Jul 14 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: ‘Courage’ needed to address disadvantage

‘Courage’ needed to address disadvantage
Transformative ‘Big Dream, Small Steps’ traineeships
Overcoming fragmented child and family services
CTG report shows ‘privileged’ claims absurd
Study to help young men take care of mental health
Sector Jobs
Key Date – National Diabetes Week – 9–15 July 2023

The image in the feature tile by Dionne Gain appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald article Missing the target: goodwill fails to overcome entrenched inequalities published on 15 February 2020.

The NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News is 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.

‘Courage’ needed to address disadvantage

The Coalition of Peaks, which was involved in a 2020 overhaul of the approach to closing the gap, said the barriers facing Indigenous Australians were the result of a “tremendous and successive failure of public administration” involving neglect, discrimination and the “whims of politics”. In a powerful argument for enshrining a Voice to Parliament in the constitution, the group argued: “Our seats at the table with governments and public servants have too often been temporary, interchangeable, and all for show”.

The arguments were detailed in a letter to the Productivity Commission’s first three-yearly review of the closing the gap targets. The Coalition of Peaks lamented the lack of overall progress. The latest Closing the Gap data, published on Wednesday, showed just four of 19 targets were on track to be met, and a further four were getting worse. The peak body said while it was encouraged by some of the progress, the overall efforts were “too inconsistent” and “lack the necessary courage”. In a stinging criticism, the peak body said governments and public servants had benefited from the “notorious reputation” of Indigenous affairs as the most difficult set of policy problems to address.

“It is without doubt that the barriers our people face are complex and multifaceted,” the letter stated. “But they are a consequence of what our people have endured for millennium. It has been a tremendous and successive failure of public administration featuring the whims of politics, neglect, discrimination, top-down approaches, legislative changes, defunding and investment, distributed responsibilities and everchanging goal posts.”

You can view the Australian Government Productivity Commission’s Closing the Gap Annual Data Compilation Report July 2023 here and the Narrogin Observer article Pilbara Aboriginal groups back Yes vote and call for real action to improve lives in full click here.

back of man holding Aboriginal flag at protest outside APH

Photo: Michael Black, ABC News.

Transformative ‘Big Dream, Small Steps’ traineeships

There was an air of excitement and anticipation in the room at Mackay Base Hospital (MBH) last week as 10 students with big dreams took a step towards pursuing careers in the health sector. The Budyubari Bidyiri Kebi Stapal (Big Dream, Small Steps) program 2023 cohort are beginning twelve-month school-based traineeships across selected departments of MBH which will equip them with a Certificate lll qualification in either Health Services Assistance, Allied Health Assistance or Dental Assistance.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Program Officer Emily Vanderwolf said the Year 11 students came from seven Mackay region high schools. “We had nine students graduate from the first Big Dream Small Steps program last year and we are excited to have another 10 students who are wanting to take up this opportunity to complete Certificate III qualifications while they are finishing high school,” Ms Vanderwolf said. “The aim of the program is to build our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce to better reflect the community we care for.”

There were also some proud family members on hand at Tuesday’s induction day. Andrea Pinkard, whose daughter Lara graduated from last year’s program, felt it was a good career move for her son Fletcher. “Fletcher’s older sister really enjoyed the program and she has now been accepted into James Cook University to study pharmacy,” Ms Pinkard said. “I thought it would be a great program for Fletcher as well.”

To read the Mackay and Whitsunday Life article Taking Big Dreams To The Healthcare Horizon in full click here.

2023 Big Dream Small Steps trainees are, back from left, Dom Battersby (MCC), Fletcher Pinkard and Bella Roberts (Mirani SHS), Jess Maley (St Patricks College), Yasmin Johnston (Pioneer SHS), and front from left, Martia Gela (Sarina SHS), Macy Rudken (Mackay SHS), Tiani Walker (Mackay North SHS), Ellie Hansen (Mackay SHS) and Brenice’Sha Blanco (Sarina SHS)

The 2023 Big Dream Small Steps trainees are, back from left, Dom Battersby (MCC), Fletcher Pinkard and Bella Roberts (Mirani SHS), Jess Maley (St Patricks College), Yasmin Johnston (Pioneer SHS), and front from left, Martia Gela (Sarina SHS), Macy Rudken (Mackay SHS), Tiani Walker (Mackay North SHS), Ellie Hansen (Mackay SHS) and Brenice’Sha Blanco (Sarina SHS). Image source: Mackay Whitsunday Life.

Overcoming fragmented child and family services

One of the biggest challenges for people who most need social services is navigating a fragmented service system. Everyone leads a complex life, and the issues we face don’t necessarily fit into neat boxes. Government services, on the other hand, are delivered in siloes through individual contracts, resulting in multiple individual services with little connection between them.

Services that help with issues such as child and family, early child education, domestic violence, homelessness / housing, health and mental health are all hampered when delivered in a fragmented way. Understanding the impacts of this and how to overcome them is important not only for those working in these systems, but the people designing and funding them as well. Those with the greatest need are least likely to access the services or receive the comprehensive support they need.

Social Ventures Australia (SVA) recently launched Happy, healthy and thriving children: Enhancing the impact of Integrated Child and Family Centres in Australia, a discussion paper, available here, exploring current integrated child and family centre (ICFC) models in Australia. It focuses on the key enablers and barriers impacting the outcomes delivered. ICFCs are not currently defined nor consistently recognised as a service model in the Australian early years landscape. There is currently no national approach to delivery, and no overall leadership or responsibility for outcomes. And while quality is essential for integrated centre outcomes, there is currently no overarching approach to measuring or assessing quality.

To view The Sector article Integrated child and family centres overcome fragmented service delivery in full click here.

Aboriginal Child and Family Centre (ACFC), NSW. Image source: NSW Government ACFC webpage.

CTG report shows ‘privileged’ claims absurd

Nothing highlights the absurdity of claims Indigenous Australians would become a “privileged group” or that the nation would be divided by race if the country votes “yes” than the latest Closing The Gap report which shows a huge disparity between the rates of incarceration, suicide, life expectancy and infant and child mortality for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Australia is already divided by race. It has been since the First Fleet. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have some of the worst health, educational, housing, economic, domestic violence and incarceration outcomes of any people on the planet. To suggest, as many of the advocates for a “no” vote do, that the establishment of a Voice to Parliament and executive government within the constitution will make Indigenous Australians a uniquely privileged group is not just perverse, it is insensitive and cruel. Despite some minor advances in Closing the Gap in pre-school enrolments, housing, employment and youth detention, Indigenous Australians are in truth a uniquely disadvantaged group.

Core issues that need to be addressed are equality of opportunity, regardless of where people choose to live, and a much more nuanced approach to policing and social welfare. While nobody questions the need to protect women, children, and also men, from domestic violence and alcohol-fuelled assaults, locking Indigenous offenders up at 10 times the rate of the general population isn’t working. Despite the expenditure of billions of dollars and the best efforts of tens of thousands of well-meaning bureaucrats, our top-down, two-centuries-old, approach to “Aboriginal affairs” has been a dismal failure.

The above was taken from the article Closing the Gap report highlights need for a Indigenous Voice published in the Canberra Times earlier today.

Cemetery at a remote Aboriginal community in Central Australia, 2016. Image source: Satellite Dreaming.

Study to help young men take care of mental health

Curtin University has been given nearly $100,000 by Healthway for a study aimed to help young Aboriginal men aged 14-25 take care of their mental health and well-being. The research team will collaborate with young Indigenous men to understand their thoughts on mental health and how they currently promote their well-being, also exploring the challenges and factors that support mental well-being and resilience.

Lead researcher from Curtin’s School of Population Health, Professor Penelope Hasking, said the team will create and test mental health messages that are culturally appropriate and meaningful to young Aboriginal men. “We will conduct co-design workshops to develop new strengths-based approaches to increase mental health literacy and mental health promotion grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and being, which might include social media campaigns or mass media campaigns,” she said. “We will soon be recruiting our research team to guide the project, which will comprise young Aboriginal men and Aboriginal Elders before we commence an initial pilot within the City of Stirling early next year.”

Lotterywest and Healthway CEO Ralph Addis congratulated Professor Hasking and her team, and all researchers who received funding through Healthway’s Targeted Research Round, “We look forward to the outcomes of all the research projects, including Curtin’s which will improve the mental health literacy and reduce health inequities among young Aboriginal men.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article Curtin University to conduct study into young Indigenous men’s mental health and wellbeing in full click here.

Professor Penelope Hasking, Curtin University

Curtin University’s Professor Penelope Hasking. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Sector Jobs

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.

