• National Close the Gap Day
• Need to harness power of First Nations leadership
• Success stories highlighted in CTG report
• Elevating voices of First Nations women and girls
• MooGoo’s hygiene initiatives combat RHD
• Sector Jobs
• Key Dates – 21 March 2024: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; World Down Syndrome Day
• Events and training

The NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.

We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.

National Close the Gap Day

For more than a decade now, Australians from every corner of the country, in schools, businesses and community groups, have shown their support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equity by marking National Close the Gap Day on the third Thursday in March each year.

Close the Gap is a social justice ” peoples ” campaign that was launched in April 2007 . The Close the Gap Campaign arose in response to Professor Tom Calma’s 2005 Social Justice Report which emphasised health as a human right and challenged governments to bring about health equality within a generation. In 2008 the government signed a Close the Gap Statement of Intent which became the point of reference for the Close the Gap Campaign. The Australian government adopted the goals of the Close the Gap Campaign in 2008, in a strategy known as Closing the Gap, and in 2009 committed to making an annual progress report to Parliament on progress with the Closing the Gap strategy.

In 2020, the Closing the Gap framework and strategy was significantly overhauled, with a “greater focus on partnership between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”. The 2020 National Agreement on Closing the Gap (National Agreement), available here, is a strategy that aims to improve the life outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The current National Agreement has been developed in partnership between the National Federation Reform Council (NFRC) (representing the Australian Commonwealth Government, state and territory governments, and the Australian Local Government Association) and the Coaltion of Peaks. The Coalition of Peaks is a representative body of around 50 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled peak organisations and members. The National Agreement marks a shift in the approach to the Closing the Gap Strategy, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people determining what is important to them.

Every National Close the Gap Day, is an opportunity to send our governments a clear message that Australians value health equality as a fundamental right for all.

You can find more information about Close the Gap Day on the Close The Gap website here.

Image source: Close the Gap Facebook page 21 March 2024.

Need to harness power of First Nations leadership

Australia’s peak body for public health welcomed the Close the Gap campaign report 2024: Voyage to Voice, Treaty, Truth and Beyond, launched yesterday, Wednesday 20 March 2024. The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) backed the report’s recommendations such as on workforce targets and climate and health, which it says are “central to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the continent”.

The Association thanked the authors of the strengths-based report, and supported its message to “elevate First Nations voices and perspectives and centre First Nations leadership, culture and learning, and in doing so, provide tangible evidence of how to close the gap.” Association Vice President, Palawa woman and researcher, Dr Alana Gall, said: “There’s overwhelming evidence that proves that health and other initiatives which are led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities get the best results. For example, the leadership that ACCHOs showed protecting their communities from COVID-19,” she said.

Dr Gall said the Close the Gap report reinforces the need for genuine shifts in power from the top down, “This report once again shows that creating real change has to start at the head. We need to see deep shifts in thinking of Governments and a genuine commitment to relinquish power. Only then will First Nations peoples and their organisations be afforded authentic self-determination to do what we know works for our people to improve public health. First Nations knowledges encompass over 65,000 years of knowing, being and doing. This needs to be legislatively protected and harnessed for the benefit of all human and planetary health. A practical way we can achieve this is by applying a ‘First Nations in All Policy’ approach nationally.”

To view the National Indigenous Times (NIT) article Peak public health body says Close the Gap report shows need to harness power of First Nations leadership in full click here.

Success stories highlighted in CTG report

Independent, Indigenous-led campaign Close the Gap has released its annual report, available here, which highlights successes yet suggests Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equity and justice still needs to be progressed. The 15th annual report, titled Voyage to Voice, Treaty, Truth and Beyond details nine case studies, highlighting the work of leaders and organisations in Indigenous communities and their journeys and successes in closing the gap.

The report maintains a strengths-based approach that centres First Nations voices, leadership and innovation under subthemes Progressing Voice, Treaty, Truth; Leadership and Governance; and Building our Economies. Social Justice Commissioner, June Oscar said the report details the impact Indigenous peoples are having on Uluru Statement outcomes, “The report provides insight into how First Nations leaders see and understand their roles and responsibilities, both to themselves and their communities. It also clearly demonstrates that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people know what is required to create meaningful change.”

The report showcases Blak excellence, highlighting the work of Professor Daryle Rigney and the importance of sovereign self-determination in addressing the inequalities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It also provides recommendations for a clear pathway to achieve the priorities of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. Campaign co-chair, Karl Briscoe said having First Nations peoples in the room making decisions is more important than ever,  “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples need representation at the highest levels of government. They need genuine shared agreement making, bipartisanship, unity, and a shared collective vision, driven by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and knowledges, to address the gaps in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s life outcomes. Because we know this is how we close the gap.”

You can view the National Indigenous Times article Success stories highlighted in annual Close the Gap report in full here.

Closing the Gap co-chairs Karl Briscoe and June Oscar. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Elevating voices of First Nations women and girls

The Wiyi Yani U Thangani Institute launched this week with a commitment to elevate the voices of First Nations women and girls in the halls of power. The Institute will bring together First Nations researchers with communities to co-design initiatives for improving life outcomes and achieving “lasting change” for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls. In the wake of the Voice to Parliament referendum loss, the Wiyi Yani U Thangani Institute, with its name meaning ‘women’s voices’ in Bunuba language, is a “vital space” for dialogue, exploration and collaboration, according to outgoing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar AO.

