me when I say that women are often the glue holding our communities together, particularly in times of stress.

Like many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, I have multiple kinship and caring responsibilities as a mother, daughter, sister, aunt and as a community leader.

I’d like to take note that this year represents 30 years since the Australian government funded programs and services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are beginning to gain their voice in our society and I want to emphasise the importance of our role in weaving families and communities into being.

In our many roles, we have a responsibility, to nurture and grow strong children, to pass on knowledge, mentor our young people, and listen to what the younger generations in our communities have to say about their lives.

While each generation has sought to hold onto their future by addressing the challenges of the time, for far too long, the narrative of our fate has been held in the hands of others. It is now our time, to take hold of our future.

We draw on our strengths, which are centred around our cultural identity, our unwavering connection to our country, our family and kinship, our languages, our song lines and ceremonies.

And we stand on the shoulders of our leaders that have drawn from the same deep reservoir of strength.

As the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, it is my responsibility to report to the Australian Government on the exercise and enjoyment of human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Throughout my five-year term, I will advocate for and promote the great strengths of our peoples across our diverse communities.

We know the strength that comes from our culture and this should be the starting point for many of the challenges that we face. It is what gives us the resilience we need and we know that resilience is the bedrock to combat the pervasive trauma that so many in our communities experience.

We must invest in our most precious possessions – our children. We must invest in their safety, their protection and their quality of life.

Sadly, our children have to be equipped with the tools to combat trauma in a rapidly changing world where the future will bring many complex and perplexing challenges.

Overcoming racism in our society is one of these particular challenges.

Nelson Mandela once said that, ‘the very fact that racism degrades both the perpetrator and the victim commands that, if we are true to our commitment to protect human dignity, we fight on until victory is achieved.’[1]

Human Rights Framework

Under international human rights law, freedom from racism and racial discrimination is a fundamental human right. Australia has an obligation to ensure that children are protected against all forms of violence and discrimination, not least any discrimination that is racially motivated.

In practice, human rights law doesn’t easily translate in our everyday lives – for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people it can seem so unattainable that it becomes an irrelevant concept. During my term as Social Justice Commissioner, I want to make rights real for our people. Our rights are real and tangible. They are not abstract concepts.

In September this year, we commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Declaration was developed by and for Indigenous peoples across the globe and it provides a framework on how to fully realise the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across Australia.

We need to be able to make this framework of human rights law and principle accessible and relevant in the daily lived experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – there is a need for more rights awareness in our communities, in a language we can understand and has to be translated into tools for people to use.

The language many of us understand is equality and equity – it is language that gives people fair and impartial access to their rights.

Racism/Racial Discrimination

The second article of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that:

‘Indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination, in the exercise of their rights, in particular that based on their indigenous origin or identity.’

Australia has expressed a commitment to upholding the Declaration’s principles.

Imagine what it would be like to instil all our children with a zero tolerance to racism? Can we imagine a celebration of racial diversity where all our children are taught the proud and resilient history of Australia’s First Peoples?

I’d like to imagine this for the sake of our children and this nation.

But first, we have to understand what racism means – it puts a halt to people’s lives, it curtails their futures. When we discriminate based on race the likelihood is that we are destroying someone’s future. We know the outcome of racial discrimination, the more frequently it occurs over time, the more entrenched harm becomes.

It is no secret; Australia’s First Peoples have endured systemic racial discrimination in this country and it is unsurprising that the majority of complaints made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the Australian Human Rights Commission are about racial discrimination.[2]

According to the 2016 Australian Reconciliation Barometer, both perceived and actual experiences of racism have actually increased with almost 40% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians reporting they had experienced verbal racial abuse in the last 6 months.[3]

These experiences can be relentless, numbing even.

We often become so desensitised to the normalisation of social and institutional racism in this country that we do not think to call it out or make a formal complaint over the other priorities of daily life.

And we cannot escape the fact that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience constant exposure to racism, profoundly influencing the education, employment, housing, health and life outcomes for our people.

Unresolved trauma

It is true that there remains much unresolved, unreconciled and unfinished business for our people and this nation.

Australia’s First Peoples have endured an intolerable amount of grief and trauma, which has had a splintering effect on our health and wellbeing for generations. There is no question that racism causes trauma.

The brutal impact of colonisation that has displaced our people, has left a great wake in its path and has had a devastating impact on our communities. The growth of Australian society has established its own structures to maintain this position and brick by brick, has engulfed us. This legacy has left us as aliens in our own lands and lead to much of the structural racism and social disadvantage that we face today.

As a result, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live out our lives overshadowed by ongoing and relentless experiences of trauma.

We warn people against drug and alcohol dependence however – society should always be safeguarding against ever creating trauma because it is what is at the root of our public health crisis.

But there are positive practices where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are stepping up to and creating their own responses to social disadvantage and trauma.

A few years ago in my own community of Fitzroy Crossing, a high spate of youth suicides and alcohol related deaths brought about deep sadness within the community – coroner inquests noted that many of these deaths were preventable.

It forced the women within my community to come together. We called for action on alcohol restrictions and we were met with much resistance, but we were determined to make things better for our community.

We had to imagine the long term, permanent healing of the gaping wounds left from alcohol abuse in our community.

We have a vested interest in the survival of our peoples and have to make hard decisions so that our people not only survive, but thrive. We also know that as Indigenous peoples, our contribution to the world is incredibly important.

We sat down with families to understand their needs, built relationships with the local police, with local businesses and government service departments. At the core of any discussion, our strengths as cultural people laid the foundations to overcome these challenges.

While not flawless, our approaches resulted in multipronged engagement across all sectors of the community and the delivery of wrap around services to assist families in need.

Just last week I attended a regional roundtable on alcohol management in the Kimberley and it was a pleasure to see a broader discussion and participation from more stakeholders sitting with the Aboriginal leadership and working through future steps to address this situation at a regional level. This is what is required for greater, lasting impact for change.

Children and Racism

Envisioning change, I would like to imagine what children and young people can be and give to the world when they are free from discrimination.

Our children and young people are our future – they are the next generation of leaders and lawmakers for our communities, they are the artists, scientist, writers and astronauts of tomorrow.

Even though we experience setbacks, our people are achieving great things! We now have over 200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have been awarded their PhDs, having reached the highest level of academic attainment in the Western system.

We must not lose sight of our positive gains.

We must dream big! Our children are capable of doing all of these things and we better start believing it otherwise it won’t become reality.

Almost 50 per cent of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is under the age of 22. That is a huge demographic coming through. [5]

We know that when a child is given the best start in life, that child succeeds throughout their life.

We all, of course, would like to see our children and young people succeed. It is incredibly exciting to think of what our children can become and about the type of modern and inclusive Australia they will inherit. We have no choice but to get things right!

Child Protection

This year also commemorates the 20 year anniversary of the Commission’s Bringing them Home Report, which highlighted the pain and suffering of the children and families of our Stolen Generations.

The Bringing them Home Report found that ‘between one in three and one in ten Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities between 1910 and 1970.’^[6]

Many of the descendants from the stolen generation still carry trauma of their removal and time separated from their families with them. Again, these laws are further evidence of the structural racism which has affected and inhibited the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The power of laws to control our movements and the survival and cultural practices of our peoples and the current rates of removals speak to the enduring effect of these policies which have paralysed us.

Knowing what we know now from the Bringing them Home Report, it is almost inconceivable that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children today are being removed at an even greater rate than when the report was released!

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are now almost 10 times more likely than non-Indigenous children to be in the out-of-home care system and numbers are set to triple by 2035.^[7]

This is a national tragedy.

The child protection system is meant to safeguard the rights of children, keep them safe with the best interests of the child being the primary consideration.

I also believe our communities are supposed to be where children feel safe and protected. In this regard, the child protection system has a role in strengthening families and ensuring the cultural security of communities.

If a child is under the protection of child welfare, we need to consider the ways that that child remains connected to their culture, identity and community, rather than be taken away, cut off from the things that may be able to provide ongoing strength throughout their life.

Juvenile Justice

It is sad to say, that the child protection system has become a prerequisite for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people to enter the justice system.

Alarmingly, more than half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged between 10-17 years are in juvenile detention.^[8]

Over the last few years, we have seen increasing numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people with complex behavioral and psychological needs being placed in the child protection and juvenile justice systems.

There are many things we can do now to begin to break this cycle of trauma however what we are dealing with now is not acceptable.

It is my view that these institutions are just not appropriately equipped to care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children generally, let alone our children with complex needs.^[9]

I have seen this in my own community, working with mothers, their children and families who are dealing with the effects of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder or FASD.

Some of the most vulnerable children in our communities are being exposed to irreparable harm and lifelong effects of trauma. We can prevent this but only if we understand, where it is coming from.

Our children and families need access to therapeutic educational programs to deal with the effects of early life trauma and complex health related illnesses such as FASD.

As our world is rapidly changing, these children will be waking as adults in a very different future. We have to consider giving them a future they deserve and equip them for what the future holds.

We need to end the all too common and disturbing life trajectory of our children – it is imperative that we break the circuit!

I’d like to briefly talk about the plight of a young Aboriginal man, Dylan Voller. Some of you may have seen the Four Corners program which exposed the abuse and neglect of children and young people, including Mr Voller in the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre in the Northern Territory.

The centre was previously a maximum-security adult prison, now it’s a maximum-security detention centre for youths – of all youths detained in the Northern Territory, 95% are Aboriginal.

Mr Voller had spent time in the child protection system and had a number of encounters with the law before he found himself in youth detention at the age of 11 years. The majority of his life to date has been spent in youth detention – what seems to be a revolving door for many of our young people that further descends down into a life in adult prison.

The treatment of Dylan Voller and other youth at the Don Dale Detention Centre was the tipping point for our nation.

The Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory has heard appalling evidence of neglect and abuse of youth detainees – from being denied toilet breaks during transportation and having to ‘go’ in their own clothing to being hooded in restraint chairs, the use of tear gas and children being left in solitary confinement, sometimes naked, for prolonged periods.

The purpose of youth detention is to detain and rehabilitate children who have broken the law. These institutions as they currently operate, are simply unable to do what is required to support our young people. We just cannot treat our children with violence and abuse and expect they will become non-violent law-abiding citizens.

As we await the Royal Commission’s findings and recommendations, more stories of prison guards and people in positions of power sexually harming children at the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre is distressing and simply unacceptable!

Although I am an optimist at heart, we must have hope and we must not give up demanding the change we need to heal our communities – our families and children.

I am quietly optimistic to hear that Mr Voller, now a young adult, has received a suspended sentence, which, with the right supports, provides him with a chance to grow with opportunities for a better future.^[10]

Institutional settings and racism

Though, I do also believe the recommendations in the Bringing them Home report are just as relevant today as they were 20 years ago. There is a resurgence and urgency to implement recommendations made in the past – now.