Key Date – National Diabetes Week – 9–15 July 2023

Each day during National Diabetes Week 2023 NACCHO has been sharing information relating to diabetes as it impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

An article published last month in the International Journal of Epidemiology – The impact of diabetes during pregnancy on neonatal outcomes among the Aboriginal population in Western Australia: a whole-population study, available here, found:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have a high prevalence of diabetes in pregnancy (DIP), which includes pre-gestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The study which aimed to characterize the impact of DIP in babies born to Aboriginal mothers found DIP differentially increased the risks of fetal overgrowth, shoulder dystocia and congenital anomalies in Aboriginal babies. The study authors said improving care for Aboriginal women with diabetes and further research on preventing shoulder dystocia among these women can reduce the disparities.

Like many Aboriginal mothers in the Northern Territory, Desiree Weetra was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Photo: Michael Franchi, ABC News.

Jul 13 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Closing the Gap report highlights ‘snail’s pace’ progress

Closing the Gap report highlights ‘snail’s pace’ progress
Deaf Indigenous Dance Group unites communities
The RACGP supports the Voice
Men sharing stories to save lives
Fred Hollows: Why First Nations health is still on the agenda
New Aboriginal cultural heritage laws in WA
Sector Jobs

The image in the feature tile is of SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle. Image source: NTCOSS.

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

Grim reading: Closing the Gap report highlights ‘snail’s pace’ progress

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia are being failed by the current system, according to SNAICC, Australia’s peak body representing the rights and welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

The criticism comes in response to the Productivity Commission’s annual report on Closing the Gap, which revealed worsening outcomes in areas such as early childhood development, adult incarceration, displaced children, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide. SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle expressed concern about the slow pace of reform and called on governments to pick up the momentum. Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney echoed these concerns and emphasised the need for a different approach to address the disadvantages faced by First Nations people.

While progress has been made in areas such as preschool enrolment, youth detention, employment, and land rights, only four out of the 19 targets are on track to be met. The report revealed that fewer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are developmentally on track when starting school, with only 34.3% meeting the target compared to a national goal of 55%. The statistics on adult incarceration, out-of-home care, and Indigenous suicide also raised alarm.

SNAICC emphasised the need for more action, accountability, and collaboration between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to drive the necessary change.

You can read the full story in the National Indigenous Times here.

Deaf Indigenous Dance Group unites communities

Patty Banjo-Morris, leader of the Deaf Indigenous Dance Group (DIDG) has made a triumphant return to Laura at the long-running Laura Quinkan Indigenous Dance Festival, one of Australia’s oldest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural festivals.

Banjo Morris is passionate about ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with hearing impairments have access to their culture and language. After becoming deaf at the age of two, she was sent from her hometown to attend a special needs school away from her hometown. She stated,

“It was very emotionally impacting on me – I used to not be able to sleep at night, worrying about my parents, [although] I had a foster family who were very encouraging and supportive.”

Now, Banjo Morris runs DIDG, which brings together dancers from different communities across the Cape York peninsula. DIDG was among nine dance groups competing at the weekend’s festival, which has been running since the early 1980s. A troupe from Pormpuraaw on the western coast of Cape York took home the competition shield after being judged the best dancers of the event, with groups from Lockhart River and Coen rounding out the top three.

You can read the full story in the ABC News here.

A dance troupe from Pormpuraaw took out this year’s competition shield. Image source: ABC Far North: Meghan Dansie

The RACGP supports the Voice due to the positive health benefits

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) supports the establishment of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament in the Australian Constitution. RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins announced the RACGP’s official position today.

Dr Nicole Higgins stated, “The Voice to Parliament will help drive changes to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and address the inequity in our health system.”

“In Australia, this change will ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices are central in the laws, programs and services that affect us and our communities. This will lead to better health outcomes and is a key step to closing the gap in health equality.

“Research clearly shows the links between constitutional recognition and improved health outcomes. It makes recognition in health legislation easier, which leads to greater involvement in health policy-making and service delivery. There is evidence of this from the many other countries that have already established models for constitutional and treaty recognition, including New Zealand, Canada, the United States, and Norway, and it’s time that Australia followed suit.”

You can read the RACGP Position Statement here.

You can read the full story here.

Multi generation Aboriginal Australian family sitting on the bed.

Multi-generation Aboriginal family. Image source: xavierarnau

Men sharing stories to save lives

WARNING: This story contains distressing elements, including references to suicide.

Men supporting men is a powerful approach in addressing mental health issues. By encouraging open conversations, reducing stigma, and providing a supportive network, men supporting men can help individuals feel more comfortable seeking help, accessing support services, and ultimately finding the necessary support to navigate their mental health challenges.

To address these challenges, some Mpartwe men have been featured in a new video, ‘Men Can Get Support’, speaking of their personal experiences with suicide in the hope of breaking the silence and encouraging a collective effort to promote mental health and wellbeing within their communities.

“It’s a subject that needs to be spoken about a lot in the community. It’s not only tricky but it’s a scary subject. I’ve lost a lot of friends and family members to suicide,” said Chris Forbes, group co-ordinator, who features in the video.

In Australia, 75 percent of suicide deaths are men.

“As men, we get looked down upon if we cry and show our emotions out in public,” said Mr Forbes.

“We have to break that barrier and that stereotypes and say it’s ok to cry it’s ok to reach out it’s alright to say I need help.

“Most of the time you’re thinking is this the right thing to say? Is this ok to say? Is it the right time to say something? But I reckon it’s just starting the conversation.”

You can read the full article in NITV here.
You can watch the video Men Can Get Support below:

Tangentyere Men’s Family Safety Group in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) have produced a video sharing their personal experiences with suicide and self-harm. Image source: Tangentyere Men’s Family Safety Group

Fred Hollows: Why First Nations health is still on the agenda

In recognition of the challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in eye health, JulEYE – National Eye Health Awareness Month aims to raise awareness about the importance of eye care and address the disparities in access to services.

While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children generally have better eyesight than non-Indigenous children, adults from these communities are three times more likely to experience vision loss or blindness. Limited access to public eye health services, particularly in remote areas, exacerbates the issue, as most ophthalmologists work in the private sector and many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals lack private health insurance. This results in lengthy waiting lists for essential treatments, with cataract surgeries being delayed by 40% despite its potential to be corrected through a quick procedure. Furthermore, endemic trachoma remains a concerning issue, affecting only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities in Australia.

You can read the full story on The Fred Hollows Foundation website here.

Fred Hollows Foundation

New Aboriginal cultural heritage laws in WA

New Aboriginal cultural heritage laws in Western Australia aim to shift the state from its “wild west” reputation and improve the protection of Aboriginal cultural sites. The laws seek to empower Aboriginal communities and strengthen their control over their cultural heritage, acknowledging the vital link between preserving Aboriginal culture and promoting better health outcomes for Aboriginal people.

The new laws have removed section 18 of the old Aboriginal Heritage Act, which allowed Rio Tinto to blow up the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge site with ministerial approval, even after archaeological digs uncovered artefacts and sacred objects signifying the importance of the site.

The state government says the new laws empower Aboriginal people to protect and manage cultural heritage on their traditional lands and embed free, prior, and informed consent into agreement-making processes.

The legislation marks a significant step towards reconciliation and respect for Aboriginal traditions, emphasizing the importance of cultural preservation in fostering a more inclusive and harmonious society.

You can read the full story in The Guardian here.

Advocates at a rally. Image source Image source: Richard Wainwright/EPA at the Guardian.

Sector Jobs

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

Jul 12 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Place-based approaches improving health and wellbeing

Place-based approaches improving health and wellbeing
Targeted funds needed to address oral health inequities
First of its kind study explores mob’s experiences of cancer
$150m+ for healthcare in Far North QLD and Torres Strait
Funding boost for SA community initiatives
Sector Jobs
Key Date – National Diabetes Week – 9–15 July 2023

The image in the feature tile is from an article Meeting in the middle: How governments and Indigenous communities can work together, differently published in The Mandarin on 23 May 2022.

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

Place-based approaches improving health and wellbeing

ACCOs are leaders when it comes to principles of place-based approaches to improving health and wellbeing and addressing complex challenges. ACCOs and ACCHOs emerged from the failure of mainstream services to address their communities’ needs. They have also been leaders in taking holistic and responsive approaches, with community engagement and control central to all they do.

According to an Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW (AH&MRC) 2016 review, available here, ACCHOs “have always been at the heart of Aboriginal communities, grounded in local values and culture, and providing a place for engagement, activism, employment and safe haven, in addition to delivering high quality evidence-based health care.”

CEO of FamilyCare Inc, David Tennant, says that place-based approaches can transform communities. But, he says, echoing the warnings of ACCHOs over decades, if they are done to a place or community, rather than with them, place-based approaches can not only fail but cause significant harm.

To view the Croakey Health Media article Place-based interventions: reflections on what helps, and what doesn’t in full click here.

ATSI man having chest checked by health professional at Ummoona Tjukagka Health Service SA

Ummoona Tjukagka Health Service website.

