27 November 2024

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.

2024 NACCHO Members’ Conference: One week to go!

The 2024 Members’ Conference will be held on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country at the National Convention Centre in Canberra, kicking off next Wednesday, December 4. This year’s program will include the NACCHO Men’s Health Day, National Youth Conference, the NACCHO AGM and our two-day members conference.

Our delegates are from 146 Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations (ACCHOs) and eight state and territory affiliates. We have a national footprint of 550 clinics, servicing over 580,000 clients per year. Collectively, we employ over 7,000 staff and are in the top three employers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the country.

NACCHO looks forward to our sector coming together to celebrate our successes in Growing our own workforce, our innovative delivery solutions and working together on the issues of the future.

See you soon!

Super Wednesday

Last week, the Danila Dilba Health Service Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) team attended Super Wednesday at YiSSA Short Stay Accommodation.

Super Wednesday is an event that connects local service providers with over 400 YiSSA clients. The event is held on site to engage clients who would otherwise be unable to access services due to varying hardships.

At the event, the Danila Dilba SEWB team shared important information about DDHS programs, including SEWB, Tackling Indigenous Smoking and Aged Care.

Image source: Danila Dilba Health Service.

ATISCHS social housing development under way

Work has officially started in the Moreton Bay region on one of Queensland’s largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social housing projects. The first sod has been turned at Deception Bay on a development by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATISCHS) Brisbane and the Department of Housing and Public Works.

It will provide 53 one-bedroom and 22 two-bedroom units for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged over 55 years in two buildings on the 8000sqm block.

ATISCHS anticipates construction to be complete by mid-2026.

“This project represents a significant step forward in our mission to provide essential services and support to our First Nations Elders,” ATISCHS Brisbane CEO Renee Blackman said.

“We are excited to partner with the Department of Housing and Public Works to make this vision a reality.

“In the face of Australia’s current housing situation, projects like this are vital. They demonstrate our dedication to ensuring everyone, particularly our First Nations Elders, has access to affordable and secure housing.”

Read more here.

Image source: Moreton Daily.

High levels of food insecurity in remote areas, new data reveals

More than a third of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households across the country experienced food insecurity due to a lack of money for food in the last year, a new survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics has revealed.

It comes in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis which has forced the federal government to invest $9.6 million to improve food security for First Nations people in remote communities.

The level of food insecurity was higher in remote areas, with 50.7% of households outside of cities and regional areas experiencing food insecurity in the last 12 months, compared to 40.4% in non-remote areas.

Across the country, 17% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people said they have experienced “severe” food insecurity in the last year, characterised as one or more members of a household being forced to miss meals or have a reduced food intake and, in the most extreme examples, gone at least one day without food due to a lack of money.

The National Strategy for Food Security in remote First Nations communities, in partnership with state and territory governments and First Nations health organisations, which is aimed at improving access to nutritious and affordable food and groceries, is expected to be finalised by early 2025.

Read more here.

Extreme prices. A tin of instant coffee cost $74 in the NT community of Ramingining in 2022. Image: supplied (via ABC).

Chronic conditions are on the rise among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

The Australian Bureau of Statistic’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, released on Tuesday, found 49% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had one or more chronic conditions in 2022-23, up from 46% in 2018-19.

“The increase was driven by (a jump) in the proportion of people aged two years and over with mental and behavioural conditions – up from 24% in 2018-19 to 29% in 2022-23,” a bureau spokesperson said.

About a third of people (31%) aged 18 and older living in cities and regional areas experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress in the four weeks before the survey, compared to 24% of people in remote areas.

Read more here.

A national survey has found the number of Indigenous people with chronic conditions has increased. Source: AAP / Darren England.

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.