The Bringing them Home report set national legislative standards for:

the placement of Indigenous children in out-of-home care, and
for rules to be followed in every matter involving an Indigenous child or young person in the Juvenile justice system.

Despite attempts made over the years to provide some remedy for our kids in these institutional settings, the fact remains, far too many of our children:

are being placed with non-Indigenous carers,
are being separated from their siblings
are losing their connection to their community, country, language and culture and
far too many of our children are given custodial sentences for relatively minor offences – such as stealing a toothbrush because they are homeless.

Systemic racism is a major obstacle to addressing these issues and our peoples are tired of the decades of reports and inquiries that have captured the experiences of our peoples only to be left largely not actioned and not implemented.

Importance of healing and education

As I said earlier, our culture is our strength. The best form of resilience we can give to our children is the therapeutic healing which comes from strong identity, our traditional medicines and practices.

I also believe that through education, we can overcome many obstacles.

Self-determined models of education are paving the way for our children. I have heard incredible successes achieved by Aboriginal owned and run schools such as the Murri School in Queensland. They provide a holistic learning environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families with healing camps and make available daily family support services.

Education can provide a deeper understanding of the history, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It can foster the development of empathy – to understand what it really means to walk in the shoes of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person in this country.

We do have the power and responsibility as parents and elders to shape the thinking of our children. Their minds are like sponges, they are smart and when given the opportunity, are hungry to learn.

I’d like to encourage you all to be mentors and have high expectations of our children so they are encouraged to achieve and be their best person and so that racism has no place in their lives.

How can we rebuild and strengthen communities? We are beginning to see some education models taking the lead on this approach already. If we transfer the learnings and best practices from education settings to the child protection and youth justice arenas, our children may just have a chance in life.

The Australian Constitution and the Racial Discrimination Act

I’d also like to talk to you today about how the Australian Constitution is an instrument with the potential to both hinder and benefit the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

You don’t need to be a constitutional lawyer to know that the constitution wasn’t written with the inclusion of the First Peoples of this country in mind.

It is hard to imagine the drafters of the Australian constitution were not aware of the active social and political measures working at the time to deny, dehumanise or breed out our mere existence.

For the most part of the last two centuries, we have been oppressed and excluded from wider society – from our own lands, our home. This complete disregard or denial of our existence and the violent history of this nation is often referred to as the Great Australian Silence.

So for some, the constitution reminds us of the living examples of structural racism that frames our existence as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Our nation has been reflecting upon the historical achievements of the 1967 referendum half a century ago this year.

50 years ago, our fellow Australians stood alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, united in the desire for change. We know that not enough change has occurred in the subsequent five decades but our nation has an opportunity to complete that journey.

We know we just can’t continue to deny the rightful place Australia’s First Peoples have in this country. Moving forward together is our only option.

I’d like to provide you with a quote from Gularrwuy Yunupingu of the Yolngu people which I believe sums up the spirit by which we should be guided along this constitutional reform journey. Gularrwuy says,

What Aboriginal people ask is that the modern world now makes the sacrifices necessary to give us a real future. To relax its grip on us. To let us breathe, to let us be free of the determined control exerted on us to make us like you. And you should take that a step further and recognise us for who we are, and not who you want us to be. Let us be who we are – Aboriginal people in a modern world – and be proud of us. Acknowledge that we have survived the worst that the past had thrown at us, and we are here with our songs, our ceremonies, our land, our language and our people – our full identity. What a gift this is that we can give you, if you choose to accept us in a meaningful way’ – Gularrwuy Yunupingu^[11]

I was at Uluru a few months ago, when our people spoke about the structural changes needed for our nation to come together in a meaningful way – in mutual respect and reciprocity.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart, raises a series of challenges to the Parliament and people of Australia. It calls for:

constitutional reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country.
the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the constitution.
a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history.

These calls for structural change are not new. For generations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders have been calling for these things. Now more than ever, history and the future for our people to be self-determining needs to be set right!

In fact, indigenous peoples across the globe are feeling like this now, that although our desires for a more humane society aren’t new, the urgency to create it is. We have got to find a way to reground ourselves where we are able to pursue self- determination, which is primarily a collective right but it also recognises rights of individuals in pursuing a better life.

The changes made to the constitution in 1967 empowered the Commonwealth to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with the implied intention that these laws would be for our benefit.

While there are only limited examples, we have seen occasions where the Australian Constitution has served as a powerful instrument in asserting our right to be treated as equal citizens.

Ron Castan himself was adept in arguing for the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 to protect Indigenous peoples rights.

In Mabo No1, the High Court had to consider whether Queensland legislation aimed to extinguish the claimed rights of the Meriam people to the Murray Islands, was constitutionally valid.

The High Court agreed with Ron’s argument and found that the Queensland legislation contravened the Commonwealth Racial Discrimination Act 1975, applying the principle of non-discrimination in the enjoyment of property rights.^[12] And without the victory in Mabo 1, the High Court would not have heard Mabo 2.

For the most part, the Racial Discrimination Act has provided a degree of legal protection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who experience racial discrimination. However, it is important to note, the act has been suspended on three occasions at the expense of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights – one of those occasions was to enact the Northern Territory Emergency Response – or the Intervention as it has become known, 10 years ago.

Conclusion

For our peoples, emergency responses such as the intervention, inquiries and reports have become a substitute for action and whilst I have real hopes for what recommendations come out of the Don Dale commission, we know that real change requires a generational commitment not bound by political cycles – that works with us to shift how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are currently able to participate in Australian society.

We need structures, schools, safe spaces where we see ourselves reflected back to us, where we are respected, but also where our voices are heard. I don’t mean having a separate society for our peoples but one where we clearly see a place for ourselves in what exists around us. Sadly, many of our people do not see that as a part of their lived reality.

Decades of powerlessness and feeling voiceless have really led to where we have arrived at with the Uluru Statement, and more recently the Referendum Council report recommendations. They are demands from our peoples to finally address the structural racism, which the Australian nation is founded upon – in a way that gives our peoples a permanent say in the matters that affect us.

The nature of the challenge that we face is complex and overwhelming – but for the sake of our children, we must tackle this, one step at a time, one person at a time, one policy at a time. A voice gives us the ability to do that.

On that note I would like to finish with a comment about the legacy of Ron Castan. He was a man of extraordinary integrity and wisdom who understood well Australia’s history and contemporary social and political character. He was someone who, I remember as being a genuine believer in arguing the merits of a case for the benefit of this nation as a whole.

As we enter the serious process of political decision making about the appropriate question that the Australian Parliament decrees should be put to the Australian people at a Referendum about recognising Indigenous peoples in Australia’s Constitution, we should not shy away from being courageous and arguing for the right question.

And we should never underestimate or prejudge the wisdom of the Australian people who we know from the 27^th of May 1967 are more than capable of doing the right thing.

Thank you

Theme: Home

The 2017 Human Rights photo competition is now open.

The 2017 photo competition by the Australian Human Rights Commission explores the broad theme of Home, and we’ll showcase here a selection of the best photos you’ve sent us.

The theme is inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous quote: “Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home…”

About the competition

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.
Prize is a $600 voucher to spend at JB-Hifi, Apple or camera store.
The competition will close on 30 September 2017.

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

NACCHO supports Family Doctor Week #amafdw17 : Our ACCHO doctors – are the key to better physical and mental health for all our mob

” The key to a longer and healthier life is eliminating risky health habits and behaviours from your daily routine, and the best advice on minimising health risks is available from your local GP

Many Australians face the prospect of a premature death or lower quality of life through risky behaviours that are often commonplace, but are still very detrimental to their health.

Many people may not even realise that they are putting themselves, and sometimes others, at risk through everyday poor health habits and decisions

AMA President, Dr Michael Gannon pictured above recently visiting Danila Dilba ACCHO Darwin with NACCHO Chair Matthew Cooke

Launching AMA Family Doctor Week 2017 – the AMA’s special annual tribute to all Australia’s hardworking and dedicated GPs – AMA President, Dr Michael Gannon, urged all Australians to establish and maintain a close cooperative relationship with their local family doctor.

Photo above :All AMA Presidents from all states and Territories met at Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service (AHS) for Close the Gap Day Event : Winnunga is an Aboriginal community controlled ACCHO primary health care service for Canberra and the ACT community

See interview here : Dr Nadeem Siddiqui Executive Director Clinical Services Winnunga AMS ACT

Dr Gannon said that having a trusting professional relationship with a GP is the key to good health through all stages of life, for every member of the family.

“GPs are highly skilled health professionals and the cornerstone of quality health care in Australia,” Dr Gannon said.

“They provide expert and personal advice and care to keep people healthy and away from expensive hospital treatment.

“General practice provides outstanding value for every dollar of health expenditure, and deserves greater support from all governments.”

Dr Gannon said that 86 per cent of Australians visit a GP at least once every year, and the average Australian visits their GP around six times each year.

“Around 80 per cent of patients have a usual GP, which is the best way to manage your health throughout life,” Dr Gannon said.

“Your usual GP will be able to provide comprehensive care – with immediate access to your medical history and a long-term understanding of your health care needs, including things like allergies or medications.

NACCHO APP : Find an ACCHO Doctors at one of our 302 clinics

Photo above : The NACCHO App contains a geo locator, which will help you find the nearest Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation in your area and provides heath information online and telephone on a wide range of topics and where you can go to get more information or assistance should you need urgent help

Links to Download the APP HERE

“Family doctors are the highest trained general health professionals, with a minimum of 10 to 15 years training.

“They are the only health professionals trained to diagnose undifferentiated conditions and provide holistic care from the cradle to the grave

“Your GP, your family doctor, is all about you.

“When you are worried about your health, or just want to know how to take better care of your health, you should talk to your GP.”

View Interview Here : Dr Marjad Page Gidgee Healing Mt Isa Aboriginal Health In Aboriginal Hands

Dr Gannon said that the specialised work of GPs is in great demand due to the growing and ageing population, and because of health conditions that result from our contemporary lifestyles and diets.

“The importance of quality primary health care and preventive health advice has never been higher due to our modern way of life,” Dr Gannon said.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW):

45 per cent of Australians are not active enough for a healthy lifestyle;
95 per cent of Australians do not eat the recommended servings per day of fruit and vegetables;
63 per cent of Australians are overweight or obese;
27 per cent of Australians have a chronic disease;
21 per cent of Australians have two or more chronic diseases; and
20 per cent of Australians have had a mental disorder in the past 12 months.

“Our hardworking local GPs – our family doctors – are the key to better physical and mental health for all Australians,” Dr Gannon said.

“They provide quality expert health advice and help patients navigate their way through the health system to achieve the most appropriate care and treatment for their condition.

“Join the AMA in acknowledging their great work during Family Doctor Week.”

