This week
19 November : Feature International Men’s Day / NACCHO Ochre Day Video
19 November Productivity Commission national hearings begin as stakeholders respond to draft mental health report
19 November New National Agreement on Closing the Gap community engagement dates in Queensland
This month
28 November HealthInfonet Environmental Health portal and climate change Webinar
31 January : AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship Closes
July to October 2020 Adjunct Professor Tracy Westerman’s Workshops for 2020
19 November : Feature International Men’s Day / NACCHO Ochre Day Video
“We all know about the statistics in regards to Indigenous men’s health, we got some pretty numbers, better than some cricket scores.
We can close the gap about men’s health a lot better than a lot of the attempts that were made from Canberra.”
Ernie Dingo spoke at Ochre Day about their successful men’s health remote community program – Camping on Country, where culture is an integral part of health see Part 2 below
“NACCHO’s commitment is to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males to live longer, healthier lives and reduce the rate of preventable hospitalisations, which is almost three times higher than for other Australian men “
Mr John Paterson, CEO AMSANT and spokesperson for NACCHO on mens health
International Men’s Day (IMD) is celebrated on 19th November every year and is marked in around 80 countries worldwide.
To help more people get involved and mark the day, the Australian Men’s Health Forum (AMHF) has launched a new International Men’s Day website under the theme “Talking About Men”.
The IMD website will encourage people to take part in International Men’s Day and promote some of the events that are happening around the country.
If you share our commitment to creating a healthier future for men and boys, then International Men’s Day in Australia is a great opportunity for you to:
- Highlight some of the social issues than men and boys face
- Make a difference for the men and boys in your community
- Celebrate men and boys in all their diversity
- Have some serious fun
This year, International Men’s Day will be held on Monday 19th November 2018, though many people will hold their activities and celebrations before or after the main event.
While there are huge variety of ways you can mark International Men’s Day, most celebrations share one or more of the following objectives:
- Valuing male role models
- Acknowledging the contribution of men and boys
- Improving male health
- Tackling discrimination and disadvantage
- Fostering positive gender relations
- Making the world a safer place for everyone
AMHF takes an inclusive approach to celebrating International Men’s Day and so we encourage everyone in Australia to join us in marking the day.
As well as our obvious interest in men and boys’ health, this year we invite you to join us in getting Australia talking about men, manhood, masculinity and men’s issues on International Men’s Day.
You can visit the new International Men’s Day website at: www.internationalmensday.info.
“ NACCHO Ochre Day is an important event that reflects on the social and emotional issues our men face and are less likely to seek help for themselves. It is a great platform to hear stories of hope and empowerment and to learn what is working in our communities – of strategies that are successful for our men to take better care of their health and wellbeing.
This year’s conference saw great participation from all 200 delegates who embraced the three focus areas of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men being in control, innovative and influential.
Problems were met with solutions, with many delegates taking home new skills and knowledge to face the challenges in improving the health of men in their communities.”
Mr John Paterson, CEO of Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) and spokesperson for NACCHO said in his opening address at the seventh annual Ochre Day Men’s Health Conference over August 29-30 at Pullman On the Park, Melbourne
Read over 400 Aboriginal Mens Health articles published by NACCHO over the past 7 Years
NACCHO Supports Movember for Mens Health
This year Movember is reminding us that not everyone can grow the world’s best moustache but that shouldn’t stop you because ‘Whatever you grow will save a bro’.
No matter if it’s patchy, lopsided or just kind of…furry, like mine! Every Mo has the power to save
Your donation will help Movember fund groundbreaking work in prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.
To donate please click on Nathan’s link
Nathan Appo from Innisfail / Mamu / Goreng Goreng / Bundjalung /Living in Brisbane and working with Deadly Choices
19 November Productivity Commission national hearings begin as stakeholders respond to draft mental health report
See Croakey managing editor Melissa Sweet’s comprehensive wrap of the 1,238 page, two volume report, in which she urges those concerned with health equity to respond at public hearings or via written submissions (which close 23 January 2020), ahead of the Commission’s final report which is due by the end of May 2020.
Public hearings begin in Canberra on Friday (15 November) and will follow in Melbourne (18-19 November), Geraldton (20 November), Perth (21 November), Sydney (25-26 November), Broken Hill (28 November), Rockhampton (2 December), Brisbane (3 December), and Launceston (9 December). Dates and locations for South Australia and the Northern Territory are yet to be announced.
Mental health stakeholders have to date generally welcomed the draft report, saying it provides a comprehensive consolidation of issues that have long needed urgent attention and recognised the role of broader social determinants like housing and justice systems, and is prompting new thinking on funding and institutional reform.