Targeted funds needed to address oral health inequities

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is calling on Commonwealth, state and territory governments to collaborate and make targeted investments in programs that provide health care services based on need. AMA President Professor Steve Robson said achieving health equity required a broad focus beyond just treating disease and managing risk factors, “There are many social inequalities within Australia that give rise to serious health issues among disadvantaged communities. Poverty, discrimination and a worrying lack of appropriate health care all contribute to significant oral health inequities between First Nations peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.”

The AMA’s submission highlights the several oral health inequities Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples face, including higher rates of dental disease, which can lead to other health issues such as heart disease and strokes. Professor Robson said many Indigenous Australians relied on public oral health services, which were in short supply, “Government funding for these services is typically provided in short term arrangements, meaning the availability of oral health care is often very limited for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”

Increasing Indigenous Australian participation in the dental practitioner workforce, improving oral health awareness and collecting comprehensive oral health data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are among other recommendations emphasised in the submission. The AMA is also calling for service models to be developed and implemented in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, while ensuring investments reflect the varying cost of providing services in remote areas.

To view the AMA’s media release Targeted investments needed to address oral health inequities in full click here.

gloved hands holding X-ray of human teeth

Image source: AMA website.

First of its kind study explores mob’s experiences of cancer

A first of its kind study exploring cancer in Indigenous Australian communities has begun data collection. The Kulay Kalingka study led by the Australian National University (ANU) will gather information about First Nations’ experiences of cancer where no data currently exists – it will fill important gaps in understanding experiences of cancer – the fourth leading cause of burden of disease for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“The Kulay Kalingka cancer study arose from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community needs, to better understand cancer attitudes, beliefs and experiences and from calls for the inclusion of First Nations patients, families and communities in cancer research,” Professor Ray Lovett from ANU said. Funded by the Australian Government, through Cancer Australia, it’s the first cancer study designed, governed and controlled by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The study is being led by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research team at the ANU National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research.

While Australia’s cancer survival rates are among the best in the world, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience higher incidence and cancer mortality rates, and lower participation rates in bowel, breast, and cervical cancer population screening programs. The collection of up to 3,000 stories told by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as part of this study will provide the evidence needed to inform the Government’s policies, programs and services to improve cancer outcomes.

To view the ANU article Data collection underway in First Nations-led cancer study in full click here.

Professor Ray Lovett in suit standing at base of staircase

Professor Ray Lovett. Photo: ANU. Image source: ANU Newsroom webpage.

$150m+ for healthcare in Far North QLD and Torres Strait

More than $150m will be invested into six new or updated primary healthcare centres on Badu, Boigu and Horn Islands, and in Laura, Lockhart River and Bamaga. The investment is part of the Queensland Government’s $943m Building Rural and Remote Health Program. Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman and Member for Cook, Cynthia Lui announced the new investment ahead of their arrival into Thursday Island yesterday.

To help grow the workforce in the region an additional $1.1m will be invested into the First Nations workforce in the Torres and Cape through traineeships, scholarships and leadership programs. This includes $800,000 in scholarships for up to ten students who reside in the Torres Strait Islands to assist with the travel and living costs associated with studying tertiary health courses away from home.

An additional $300,000 will be invested into the Deadly Start program, to provide 15 new traineeships to First Nations health students in the Torres and Cape Region. Minister Fentiman said “We know that more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working in our hospitals directly helps us improve health outcomes for First Nations people. To improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples we need more First Nations doctors, specialists, nurses, carers and allied health professionals.”

To view the Queensland Government media statement Health boost for the Torres Strait, Cape York and Northern Peninsula in full click here.

aerial photo of Thursday Island township

Photo: Brendan Mounter, Far North. Image source: ABC News.

Funding boost for SA community initiatives

The SA government has announced a more than $1m investment to support vulnerable members of SA’s Aboriginal communities. The funding package has allocations to programs offering rehabilitation, counselling and advocacy for members. The package includes a $100,000 allocation to the SA Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation (SASGAC) to strengthen advocacy and support for Stolen Generations survivors.

Aboriginal population data from 2018 provided by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and the Healing Foundation reported there are 2,100 Stolen Generation survivors in SA, and Stolen Generations survivors and their descendants account for 46% of the state’s Aboriginal population. “The report also identifies that Stolen Generations and their descendants experience higher levels of disadvantage across all social and economic indicators than the Aboriginal population as a whole,” SASGAC chair Dr Jennie Caruso said. “It is well known that the best people to find the solutions to problems are those who are experiencing or have experienced the issues.

The funding allocation also contributes $140,000 to the SA ACCO Network to co-design a new support service for female Aboriginal victims of crime, and $945,000 for the Department for Correctional Services to design, develop and deliver cultural programs for Aboriginal people in prison and under community supervision to support rehabilitation.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Funding boost for South Australian Aboriginal community initiatives in full click here.

SA Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation chair Dr Jennis Caruso. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Sector Jobs

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

Key Date – National Diabetes Week – 9–15 July 2023

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are almost four times more likely than non-Indigenous Australians to have diabetes or pre-diabetes. Each day during National Diabetes Week 2023 NACCHO is sharing information relating to diabetes as it impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Diabetes Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit lobby state and federal governments to provide culturally appropriate services, support and education programs that align with the National Diabetes Strategy. They work closely with communities, health sectors and government agencies to ensure this support is community-centred.

Jul 11 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: First Nation handling of COVID shows why the Voice to Parliament is needed

First Nation handling of COVID shows why the Voice to Parliament is needed
Boost for health care centres in the north east
Medical Termination Pill access expanded in landmark move
ILSC grants for communities impacted by natural disasters
Climate change and the effects of fire on peoples’ connection to Country
Diabetes – Great Debate Series
Sector Jobs

The image in the feature tile is of Professor Fiona Stanley from ABC News: Daryna Zadvirna.

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

First Nation handling of COVID shows why the Voice to Parliament is needed

During a panel discussion supporting the Voice to Parliament, former Australian of the Year, Fiona Stanley praised the response of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to COVID-19, stating that they had the best response “in the world.” She attributed their success to the presence of a voice through organisations such as the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation.

According to Professor Stanley, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians had significantly fewer COVID-19 cases compared to non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, despite the high-risk factors they faced.

“We would have anticipated because of the high risks of Aboriginal people — chronic disease, overcrowded conditions, and most Aboriginal people actually live in cities, only 18 per cent live in remote communities – they were of high risk [of contracting the virus],” she said.

“Well, within the first 18 to 20 months of the pandemic, Aboriginal people had six times fewer cases than non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people did. How did they do it? They had a voice.

You can read the full story in ABC News here.

Boost for health care centres in the north east

The State Government plans to allocate over $150 million to establish or upgrade primary healthcare centres in the Torres Strait and Cape York regions. Health Minister Shannon Fentiman will visit the area following significant demands for an inquiry into health services. The funding will be used for the development of centres in Badu, Boigu, Horn Islands, Laura, Lockhart River, and Bamaga. An additional $1.1 million will be invested to support the growth of the Torres Strait health workforce through traineeships, scholarships, and leadership programs.

Among the initiatives, scholarships will be provided to up to 10 students from the Torres Strait Islands to assist with the costs of studying tertiary health courses away from home. The Deadly Start program will receive $300,000 to offer 15 new traineeships to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health students in the Torres and Cape regions.

The investment aims to enhance health services for individuals living in the Torres Strait while creating employment opportunities for residents of the region. Minister Fentiman highlighted the importance of having more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander professionals, including doctors, specialists, nurses, carers, and allied health professionals, to improve health outcomes for First Nations people.

You can read the media statement by Queensland Government here.

Torres Strait Islanders family living on the coast of Cape York Queensland Australia

Torres Strait Islander family living on the coast. Country around the tip of Cape York.
Image source: chameleonseye

Medical Termination Pill access expanded in landmark move

Australia is set to expand access to medical abortions through significant regulatory changes that will allow all doctors and nurse practitioners to prescribe the pregnancy termination pill and all pharmacies to stock it. Currently, only a small percentage of healthcare professionals are certified to provide the medication, leading to obstacles for women seeking timely care. The new rules, which will come into effect in August, remove certification requirements and allow all pharmacies to dispense the medication. Nurse practitioners, who represent about 1% of nurses and can work in various healthcare settings, will also be able to prescribe the pill for the first time.

The move marks the first major regulatory change since the abortion pill was approved for use in Australia in 2006. It aims to improve equitable access to healthcare for all Australians, particularly in regional and rural areas where structural barriers exist. The Australian College of Nursing Practitioners and the Royal College of Australian General Practitioners have praised the changes, stating that they will have a significant impact and improve access to medical abortions, especially in remote areas.

The decision aligns with a Senate inquiry’s recommendation to make the medical abortion pill easier to prescribe. The Australian government is yet to formally respond to the inquiry’s report.

For related article, visit SBS NITV here.

You can read the full story in The Sydney Morning Herald here.