Follow all the FDW action on Twitter: #amafdw17

NACCHO Aboriginal Health Conference : Our #NACCHOagm17 Registrations , Partnerships , Speakers Expressions of Interest are now OPEN

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

On this page 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. Conference Poster : Jimmy Clements 1927- 2017

8. NACCHO Conference Website

9. #NACCHOAgm17 and social media

10.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

Register HERE

2. Booking Your Accommodation

The NACCHO 2017 Members’ Conference and Annual General Meeting will be held at the Hyatt Hotel Canberra. Our Accommodation Partners have secured discounted conference accommodation rates at both the Hyatt Hotel Canberra as well other nearby hotels. These rates are exclusive to attendees of the NACCHO Conference.

Hurry, as these rates are for a limited time only. Be sure to book early to secure your room!

Booking Your Accommodation HERE

3. Book Your Flights To Attend The NACCHO 2017 Conference

Take advantage of the dedicated NACCHO conference Flight Booking Portal, where you can book best fare of the day flights across all major carriers with zero booking fees!

Book Your Flights HERE

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

NACCHO is now calling for Expressions of Interest (EOI) from Member Services for speakers, case studies and table top presentations for the 2017 NACCHO Members’ Conference.

This is an opportunity to show case grass roots best practice at the Aboriginal Community Controlled service delivery level. In doing so honouring the theme of this year’s NACCHO Members’ Conference ‘Our Health Counts: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’.

You will receive a 10% discount to the Conference, either full or day registration however this (does not include voting-member registration) if your EOI is successful.

We are seeking EOIs for the following Conference Sessions:

Day 1 (31st October 2017)

Concurrent Session 1 (3.15 – 4.15 pm) – A historical legacy of our Member services, the health sector today and building capacity for the future.

EOI’s will focus on the title of this session within the context of Urban, Rural or Remote services. Each presentation will be 10-15 minutes.

Concurrent Session 2 (3.15 – 4.15 pm) – Workforce Innovation, Harnessing member resources in the sector, new Challenges and Opportunities to enhance our services.

EOI’s will focus on the title of this session within the context of Urban, Rural or Remote services. Each presentation will be 10-15 minutes.

Day 2 (1st November 2017)

Concurrent Session 3 (10.45-11.30 am) – Best Practice Primary Health Care for Clients with Chronic Disease

This concurrent session will present will present Case Studies on best practice primary health care for clients with chronic disease. EOIs on the following topics will be considered;

Engagement/Health Promotion
Models of Primary Health Care and
Clinical and Service Delivery.

Table Top Presentations (2.05-3.00 pm)

Presenters will rotate to each conference table and provide a brief presentation on a key project or program currently being delivered in their service. Presentation will be 10 minutes – 5 minutes to present and then a 5 minute discussion. Tabletop presentations will be more of an informal yarning session with up to 10 participants at each table.

How to submit an EOI

Please provide the following information and submit via email to NACCHO-AGM@naccho.org.au by COB Monday 21st August 2017.

Name of Member Service
Name of presenter(s)
Name of program
Name of session
Contact details: Phone | Mobile | Email

Provide the key points you want to cover – in no more than 500 words outline the program/ project/ topic you would like to present on. Describe how your presentation/case study supports the 2017 NACCHO Members’ Conference theme ‘Our Health Counts: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’.

Submit an EOI HERE

5. Social Program

The following events are anticipated to be held as part of the NACCHO Members’ Conference & AGM:

Monday 30th October: Welcome Conference Reception, Hyatt Hotel in Canberra
Tuesday 31st October: Songlines Exhibition and Cocktail event National Museum
Wednesday 1st November: NACCHO Karaoke Championship, Hyatt Hotel in Canberra

6.Conferences Partnership Sponsorship Opportunities

At the NACCHO Members’ Conference and Annual General Meeting we have a wide range of partnership opportunities for your organisation to engage, connect with and inform our members, their services and stakeholders.

2017 NACCHO Partnership Opportunities

Benefits of Partnership

This annual conference event is a great opportunity for your business to connect with over 300 decision makers and key influencers in the sector.

This conference helps drive debate and discussion about the current interests and concerns of over 140 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations in the year ahead.
Our network of members are in 302 clinics and health settings that have delivered almost 3 million episodes of care that was provided by almost 6,000 staff last year.
The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) staff and Member Services will be in attendance providing a perfect opportunity to engage and interact with our delegates first hand.
This is a unique opportunity for companies, not for profits and businesses to promote their products and services to our Member Services from all over Australia.
This event is being widely promoted throughout Australia through our social media platforms, by email, mail and via the NACCHO website.

The specific opportunities are described in the following sponsorship package.

NACCHO 2017 Members’ Conference – Partnership Opportunities at a glance

Major Sponsorships

Opportunities
Number Available
Price AUD (+GST)

NACCHO Annual Karaoke Championship Cup –

Wednesday 1st November Welcome Reception

– Tuesday 31st Octoberl
Exclusive
$3,000

Welcome Reception – Tuesday 31st October
Exclusive
$3,000

Opportunities	Number Available	Price AUD (+GST)
NACCHO Annual Karaoke Championship Cup – Wednesday 1st November Welcome Reception – Tuesday 31st Octoberl	Exclusive	$3,000
Welcome Reception – Tuesday 31st October	Exclusive	$3,000

Advertising Opportunities

Opportunities
Number Available
Price AUD (+GST)

Wi-Fi: Your organistion’s name used as password for NACCHO delegates to connect to the Conference Centre’s Wi-Fi
One
$800

Satchel Insert
Multiple
$500

Handbook – Full Page Advertisement
Multiple
$700

Handbook – Half Page Advertisement
Multiple
$500

Handbook – Quarter Page Advertisement
Multiple
$400

Opportunities	Number Available	Price AUD (+GST)
Wi-Fi: Your organistion’s name used as password for NACCHO delegates to connect to the Conference Centre’s Wi-Fi	One	$800
Satchel Insert	Multiple	$500
Handbook – Full Page Advertisement	Multiple	$700
Handbook – Half Page Advertisement	Multiple	$500
Handbook – Quarter Page Advertisement	Multiple	$400

Trade Exhibition Booth

Opportunities
Number Available
Price AUD (+GST)

Major sponsor: Coffee Lounge Trade Exhibition
Exclusive
$4,000

Trade Exhibition Table 3m x 2m
Twelve
$3,200

Opportunities	Number Available	Price AUD (+GST)
Major sponsor: Coffee Lounge Trade Exhibition	Exclusive	$4,000
Trade Exhibition Table 3m x 2m	Twelve	$3,200

7. Conference Poster : Jimmy Clements 1927 -2017

Download a copy of the NACCHO Conference poster to share

NACCHO 2017 Conference poster

For its poignancy and historical significance, is the image of Jimmy Clements, an old Wiradjuri man, sitting in the dust with his dogs and holding an Australian ensign, at the 1927 opening of Parliament House in Canberra.

Jimmy Clements (c. 1847 – 28 August 1927) was an Aboriginal elder from the Wiradjuri tribe , and was present at the opening of the Provisional Parliament House in Canberra on 9 May 1927.

He was also known as “King Billy”^[1] and also by Nangar or Yangar.^[2]

Clements and another Wiradjuri man, John Noble, had walked for nearly a week over the mountains from Brungle Mission near Gundagai, New South Wales.^[3]

The two men were the only indigenous people to attend the first opening of parliament.

Clements was initially told to move on by police at the ceremony due to his attire but due to popular support from other members of the crowd he was among prominent citizens who were presented to the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Elizabeth the Queen Mother).^[1]

The National Archives of Australia describes it as “possibly the first recorded instance of Aboriginal protest at Parliament House in Canberra”. It was the precursor to so much activism – from the 1938 Day of Mourning, the fight for recognition and much else in 1967, and the ongoing battle for land rights that manifested with the enduring tent embassy, just across the road, on Australia Day 1972.

The sign out front reads: Sovereignty never ceded.

Monash University’s Maryrose Casey wrote of Clements and Noble in the International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies: “Regardless of whether they were as unaware or indifferent to the meaning of the event, as is often suggested, their presence was a powerful act, contesting claims of the erasure of Indigenous people from the land and place.

Clements died on 28 August 1927, aged 80, in Queanbeyan, New South Wales near Canberra

See Guardian Article

He was one of the earliest practitioners of what the politics of visibility, of being present where you are not meant to be and where your presence creates discomfort.

8. NACCHO Conference Website

www.nacchoconference.com.au

9. #NACCHOAgm17 and social media

Connect HERE

10.NACCHO Conference HELP Contacts

Conference and Registration Enquiries

NACCHO Secretariat
T: (02) 6246 9347
E: NACCHO-AGM@naccho.org.au

ConferenceNational
T: 1300 79 20 30
E: registrations@conferencenational.com.au

Continue reading →

NACCHO @aihw First report tracking progress against the Implementation Plan goals for the Aboriginal Health Plan 2013–2023

” This National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013–2023 report presents data for each of the 20 goals, and assesses progress against the goals at the national level.”

See full interactive report here

In October 2015, the Australian Government released the Implementation Plan for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013–2023.

The Implementation Plan outlines the actions to be taken by the Australian Government, the Aboriginal community controlled health sector, and other key stakeholders to give effect to the vision, principles, priorities, and strategies of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013–2023.

The Implementation Plan has set goals to be achieved by 2023 for 20 indicators.

These goals were developed to complement the existing COAG Closing the Gap targets, and focus on prevention and early intervention across the life course.

For more information on the Implementation Plan, its vision and the context for its goals, see the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013–2023.

This report presents data for each of the 20 goals, and assesses progress against the goals at the national level.

For information about the selection of goals, and technical details about each goal, see the Implementation Plan goals for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013–2023: technical companion document.

Select from HERE a domain to filter the goals:

Aboriginal Health Media Alert @AlanTudgeMP Speech : “No child will live in poverty” – 30 years later, a new direction

Entrenched disadvantage

” Entrenched disadvantage or impoverishment is perhaps the toughest overall challenge in Australia, but arguably the most important to address. We cannot solve it by doubling the number of services once again. We cannot solve it by having another step-increase in welfare payments.

Rather, we need collectively to put our minds to the underlying factors, which have changed since Hawke’s day, and be clear eyed about how to tackle them.”

Social fabric of communities declined ?

” Noel Pearson frequently notes that over the last 30 or 40 years, despite formal racism ending and a huge increase in money invested in remote communities, the social fabric of them has declined.

The dysfunction that characterises many of the remote communities today was not there in the 60s and 70s. Children went to school then; the men had jobs; and the respect for elders was strong.”

Are Aboriginal communities over serviced ?

