“ Welcome to the launch of our NACCHO #Election2019 #VoteACCHO campaign for Affiliates, ACCHO members, stakeholders and supporters.

 The health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is not a partisan political issue and cannot be sidelined any longer.

NACCHO has developed a set of 10 policy #Election2019 recommendations that if adopted, fully funded and implemented by the incoming Federal Government, will provide a pathway forward for improvements in our health outcomes.

We are calling on all political parties to include these recommendations in their election platforms and make a real commitment to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and help us Close the Gap.

With your action and support of our #VoteACCHO campaign we can make the incoming Federal Government accountable. ” 

Donnella Mills Acting Chair NACCHO

See NACCHO Press Release Aboriginal Health needs to be an Election Priority

For more information about our NACCHO #Election2019 goals and how to get involved, visit over the next five weeks our #VoteACCHO campaign website :

For campaign assistance or feedback contact Email Colin Cowell 

www.naccho.org.au/VoteACCHO

Contents of this NACCHO #VoteACCHO Campaign Communique

1.What can stakeholders and supporters do to support our #VoteACCHO campaign ?

2.What can NACCHO 8 Affiliates /145 Members do to support our #VoteACCHO campaign ?

3.What are the TOP 10 recommendations that all political parties must include in their election platforms and make a real commitment to the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

4.Summary all major parties Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policies

1.What can stakeholders and supporters do to support our #VoteACCHO campaign ?

See your #VoteACCHO Page Here

1. Make sure that you and all of your community members, family and friends are enrolled to voteby 8pm local time Thursday 18 April 2019.
2. Follow NACCHO on Twitter Instagram Facebook.
3. Sign up to the NACCHO Communiqueand receive all #VoteACCHO press releases and social media graphics that will be released throughout the campaign.
4. Use the following hashtags on social media during the run-up to the election – #VoteACCHO|Plus #auspol | #NACCHOAustralia | #ACCHOS | #IndigenousHealth | #ClosingTheGap | #AusVotesHealth

5. Share on Social Media NACCHO’s Recommendations for the Election 2019
6. Call, write or tag on Social Media your local MP and all candidates in your electorate.

2.What can NACCHO 8 Affiliates and 145 Members do support our #VoteACCHO campaign

See your #VoteACCHO Page Here

Noting all Affiliate and Members will be sent by email additional resources

3.What are the TOP 10 recommendations that all political parties must  include in their election platforms and make a real commitment to the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Download the NACCHO Press Release HERE

and PDF Copy of these recommendations HERE

The proposals are:

1. Increase base funding of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations

• Increase the baseline funding for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations to support the sustainable delivery of high quality, comprehensive primary health care services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
• Work together with NACCHO and its State Affiliates to agree to a new formula for the distribution of comprehensive primary health care funding that is relative to need.

2.Increase funding for capital works and infrastructure upgrades

• Increase funding allocated through the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme for:
  • capital works and infrastructure upgrades, and
  • Telehealth services.
• Around $500 million is likely to be needed to address unmet needs.

3.End rheumatic heart disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

• Support END RHD’s proposal for $170 million over four years to integrate prevention and control levels within 15 rural and remote communities across the country.
• END RHD is a national contingent of peak bodies committed to reducing the burden of RHD for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia and NACCHO is a co-chair. Rheumatic heart disease is a preventable cause of heart failure, death and disability that is the single biggest cause of disparity in cardiovascular disease burden between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians

4.Address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth suicide rates

• Provide $50 million over four years to ACCHOs to address the national crisis in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth suicide in vulnerable communities:
  • New Aboriginal support staff to provide immediate assistance to children and young people at risk of self-harm and improved case management
  • Regionally based multi-disciplinary teams, comprising paediatricians, child psychologists, social workers, mental health nurses and Aboriginal health practitioners who are culturally safe and respectful, to ensure ready access to professional assistance; and
  • Accredited training to ACCHOs to upskill in areas of mental health, childhood development, youth services, environment health, health and wellbeing screening and service delivery.

5.Improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing and community infrastructure

• Expand the funding and timeframe of the current National Partnership on Remote Housing to match at least that of the former National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing.
• Establish and fund a program that supports low cost social housing and healthy living environments in urban, regional and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

6.Allocate Indigenous specific health funding to Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations

• Transfer the funding for Indigenous specific programs from Primary Health Networks to ACCHOs.
• Primary Health Networks assign ACCHOs as preferred providers for other Australian Government funded services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples unless it can be shown that alternative arrangements can produce better outcomes in quality of care and access to services

7.Expand the range and number of MBS payments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce

• Provide access to an increased range and number of Medicare items for Aboriginal health workers, Aboriginal health practitioners and allied health workers.

8. Improve the Indigenous Pharmacy Programs

• Expand the authority to write Close the Gap scripts for all prescribers.
• Simplify the Close the Gap registration process and expand who may register clients.
• Link medicines subsidy to individual clients and not practices through a national identifier.
• Improve how remote clients can receive fully subsidized medicines in non-remote areas.
• Integrate the QUMAX and s100 Support programs into one unified program.

9.Fund Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Organisations to deliver dental services

• Establish a fund to support ACCHOs deliver culturally safe dental services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Allocate Indigenous dental health funding to cover costs associated with staffing and infrastructure requirements.

10.Aboriginal health workforce

• Increased support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce and increased support for workforce for the ACCHO sector which includes the non-Indigenous health professionals on which ACCHOs rely
• Develop an Aboriginal Employment Strategy for the ACCHS sector

For more information about our Election goals and how to get involved, visit: www.naccho.org.au/VoteACCHO

4.Summary all major parties Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policies

To be updated HERE daily throughout the Campaign