- Victoria redoubles vax effort for mob
- Second SEWB Gathering gets underway
- caring@home launches art competition
- NT Story of Our Children report update
- Rural health workforce program
- Honorary doctorate for NT elder
- Rural Woman of the Year – Cara Peek
- New process for job advertising
Photo in feature tile from the National Indigenous Times.
Victoria redoubles vax efforts for mob
The Victorian Government – in partnership with Aboriginal community controlled organisations – is redoubling efforts to close the gap between Indigenous and non- Indigenous vaccination rates.
As Victoria races towards its next roadmap target, mobile outreach vans, culturally sensitive pop-ups and surge workforce teams are being deployed across Victoria offering more opportunities to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to get vaccinated. The community-led response recognises that while uptake among the community is high compared to other Australian jurisdictions, it remains lower than the broader Victorian population.
To view the media release in full click here.
Health Minister Martin Foley said more needs to be done to boost vaccination rates in Indigenous communities. Photo: VACCHO, Twitter. Image source: SBS News.
Second SEWB Gathering gets underway
The second Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) Gathering got underway this morning in Perth WA and will run over three days. The three day event will be featured across the co-host social media platforms – Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing (TIMHWB) and the Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention (CBPATSISP).
Highlights over the three days which will include:
- Welcome to Country by Mr Nigel Wilkes Snr (Mungart Yongah Traditional Owner of Swan River) and Aunty Liz Hayden.
- Keynote address by Pat Turner AM (NACCHO).
- Opening addresses by Professor Tom Calma AO, Associate Professor Ted Wilkes, Professor Helen Milroy and Professor Pat Dudgeon (TIMHWB).
- Traditional Healers from NPY Women’s Council and the Yiriman Project.
The three day program will see delegates following up on previous recommendations and renew the national mental health and SEWB Framework in day one, in day two they will examine issues about workforce, and the third day focuses on tertiary mental health and the role of Traditional Healers in the mental health system.
For further information click here.
Professor Pat Dudgeon presenting at the first SEWB Gathering in Perth, March 2021.
caring@home launches art competition
caring@home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families, a national palliative care project funded by the Australian Government has launched an Indigenous Art Competition. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists are being invited to submit a piece of art based on the theme ‘Journey to Dreaming at Home.’
This theme highlights an important aspect of palliative care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – a preference for care during the end-of-life journey to be provided at home.
Cash prizes are on offer in a number of categories and entries close on Wednesday 9 February 2022, with winners announced on 17 March 2022; National Close the Gap Day. The winning artworks will be used to illustrate resources being developed by caring@home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families.
For more information about the competition click here and to access a poster about the event click here. The online entry form and terms and conditions are available here.
NT Story of Our Children report update
Minister for Children, Lauren Moss, says a publication released today provides a comprehensive picture of the wellbeing of children and young people across the NT, building on the inaugural Story of Our Children and Young People published in 2019.
The Territory Labor Government publication, prepared by Menzies School of Health Research, provides statistical information across all areas of child development including: being valued, loved and safe; having material basics; being healthy; learning; participating; and having a positive sense of identity and culture. It lays the foundation to inform and guide policy, ensuring that Government programs and resources are targeted where they are needed.
The 2021 Story builds on the 2019 edition with the development of an online data platform which makes available further information by region, sub-region and Aboriginal status, to support easier access to important data for our children and young people.
To view the Minister’s media release in full click here.
You can access the 2019 Story of Our Children and Young People report including updates here.
The Story of Our children and Young People 2019 report separates data into five regional areas: Barkly, Big Rivers, Central, East Arnhem and Greater Darwin and Top End.
Rural health workforce program
A key rural health workforce program that enables nursing and dental students and trainee doctors to train in regional and rural Australia is being extended for another three years. Federal Regional Health Minister, Dr David Gillespie said the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) program provides high-quality clinical rural training experiences for students in a range of career paths, including GPs, nurses, dentists and allied health professionals.
The program is another way the Federal Government is working to address the shortage of medical, nursing and allied health practitioners in rural locations. Dr Gillespie said the 20-year-old RHMT program was continuing to drive a shift in health and medical education and training in regional and rural Australia. “The program has supported more than 31,000 short-term to year-long rural medical placements over the past five years,” Dr Gillespie said.
To view the media release in full click here.
Image source: Australian Medical Association.
Honorary doctorate for NT elder
Well-respected First Nations senior elder, educator and champion for women and children, Grace Miguyie Daniels (Gotjan), has been presented with an honorary doctorate from Charles Darwin University (CDU) in recognition of her contribution to the NT. The on-country graduation ceremony for Dr Daniels was held in Ngukurr on the banks of the Roper River in southern Arnhem Land on Friday 22 October 2021.
A proud Budal woman and a senior elder of the Marra clan, Dr Daniels has held key roles in the community, particularly as a founding member and co-chair of the Aboriginal Research Practitioners Network (ARPNet), which is hosted by CDU’s Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods.
For further information click here.
Dr Grace Miguyie Daniels receives an honorary Doctor of Letters from Charles Darwin University at an on-country ceremony in Ngukurr. Image source: CDU website.
Rural Woman of the Year – Cara Peek
Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the McGowan Government congratulates Broome-based lawyer, entrepreneur and social innovator Cara Peek, who has won the national 2020 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award. Ms Peek, a Yawuru / Bunubu woman, won the Western Australian accolade in April 2020, however COVID-19 restrictions delayed the announcement of the national winner, with the presentation conducted online today from Canberra.
Passionate about driving opportunities to empower the Aboriginal people in rural and remote communities, Ms Peek’s work spans improving social, emotional and economic wellbeing. Ms Peek is chair of Saltwater Academy, which celebrates the heritage of the Kimberley Aboriginal pastoral industry, providing related cultural initiatives, including training and employment opportunities – building on the legacy of strength and resilience of Aboriginal stockmen and women.
To view the media release in full click here and for a more detailed account of the awards click here.
Cara Peek. Image source: Farm Weekly.
New process for job advertising
NACCHO have introduced a new system for the advertising of job adverts via the NACCHO website and you can find the sector job listings here.
Click here to go to the NACCHO website where you can complete a form with job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.