” In Aboriginal communities, the extent of service growth has reached close to saturation level. The Auditor-General found that Aboriginal communities now have one service for every five residents. At the time of writing its report in 2013, it found that Wilcannia, for example, had 102 funded services from 18 state and federal agencies, with 17 further proposed. Its Indigenous population was 474.

In other areas, there are a similar array of services. They are not always coordinated and some are more useful than others. But along with welfare increases, the services sector has meant that we have a situation today where no one need go hungry.”

Welfare and cash less Debit cards

” I have been overseeing the development and implementation of the Cashless Debit Card for the last two years, which works to limit the amount of welfare cash than can be spent on drugs and alcohol. To date it is working effectively and we plan on expanding it further. Thirty one percent of participants say they are better able to care for their children as a result.

In addition, we are introducing trials of drug testing of welfare recipients to identify issues and assist them to get off their addictions.”

The Hon Alan Tudge MP Minister for Human Services July 20

Watch video here

Thirty years ago, almost to the day, the then Prime Minister Bob Hawke made the statement that by 1990, “no Australian child will live in poverty.” It was a powerful message, signalling that government policy would be geared towards those least fortunate and least capable of looking after themselves.

But thirty years on, poverty still exists among children and more generally. On just one measure, around 29,000 children are homeless at some point in any given year. We are one of the richest countries in the world, and have experienced 25 years of uninterrupted economic growth, yet impoverishment still exists in our nation. How can this be?

Today, I would like to discuss the nature of poverty in Australia, particularly amongst children, and how we are faring 30 years after Hawke’s pledge. My main argument is that the primary approach to tackling child poverty over the last 30 years – higher income support payments and more community services – will not provide the solution to significantly reducing entrenched impoverishment over the next 30 years.

Rather, we will have to collectively address what I call the ‘pathways to poverty’ more systemically. These include welfare and other dependencies, poor education standards and family breakdown. This is the focus of much of the government’s efforts.

POVERTY IN AUSTRALIA

There is no good single definition of poverty. The most commonly cited definition, and that used by the OECD, is that a person is in poverty when their disposable income is less than 50 percent of that of the median household income.

On this measure, there are three million Australians living in poverty, including 731,000 children (17.4 percent of all children), according to the last Poverty Report by ACOSS. Compared to a decade ago, the poverty rate – again using this measure – has slightly dropped overall, but the proportion of children living in poverty has increased by two percent.

This measure of poverty is useful in identifying the pockets of low income and for highlighting wealth inequality. For example, it shows that children in lone parent families are more than three times more likely to be in the low income category than children in coupled families. But this is about the end of its usefulness. The measure says nothing about the absolute level of income. As long as there was any wealth inequality, the measure would say that there was poverty, even if everyone was very well off in absolute terms. Moreover, it would suggest that if we made middle income Australians worse off, the poverty rate would decline because the median income would dip.

Absolute poverty or absolute deprivation is a more useful measure for assessing the well-being of very poor Australians. That is, can people afford the basics for themselves and their children such as food, clothing, shelter and education? I believe this is also how most Australians would conceptualise poverty and what they would be concerned about from a policy perspective.

On this measure, we are doing better in large part because of the approach to impoverishment over the last 30 years: higher social security payments and an increase in the number of social services. The Parliamentary Library notes “over the last thirty years, a combination of income transfer and program responses, such as funding for homelessness services, have more or less ameliorated the worst effects of poverty for most Australians… Few Australians live in absolute poverty.”

This is not surprising when one examines the welfare payment increases over this time. For example:

 A couple on an unemployment benefit with one to two children today receives between 27 percent and 38 percent more in real terms than they would have done thirty years ago.
 A single parent on an unemployment benefit with one to two children today receives between 34 percent and 67 percent more in real terms than they would have done thirty years ago.
 A person on an unemployment benefit without children today receives around 10 percent more in real terms than thirty years ago.

Today, an unemployed couple with three children would receive about $48,000 in welfare payments each year. This is the equivalent to a $60,000 salary. A single mother on a parenting payment with two children would receive over $31,000 in payments each year. On top of that, they may be eligible for a public house and many other free services. The welfare system allows for advances on payments and emergency payments in times of crisis. Tens of millions is provided in the form of emergency relief on top of this.

These figures I quote are not a lot of money, but nor is it complete deprivation. It is a good safety net to ensure that no one need go hungry or without clothing, shelter and the basics.

The greatest challenge is perhaps being an unemployed person with no children. This payment is modest, but as the Minister for Social Services, Christian Porter, has pointed out, the number of unemployed people who live just on this payment is very small – less than one percent – and then they typically come off the payment quickly.

The increases in welfare payments described above has been complemented by a significant increase in social services over the last 30 years. Today, there are programs and services for a vast array of social problems; homelessness, activities after school, breakfast programs, domestic violence initiatives, mental health, youth programs and more.

In Aboriginal communities, the extent of service growth has reached close to saturation level. The Auditor-General found that Aboriginal communities now have one service for every five residents. At the time of writing its report in 2013, it found that Wilcannia, for example, had 102 funded services from 18 state and federal agencies, with 17 further proposed. Its Indigenous population was 474.

This does not mean that people don’t struggle. We know they do. The Social Policy Research Centre survey in 2010 found, for example, that almost one in five have insufficient funds to have a week’s holiday away from home each year; almost one in ten struggled to get comprehensive home or car insurance and many struggled to afford regular dental checks.

There are still very significant problems, which I will come to, but we should be collectively proud that absolute poverty is now rare in Australia.

However, while absolute poverty is rare, impoverishment still exists in many pockets. We see it acutely in remote Indigenous communities, but it is apparent in many other pockets of Australia including in the suburbs of our largest cities.

It is not complete lack of income that is always the problem, but a general dysfunction that means that children’s potential is not able to be maximised.

The most acute and tragic example of this is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, which affects an estimated 25 percent of babies in some places. In essence, their brain is affected from the alcohol abuse of their mother.

Over 225,000 children suffer from abuse or neglect or were at risk of suffering from this last year – a “national shame” according to Father Frank Brennan.

As I mentioned at the outset, around 29,000 children are homeless at some stage in any given year.

Around 1 in 14 Year 9 students (7 percent) do not meet the national minimum standard for reading. Thousands of young Australians go through the education system and remain functionally illiterate. I have met teenagers who sign their name with an ‘X’.

One in eight children live in a jobless household.

This is the real impoverishment today and comes about despite the increases in welfare payments, increases in social services and an economy which has grown for 25 years straight.

Noel Pearson frequently notes that over the last 30 or 40 years, despite formal racism ending and a huge increase in money invested in remote communities, the social fabric of them has declined. The dysfunction that characterises many of the remote communities today was not there in the 60s and 70s. Children went to school then; the men had jobs; and the respect for elders was strong.

But it is not an indigenous issue; it is a human issue. It is just that we see the issues most acutely in the remote communities and, therefore, they provide lessons for the rest of Australia.

And this comes to my main point. Few suggest that increasing the level of welfare payments and significantly increasing the number of services in remote locations will improve the circumstances of children in those areas. There are sometimes big payments delivered in the form of royalties (which is the equivalent of a large increase in income support payments) but they don’t make the difference.

This is the same across Australia. We have done well in alleviating absolute poverty through higher welfare payments and more social services, but this formula will not provide the step-change improvement to addressing modern impoverishment over the next thirty years.

My concern is that many in the social services sector and even many in the business community believe that an increase in welfare payments remains the primary solution to modern impoverishment. Further, the focus on higher payments means that less thought is given to the fundamental reasons why impoverishment exists despite the increases in payments over the years.

If more money was the answer, we would have solved many of the problems years ago. Unfortunately the challenges of modern impoverishment are more complex. We need the best minds put towards the issues in a more sophisticated manner. I would like to see the business groups and ACOSS, and other groups with a commitment to addressing disadvantage, examine the underlying issues of modern impoverishment as much as they argue for higher payments.

The goal must be broader than ending relative inequality (which underpins the standard definition of poverty) or even absolute poverty (which is largely, although not completely, addressed in Australia). Fundamentally, it is more about providing the best opportunity for children and adults to have the choice and opportunity to achieve their potential. In this regard, it is Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen’s definition of poverty that is most useful in my view.

That is, alleviation of poverty is actually about people having the capability and freedom to participate in society and choose their own destiny.

An Australian may be relatively wealthy in global terms and be without hunger or lack of clothing but if their education is poor, or they have drug or alcohol addictions, then their capabilities and choices will be limited. Their potential is not able to be realised.

PATHWAYS TO POVERTY

A good way to think about modern impoverishment and how we can better address it is to consider what I call the ‘pathways to poverty.’

This name – the pathways to poverty – and the framework that I want to briefly outline has come from the United Kingdom’s Centre for Social Justice. But my experience from working on indigenous issues for over 15 years and my work in the welfare portfolio informs my belief that it is also a useful framework for Australia. It is a useful framework for thinking about how to maximise choice and opportunity.

The Centre for Social Justice outlines five pathways to poverty that require attention.

The first is family breakdown. As the Centre for Social Justice notes, the “family is where the vast majority of us learn the fundamental skills for life; physically, emotionally and socially it is the context from which the rest of life flows.” Wherever there are strong families – regardless of their makeup – there are typically strong capable children. Children don’t tend to go hungry when part of a strong family.

Unfortunately, over the last few decades family breakdown and family dysfunction have become more common, particularly in the least advantaged sections of society.

One of the more remarkable changes of our society in the last 30 or 40 years is the growth in sole parent families. In the mid-1970s, 9.2 percent of families with children under 15 were sole parent; today it is 15.8 percent. I make no judgment on any of these families – I grew up in one of them – but a breakdown of family structure contributes to impoverishment for many. As I noted above, single parent families are more than three times more likely to be living in relative income poverty compared to couples with children.

Care for the elderly can also be compromised when families break apart.

The second pathway to poverty is ‘worklessness’. Work is the most effective route out of poverty, both in absolute and relative terms. If we examine ACOSS’s poverty report (which looks at relative poverty), we find that 62 percent of unemployed people are in their definition of poverty, whereas only four percent of full time workers fit their definition. By working, people’s capabilities are strengthened. The reverse is also true; long term welfare dependence diminishes capability and confidence.

It is commonly said, and it is true, that the best form of welfare is a job.

Our goal must be not only the creation of jobs – which is central to the government’s agenda – but the elimination of impediments to people taking up work when it is available.

Reducing welfare dependency is a critical part of the welfare reform agenda, which Minister Porter, the Minister for Employment, Michaelia Cash and I have been leading. We have strengthened the compliance system to encourage able people to maximise their opportunities of finding work. Minister Porter has initiated the Priority Investment approach (modelled from the successful New Zealand initiative) to fund and harness the ideas of the private and community sector to reduce dependency and encourage people into work. Minister Cash has initiated the PaTH program to reduce the risk to businesses of offering opportunities to unemployed people and to encourage those people to take them up. We now have mobility incentives in place so that people are more able to move if work is not available in the immediate region.

