- More funding to steer Northern Territory boys away from violence
- ‘Mob want to see mob’: First Nations clinics a priority for many young Indigenous Australians
- Help shape the next First Nations Health Research Fund grant opportunity
- New campaign responds to rising syphilis cases in Western Australia
- 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.
More funding to steer Northern Territory boys away from violence
The Albanese Labor Government is investing almost $2 million in a targeted prevention program for 12 to18-year-old boys in the Northern Territory.
The Turtle Back – Learning and Leadership Centre will be delivered in Palmerston, working with young boys who have been exposed to family violence when growing up, aiming to give them the tools they need to break the cycle, manage emotions in a healthy way and to see a more hopeful future.
The Turtle Back program will be delivered by Grassroots Action Palmerston Aboriginal Corporation (GAP), an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation. They will work with boys from all backgrounds, and ensure connection with culture is front and centre to support First Nations boys.
This program is one of 14 that are funded under the $27 million Supporting Adolescent Boys Trial, with programs now being delivered across all states and territories.
‘Mob want to see mob’: First Nations clinics a priority for many young Indigenous Australians
Key points
- A UQ-led study has found cultural connection are of high importance to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders when choosing to access healthcare.
- The study of 35 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders aged 15–24 in urban southeast Queensland, focuses on barriers and supports to primary healthcare.
- Researchers say many studies have focused on young people in rural and remote areas, and this is one of the first to survey young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in an urban setting.
Cultural connection and positive healthcare experiences are of high value to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians when deciding to access healthcare.
A UQ-led study examined factors supporting or hindering young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from accessing primary healthcare services, finding many participants preferred Aboriginal providers where they can ‘be themselves.’
Senior research fellow Stephen Harfield, from UQ’s Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and a Narungga and Ngarrindjeri man from South Australia, said a cultural connection is important.
“This is especially the case during adolescence and early adulthood when there is significant physical, emotional and social development,’’ Mr Harfield said.
Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have shared their experiences with primary healthcare services in a new UQ-led study. (Photo credit: Louise Beaumont/Getty Images. )
Help shape the next First Nations Health Research Fund grant opportunity
The Indigenous Health Research Fund is investing $160 million in First Nations-led research to tackle health issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The 2026 grant opportunity will award $28.5 million through an open competitive process to an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled program for health research projects.
A Working Group of the NHMRC-MRFF Indigenous Advisory Group, led by Professor Yvette Roe, has provided us with advice on the:
- design of the 2026 grant opportunity
- assessment scoring matrix.
Learn more and register to the webinar.
New campaign responds to rising syphilis cases in Western Australia
The Department of Health has launched a campaign to raise awareness of preventable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis. The campaign urges the community to take steps to protect their sexual health, following a sharp rise in the number of syphilis cases reported across the State.
Syphilis notifications have risen dramatically over the past two decades, increasing 32-fold, from 26 cases in 2004–05 to a peak of 823 cases in 2021–22. While numbers decreased to 653 in 2023-24, they rose again to 680 in 2024-25. In 2025 syphilis caused two stillbirths and one baby to be born with syphilis infection.
WA’s Chief Health Officer, Dr Andrew Robertson said syphilis is a serious infection that can cause long-term health impacts if left untreated. “It is often asymptomatic, which means many people may be unaware they are infected and can unknowingly pass it on,” he said.
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