The abortion pill will this year be available to be prescribed by every doctor. Image source: JAMES ALCOCK

ILSC offers grants for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities impacted by natural disasters

The Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC) is providing up to $20,000 in funding through the Disaster Recovery Quick Response Grants to support First Nations organizations affected by natural disasters. This initiative builds upon the ILSC’s previous commitment of $250,000 in funding to 13 remote Indigenous community groups across Australia that were severely impacted by floods earlier this year.

The ILSC aims to streamline the application and approval process to allow Indigenous corporations more time to focus on immediate recovery efforts following disasters.

Joe Morrison, the CEO of the ILSC, highlighted the increasing occurrence of bushfires, storm damage, and floods due to climate change. With the Bureau of Meteorology and the UN World Meteorological Organization predicting an El Niño cycle and potentially challenging bushfire seasons, the ILSC wants to ensure it is prepared to support Indigenous communities. The funding provided through the Disaster Recovery Quick Response Grants will assist Indigenous organizations in recovering and getting back on their feet swiftly.

Interested parties can find additional information on how to apply for the grants on the ILSC website here.

You can read the full story in the National Indigenous Times here.

Western Australia’s Fitzroy Valley region.
Image source: Foundation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sustainable Health

Climate change and the effects of fire on peoples’ connection to Country

The devastating impact of bushfires on First Nations communities and their connection to the land is being explored through an innovative art and yarn program led by Kisani Upward, a Gamilaroi, Yinaar, and Wiradjuri woman and PhD candidate at the University of New England. The program aims to address the trauma experienced by Aboriginal communities by providing a space for conversations and artistic expression. Through painting and casual discussions, participants have found healing and a sense of rejuvenation as they reconnect with their culture and express their experiences.

The program, which consists of eight sessions, facilitates discussions about the bushfires while participants engage in painting and share cups of tea. Upward, who works with the university’s Bushfire Impacts Project, initially started the program to explore how Aboriginal communities could heal from such traumatic events. The sessions have had a profound impact on participants, helping them build confidence and move forward from the devastation caused by the fires.

You can read the full story in the ABC News here.

Uncle Alex Munro shoeing his painting of Mother Earth

Uncle Alex Munro says creating a painting of Mother Earth nurtured him.
Image source: ABC New England: Lani Oataway

Diabetes – Great Debate Series

It is National Diabetes Week (NDW) from Sunday 9 to Saturday 15 July 2023. The national campaign aims to kick-start Australia’s biggest conversation about the impact of diabetes, to drive change and create hope for the future.

The theme for NDW 2023 is Join the conversation. Diabetes Australia will host a Great Debate Series over five days featuring people living with diabetes and diabetes experts discussing topics relevant to the future of diabetes in Australia. The debates will be a mix of in-person (livestreamed) and virtual events.

During the week people are also invited to provide feedback to Diabetes Australia’s national community consultation to inform a response to the Australian Government Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes.

This series of debates will run during National Diabetes Week 2023 and feature people living with diabetes and diabetes experts discussing topics relevant to the future of diabetes in Australia. The series is co-hosted by Diabetes Australia’s Group CEO Justine Cain and Dr Norman Swan AM. Debate topics include:

Monday 10 July – Timely and affordable access: Who cares?
Tuesday 11 July – Brain drain: Is diabetes research in Australia in crisis?
Wednesday 12 July – Australia’s obesity crisis: Is there a magic pill?
Thursday 13 July – Type 2 diabetes remission: Hype, hope or happening?
Friday 14 July – Keeping pace with treatments and tech: Is Australia falling behind?

The debates can be attended online or in-person.

For more information on times and how to register click here.

Test Blood Glucose For Diabetes in Pregnant Woman With Glucometer

Type 2 diabetes check. Image source: Good Medicines Better Health

Sector Jobs

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

Jul 10 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Environmental Trachoma Health Project helps WA mob

Environmental Trachoma Health Project helps WA mob
Meta to crack down on VTP misinformation
BlaQ CEO on the Voice to Parliament
Health Performance Framework summary report
Best reform for child wellbeing: raising criminal age
Sector Jobs
Key Date – National Diabetes Week 9–15 July 2023

The image in the feature tile is of an Irrungadji resident who is very happy with the new mullet hairstyle given to him by Mrs DeBonde. Photo: Amelia Searson, ABC Pilbara. Image source: ABC News article Environmental Health Trachoma Project helping remote WA communities with health, haircuts and housing published on 9 July 2023.

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

Environmental Trachoma Project helps WA mob

Tyron Colley usually has to travel hundreds of kilometres to get something as basic as a haircut. He lives in the small Aboriginal community of Irrungadji, in WA’s Pilbara region, where the nearest town with a hairdresser is almost 200 kms away. The lack of accessible basic services in remote Australia extends beyond haircuts to more serious issues, with communities like Irrungadji also facing significant housing and health challenges.

Environmental Health Trachoma Project (EHTP) lead Melissa Stoneham said poor hygiene combined with living conditions and overcrowding can lead to bacterial infections like trachoma – an eye disease that can cause blindness. Australia is the only developed country to still have endemic trachoma, and almost all cases are found in remote Aboriginal communities. In an effort to stop the spread, EHTP is working with the state government, Curtin University and other advocacy groups to take health and housing programs to remote WA communities. The team recently visited Irrungadji to assess its housing situation. Dr Stoneham said a major focus for the team was on plumbing and “anything that helps these people living in their homes with the ability to wash their face, hands, body and clothes”.

Dr Stoneham said health should be approached as a “holistic concept”, with mental and physical wellbeing going hand-in-hand. She said when heading out to remote communities, it was important to provide culturally respectful services that helped people feel taken care of. “We have free haircuts, we have de-licing of hair, we have free clothes that we are giving out,” she said. “Interactions have been great, you know, they’ve been getting a new outfit, a new haircut, they’re feeling fresh and good about themselves.”

To read the ABC News story Environmental Health Trachoma Project helping remote WA communities with health, haircuts and housing in full click here.

Dr Melissa Stoneham - Environmental Health Trachoma Project

r Melissa Stoneham says health should be seen as a “holistic” concept. Photo: Amelia Searson, ABC Pilbara. Image source: ABC News.

Meta to crack down on VTP misinformation

Facebook and Instagram want to be “contributing to democracy” and not exacerbating harms surrounding the Indigenous voice referendum, the company’s Australian policy head has said, as the social media giant beefs up protections on misinformation, abuse and mental health before the national vote. Meta, the parent company of the two apps, has announced it will boost funding to factcheckers monitoring misinformation, activate global teams to locate and respond to potential “threats” to the referendum – including coordinated inauthentic behaviour – and form a partnership with ReachOut for mental health support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“We are also coordinating with the government’s election integrity assurance taskforce and security agencies in the lead-up to the referendum,” said Mia Garlick, Meta’s director of public policy for Australia. “We’ve also improved our AI so that we can more effectively detect and block fake accounts, which are often behind this activity. “Meta has been preparing for this year’s voice to parliament referendum for a long time, leaning into expertise from previous elections.”

Meta will tap Australian knowledge to respond to abuse and hate speech. “We have hate speech advisory groups and First Nations advisory groups giving insight and advice on issues they see on the ground,” Ms Garlick said. “Building off our experience with the marriage equality postal survey and elections, unfortunately when a particular group is the focus of debate, vulnerable groups can feel more vulnerable.”

To view The Guardian article Meta vows to crack down on abuse and misinformation surrounding voice to parliament referendum in full click here.

Groups behind the no campaign against the referendum have already had online posts and ads flagged as ‘false information’ by factcheckers. Photo: NurPhoto/Shutterstock. Image source: The Guardian.

BlaQ CEO on the Voice to Parliament

Shane Sturgiss has been the CEO of BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation, a national organisation founded to provide visibility to Queer Indigenous peoples and communities, for 18 months. Asked about what inspires him the most about his role, he said, “I think the idea of seeing people’s lives change, knowing that there’s a better tomorrow, knowing that the work that I’m doing will have an impact– will make a difference.”

According to Sturgiss, the aim of BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation is to “bring visibility and provide a platform to address the intersectionality of our LGBTIQ+SB Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in order to provide a service where they can identify as their whole authentic self when accessing services.” He added, “To bring a level of comfort, provide safe spaces, and hopefully educate people on how to address intersectionality for our people and provide those safe spaces to create safer communities.”

The biggest challenges facing Queer Indigenous people are disparities in health and education as well as “the lack of awareness and acknowledgement of intersectionality and the idea that we are a homogenous group,” he explained. When it comes to the upcoming Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, Sturgiss stressed the point that, for Queer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, this will be the “second time in six years that they’ve invited the entire nation to vote on their rights as humans, and as people, and as citizens. Regardless of where your vote lies. This is still something that needs to be done with respect and dignity because it does involve people’s lives and the negative fallout from that can be a loss of life.”