But there are concerns, in particular from key consumer groups and individuals who believe their voices have not been fully heard, and disappointment from the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) that it did not recommend an immediate increase to Newstart and investment in new social housing units.
There are also early signs of professional concerns, including from the Australian Medical Association, which has said it will be “seeking assurances” on the future of current private sector models, especially specialist psychiatric care, and to be sure that appropriate non-GP specialist referrals are “not a casualty of reform.
Here are some of the key responses to the draft report, and links to more detailed statements.
More responses and analysis can be found in Associate Professor Lesley Russell’s latest Health Wrap.
19 November New National Agreement on Closing the Gap community engagement dates in Queensland
Thursday Island: Monday 11 November ( Closed )
Townsville: Tuesday 19 November
Cairns: Wednesday 20 November
Mt Isa: Tuesday 26 November
Ipswich: Thursday 28 November
Rockhampton: date t.b.c.
More information available HERE
28 November HealthInfonet Environmental Health portal and climate change Webinar
The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet is hosting a free webinar on Thursday 28 November 2019 to provide information about our new responsive design Environmental Health portal and climate change section.
The webinar will provide a tour of the Environmental Health Portal, including information on:
- HealthInfoNet navigation
- the new search features
- the new filter features
- the new climate change section
- the key facts
The webinar will be presented by research staff from the Environmental Health team.
It will run for approximately 20 minutes, and is free to attend. There is no additional software required to join the webinar, other than a stable internet connection. We’d recommend that participants use a pair of headphones, and we’d also recommend that participants use Google Chrome to view the webinar.
The webinar will be held at:
- 1:00 pm (NSW, Vic, Tas and ACT)
- 12.30 am (SA)
- 12:00 pm (Qld)
- 11:30 am (NT)
- 10:00 am (WA).
This is the link to log onto the webinar (you will be able to log on about ten minutes before it starts).
Participants are invited to register their interest prior to the event with the webinar organiser Vilma FitzGerald (contact details below).
Contact details
Webinar Organiser
Vilma FitzGerald
Senior Research Officer
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet
Ph: (08) 6304 6328
Email: v.fitzGerald@ecu.edu.au
31 January : AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship Closes
For the purposes of this Scholarship, an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person is someone who is of Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent, who identifies as an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person and is accepted as such by the community in which he or she lives or has lived. Applicants will be asked to provide a letter from an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community organisation supporting their claim.
The Scholarship commences no earlier than the second year of the recipient’s medical degree. To receive the Scholarship, the recipient must be enrolled at an Australian medical school at the time of application, and have successfully completed the first year of a medical degree. However, students who are in their first year of medicine are eligible to submit an application for their second year. Results for the first year will be sought before any award is made.
In awarding the Scholarship, preference will be given to applicants who do not already hold any other scholarship or bursary.
The Scholarship will be awarded on the recommendation of a selection panel drawn from the AMA’s Taskforce on Indigenous Health. Selection of the Scholarship recipient will be based on:
- satisfactory academic performance judged on results achieved;
- reports from referees familiar with applicant’s work and suitability for a career in medicine; and
- a statement provided by the applicant describing his or her aspirations, purpose in studying medicine, and the uses to which he or she hopes to put his or her medical training.
Each applicant will be asked to provide a curriculum vitae (maximum two pages) including employment history, the contact details of two referees, and formal proof of full-time enrolment in a medical course for the 2019 academic year.
The Scholarship will be awarded for a full course of study, subject to review at the end of each year. The Scholarship may be withheld or terminated if a Scholarship holder’s performance in any semester is unsatisfactory. The final decision to withhold or terminate a Scholarship is at the discretion of the AMA.
The value of the Scholarship in 2020 will be $10,000 per annum, paid in a lump sum.
Please note that it is the responsibility of applicants to seek advice from Centrelink on how the Scholarship payment may affect ABSTUDY or any other government payment.
Applications close 31 January 2020.
The Indigenous Peoples’ Medical Scholarship Trust Fund was established in 1994 with a contribution from the Australian Government. In 2016, the Trust Fund became The AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship Foundation. The Foundation is administered by AMA Pty Ltd.
The Australian Medical Association would like to acknowledge the contributions of the following donors: Reuben Pelerman Benevolent Foundation; the late Beryl Jamieson’s wishes for donations towards the Indigenous Medical Scholarship; Deakin University; The Anna Wearne Fund and B B & A Miller, sub-funds of the Australian Communities Foundation.
July to October 2020 Adjunct Professor Tracy Westerman’s Workshops for 2020
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Website for more info bookings