This is a huge task to address what, in many cases, has become intergenerational welfare dependence. But it is essential work to addressing impoverishment.

The third pathway is drug and alcohol addictions. This is a further factor that is seen acutely in remote communities, but is increasingly common throughout disadvantaged communities across Australia. The Centre for Social Justice summarises it well; “Addiction to drugs and alcohol remains a shocking feature of life in many disadvantaged neighbourhoods. It shreds the fabric our society. It wrecks families, ruins childhood, causes mental illness, encourages welfare dependency, and fuels a revolving door of crime and incarceration.”

This has got worse in recent decades and there is no easy solution to this.

A great deal has been done to crack down on the supply of drugs (and in some places to limit alcohol availability). But with drugs like ‘ice’, which is synthetic and easily manufactured, we will never be able to beat it on the supply side alone.

This is why we have been looking at the demand side, as well as providing structured support to assist people get off their addiction.

I have been overseeing the development and implementation of the Cashless Debit Card for the last two years, which works to limit the amount of welfare cash than can be spent on drugs and alcohol. To date it is working effectively and we plan on expanding it further. Thirty one percent of participants say they are better able to care for their children as a result.

In addition, we are introducing trials of drug testing of welfare recipients to identify issues and assist them to get off their addictions.

We are also reforming the reasonable excuse rules for job-seekers so that their addiction is only accepted as a reasonable excuse for non-compliance with their mutual obligations if they are receiving treatment for their addition.

This has been complemented by the provision of over $685 million for treatment and support services.

Ultimately, though, we need to change cultural attitudes towards drug taking. Most young people still take drugs for the first time because of social reasons. We have changed cultural attitudes towards other addictions, including smoking, and can do so with drugs.

The fourth pathway is education failure. Australia has a very good education system but there is complete education failure in some pockets. In the Northern Territory, only a quarter of children attend school often enough to learn effectively (which is about 80 percent of the time). Thousands of children leave the school system after ten years functionally illiterate.

Again, this is neither an indigenous issue, nor one that has always been apparent. Rather, it is apparent in the suburbs of our cities, and at least in the indigenous context, has got worse in the last few decades. In the 1970’s, schooling was the norm with Noel Pearson reflecting that no one from his grandfather’s generation was illiterate.

Their income might be higher today, but a child who is functionally illiterate has few options in life.

While the states and territories have primary responsibility for school education, the Turnbull Government is contributing, including through its indigenous education initiatives as well as the extra funding to the Smith Family’s Learning for Life program.

The final pathway is indebtedness and lack of financial capability. If one is not in control of their finances, it is very difficult to be in control of one’s life. There is little data on the extent of this problem at the most disadvantaged end of the spectrum. In 2013-14, 30 percent of low income households had household debt three or more times the household disposable income. This is up from 22 percent a decade earlier. The Social Policy Research Centre survey, that I mentioned earlier, found that 18 percent of people did not have $500 in savings for an emergency situation.

There are several programs in place to try and alleviate this problem, but I am not convinced that we have the formula just right yet. For example, we provide $100 million each year to improve people’s financial wellbeing or capability, yet only 4 percent of people who seek emergency relief are connected to financial management assistance. One in five people with more than 50 percent of their income from welfare say they have difficulty understanding financial matters.

We need to do better in this space, acknowledging that some have very basic capability and, therefore, need quite intense income management while others would benefit from financial management assistance to be on a much better footing.

CONCLUSION

These ‘pathways to poverty’ can be debated by well-meaning people. Some of them interact with each other and, perhaps, there are other factors that should be included, such as housing security and mental health.

My intent in outlining this framework was not to provide the solution to each of the problems – an impossible task in 30 minutes – but to provide an alternative way to think about impoverishment in Australia today and a flavour of government initiatives which contribute towards alleviating it.

Entrenched disadvantage or impoverishment is perhaps the toughest overall challenge in Australia, but arguably the most important to address. We cannot solve it by doubling the number of services once again. We cannot solve it by having another step-increase in welfare payments.

Rather, we need collectively to put our minds to the underlying factors, which have changed since Hawke’s day, and be clear eyed about how to tackle them.

NACCHO Aboriginal Health : #Healthcarehome ACCHO services starts roll out 1 October 2017

” During the stage one trial, 200 general practices and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in ten regions around Australia will start delivering Health Care Homes services.

Twenty practices will begin Health Care Home services on 1 October 2017. The other 180 will begin on 1 December 2017.

People with chronic and complex conditions, who could benefit from Health Care Homes’ flexible, coordinated care can enrol as Health Care Homes patients “

About Health Care Homes

One in four Australians have at least two chronic health conditions¹. For these people, our health system can seem hard to navigate and disjointed. Different health professionals and services work in isolation from each other; care is often un-coordinated; and patients can find it difficult to get to different services and appointments.

A Health Care Home is a general practice or Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) that coordinates care for patients with chronic and complex conditions

In an Australian first, 200 practices and ACCHS around Australia will soon begin trialling Health Care Homes. Twenty practices will begin Health Care Home services on 1 October 2017. The other 180 will begin on 1 December 2017.

People with chronic and complex conditions, who could benefit from Health Care Homes’ flexible, coordinated care can enrol as Health Care Homes patients.

A patient who is eligible can choose to enrol, and also chooses a GP – usually the GP they have already been seeing – who knows them, their health conditions and priorities. This doctor leads a care team which will look after that patient.

Together, a patient and their care team will then develop and follow a shared care plan which will:

set health goals
include strategies to help each patient better manage their conditions and improve their quality of life
identify the best local providers who can meet each patient’s needs.

In line with this plan, Health Care Homes will also coordinate that patient’s care. For example, if a patient sees their specialist or goes to hospital, their Health Care Home will follow up. That way, they know about all the care that person receives, both inside and outside the Health Care Home.

Rather than receiving a payment each time a patient has an appointment, Health Care Homes will be paid a monthly payment to care for a patient’s chronic and complex conditions. This flexible funding allows Health Care Homes to be innovative in the way they care for their patients.

Many people with chronic and complex conditions are bulk billed by their GP. Health Care Homes are encouraged to continue to bulk bill enrolled patients. However, it will be up to each Health Care Home to tell patients if they will pay a gap fee.

To find out more about Health Care Homes, go to www.health.gov.au/healthcarehomes

Newsletter July Extracts

1.Best-practice examples of chronic disease management in Australia

The aim of this resource is to showcase practical examples of how different clinics across Australia use a variety of patient-centred and best-practice approaches to chronic disease management.

You will find a series of practice snapshots, quotes and case studies, which help illustrate key components of Health Care Homes including:

Download Providers_practice case studies_coordinated carev.2

1.2 Engaging hard-to-reach patients: Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service

“We see some patients who live in the bush. They have multiple health issues — they are on multiple medications, have limited health literacy, English as a second language, low-socio economic circumstances and are transient.”

“They might come into the clinic for first-aid or for immediate health issues, but they rarely come in for their check-ups or for medication for their long-term conditions.”

“Instead they need to be followed up. We often find that they are not taking their medication, or not in the way it was intended.”

“We have care coordinators — either a registered nurse, an Aboriginal health worker or a staff member — who can case-manage the patient’s care. The care coordinators make sure the patient gets the full level of follow-up required. We also use an electronic recall system as part of the patient notes and have regular meetings to discuss complex patients.”

1.3 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service: advanced roles for nurses and Aboriginal health workers

“Our nurses and Aboriginal health workers (AHW) do a lot of case management and palliative care. This includes using telemedicine so that the patients can remain on country if they chose to die, rather than have further treatment.”

“They practice according to the Central Australian Rural Practitioners Association manual and clinical guidelines. These are the best practice clinical guidelines that registered nurses and AHWs follow to diagnose, treat, prescribe medications, order testing and refer patients.”

“They also do INR management, administer thrombolytic therapy and generally manage patients with complex conditions based on the registered care plans created by the doctors.”

“Our GPs oversee the medical management of patients, develop complex clinical care plans for other staff to administer, and review patients as referred by other team members when there are concerns with the management or condition of the patient. So the GPs are kind of like the conductor of the orchestra.”

2. Health Care Homes FAQs June 2017

Download Health Care Homes FAQs June 2017

Extracts Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS)

Will ACCHS be able to continue to access the other Commonwealth funding sources if they participate in stage one? If an ACCHS becomes a Health Care Home could they still also receive block funding for primary health care services?

Yes. Participating ACCHS can continue to access grant payments made under the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP), including funding for primary health care activity.

Funding for PHNs to commission integrated team care (ITC) services will also continue at current levels in stage one. An ACCHS which participates in Health Care Homes’ stage one will still be able to tender to provide ITC services.

If participation in the PIP eHealth Incentive (ePIP) is a requirement for practices to apply for Health Care Homes, will this exclude ACCHS if they are not ePIP registered?

All participating practices or ACCHS must register for ePIP before 1 December 2017.

If patients voluntarily enrol with a participating medical clinic, how will this work for transient patients?

Enrolled patients will still be able to access MBS benefits if they need to see a different health care provider outside their Health Care Home. Transient patients may be able to be treated by a number of Health Care Homes, where a lead Health Care Home would be nominated and manage the distribution of funds accordingly. Such arrangements would need to be negotiated between participating Health Care Homes.

For patients who move between communities and who are not able to nominate and agree to a preferred Health Care Home provider, MBS billing may be more suitable than Health Care Home enrolment.

Are patients who are being care coordinated under the Integrated Team Care (ITC) activity funded by the Department of Health/PHN eligible for Health Care Home services?

Patients receiving care coordination support under an ITC activity who also meet Health Care Home eligibility requirements can be considered for Health Care Home enrolment in stage one. The Health Care Home care planning process will include an assessment of the range of services that an enrolled patient is currently receiving or eligible to access. The resulting care plan and services received should complement and not duplicate the services provided to enrolled patients.

Evaluation

What sort of information will practices need to provide for the evaluation? What KPIs are proposed and will providers be measured on health outcomes, outputs or activities?

Stage one of Health Care Homes will be evaluated to establish what works best for different patients and practices and in different communities with different demographics. The evaluation will need to examine the implementation process as well as the impact of the model. Findings will be used to make refinements to the model before government consideration of any further national roll out.

Health Care Homes will be required to participate in the evaluation by providing data in a number of ways.

The evaluation is not designed to measure the performance of individual practices or providers. Data will be aggregated and then analysed to examine how the model worked in various situations and settings. Practices will provide de-identified patient data from clinical software using an automated extraction process.

An evaluation plan will be developed in 2017. It will include details on the indicators, measures and methods of data collection. It is expected that this will include a range of information on patient and provider experience, practice processes, such as referrals and recording of risk factors, and care provision methods, quality of care and service use. In addition, it is expected to include general clinical indicators, such as blood pressure, BMI or smoking status.