To view the Star Observer article Shane Sturgiss, CEO of BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation, On The Indigenous Voice to Parliament in full click here.

Image source: Star Observer.

Health Performance Framework summary report

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework summary report summarises the latest information on how Indigenous Australians are faring, drawing from the Health Performance Framework (HPF) measures.

In 2018, the burden of disease among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was 2.3 times that of non-Indigenous Australians. Among Indigenous Australians, mental and substance use disorders were the leading contributor to disease burden (24%). Measures of health status, determinants of health, and health system performance drawn from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework (HPF) show mixed results. It is important to note that measures in the 3 tiers are interconnected, and understanding the reasons for progress (or lack thereof) in the health status and outcomes of Indigenous Australians may often be best understood by examining relevant measures in determinants of health and health system performance.

Analysis by the AIHW of ABS survey data indicates that about 34% of the total health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is due to social determinants, and 19% due to individual health risk factors (e.g. smoking). It is likely that differences in access to affordable and nearby health services explain a significant proportion of the health gap between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. In many cases, Indigenous Australians have poorer access to health services than non-Indigenous Australians, for a range of reasons including barriers such as availability, cost and a lack of culturally appropriate health services. For Indigenous Australians to have better health outcomes, improvements in the health system are required.

To view the AIHW’s Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework Summary report July 2023 in full click here.

Best reform for child wellbeing: raising criminal age

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) President Professor Steve Robson said child incarceration in Australia is a national problem that requires a nationally consistent response. In a submission to an Australian Human Rights Commission investigation into possible reforms to youth justice the AMA has called on Australia’s Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, to show leadership by encouraging state and territory attorneys-general to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14.

Professor Robson said “The medical evidence is clear, jailing harms children mentally and impairs their physical development and the younger the child is at first contact with the legal system, the higher the rate of recidivism. We cannot accept a stepped approach of raising the age to 12 — let’s remember that children this age are still in primary school — 14 is the absolute minimum age that we should set criminal responsibility. Countries comparable to Australia don’t lock their children up. We really should be ashamed to know that right now there will be around 4,500 children as young as 10 under youth justice supervision in Australia. 10-year-olds are in year four and year five at school, they still have baby teeth, some still need booster seats in the car and at school they have to earn a pen license. They should not be in jail, no matter where they live in Australia or whatever their personal circumstances may be.”

The AMA’s submission also highlights the disproportionate number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in detention, making up almost half of all the 10–17 years olds in detention (despite making up only 6% of the population in this age group).

To view the AMA media release Best reform for youth justice and child wellbeing is raising the criminal age across Australia in full click here.

tile text '10 year olds are children, not criminals.' drawing of child in jail cell with head & arms on knees

Image source: UNICEF Australia Tweet 30 November 2017.

Sector Jobs

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

Key Date – National Diabetes Week – 9–15 July 2023

National Diabetes Week runs from Sunday 9 to Friday 15 July 2023. Diabetes Australia want a future where diabetes can do no harm, but say that to achieve this ambition we must act now to change the trajectory of diabetes in Australia and better support people living with or at risk of diabetes.

The Australian Government recently announced an Inquiry into Diabetes in Australia. It is time to amplify the voice of the diabetes community to ensure this Inquiry focusses on the priorities that will change the numbers, change the future, and change lives.

This National Diabetes Week Diabetes Australia are kick-starting Australia’s biggest conversation about the impact of diabetes in this country – a conversation to drive change, and to create hope for the future. No one understands diabetes more than a person who lives with diabetes. Driving change starts with hearing the views and amplifying the voices of the diabetes community.

For more information about National Diabetes Week 2023 click here.

tile text ' National Diabetes Week 2023 - Join the Conversation - Diabetes Australia'

Jul 7 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Elders’ significant role in health and wellbeing

Elders’ significant role in health and wellbeing
Putting communities in front seat of innovation
If we stand in solidarity the Voice will succeed
Videos to help remote mob
Breaking the incarceration cycle
Indigenous leaders – the key to social change
Sector Jobs

The image in the feature tile is of Professor Peter O’Mara from a Rural Health Pro article Mining to medicine: Wiradjuri man Peter O’Mara shares his journey to medicine published on 28 April 2021.

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

Elders’ significant role in health and wellbeing

In an event to tie in with NAIDOC Week 2023, three RACGP panellists have explored the role of Elders in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Panellists included Dr Karen Nicholls, Chair of RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and a Torres Strait Islander woman descending from Boigu Island, along with her predecessor in that role Professor Peter O’Mara – a Wiradjuri man who works as a GP at Tobwabba Aboriginal Medical Service and founded the Werin Aboriginal Medical Service. Dr Kirsty Jennings, a Biripi woman from NSW who first trained as a social worker before turning to general practice, was the third member of the panel.

In the webinar, which is now available on-demand, the panellists discussed identifying Elders and recognising their important status, as well as their significant role in community health and wellbeing. “I feel really privileged that I am someone who gets to work with people who are considered Elders in the community, and learn from their role-modelling, their gentleness, [and] their subtle approach in how they get messages across,” Dr Nicholls said.

Professor O’Mara also welcomed the opportunity to acknowledge Elders and their role, saying “Elders are a significant foundation of our culture. I would say the true sense of an Elder is not just a person who is old, it is much more than that. An Elder for me is someone with wisdom and humility … I think mostly it’s about hearing and wisdom and putting the community before themselves.”

To view the RACGP newsGP article ‘A significant foundation of our culture’: Elders’ role explored in full click here.

Dr Karen Nicholls, Chair of RACGP ATSI Health

Dr Karen Nicholls. Image source: RACGP newsGP.

Putting communities in front seat of innovation

A program, hosted by Monash University’s Faculty of Information Technology (IT), is inviting First Nations communities and organisations to co-design innovative solutions with leading Monash researchers to sustainably address challenges faced by Indigenous communities. Launched recently, the National Indigenous Innovation Challenge, presents an opportunity for Indigenous organisations and community groups to pitch a challenge or idea for a chance to co-develop long-term solutions with experts across Monash University with the help of seed funding.

Community organisations are being invited to submit pitches until Monday 31 July 2023. After the pitches have been received representatives will attend a full-day workshop to delve into their challenges and team up with researchers with relevant expertise in science, technology, engineering, law, business, medicine or public health.

Program Lead and proud Wadjak/Ballardong Noongar man Associate Dean (Indigenous) Professor Christopher Lawrence in the Faculty of IT said after the workshop the organisations will be invited to present project proposals describing their sustainable co-designed solutions and selected participants will receive seed funding. “Our main aim is to build a bridge between First Nations peoples and researchers so that traditional Indigenous knowledge can be supported with science, technology, engineering, maths (STEM) and business research to resolve the issues they know best,” Professor Lawrence said.

To view the Monash University article Putting Indigenous communities in the front seat of innovation in full click here and watch an explanatory video below.

If we stand in solidarity the Voice will succeed

In her opinion piece If we stand in solidarity, the referendum will succeed, published earlier this week, Dr Shireen Morris, a constitutional lawyer and Director of the Radical Centre Reform Lab at Macquarie University says “Last week I travelled with the Kimberley Land Council’s ‘Referendum Roadshow’, participating in community discussions at Kununurra, Hall’s Creek, Fitzroy Crossing and Derby. What struck me was the passion of these communities: the love and warmth that infused the discussions, the staunch belief in justice despite the hardships of the past and present, and the commitment to doing the hard work to achieve to a national ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum.

Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians discussed their visions for a more united Australia. Equal parts desperation and hope, struggling local people explained how they want and need things to change. They want to close the gap. They want to right the wrongs of the past. They want a fairer and more reconciled Australia, and a better future for their children and grandchildren.

What I saw in the Kimberley was ordinary Australians imagining an even better country – a country that recognises Indigenous peoples by making a national commitment to dialogue, listening and mutual respect. That is our choice in October. Do we want to transform the top-down relationship that has characterised Indigenous affairs into a true partnership? Or do we want things to stay the same? The next few months will be tough, but if we stand in solidarity, the referendum will succeed.

To view the opinion piece by Dr Morris published in the National Indigenous Times in full click here.

Resources to help mob in remote areas

The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) leads and provides direction in developing digital health, bringing the Australian health system into the digital century. It is responsible for the national digital health strategy including the design, development, delivery and national operations, while the Commonwealth Department of Health is responsible for national digital health policy.

ADHA wants to ensure that digital health tools help empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to take control of their health and maintain their health and wellbeing while staying connected to Country. Find out how digital health tools are helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples stay on Country by watching the videos released by ADHA to mark NAIDOC Week 2023, available here.

Below is one of a range of videos produced by the ADHA.