Additionally, it is a place where First Nations women and philosophies “are at the heart of leading change and systemic shifts that can seriously contribute to Australian nation building”, Oscar said.  While the result of the referendum was a “blow” and a “significant lost opportunity”, Oscar said we need to co-create more spaces like Wiyi Yani U Thangani Institute to elevate the voices of First Nations people and the incredible work already happening in communities.

The Institute and Change Agenda launch was hosted by the Australian Human Rights Commission in partnership with the ANU First Nations Portfolio and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, and supported by the National Indigenous Australians Agency, Oxfam Australia, the Paul Ramsay Foundation and Big hART arts and social change organisation. About 450 people attended in-person with another 300 online. The Wiyi Yani U Thangani Institute, based at the Australian National University, is the culmination of conversations, advocacy, research and work with thousands of First Nations women and stakeholders since 2017, when Oscar launched the ‘women’s voices’ initiative, according to Master of Ceremonies Professor Larissa Behrendt OA. “These conversations told us that First Nations women and girls want to see a genuine mechanism for our representation that legitimises our diversity and affirms our identities,” Behrendt said.

To view the Croakey Health Media article An historic launch that promises to deliver for First Nations women and girls, and to contribute to systemic change in full click here.

Panel members Oscar AO and Julia Gillard AC with facilitator Larissa Behrendt OA. Image source: Croakey Health Media.

Moogoo’s hygiene initiatives to combat RHD

Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD), though preventable, remains prevalent, particularly affecting Indigenous communities. Statistics reveal a staggering reality: nine out of ten diagnosed cases are among Indigenous individuals, predominantly aged between 5 and 14 years. The disease often initiates with untreated skin sores, culminating in severe health complications such as heart failure, stroke, or even necessitating life-threatening open heart surgery. Fortunately, the Strep A bacteria responsible for RHD can be neutralised through regular skin cleansing. MooGoo, an Australian natural skincare brand, has undertaken the Prevent RHD Project in collaboration with Yarrabah, near Cairns. This initiative aims to combat RHD by promoting skin hygiene within the community, potentially averting the onset of this debilitating condition.

Yarrabah, with more than 4,000 residents in 400 cramped residences lacking adequate water and sanitation, counts at least 165 cases of RHD. MooGoo’s initiatives feature the Yarrabah Soap Program, focusing on hand washing and skin care education to reduce Strep A exposure, with over 3,000L of Milk Wash donated so far to refill stations, along with the ongoing service of 20 refill sites by Public Health Coordinator, Renee Grosso.

The Healthy Housing Pilot Program (HHPP) supplies various products to close to 100 households and refill stations. Additionally, MooGoo supports the Love the Skin You’re In program, offering Healthy Living Practice lessons for children, reinforcing HHPP messaging and engaging in interactive activities focused on skin care. Jaru, Punaba and Bunal Bardi woman and CEO of Gurriny Yealamucka Health Services, Suzanne Andrews welcomed the partnership. “This is all about making sure that we have good sanitising soaps and it’s awesome we’ve got special sites that we can start to dispense to the mob in Yarrabah to help prevent skin sores,” Ms Andrews said.

To view the National Indigenous Times article MooGoo’s hygiene initiatives combat Rheumatic Heart Disease in Indigenous communities in full click here.

Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.

Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click here to go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on the day the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid “pass laws” in 1960. In 1979, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a program of activities to be undertaken during the second half of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination. On that occasion, the General Assembly decided that a week of solidarity with the peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination, beginning on 21 March, would be organized annually in all States.

Since then, the apartheid system in South Africa has been dismantled. Racist laws and practices have been abolished in many countries, and we have built an international framework for fighting racism, guided by the International Convention of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Convention is now nearing universal ratification, yet still, in all regions, too many individuals, communities and societies suffer from the injustice and stigma that racism brings.

The 2024 theme of the International Day is “A Decade of Recognition, Justice, and Development: Implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent”. Racial discrimination and the legacies of slavery and colonialism continue to destroy lives and curtail opportunities, preventing billions of people from enjoying their full human rights and freedoms. This year’s theme is linked to the International Decade for People of African Descent, which spans the timeframe from 2015 to 2024. In proclaiming this Decade, the international community is recognizing that people of African descent represent a distinct group, whose human rights must be promoted and protected. Around 200 million people identifying themselves as being of African descent live in the Americas. Many millions more live in other parts of the world, outside of the African continent.

You can find more information about the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the United Nations website here.

World Down Syndrome Day

World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), 21 March, is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. The date for WDSD being the 21st day of the 3rd month, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome.

Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025. 

Registrations are open now for Sydney and Perth:  

• Sydney 19–20 March 2024
• Perth 16–17 April 2024

The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:  

• Delegation of powers 
• Finance for Boards
• Governance documents
• Managing conflicts of interest 
• Managing risk  
• Principles of good governance  
• Structure and role of boards and sub-committees 

To register, go here.

For more information, please contact NACCHO using this email link.