Health Care Home practices will also provide information through surveys and a sample of practices will also participate in interviews or focus groups. These methods will inform the evaluation of the implementation process, types of care provided to patients and changes to practice service delivery model.

As part of the data collection process, information may be fed back to practices to assist them to benchmark their progress against national and regional averages. This information may help practices in their quality improvement activities and may assist PHNs to better target practice support activities. In this case, practice level data would only be seen by the practice itself. Data provided to PHNs would be aggregated across all practices.

What sort of information will patients need to provide for the evaluation?

Patient experience of the Health Care Home model will be a key issue for the evaluation. Patients will likely provide data for the evaluation through participation in surveys, interviews and focus groups.

Patients will also be asked to consent to their de-identified clinical data being extracted from within practice information systems as well as to the linking of their MBS, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and hospital data for the purposes of the evaluation.

Patient participation in data collection for the evaluation will be voluntary.

Will there be a duplicate reporting requirement for ACCHS? For instance, ACCHS who report on National Aboriginal Health Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) using Pencat or Canning Tool?

The department will endeavour to minimise duplication wherever possible. One issue that will require consideration is that reporting on National Aboriginal Health KPIs is done at an aggregate level. In order to measure the effect of the Health Care Home model on patients across time, the evaluator will need to be able to link the data from individual patients across time points, and this is not likely to be possible using data that is aggregated at the practice level. The department will work with the Indigenous sector to determine the best use of available data.

How will reports be required? Electronically? Monthly?

Practices will provide de-identified patient data from clinical software using an automated extraction process. The timing and processes for data extraction, and other methods of evaluation data collection, is currently being considered. Outside of the evaluation data collection methods, there will be reporting requirements for Health Care Homes regarding enrolment and assurance activities.

3.KPMG report on payment model now available

Following the general advice provided by the ATO, the Department of Health commissioned KPMG to provide further information on the implications of the Health Care Home payment model for participating general practices and Aboriginal and Community Controlled Health Services in relation to their exposure to employment tax obligations.

Download KPMG – Health Care Homes employment tax information

This is now available here in Latest Updates: more information e-newsletters, fact sheets and booklets

Letters of offer sent out to selected Health Care Homes

Letters of offer, along with program information, are now being sent to selected general practices and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services. Participation of selected Health Care Homes will be confirmed when organisations formally accept. Stay tuned.

Check out our Health Care Home resources

For FAQs, fact sheets, case studies and e-newsletters, go to the Health Care Homes for health professionals‘ page then to more information e-newsletters, fact sheets and booklets. Other resources on this page include:

Health Care Homes information booklet
Minimum requirements of shared care plans fact sheet
Payment information fact sheet
Patient eligibility fact sheet
Stage one modelling fact sheet
Health Care Homes and the quadruple aim
Case studies: Best practice examples of chronic disease management
E-newsletters — you can subscribe to and see the latest Health Care Homes e-newsletters on the more information page.

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

1.QLD :Deadly Kindies give Indigenous children a great start

2.WA : Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (GRAMS) Women have Healthy futures and a yarn

3. SA : Newsletter from the Tackling Tobacco Team – Nunkuwarrin Yunti

4. VIC : VAHS Healthy Lifestyle Team solid workout

5. ACT : Winnunga Nimmityjah CEO Julie Tongs Speaking out

6. NSW : Yerin Newsletter 2nd Edition July 2017

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.QLD :Deadly Kindies give Indigenous children a great start

“We know that getting kids prepared for and engaged in education directly impacts the health and wellbeing of themselves, their families and their communities long into the future,”

And while these Kindy Kits give kids all the items they need for a day at kindy, making sure they are kindy-ready also relies on providing them with access to the range of services available through the IUIH Model of Care.

Such services include speech therapy, audiology and eye health checks to make sure they can participate and develop the skills they will need when they go to school.

We are already experiencing huge demand for the Deadly Kindykits.

Thanks to the support of ambassadors Johnathan Thurston and Beryl Friday, we are looking forward to this campaign resulting in more kids being up to date with their health checks, more kids being able to access additional health services they need, and more kids enrolling in kindy.”

IUIH CEO Adrian Carson said Deadly Kindies recognised the importance of education as a key social determinant of health.

Education Minister Kate Jones and ambassador Johnathan Thurston today officially launched a new campaign to get more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander enrolments in kindergarten.

Ms Jones said ‘Deadly Kindies’ – launched at C&KKoobara Aboriginal and Islander Kindergarten in Zillmere – was about giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children a better start to health and education.

“We want all Queensland children to get the best start to their education,” Ms Jones said.

“Deadly Kindies will encourage families to register their interest for kindy at their three and four-year-old’s health check.

“Families will be given an opportunity to register their young children for kindy and they will also receive a free Deadly Kindy Kit.

“The Kit includes kindy backpack, hat, blanket, sheet, lunchbox, library bag, water bottle and T-shirt.

“Families will also receive any necessary support and information they need to go ahead and enrol in a local kindergarten.

“The program ensures each child receives any health care required as a result of their eye, ear and other physical health assessment, which in turn ensures they can maximise their learning at kindy.“

Ms Jones said the Palaszczuk Government had invested $1.5 million to deliver the program through the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health.

“The campaign’s strength lies in its holistic approach to supporting Indigenous children, by linking better start to health with a better start to education,” she said.

“Deadly Kindies is part of our efforts to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kindergarten participation in Queensland to at least 95 per cent by 2018, up from 93.1 per cent in 2016.

“I thank football star Johnathan Thurston and netball star Beryl Friday for their invaluable support as official ambassadors for the Deadly Kindies campaign.”

More information: www.deadlykindies.com.au

2.WA : Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (GRAMS) Women have Healthy futures and a yarn

Indigenous women from across Geraldton are converging at Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (GRAMS) three times a week to enjoy craft, cuppas, and connection.

The women meet in the GRAMS ‘shed’ from 9.30am to 1.30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays to make items ranging from wreaths and quilts to bunting and bags.

GRAMS CEO Deborah Woods welcomed all Indigenous women to join the craft sessions, regardless of their artistic ability.

“The craft group is a really lovely way for Indigenous women to come together, to not only be creative but also to enjoy the camaraderie of working together creatively,” Ms Woods said.

“There are real social and mental health benefits in bringing people together to enjoy each other’s company while working on something creative and productive.

“Aside from the satisfaction in producing craftworks, we also enjoy all sorts of conversations – from sometimes deep and profound topics to the outright hilarious.”

Ms Woods said women who were not into craft were also welcome to attend to help produce a hot daily soup.

Attending the craft group is free, and includes access to tea and coffee facilities.

Anyone who takes part must first have completed a full women’s health check, get their flu shots and also have a GRAMS care plan.

The group encourages donations of craft wares, including artificial flowers, material off cuts, broken tiles and any craft equipment.

For more information, or to donate goods please, contact Volunteer Felicity Mourambine on 0484 138 155.

3. SA Newsletter from the Tackling Tobacco Team – Nunkuwarrin Yunti

Download the 10 Page

Tackling Tobacco Team – Nunkuwarrin Yunti Newsletter

newsletter-june2017v2-rs

4. VIC : VAHS Healthy Lifestyle Team solid workout

Great job to everyone who came in at 7:30am and smashed out a solid workout! You all smashed it And especially good job to Raylene from Bendigo & District Aboriginal Co-Operative & Rudy from Mallee District Aboriginal Services who came all the way to have an awesome session!

#vahsHLT #BeBrave #BePositive #BeStrong #StaySmokeFree

Aboriginal Quitline : Victorian Aboriginal Health Service : Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation Inc : National Best Practice Unit Tackling Indigenous Smoking

5. ACT : Winnunga Nimmityjah CEO Julie Tongs Speaking out

” The Australian Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator the Hon Nigel Scullion announced on 7 July that it was his intention from July 2018 only Aboriginal owned, managed and controlled organisations and businesses would be funded by the Commonwealth to deliver services under the Indigenous Advancement Strategy.

This decision by the Minister is one of the most profoundly important policy decisions to have been made for years in relation to the delivery of services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

Winnunga Nimmityjah CEO Julie Tongs

Watch NACCHO TV Interview with Julie Tongs

Read download 20 page Winnunga AHCS Newsletter July 2017

In making the announcement Minister Scullion said it was a decision taken on the back of incontrovertible evidence that the best outcomes being achieved under the IAS were those that were being delivered by local, community focused Indigenous managed and led organisations and businesses.

The Minister effectively asserted that the evidence was in, and that the practice of Governments in turning to mainstream and church based businesses, ahead of Aboriginal organisations, was producing sub-optimal outcomes for Aboriginal people and that the Commonwealth would from the beginning of the next financial year only make funding under the IAS available to Aboriginal businesses.

The next step in this process must be its extension to other programs and funding including of Indigenous specific programs managed by the States and Territories and of funding dispersed through the Public Health Network.

It was perhaps no coincidence that the Minister’s announcement coincided with the tenth anniversary of the disastrous and racist bi partisan ‘intervention’ in the Northern Territory.

Ms Pat Anderson, one of the authors of ‘Little Children are Sacred’ and currently chairperson of the Lowitja Institute has previously summarised the rationale of Minister Scullion’s decision to turn to Aboriginal organisations for the delivery of services as being that one of the most important determinants of health is ‘control’.

She said: ‘Practically this means any policy aimed at reducing the disadvantage of our communities must ask itself how it will increase the ability of Aboriginal people, families and communities to take control over their own lives.’

This is the point I have made repeatedly to ACT Government Ministers and officials, most particularly and forcefully in recent times in relation to the exclusion of any Aboriginal community involvement in programs such as Strengthening Families, A Step Up for Our Kids,

Through care, supported housing, care and protection, childcare, aged care or justice. The default practice in the ACT is for the Government to turn to precisely the organisations that Minister Scullion has said the evidence shows produce sub-optimal outcomes for Aboriginal people, namely non-Aboriginal mainstream businesses and church backed businesses. Organisations which the Minister has now said will, on the basis of all the evidence, no longer be funded by the Commonwealth.

6. NSW : Yerin Newsletter 2nd Edition July 2017

VIEW ALL PAGES HERE

NACCHO Aboriginal Health #Alcohol and other #drugs : New online tools for the Aboriginal #AOD Sector

The Australian Indigenous Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre (AODKC) have added a suite of online resources which are now available on the website.

Read over 170 NACCHO Alcohol and other Drugs articles published over past 5 years

Designed to inform and educate the sector these new resources include:

1.Two short animated films on illicit drug use and volatile substance use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

2.Two infographics providing the key facts about illicit drug use and volatile substance use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

2.1 Download as PDF Key facts illicit drug use

2.2 Download as PDF Key facts illicit drug use

3. Two HealthInfoBytes; one about the Knowledge Centre’s tobacco web resources and the other about the latest Volatile substance use review.