Breaking the incarceration cycle

Wendy Ah Chin, Queensland Corrective Services’ (QCS) first-ever Chief Superintendent for First Nations and Cultural Capability, says QCS recognises its important role in addressing the over-representation of First Nations people in custody and under supervision in the community. “One-third of people in custody in Queensland identify as First Nations and we are in a unique position to influence the lives not only of those in our custody and care but make lasting generational change,” Ms Ah Chin said.

Ms Ah Chin continued, “While QCS can’t influence who comes into our system, we can work with them to make lasting positive changes which can prevent reoffending. This can have generational benefits, as we know the largest indicator of whether someone ends up in custody is if they have a parent who is incarcerated. In fact, a child who has a parent who spends time in prison is nine times more likely to end up in custody themselves as an adult. To break this cycle of disadvantage in First Nations people, we need to provide culturally appropriate services.”

“I have the opportunity to be a part of the whole-of-government approach and build stakeholder partnerships to shape and influence Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice agenda, including developing our Reframing our Relationship Plan. Top of my priority list is to understand what our “truth-telling” journey looks like over the coming months and years. Recognising, respecting, and valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and lived experiences is fundamental to improving our services, as is acknowledging where things may not have been done well and learning from that. As a Maya Angelou once said: ‘When we know better, we do better’.”

To view The North West Star opinion piece Opinion: Breaking incarceration cycles for lasting generational change in full click here.

Wendy Ah Chin, is QLD Corrective Services Chief Superintendent for First Nations & Cultural Capability & a proud Waanyi woman from N QLD

Queensland Corrective Services Chief Superintendent for First Nations and Cultural Capability and, Wendy Ah Chin. Image source: The North West Star.

Indigenous leaders – the key to social change

Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity (AFSE) supports the next generation of Indigenous leaders to inspire, collaborate and facilitate change in communities across Australia, NZ and the Pacific. Based at the University of Melbourne, a unique inter-cultural fellowship for social equity, the program works towards Indigenous-led solutions that make a real impact in communities, and advocates for Indigenous leadership and ways of knowing as the foundation for social change.

Jonathon Captain-Webb (2022 cohort) a Gomeroi and Dunghutti man from Gomeroi and Dunghutti Countries, is the manager of Culture and Heritage at the NSW Aboriginal Land Council based in Western Sydney. There, he is working with 120 Local Aboriginal Land Councils across NSW to promote, protect and celebrate Aboriginal cultural heritage in all its forms. Captain-Webb said the foundation year of the program completely changed how he viewed Aboriginal affairs and policy. “Coming into this space I thought I knew everything about best practice for achieving outcomes for my community,” Captain-Webb said. “This has been the best study I have ever done; the content and delivery have been amazing, the subject matter experts that we have in the room is second to none, and the readings we engaged with have been designed and tailored specifically for us as Indigenous people.”

2022 Fellow Alicia Veasey is a Torres Strait Islander woman providing state-wide advice on broader system issues and barriers to achieving health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Queensland. She is also an Obstetrics and Gynaecology doctor and Co-Chair of Queensland Health’s state-wide Queensland Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Clinical Network. Veasey said the program has been deeply transformational, “After spending decades within colonial institutions of health and education, this program has provided me the space, support and tools to decolonise my mind,” Veasey said. “I’ve been able to work towards changing systems to not just ‘close-the-gap’ but to change structures of power and systems so that we can have true health sovereignty for our communities.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article Indigenous leadership – the key to social change in full click here.

graduates of Masters or Graduate Certificate in Social Change Leadership, Uni Melbourne

Melbourne University graduates of Social Change Leadership course. Photo: James Henry. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Sector Jobs

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

Jul 5 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Celebrating the contribution of our health professionals

Celebrating the contribution of our health professionals
Why the Voice is critical to mob’s health
Breaking down digital health barriers
RACGP welcomes boost for rural pharmacies
Improving literacy, numeracy and digital skills
Eye sector unites for equitable eye health outcomes
Sector Jobs

The image in the feature tile is from an article Scholarships on offer for Indigenous health practitioners published in the Katherine Times on 20 February 2020, featuring a Mala’la Health Service Aboriginal Corporation Aboriginal Health Worker in the Maningrida Health Clinic, NT. Photo: NTPHN.

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

Celebrating the contribution of our health professionals

Kuku Yalanji man Carl Briscoe is the CEO of National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners (NAATSIHWP), the peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners in Australia. NAATSIHWP members work in the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector, other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical services, mainstream and private health services.

Mr Briscoe values the opportunity to influence how program initiatives and policies are shaped. The practical experience working as an Aboriginal Health Worker provided a solid grounding for the policy roles he has undertaken, he said. In addition, Briscoe has enjoyed working to raise the profile of the profession. While there’s a long way to go, he said a range of stakeholders within the health sector, including the Australian Medical Council and RACGP, recognise the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker and Practitioner. In particular, the cultural expertise of the profession is being “respected and recognised”, Briscoe said.

One of the strengths of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professions is their cultural knowledge, understanding and personal experience. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce “holds a diverse range of experiences of being a First Nations person in this country, and the knowledge of their family and communities, and how this may influence a person’s interaction with the health system,” according to Fiona Cornforth, a Wuthathi descendant and Chair of the National Health Leadership Forum (NHLF) and CEO of The Healing Foundation. Briscoe added: “Our profession is the only culturally raised health profession with national training and regulation, and we think it’s a source of national pride that should be celebrated every day.”

To view the Croakey Health Media article Celebrating the contributions and expertise of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals in full click here. You can also listen to an interview Karl Briscoe in the video below.

Why the Voice is critical to mob’s health

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, says later this year, Australians will have the chance to change our Constitution and recognise the place of First Nations people in this country. Australians will get a chance to embrace that recognition through a voice to parliament, and I can’t think of a more important area where we should listen to that voice than health. The voice will be a group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who offer advice to the parliament on issues that affect them.

We need their insights so we can improve their lives. For too many years the parliament and health ministers of both political persuasions have been confronted with the appalling health gaps that exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. There are many health challenges that unarguably impact Indigenous Australians differently, and some others that are largely unknown to n on-Indigenous Australians.

To view Minister Butler’s media release Why Voice is critical to First Nations health in full click here.

Aboriginal flag flying with Australian Parliament House in background

Photo: Mick Tsikas, AAP. Image source: The Guardian.

Breaking down digital health barriers

NAIDOC Week 2023 (2-9 July) provides a significant opportunity to showcase how digital health tools can support healthcare access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including reducing the need for people to travel to get the care they need, and supporting care on Country regardless of location. The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA), in consultation with the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC), has released an in-language educational video as part of an ongoing initiative to enhance digital health literacy in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities so that people can most effectively engage with their health.

The newly launched educational video offers valuable insights into the array of digital health tools available to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. It centres around the health journey of Latoya, a person living with a chronic illness, providing culturally appropriate and accessible information to the community. Importantly, the video has been created in both Yumpla Tok, a language spoken in the Torres Strait Islands, and English.

Amanda Cattermole PSM, CEO of the Australian Digital Health Agency said “Co-designing communications with Indigenous audiences is vital so that the information hits the mark. Our consultations suggest that animation is one innovative means of engaging well with Indigenous peoples, and so for this video we have presented Latoya’s story in animation form.”

To view the Australian Government ADHA media release Latoya’s Journey: breaking down barriers to digital health literacy with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community driven resources in full click here.

RACGP welcomes boost for rural pharmacies

The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has welcomed a significant financial boost for community pharmacies across Australia, which took effect from Saturday 1 July 2023. Changes announced by the Federal Government include comm2023.unity pharmacies being paid more for dispensing medicines, pharmacies outside the big cities will have their location allowance doubled, and pharmacy medicine stocks will be assured.

RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said the support for community pharmacies is welcome. “Australia needs a strong and sustainable primary care system with GPs working together with pharmacists, allied health and nurse practitioners to provide the best care for patients,” she said. “Community pharmacies play an important role in dispensing medication. They also provide various associated services, such as for opioid dependence treatment, medication reviews, and Indigenous health, which are government subsidised.”

“The significant financial boost to pharmacies from 1 July 1 welcome, particularly for those in our rural communities. The regional pharmacy maintenance allowance has doubled, so pharmacies in the most remote areas are now eligible for more than $90,000 a year to keep their doors open. Rural and remote communities typically have limited access to health services, sometimes there’s just one GP practice and pharmacy, and the local community relies on them heavily. The rural primary care community is also tightknit, we support each other, and I know there will be many rural GPs who’ll be happy to hear about this additional support for their local pharmacists.”

To view the RACGP media release RACGP welcomes financial boost for rural pharmacies in full click here. You can also view Minister Butler’s media release Rural Pharmacies receive major funding boost here.

pharmacist's hands holding medicine boxes

Image source: newsGP.

Improving literacy, numeracy and digital skills

The Albanese Government is working to close the gap, by removing barriers to accessing education and training for First Nations Australians. Minister for Skills and Training Brendan O’Connor will announce in Darwin today a specific Indigenous stream to the Government’s Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) foundation skills program, to improve literacy, numeracy and digital skills for First Nations Australians.

