- Women’s health high on agenda as conference gets underway
- Ensuring First Nations children in Queensland are school ready
- National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association elects Indigenous Chair
- New research confirms the health benefits of native bushfood Indigenous people have used for millennia
- Improving food security in remote communities
- Sector Jobs
The NACCHO Sector 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.
Women’s health high on agenda as conference gets underway
As Waminda South Coast Women’s Health and Wellbeing Aboriginal Corporation is celebrating 40 years of Aboriginal Women in Leadership with the “Strong Women, Strong Community, Leading the Way” conference in Nowra, its Birthing on Country model is being showcased.
In the ABC News video segment, Aboriginal mother Emma Ardler said, “It’s women’s business, so feeling secure and having you know people around you that care that nurture you, protect you and your family.”
Waminda’s new model of care allows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to have their own private midwife available in a public hospital.
Aboriginal mother Kathleen Smith said, “we are doing things the way that we should have been for a long time and opportunities that were taken away from us are now being given back and that’s really empowering.”
Up until now insurance conditions prevented private midwives working in public hospitals, leaving many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women without cultural support and safety.
Tahlia Avolio, Waminda midwife said, “I think it’s relieving for women to know that they’re gonna have their midwife present at their birth, because they know what to expect, they know that their space is going to be super safe and they’re able to birth the way they choose.”
To watch the ABC News segment, go here.
To learn more about the Birthing on Country model, go here.
Image source: Waminda.
Ensuring First Nations children in Queensland are school ready
The Albanese Government is expanding the Connected Beginnings program, helping more First Nations children thrive in the crucial early years. Minister for Early Childhood Education Dr Anne Aly yesterday announced $2.9 million for Kummara Limited to deliver the Connected Beginnings program in Ipswich.
The program connects First Nations children aged zero to five with a range of early childhood education, health and family support services – helping children meet the learning and development milestones necessary to achieve a positive transition to school.
The new site in Ipswich will support around 1,900 local First Nations children. The Ipswich site joins 45 other locations across the country supporting more than 21,900 First Nations children.
The community-led program is a key contributor to the early childhood Closing the Gap targets, driving an increase in preschool enrolments and improvements to developmental outcomes. The Government partners with SNAICC National Voice for our Children and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) to deliver the program.
To read the full article, go here.
To learn more about Connected Beginnings, go here.
Image source: SNAICC National Voice for our Children.
National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association elects Indigenous Chair
The National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association (NAPSA) says it is proud to announce the election of Shi-Anne Wallace to the role of Indigenous Chair, an inaugural role within the association.
The role of Indigenous Chair has come to fruition after being advised, and then appropriately deciding, to separate the Indigenous portfolio and Rural portfolio.
NAPSA says, “we look forward to supporting Shi-Anne as she takes on this role and announcing NAPSA’s inaugural Indigenous Committee later this year.”
Shi-Anne is also a recipient of the NACCHO 2024 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pharmacist Scholarship.
To learn more, go here.
Image source: NAPSA.
New research confirms the health benefits of native bushfood Indigenous people have used for millennia
University of Queensland research has confirmed antioxidant properties in an Australian bushfood used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for generations. Dr Oladipupo Adiamo from UQ’s Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences is investigating the safety and efficacy of powdered Kakadu plum as a food ingredient.
“Kakadu plum has been eaten and used for generations by Indigenous communities to treat headaches, colds and flu, and as an antiseptic,” Dr Adiamo said.
“But before the food industry can use it, they need scientific data to confirm what the fruit contains and what it does.”
Dr Adiamo says beyond its well-studied high vitamin C content, the fruit has polyphenolic compounds that give it antioxidant properties to prevent or delay cell damage.
“Polyphenolic compounds are found naturally in plant-based foods and can help lower risk for certain diseases,” he said.
To read the National Indigenous Times article in full, go here.
Dr Oladipupo Adiamo with fresh Kakadu plums.
Improving food security in remote communities
Residents of Bulla in the NT now have improved access to affordable food and other essentials, as part of the Albanese Labor Government’s continued investment in improving food security in remote First Nations communities.
Government-owned company, Outback Stores, has assisted the community to re-open the Janyima local store following several years of closure, improving in-community access for residents of Bulla, 60 kilometres west of Timber Creek.
Outback Stores provided $60,000 to purchase stock and more than $200,000 to improve store infrastructure, after the community asked for assistance to re-open the store and manage it going forward.
Local stores are crucial for First Nations food security, providing more than 90% of food consumed in remote communities. The next nearest store can be hundreds of kilometres away.
To read the media release in full, go here.
Image source: Outback Stores.
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.