These resources are in addition to two recently published eBooks and webinar recordings on topics which include ice and alcohol harm reduction.

HealthInfoNet Director, Professor Neil Drew says ‘These latest additions to our digital communication media takes into account the many ways people learn, what their level of education is and how much time they have or how much detail they need.

These new AOD resources complement our existing suite of digital tools and new platforms to deliver knowledge and information to the sector.

We know that there is a need for up to date evidence-based information to assist those working in the AOD sector.’

You can view all of the Knowledge Centre HealthInfoBytes and Webinars on the HealthInfoNet YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/healthinfonet

The Knowledge Centre provides online access to a comprehensive collection of relevant, evidence-based, current and culturally appropriate alcohol and other drug (AOD) knowledge-support and decision-support materials and information that can be used in the prevention, identification and management of alcohol and other drug use in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.

A yarning place, a workers portal and community portal are other key resources.

The work of the Knowledge Centre is supported by a collaborative partnership with the three national alcohol and other drug research centres (the National Drug Research Institute, the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction, and the National Drug and

Drug and Alcohol Research Centre). www.aodknowledgecentre.net.au

NACCHO This weeks Aboriginal Health #Jobalerts : #Aboriginal Health Workers #Nursing #Midwives

This weeks #Jobalerts

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

1.Generalist HR role Central Australian Aboriginal Congress

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

3-4 Jullums Lismore AMS Registered Nurse / Child and Family Nurse and Aboriginal Health Worker/ Practitioner

5. Rekindling The Spirit : Positions Vacant – Counsellors

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

7.Chronic Kidney Disease Educator – Derby (KRS)

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

9. Bega Garnbirringu Health Services ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH WORKER

10.Nunkuwarrin Yunti Child Health Nurse – 24 July

11. Nunkuwarrin Yunti Community Midwife – 24 July

12-13 . Two positions at the Healing Foundation – 21 July

How to submit a Indigenous Health #jobalert ?

NACCHO Affiliate , Member , Government Department or stakeholder

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.Generalist HR role Central Australian Aboriginal Congress

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

2. 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

3-4 Jullums 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

5. 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

6.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

7.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

8.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

9. Bega Garnbirringu Health Services ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH WORKER

The primary purpose of this position is to assist in the development and delivery of Environmental Health education programs, and to undertake Environmental Health tasks with clients and outlying Communities including but not limited to: pest control, dog control, yard/community clean ups, preventative health promotion and other tasks as required.

The successful application must possess a qualification in Environmental Health, a current driver’s licence, current police certificate and the ability to travel on outreach is essential.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.

Bega Garnbirringu Health Services (Bega) is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation based in Kalgoorlie. Bega has a strong commitment to providing culturally appropriate and sustainable service delivery. We are rapidly becoming renowned as an employer of choice due to our positive work environment and very attractive terms and conditions. These include a 35-hour week, up to 5 weeks’ leave, salary sacrifice options, professional development opportunities and onsite childcare facilities.

A detailed position description can be downloaded from our website http://www.bega.org.aurequested via emailmailto:recruitment@bega.org.au or by calling the Human Resource Officer on 08 9022 5500.

Applications close 4.00pm, Friday, 21 July 2017

10.Nunkuwarrin Yunti Child Health Nurse

Opportunity to make a difference and support optimal outcomes for Aboriginal children and families

Ongoing, part time position 0.4FTE

Attractive Remuneration package

Starting salary $69,362 Pro Rata + Super + access to Salary sacrifice

About Nunkuwarrin Yunti of South Australia Inc

The Organisation places a strong focus on a client centred approach to the delivery of services and a collaborative working culture to achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients.

About the Role

The Child Health Nurse is located in the MCH Team in the Women Children and Family Health Unit.

The Unit aims to support safe nurturing environments for pregnant women, infants and children, increase uptake and utilisation of services with an emphasis on early intervention and prevention, provide streamlined coordinated care and positive experiences for clients to encourage continued engagement with services.

For infants and young children aged 0-5 the focus of services is on physical health, cognitive, psychosocial and behavioural development to improve the health of Aboriginal children.

The primary role of the Child Health Nurse is to:

Provide proficient infant child and family nursing services in accordance with best practice standards and guidelines
Plan, implement and coordinate appropriate service delivery options including those of other disciplines or agencies as required to meet infant and child health care needs
Provide day-to-day supervision of care within the team and act to resolve local and/or immediate nursing care or service delivery problems
Demonstrate and promote an approach to practice that supports the implementation and maintenance of systems to protect clients and staff
Integrate theoretical knowledge, evidence from a range of sources and own experience to devise and achieve agreed client care outcomes
Engage in continuous quality improvement and change management processes

Contribute to effective multi-disciplinary teams, communication processes and staff development

Liaise with external agencies as necessaryClick here to download the (Application Form)The Child Health Nurse is required to be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Authority (AHPRA) Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and have a minimum of three years of demonstrated vocational experience in a Primary Health Care setting consistent with the position’s role and responsibilities.

Applications to include completed Application Form, Resume and Covering Letter including brief statements against the following 4 points:

About You

Click here to download the (J&P)

Your experience in child and family health within a comprehensive primary health care context
Your experience of working effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander co-workers, clients and communities
Your knowledge and understanding of issues which may impact on Aboriginal maternal child and family wellbeing
Why you think you would be the best person for the role

Further information: Contact Clare Levy, MCH Coordinator clarel@nunku.org.au Telephone 0419140170 or 8406 1600

Applications to: Ms Jynaya Smith, Human Resource Administration Officer jynayam@nunku.org.au

Note – current driver’s license and National Police Check required prior to employment

ABORIGINAL PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

APPLICATIONS CLOSE DATE – COB MONDAY 24^th JULY 2017

11. Nunkuwarrin Yunti Community Midwife

Opportunity to make a difference and support optimal outcomes for pregnant women and Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander babies

Ongoing, Full time position

Attractive Remuneration package

Starting salary $69,362 + Super + access to Salary sacrifice

About Nunkuwarrin Yunti of South Australia Inc

Nunkuwarrin Yunti aims to promote and deliver improvement in the health and wellbeing of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the greater metropolitan area of Adelaide and to advance their social, cultural and economic status. The Organisation places a strong focus on a client centred approach to the delivery of services and a collaborative working culture to achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients.

About the Role

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team of highly skilled health professionals, you’ll have the opportunity to provide a wrap around, holistic service for your clients. The Community Midwife is located in the MCH Team in the Women Children and Family Health Unit. The Unit aims to support safe nurturing environments for pregnant women, infants and children, increase uptake and utilisation of services with an emphasis on early intervention and prevention, provide streamlined coordinated care and positive experiences for clients to encourage continued engagement with services.

The primary role of the Community Midwife is to:

Facilitate the provision of a coordinated, safe and effective antenatal and postnatal care, health counselling and primary health care to women and their families, in partnership with the Aboriginal Health Workers and Aboriginal Health Practitioners, GPs and staff in birthing hospitals
Provide support to clients and families, through assessment and appropriate referrals to internal and external service providers
Coordinate and participate in home visiting where appropriate
Develop and implement culturally appropriate antenatal groups
In partnership with Aboriginal Health Workers and Aboriginal Health Practitioners develop and maintain suitable, evidence based, health promotion and information resources for pregnant women and their families.
Contribute to quality management systems and continuous improvement processes

Click here to download the (J&P)

Click here to download the (Application Form)

About You

The Community Midwife is required to be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Authority (AHPRA) Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and have a minimum of three years of demonstrated vocational experience in a Primary Health Care setting consistent with the position’s role and responsibilities.

Applications to include completed Application Form, Resume and Covering Letter including brief statements against the following 4 points:

Your experience in delivery of antenatal and postnatal care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women within a comprehensive primary health care context
Your experience of working effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander co-workers, clients and communities
Your knowledge and understanding of issues which may impact on Aboriginal maternal child and family wellbeing
Why you think you would be the best person for the role

Further information: Contact Clare Levy, MCH Coordinator clarel@nunku.org.au Telephone 0419140170 or 8406 1600

Applications to: Ms Jynaya Smith, Human Resource Administration Officer jynayam@nunku.org.au

Note – current driver’s license and National Police Check required prior to employment

ABORIGINAL PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED MONDAY 24^TH JULY 2017

12-13 : Two positions at the Healing Foundation

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NACCHO Aboriginal Health and Smoking : Download Tackling Indigenous Smoking Program prelim. evaluation report

” The overall goal of the national Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) program is to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through local population specific efforts to reduce harm from tobacco.

The purpose of this preliminary report is to provide a mid-term evaluation of progress to date in implementing the first year of the three year (2015-2018) TIS program.

The TIS programme with a budget of $116.8 million over 3 years ($35.3 million in 2015-16; $37.5 million in 2016-17 and $44 million in 2017-18) was announced by the Government, on 29 May 2015.”

Download 133 page PDF report Here :

NACCHO Download Dept Health Tackling Indigenous Smoking Evaluation June 2017

” The report found the program is operating effectively, using proven approaches to change smoking behaviours, and delivering evidence-based local tobacco health promotion activities. I am pleased the report recommends it continues,

Smoking is the most preventable cause of disease and early death among Aboriginal people and accounts for almost one-quarter of the difference in average health outcomes between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

“The program provides grants in 37 urban, rural, regional and remote areas to assist local communities to develop localised anti-smoking campaigns ”

Minister Ken Wyatt

Read over 100 plus NACCHO articles published in past 5 years

This mid-term evaluation looks at progress to date of the TIS program, particularly in terms of regional grants delivering localised Indigenous tobacco interventions.

Source of intro

See list all 35 Recipients below

It does not look at long-term impact in relation to a reduction of smoking rates at a national level.

Findings focus on (see in full below 1-9)

the shift to TIS
community engagement and partnerships
localised health promotion
access to quit support
contribution to evidence base
National Best Practice Unit and TIS portal
governance and communications.

A number of key recommendations emerging from the evaluation are included in the report.(see Below Part 2)

Findings

1. Shift to TIS

Since the implementation of the TIS program, all grant recipients are primarily focused on planning for, and/or delivering, targeted and tailored activities that directly address reduction of smoking prevalence within communities.

For some grant recipients, broader health promotion activities without a clear link to tobacco reduction have dropped off significantly as a result of the shift to TIS, whilst for others the integration of healthy lifestyle and tobacco control strategies has been successful. There are varying degrees of clarity among grant recipients about the extent to which there is flexibility to tap into healthy lifestyle activities under the new guidelines.

2.Community engagement and partnerships

Community engagement and involvement in the design and planning of localised TIS programs is a key priority for grant recipients, and a key indicator of successful TIS activities.