Around 1 in 5 Australian adults lack the basic literacy, numeracy and digital skills to gain better jobs and participate fully in society. For First Nations people, it is estimated that 40% of adults have minimal English literacy and this figure can rise as high as 70% in remote communities, such as those in the NT. The Government is investing $436 mover four years to fundamentally reform the way the Commonwealth delivers Foundation Skills programs, so Australians have the core literacy, numeracy and digital literacy skills to succeed.

To view the media release Better access to literacy, numeracy and digital literacy skills crucial for Indigenous Australians in full click here.

3 young Aboriginal kids with a book in classroom

Image source: Indigenous Literacy Foundation website.

Eye sector unites for equitable eye health outcomes

The 2023 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference (NATSIEHC23) recently took place over three days on Dharug Country in Western Sydney. The remarkable event drew in over 240 delegates, including over 40 optometrists. The conference aimed to build on the collective work of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye health sector to improve eye health access and outcomes for First Nations Australians. It was led by the National Expert Group in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health (NEGATSIEH) and co-hosted by AH&MRC (Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council, NSW) and the Indigenous Eye Health Unit (IEHU) at The University of Melbourne.

The NATSIEHC23 theme ‘Our Vision in Our Hands: Finding Our Voice’ sought to highlight emerging and future First Nations leaders of the sector, while also resonating the strength and values of the longstanding movement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination in health and the broader current national movement to enshrine First Nations Voice to parliament.

Optometry Australia Policy & Advocacy Manager Sarah Davies said “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a long history in promoting health and wellbeing and providing health care, and as a peak, national eye health professional body, Optometry Australia believes it has a responsibility to advocate with and work alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, to facilitate an Australia where all people have ready access to the eye care they need, provided in a culturally safe and respected environment. NATSIEHC23 provided a unique opportunity for gathering and collaboration, showcasing the work occurring nationwide to advance eye health outcomes for Australia’s First Peoples, and to celebrate the success of our collaborative efforts to date.”

To view the Optometry Australia article Eye health sector unites to achieve equitable eye health outcomes for First Nations peoples in full click here.

Conference participants and presenters: (L-R) Kane Ellis, Donna Murray, Lauren Hutchinson, Karl Briscoe, Renata Watene and Uncle ‘Widdy’ Welsh. Image source: University of Melbourne School of Population and Global Health webpage.

Sector Jobs

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

Jul 3 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Dr Naomi Mayers receives 2023 NAIDOC award

Dr Naomi Mayers receives 2023 NAIDOC award
52 mob who are changing the world
Uncle Clarke Scott on work with Cancer Council
17% of WA kids live with food insecurity
Senate calls for public dentistry
Cancelled flights affect Cape York health services
Sector Jobs

The image in the feature tile is of Dr Naomi Myers OAM from a National Indigenous Times article Dr Naomi Mayers honoured as 2023 NAIDOC award finalists announced published on 6 June 2023.

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

Dr Naomi Mayers receives 2023 NAIDOC award

This year’s National NAIDOC Week Award Winners were announced at the 2023 National NAIDOC Awards ceremony, held in Meanjin (Brisbane) on Saturday. The 10 award recipients were selected from almost 200 nominations from across the nation. This year’s award recipients included Aunty Dr Naomi Mayers OAM, who was acknowledged with a Lifetime Achievement Award after dedicating her life to the advancement of Indigenous health.

Aunty Dr Naomi Mayers OAM, is a proud Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri woman, born in 1941 on Erambie Mission, just outside of Cowra in country NSW. Aunty Dr Naomi has developed and led some of the most enduring and fundamentally profound reforms in Aboriginal and Torres Strait health, both in terms of community-controlled services and the broader Australian health system.

Aunty Dr Naomi was one of the founders and a pioneering force in establishing the Aboriginal Medical Service Redfern (AMS) in 1971. The AMS Redfern was the first Aboriginal medical service and has since become a service model for community controlled health services that underpins the principles of self-determination. The service provides culturally appropriate healthcare to Indigenous people and has been instrumental in improving health outcomes for Aboriginal communities throughout Australia.

Aunty Dr Naomi dedicated 45 years to the Redfern AMS and service to the community. She started out as an Administrator, and in 2012 went on to become the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) before her retirement in 2017. Throughout her career at the AMS, Aunty Dr Naomi guided the transformation of the AMS from a small shop-front into a national network of services.

Aunty Dr Naomi is a founding member of the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW, the National Aboriginal and Islander Health Organisation (NAIHO) (now NACCHO), was founding president of the Federation for Aboriginal Women and a member of the first ATSIC Regional Council for Metropolitan Sydney.

To read the National Indigenous Times article Blak excellence celebrated as Meanjin hosts 2023 National NAIDOC Awards in full click here. You can also read more about Dr Naomi Meyers on the NAIDOC Week website here.

Dr Naomi Mayers as a young ATSI health advocate

Aunty Dr Naomi Mayers OAM at the beginning of her career. Image source: National Museum Australia.

52 mob who are changing the world

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July to celebrate and recognise: “the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.” In 1956 major Aboriginal organisations, and state and federal governments, all supported the formation of the “National Aborigines Day Observance Committee” (NADOC) and the second Sunday in July became a day of remembrance for Aboriginal people and their heritage. In 1991 with a growing awareness of the distinct cultural histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, NADOC was expanded to NAIDOC to recognise Torres Strait Islander people and culture.

Cosmos, a quarterly science magazine, was supported by the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) and Australia’s five Learned Academies to create a list of 52 leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are changing the world. It is neither exhaustive, nor are they listed in any particular order.

Ryan Winn, CEO of ACOLA said: “I am sure readers will recognise many names on the list, but there is a larger number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers we should all know about. These amazing researchers range from early and mid-career through to later career researchers, and cover a broad range of research disciplines. We thank them all, as well as the many other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers, scientists and knowledge holders, for their valuable and continuing contributions to advancing knowledge in Australia. Their work builds upon the tens of thousands of years of knowledge created by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on their lands.”

To read the Cosmos article 52 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people changing the world in full click here.

tile text 'for our Elders 50+ Indigenous people changing the world'

Image credit: Marc Blazewicz. Image source: Cosmos.

Uncle Clarke Scott on work with Cancer Council

Uncle Clarke Scott, a Wiradjuri man with close connections to community across the Central West and Riverina regions of NS, has spoken about his experiences working with Cancer Council NSW in creating and developing culturally safe and responsible services and information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Uncle Clarke Scott is a member of Cancer Council NSW’s Aboriginal Advisory Committee and has a wealth of experience working in Aboriginal community health.

Uncle Clarke has a strong understanding of what is needed to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across NSW, “I think it’s mainly about the word being out among the community. So, with the Advisory Committee having the connection to community to be able to pass on the information from Cancer Council with their pamphlets and all that type of thing,” he says.

In communities, Uncle Clarke explains how the employment of specific Aboriginal staff is vital for culturally safe advice and support, “I think it’s so good that we’re able to help the Aboriginal community with understanding cancer. It’s really important that Aboriginal health workers can provide that cultural advice to the non-Aboriginal staff and cultural support to our community members.”

To view the Cancer Council NSW article NAIDOC Week 2023: For Our Elders in full click here.

17% of WA kids live with food insecurity

Demand for food relief across WA has substantially increased over the past four years and children in regional areas are among those most in need, a report has found. The Hungry For Change report, tabled in parliament last month, found that 17% 0f children and young people in the state live with food insecurity. The full extent of the problem may not be known because families and children hide the fact they have insufficient food, according to the report.

It detailed a recent cost-of-living study, which found over half of the participating households in the Kimberley region did not have enough money to purchase 12 days’ worth of food. These same families could not afford 24/7 electricity, which impacted directly on their ability to store, cook and prepare meals.

Foodbank WA chief executive Kate O’Hara said the government’s willingness to closely investigate the issue was a positive sign. “It’s a sensational approach, just seeing the government get informed about the truth in community to give them the clarity and vision on what could be achieved,” she said. The “tyranny of distance” was something Ms O’Hara said many from outside of the region struggle to comprehend. “The distance factor means that cold chain, which is vital for quality food to get into the remote areas of state … the cold chain infrastructure is predominantly around the major retail food outlets,” she said.

To view the ABC News article Food insecurity report highlights plight of children in Kimberley and Pilbara in full click here.

2 young ATSI girls in Broome with containers of food from Feed the Little Children charity

Every weekend Feed the Little Children delivers about 700 hot dinners to children in Broome. Photo: Erin Parke, ABC Kimberley. Image source: ABC News.

Senate calls for public dentistry

An interim report into the state of Australia’s dental health has been tabled in the Senate, renewing calls for the inclusion of dental care in Medicare. The Select Committee into the Provision and Access to Dental Services interim report has shown widespread support from experts and the community for broadening Medicare to include more dental and oral health care subsidies.

