- Uncle Jack Charles tells mob to get the vax
- Minister on NT COVID-19 outbreak
- Disability Gateway Stakeholder Kit
- Dementia and change behaviours
- Record spend on NSW Indigenous programs
- Decolonisation in the workplace
- Winnunga News October 2021 edition
- New process for job advertising
- Save the Date
Image in feature tile: Uncle Jack Charles at Victoria Aboriginal Health Service in Fitzroy Melbourne. Photo: Darrian Traynor. Image source: The Age.
Uncle Jack Charles tells mob to get the vax
The Victorian Government, in partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, has launched a new campaign to help further boost vaccination rates among Victoria’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Renowned actor and advocate Uncle Jack Charles will front the campaign, which will run for three weeks across social media, NITV and radio.
The new content forms part of an expansion of the ongoing Community, Unity, Immunity campaign, a community-led initiative developed by the Department of Health in partnership with VACCHO to help encourage vaccinations and provide information on keeping community safe.
To view the full media release click here.
Image source: The Canberra Times.
Health Minister on NT COVID-19 outbreak
Yesterday, Monday 22 November 2021, Minister Hunt spoke with Katie Woolf from MIX 104.9 Darwin, on Outbreak in the COVID-19 NT.
Ms Woolf said to Minister Hunt “the situation that we’re experiencing in the Northern Territory is one which we’d all hoped wouldn’t happen, COVID in a remote Indigenous community. What support is the Federal Government going to provide at this point?”
In reply Minister Hunt said: So across the Territory, we now have 105 defence personnel who are supporting COVID-19 efforts. That’s 40 in Howard Springs and Bladin Village. And then we’ve now deployed at 40 personnel and vehicles to support NT Health in the Katherine area and that’s- in particular with food and other critical supplies, and another 25 people with vehicles to support transport for isolated personnel from regional communities in and around Katherine with testing and other health issues.
And if more is needed, more will be required. We’re also providing PPE, assisting in the vaccination program. And I have to say, the NT vaccination rate is, is, and has been growing for some weeks now, at the fastest rate in the nation. So it’s now 86% all up, 73.3% second dose. And importantly, the Indigenous rate has increased quite significantly to 76.1%. We want that to go higher, but we’ll continue to work with the NT Government and communities and ACCHOs.
To view the transcript of the interview in full click here.
Vaccination rates in remote Aboriginal communities lag behind the NT capital. Photo: Hamish Harty, ABC News.
Disability Gateway Stakeholder Kit
Australians living with disability, their families and carers have identified accessing information about policies, programs and support as a key barrier to their independence and community participation. The Department of Social Services (DSS) has developed a way to improve access to this information by creating the Disability Gateway.
The Disability Gateway includes a website, a dedicated phone line (1800 643 787) and social media channels, to assist people with disability, their families and carers, to find and access trusted information and services.
The Disability Gateway is for all Australians with disability, regardless of whether they are a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participant or not.
A range of resources are available to download from the Disability Gateway website here.
Specialist resources are also available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Factsheet available for download
Access an updated accessible Communication Toolkit including Alt Text descriptions of the images here.
Dementia and changed behaviours
Over the past 12 months, the NPS MedicineWise Dementia and changed behaviours: a person-centred approach program has focused on reducing unnecessary use of antipsychotics and benzodiazepines, as well as improving use of non-pharmacological techniques in supporting people living with dementia. NPS MedicineWise have advised that:
- As well as our delivering educational visits to GPs in general practice, our educational visitors have visited over 1,000 aged care facilities to provide training to nurses and pharmacists. The workbook and videos to help support this component of the program are available on our website.
- Following the positive feedback on our webinar focusing on the practical aspect of working as a multidisciplinary team, we also produced a video featuring Theresa Flavin, who is living with dementia. In this short and moving video, Theresa provides a unique insight into what it is like to live with dementia and her experience being prescribed a psychotropic medicine.
- We also have a range of clinical resources and tools available to support healthcare professionals manage this complex condition. These include a behaviour diary, a tool to facilitate tapering antipsychotic medicines, information on implementing non-pharmacological strategies, and a stepwise approach to managing changed behaviour.
Winnie Coppin listens to music to trigger her memory when she feels confused. Photo: Erin Parke, ABC Kimberley.
Record spend on NSW Indigenous programs
A record $1.1 billion is being invested in Indigenous programs, services and initiatives this financial year, with NSW today becoming the first state to publish its own Interim Indigenous Expenditure Report (IER). The Interim IER maps and tracks the State’s current financial commitment to Indigenous-specific programs and services across government. It will inform future policy decisions and the allocation of funds.
Treasurer Matt Kean said spending on Indigenous initiatives is up 18.9% on the previous financial year, with the NSW Government focused on delivering improved programs and services for First Nations people. “I know we’ve still got a long way to go to close the gap, but the NSW Government is proud to be working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to create better outcomes for communities right across the state,” Mr Kean said.
To view the NSW Treasurer Matt Kean’s media release in full click here.
Image source: visitnsw.com.
Decolonisation in the workplace
A recent article wriiten for IndigenousX begins with a statement from Professor Gregory Phillips, CEO of ABSTARR Consulting: “Black Lives Matter, the impacts of coronavirus and the rise in bushfires and floods are the natural consequence of colonisation… systems set up to privilege white men’s property rights over all others has given rise to a gross imbalance in distribution and sustainability of the globe’s resources – human, cultural, economic, social and natural.
As such the calls for decolonisation have become louder and more unified. Indigenous peoples are leading the calls, but many in ‘mainstream’ sectors are starting to see the wisdom and criticality of Indigenous knowledges to contemporary wicked problems.’–
To view the full article in IndigenousX click here.
Image source: IndigenousX.
Winnunga News October 2021 edition
The first item in the Winnunga News October 2021 is a CEO Update. Julie Tongs says she is extremely pleased with the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of the local community who have received their COVID-19 vaccine, and she continues to encourage those yet to be vaccinated to arrange to have the vaccination.
More broadly, Julie Tongs says that the disparity in the numbers of Aboriginal people not yet vaccinated together with the significant over-representation of Aboriginal people in the ACT who have tested positive to COVID-19 is anything other than yet another stark illustration of the depth and extent of the disadvantage which Aboriginal people living in Canberra endure.
You can access the Winnunga News October 2021 edition here.
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.
Towards hepatitis C elimination webinar
A webinar to showcase efforts towards hepatitis C elimination in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will be held from 12:00 PM (AEST) Wednesday 24 November 2021.
The Chairs for the webinar, Troy Combo and Professor Margaret Hellard AM will be joined by guest speakers: Professor Greg Dore (Kirby Institute), Phoebe Schroder and Adam Howie (ASHM), Janet Stajic (IUIH), Esha Lay (QuIHN), Erin Flynn (SCALE – C) and Scott Monaghan (Bulgarr Ngaru MAC).
To more information about the webinar and to register click here.