While challenges were identified in terms of handling competing priorities in community, adhering to cultural protocols, and the change in focus of the TIS program and uncertainty about ongoing funding, in the main, grant recipients have demonstrated substantial progress in involving community in design and planning and garnering support for TIS activities.

This is evidenced by the popularity of community events hosted/attended by the TIS team and the proactivity of local community and Elders in advocating for tobacco control.

The success of the TIS program and the capacity for grant recipients to operate as a multi-level population health program in their region is highly dependent upon the quality and reach of partnerships between grant recipients and other agencies/organisations.

Whilst challenges to regional collaborations were reported, overall there has been a noticeable increase in the reporting of grant recipient collaboration and partnerships, representing an important shift to both a wider regional focus and wider community approach to tobacco reduction.

3.Localised health promotion

At the local level, a range of multi-component health promotion activities around tobacco control are being undertaken by grant recipients, in collaboration with external stakeholders. Local partnerships are crucial to the successful implementation of localised health promotion activities through facilitating access to priority populations, supporting capacity-building and enabling a broader population reach to achieve awareness and understanding of the health impacts of smoking and quitting pathways. viii

Increased levels of community support and ownership for local solutions to tackling Indigenous smoking are being seen across the TIS sites.

4.Community education

Community education, is being undertaken by all grant recipients. This manifests in a range of ways, including health promotion activities at community/sporting events, drama shows and comedy and social marketing.

The involvement of local champions and Elders in local education and awareness raising events and activities is recognised as central to tobacco control messages resonating with target audiences.

It has also been recognised that targeting priority groups, such as young people and pregnant women, requires the adaptation of messages so that they resonate with those groups.

Grant recipients are partnering with key local organisations (e.g. schools, other AMS etc.) to overcome some of the challenges around access to these priority groups.

Many grant recipients have established or showed progress in establishing social marketing campaigns to supplement other health promotion activities. Campaigns are developed largely through a strength-based approach, with ‘local faces and local places’ taking precedence. Grant recipients have acknowledged the challenges in measuring the impact of social marketing campaigns although some are demonstrating a commitment to collecting data on awareness, and influences on motivations and attempts to quit.

5.Smoke-free environments

An area that has been recognised by grant recipients as requiring attention is the promotion and establishment of smoke-free environments, particularly in rural and remote locations. Modelling smoke-free environments within the grant recipients’ own workplace is one way in which this issue is being addressed, with some evidence of success.

Challenges to the implementation of smoke-free workplaces include getting support from senior leaders or Board members who smoke, and organisations where tobacco control is not the main priority. Monitoring the compliance of smoke-free environments presented an additional challenge to grant recipients. Some external organisations have requested support to become smoke-free, and successful examples of smoke-free environments including smoke-free community events are evident.

Shifting attitudes around second-hand smoke (e.g. smoking indoors and in cars) and some evidence of behaviour change were reported by grant recipients and community members.

6.Access to quit support

TIS funded organisations are encouraged to take a systems approach to activity planning. The TIS program is part of a larger preventive health care system, all connected in different ways such as through referral pathways, and client appointments.

A key component of the TIS program is therefore enhancement of referral pathways and promoting access to quit support. Grant recipients have developed a range of opportunities for community members to achieve smoking cessation, with referral pathways having been established in two key areas: clinic-based referrals within their organisation and referrals made during localised TIS health promotion activities.

For some, successful referral pathways are dependent upon grant recipients partnering with external organisations.

Improving access to culturally appropriate support to quit has been a key focus of the grant recipients over the past 12 months.

Quitline enhancements are a component of the TIS program and data suggests that referrals to Quitline are higher in urban and some rural areas. Continuing to build strong partnerships between grant recipients and Quitline will be key to increasing referrals from local TIS programs into Quitline where appropriate.

Another key focus for grant recipients has been in increasing the skills of TIS workers and other professionals in contact with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to provide smoking cessation education and brief interventions. Quits kills training, and other smoking cessation education programs, have been accessed to support this goal.

7.Contributions to evidence base

The shift to delivering activities based in evidence and focusing more on outcomes than outputs has been welcomed by grant recipients, in the main, and has provided greater direction for activities and a goal to work towards.

A range of activities were undertaken by grant recipients to develop or strengthen their evidence base and work towards measurable outcomes. Collecting data remained challenging for some remote grant recipients operating in contexts with low literacy levels and where English is not the first language. Health service grant recipients wanting to collect population level data was also challenging when services are operating on different databases within a region and where there was an unwillingness to share data.

Overall, grant recipients expressed a willingness to focus on outcomes, and the confidence and capability to obtain data, although interpreting and reporting on data was presented as a challenge.

8.National Best Practice Unit and TIS portal

Advice and guidance around monitoring, measuring and further improving local TIS programs is provided to grant recipients through the NBPU TIS. Grant recipients have indicated that they value the support and advice provided through the NBPU TIS and this has aided in building their confidence and capacity to undertake monitoring and evaluation activities.

Some grant recipients reported that an additional level of support from NBPU TIS was needed. Resistance to change is common in any business when new processes are set in place. NBPU TIS therefore expected, and has witnessed, some resistance to this change. However, it continues to engage with grant recipients and support significant processes of change, not just reporting and compliance.

Another component of the work of the NBPU TIS is the development and ongoing maintenance and improvement of the Tackling Indigenous Smoking Resource and Information Centre (TISRIC) and its home, the TIS Portal (hosted by Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet).

Information and resources to support grant recipients in planning, monitoring, and evaluating activities, as well as information on workforce development is provided through the TIS Portal.

In addition, the Portal hosts an online forum (TIS Yarning Place) that enables grant recipients from across the country to share information and ask questions. Evaluation findings suggest that, whilst grant recipients are utilising the TIS Portal, some grant recipients have identified opportunities to enhance the useability of the TIS Portal.

9.Governance and communications

Various components of support are provided to grant recipients by the department and the NBPU TIS regarding the new focus and priorities and expectations of the TIS program.

To ensure consistent program messaging, and to enhance performance reporting, a range of initiatives were undertaken in the latter half of 2016 to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the various ‘players’ in the national TIS program.

The loss of experienced staff due to funding uncertainty has represented a significant challenge for several grant recipients in their planning and implementing activities.

Particularly in remote areas, recruitment has been an issue for many grant recipients due to the mix of skills demanded of TIS staff. Grant recipients report continued issues attracting and retaining staff with only short term contracts under the new TIS program.

Despite these concerns, indications are that providing grant recipients are given sufficient time and support to execute their Action Plans, they are on track for achieving stated tobacco reduction outcomes. The key risk to this is workforce stability, which would be mitigated by timely advice about the outcome of ongoing funding arrangements.

A number of key recommendations have emerged out of the evaluation findings:

Overall recommendations

1. Department: The TIS program in its current form should be continued, with a move away from short-term funding cycles.

2. Department: Provide immediate advice about the funding of TIS from June 2017 to end of current funding cycle.

Shift to TIS

3. Department: Provide clarity around what is allowable in relation to healthy lifestyle activities within the current iteration of the TIS program Community engagement and partnerships

4. Grant recipients: Continue to broker partnerships and leverage relationships.

5. NBPU TIS: Continue to build capability of grant recipients to broker partnerships and leverage relationships through the distribution and promotion of relevant resources.

Community education and awareness

6. Grant recipients: Continue to identify and prioritise key groups, especially pregnant women.

7. Grant recipients: Ensure evidence-based best practice community education models (including monitoring and evaluation approaches) are sought and adopted where appropriate.

8. NBPU TIS: Ensure the evidence-based best practice community education models (including monitoring and evaluation approaches) are available, particularly for priority target groups such as pregnant women and activities around social marketing.

Smoke-free environments

9. Grant recipients: Continue to explore implementing smoke-free workplaces and enhance support for smoke-free public spaces.

10. National Coordinator: Lead a dialogue between regional leaders, including CEOs, Board members of TIS and non-TIS funded organisations around establishing smoke-free environments.

Access to quitting support

11. Grant recipients: Continue to strengthen partnerships with Quitline and other quit support structures where appropriate. Contribution to larger evidence base

12. Grant recipients: Build on routine and existing data sources to reduce data collection burden.

National support

13. Grant recipients: Continue to seek feedback from NBPU TIS regarding M&E activities where required.

14. NBPU TIS: Continue to respond to feedback from GRs around M&E needs and TIS portal content and use ability.

15. Department: Articulate the role of the National coordinator in the context that the program has evolved and as such his role has evolved. Governance and communication

16. Department: Provide greater clarification of TIS funding parameters, especially in terms of incorporation of healthy lifestyle activities and one-on-one smoking cessation support.

The Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) regional tobacco control grants aim to improve the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through population health activities to reduce tobacco use. It is an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Health (DoH).

At the end of 2015, a number of organisations were notified of their success in gaining a TIS grant for culturally appropriate tobacco cessation programs. The grants were awarded to a variety of service providers across the nation.

The 35 organisations that have commenced their programs are:

Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia Inc. (AHCSA) (SA)
AHCWA The Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia (WA)
Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation (NT)
Apunipima Cape York Health Council (Qld)
Awabakal Ltd (NSW)
Bega Garnbirringu Health Services (WA)
Bullinah Aboriginal health Service (NSW)
Carbal Medical Centre (Qld)
Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Aboriginal Corporation (NT)
Dandenong and District Aborigines Co-operative Limited (Vic)
Danila Dilba Health Service (NT)
Flinders Island Aboriginal Association Inc (FIAAI) (TAS)
Galambila Aboriginal Health Service (NSW)
Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (WA)
Grand Pacific Health Limited (NSW)
Griffith Aboriginal Medical Service (NSW)
Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (QLD)
Katherine West Health Board Aboriginal Corporation (NT)
Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Incorporated (WA)
Lakes Entrance Aboriginal Health Association (LEAHA) (Vic)
Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation (NSW)
Mawarnkarra Health Service Aboriginal Corporation (WA)
Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation (NT)
National Centre of Indigenous Excellence Limited (NSW)
Ngaanyatjarra Health Service (NHS) (WA)
Nganampa Health Council (SA)
Nunkuwarrin Yunti of South Australia Inc. (SA)
Pangula Mannamurna Inc. (SA)
Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service (PAMS) (WA)
South Coast Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation (NSW)
Sunrise Health Service (NT)
Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation Inc. (VACCHO) (Vic)
Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) (Vic)
Wellington Aboriginal Corporation Health Service (NSW)
Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service (ACT).

With the program funding provided until 2018, the successful organisations will work towards the intended outcomes of the TIS programme, including:

encouraging community involvement in and support for local tobacco control activities
increasing community understanding of the dangers of smoking and chewing tobacco
improving knowledge, skills and a better understanding of the health impacts of smoking.

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