- In the chair: Scrymgour becomes first Indigenous person to act as Speaker in the House of Representatives
- $3 million invested to help fight dementia among First Nations people
- Groundbreaking study co-designed by Aboriginal women achieves Type 2 Diabetes remission
- Two Living Black investigations have received nominations for Kennedy Awards
- ‘High priority’: Alarmingly high lead levels recorded in Aboriginal children
- 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.
In the chair: Scrymgour becomes first Indigenous person to act as Speaker in the House of Representatives
Tiwi and Anmatjere woman Marion Scrymgour has today become the first Aboriginal person to chair the House of Representatives Chamber, as a member of the Speaker’s Panel.
Ms Scrymgour, the member for the Northern Territory seat of Lingiari, said in a social media post that it was a huge moment for the Parliament.
“But more importantly, it was a message to young Aboriginal people back home in the NT,” she said. “Aboriginal people deserve to be in every chair, at every table. “I grew up one of 11 siblings from a working class family in Darwin. My father was a Stolen Generations man who was forcibly removed from his family by the Parliament I sit in today.
Marion Scrymgour MP is the first Indigenous person to take the Speaker’s chair in the House of Representatives Chamber, Parliament House, Canberra. Credit: BELINDA HOGG
$3 million invested to help fight dementia among First Nations people
The Albanese Government is investing $3 million to help fight dementia among First Nations people as part of a joint international research project.
Two Australian-Canadian research teams will receive funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) under the 2024 NHMRC-Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA): Indigenous Health Research grant opportunity.
The research of the two teams will focus on three keys areas:
- primary prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias,
- improve diagnosis and treatment to delay or slow the progression of the disease, and
- improve access to quality dementia care for First Nations people and care partners.
The Albanese Government is committed to investing in high quality collaborative dementia research to ensure we have the evidence we need to make better decisions for prevention, treatment and improvements to quality of life for First Nations people with dementia.
Dementia Australia estimates 433,300 people in Australia are living with dementia, with the number of people expected to increase to an estimated 812,500 by 2054. First Nations people are significantly over-represented in these numbers, with rates of 3-5 times the general population.
Groundbreaking study co-designed by Aboriginal women achieves Type 2 Diabetes remission
A pioneering research project has made significant strides in reversing type 2 diabetes in First Nations women.
The innovative study, led by South Coast Women’s Health and Wellbeing Aboriginal Corporation (Waminda) in collaboration with Southern Cross University and the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, is the first of its kind in Australia.
It focuses on the use of culturally relevant practices and health interventions to manage and even reverse type 2 diabetes in Aboriginal women. The research combined Shared Medical Appointments (SMAs), continuous glucose monitoring, and a sustainable food program tailored to the needs of First Nations communities.
25 Yuin women who had been living with type 2 diabetes for over a decade took part in the study, conducted on the NSW South Coast. Through the eight-week lifestyle medicine course, participants were empowered to take control of their health and make informed decisions about their diabetes management.
The results have been transformative, with seven women completely reversing their diabetes for at least 12 months, and 18 others achieving significantly improved blood sugar levels.
The research project led by South Coast Women’s Health and Wellbeing Aboriginal Corporation Waminda has made significant strides in reversing type 2 diabetes in First Nations women.
Two Living Black investigations have received nominations for Kennedy Awards
NITV’s flagship current affairs program has been recognised with two nominations in the annual Kennedy Awards for excellence in journalism.
Helmed by Walkley Award-winner Karla Grant, Living Black, the country’s longest-running Indigenous current affairs program was nominated twice in the Indigenous Affairs Reporting category.
The two investigations centre on the Northern Territory’s youth justice system (Just Kids) and allegations of misconduct and maladministration at an independent Aboriginal school in Queensland (Duty of Care).
Grant, a Western Arrernte woman, welcomed the nominations. “I’m incredibly proud of my team,” she told NITV. “This is well-deserved acknowledgement and recognition for the important work we do in highlighting the issues faced by First Nations people.”
The Living Black team are previous winners of the Kennedy Awards, pictured here with their awards for environment reporting in 2023.
High priority’: Alarmingly high lead levels recorded in Aboriginal children
Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation has renewed calls as a matter of urgency for a new government approach to address high lead levels in Aboriginal children in far west New South Wales. The call comes after the Far West Local Health District released the latest report into lead levels in Broken Hill children.
More than 700 children aged one to five years attended for blood lead screening in 2024.
Of those children tested, 26 per cent were Aboriginal, and 74 per cent were non-Aboriginal. Sixty-eight per cent of Aboriginal children screened had blood lead levels above the guideline, compared to 35 per cent of non-Aboriginal children screened.
Maari Ma CEO, Richard Weston said it was not acceptable to see this significant discrepancy year after year. “We are not seeing any change even though we have been working with Aboriginal children under five years of age for many years providing lead testing, health education and intensive multidisciplinary case management,” he said.
Maari Ma CEO, Richard Weston.
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