Oral and dental health in Australia have improved over the past 25–30 years, especially with the addition of fluroide to drinking water. However, the Australian Government dental health statistics indicate there are still significant problems. Poor oral health costs Australia’s health care system significantly.

There are an estimated 750,000 GP consultations each year for dental problems, which costs taxpayers up to $30mp er year. Dental and oral health problems also affect the hospital system, with Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) estimating that, in 2020–21, there were about 83,000 hospitalisations for preventable dental conditions. Dental disease and oral health problems disproportionately affect those on low incomes, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples, people in rural and remote areas, prisoners, disabled people, and those with specialised health care needs.

To view the InSight article Medicare with teeth: Senate call for public dentistry in full click here.

youth in dental chair, dentist & dental assistant

Image source: Goolburri Dental Service. Goolburri Aboriginal Health Advancement Co, Ltd. website.

Cancelled flights affect Cape York health services

Remote Far North Queensland Indigenous communities fear losing health and other essential services if airlines continue to cancel flights. According to the Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council, SkyTrans has cancelled 18 flights since the start of this year. Robbie Sands is the mayor of the western Cape York community and chair of the Torres Cape Indigenous Council Alliance (TCICA), which represents 15 remote local government authorities.

He says flight cancellations happen far too often and are causing significant disruption to the delivery of essential services in some of Queensland’s most disadvantaged communities. “Things like weekly medications sent up from Cairns, they can be delayed or don’t come in, which impacts on our peoples’ health,” Cr Sands said.

“We get a lot of allied health services come into our communities, and [cancellations] cause major disruptions if they can’t come in and see and treat our people.”

To view the ABC News article Flight cancellations to remote Cape York communities affecting health, essential services in full click here.

Bamaga has experienced frequent flight cancellations. Photo: Brendan Mounter, ABC Far North. Image source: ABC News.

Sector Jobs

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

Jun 6 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Breaking down barriers to support mums-to-be

Breaking down barriers to support mums-to-be
Stolen as a child, now training others to heal
Health advocate addresses UN delegates
JCU welcomes first Indigenous Chancellor
Perception Alice Springs unsafe deters workers
Culturally appropriate mental health support coming
Sector Jobs

The image in the feature tile is of Aboriginal Elder Uncle Elvis and Kiralee Moss performing the smoking ceremony for Anne-Shirley Braun and baby Amelia at the first yarning circle at Westmead Hospital’s Cultural Gathering Place in June 2021. The image appeared in article Breaking down barriers to support western Sydney Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mums-to-be published in The Pulse yesterday, Monday 5 June 2023.

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

Breaking down barriers to support mums-to-be

The Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mums and Bubs Program Steering Committee is working hard to implement various initiatives to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mums-to-be and their families across the district. With over 30 attendees, 40% of who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, this committee is breaking down silos to improve health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait families in a culturally appropriate way through establishing sustainable partnerships.

Committee member Jo Fuller is the Integrated and Community Health Priority Populations program lead at WSLHD, and since 2016 has managed the Aboriginal Health portfolio and was a founding member in starting this committee. Jo is passionate about service collaboration and strongly believes that reconciliation needs to be driven by non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples. “Through the Mums and Bubs Program Steering Committee, we have been able to establish culturally sensitive and appropriate services and provide alternative pathways for the delivery of non-Aboriginal services to the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across western Sydney,” said Jo.

One example of this is the Westmead Hospital Midwifery Caseload Practice and Westmead Dragonfly Midwifery group that offers culturally safe midwifery continuity of care for women from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families with a service that runs 24/7 during pregnancies and up to six weeks following birth.

To view The Pulse article Breaking down barriers to support western Sydney Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mums-to-be in full click here.

Belinda Cashman (Acting Director Aboriginal Health Strategy), Koorine Trewlynn (Principal Project Officer Kimberwalli). Image source: The Pulse.

Stolen as a child, now training others to heal

Aunty Lorraine Peeters’s last memory of her homeland was watching the mission gates fade into the distance from the back of a rattly truck. After being snatched from her parents at Brewarrina Mission in NW NSW in 1942, four-year-old Lorraine was taken 650 kms south with her five sisters to Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls. The Wailwan Gamilaroi woman’s life was about to change forever.

Separated from her sisters, Aunty Lorraine described being ripped from her family and culture and “plonked into another” as a government-led assimilation strategy to get rid of her people. “Brainwashed, abused, and the whip — if you ever used your own culture,” she said while reflecting on the former home’s mantra of ‘act white, speak white, be white’. “I really think it was a genocide of our race.”

Lorraine Peeters has step up a program, Maumali, to help other members of the Stolen Generations, and the wide community, work through and understand trauma. Marumali is a Gamilaroi word for “put back together”.

To view the ABC News article Lorraine Peeters was stolen and trained to be a servant in NSW, now she trains others to heal in full click here.

Aunty Lorraine Peeters leaning on bridge wall

Aunty Lorraine Peeters. Photo: Carly Williams, ABC News.

Health advocate address UN delegates

To deliver a speech for your own nation among the nation states of the world in diplomatic Geneva is always deemed a privilege, but one personal address from the heart of the world’s oldest continuous living culture was worth the wait of the journey. There Pat Anderson from the podium was surveying the eyes of the room of delegates of United Nations members staring back, all the while carrying the weight of 65,000 years of history proudly on the resilient Alyawarre woman’s shoulders.

The internationally-recognised advocate for Indigenous health grew up from humble beginnings and that upbringing was not far from her mind in that moment. “All I was thinking is, ‘I am a long way from Darwin, let alone a long way from Parap camp’,” Pat says. Parap camp, which she called once home, was a collection of surplus army tents, pegged down and sheltered away from the rest of established Darwin for Aboriginal and “mixed” families to exist.

“That’s where my parents instilled in us a really strong sense of justice and what was right and wrong. They also encouraged us to be brave, to stand up and say what you needed to say. I’ve spent my life of trying to make change, trying to educate, trying to convince, trying to coax, trying to cajole what is a wider community to our cause,” Pat says. “We are a sovereign people, an ancient people, we have knowledge and we are of value.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article Pat Anderson’s long journey has important steps to come in full click here.

Pat Anderson arms crossed across chest standing under gum tree

Pat Anderson. Photo: Andrew Mathieson. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

JCU welcomes first Indigenous Chancellor

Last Thursday 1 June 2023, at James Cook University’s (JCU) Bebegu Yumba Campus in Townsville, on the lawns in front of the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library Professor Ngiare Brown was welcomed as JCU’s sixth Chancellor. Professor Brown is the first female and first Indigenous to assume the university’s most senior governance and strategy role.

“I’m a Yuin nation woman from the South Coast of NSW. I’m a doctor by trade, a mother, a researcher, a clinician, and I get up to lots of mischief,” she said. “I find this quite an extraordinary opportunity. I would never have anticipated being approached for such a role. I am hoping that I can be a good role model for other women, girls, other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples but also people who have limited opportunities in their current context. There are institutions that want them to be part of their journey.”

Deputy chancellor Jayne Arlett said the appointment of the institution’s first female and first Indigenous chancellor was “significant. She is an exceptional person with very high standing at a national and international level,” she said.

You can read more about Professor Ngiare Brown in the ABC News article New James Cook University chancellor hopes to bridge education divide amid ‘growth period’ here.

16 seated people, 13 in academic robes, 3 women in civilian attire; Professor Ngaire Brown at investiture as Chancellor of JCU

Professor Ngaire Brown seated in the middle of the front row at her investiture as Chancellor of James Cook University on 1 June 2023.

Perception Alice Springs unsafe deters workers

Top NT doctor John Boffa says alcohol restrictions mean Alice Springs is “back to being a safe place” but and healthcare workers are being put off coming to the area by “a situation which has largely been addressed”.

Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC) chief medical officer Dr John Boffa said the “single most important factor” in attracting healthcare workers to the region was to “get the message out that Alice Springs is now safe. The crisis is over, we’re back to where we were in 2021 and we had no staff not coming in because they said it was unsafe,” he said.

“But unfortunately in the national picture there’s still this perception that this town is unsafe as it was leading up to Christmas last year — that’s not true.”

The above has been extracted from the NT News article Top Alice Springs doctor John Boffa says alcohol restrictions mean the town is now ‘safe’ published earlier today.

CAAC Chief Medical Officer John Boffa speaking to media outside building

CAAC Chief Medical Officer John Boffa said the “situation” in Alice Springs had largely been addressed by alcohol restrictions. Photo: Laura Hooper. Image source: NT News.

Culturally appropriate mental health support coming

People in the Alice Springs region will soon have access to free, and culturally appropriate mental health and wellbeing support in their own community. Together, the Australian Government and NT Government are investing $11.5m to establish and operate new adult and kids Head to Health services, which are expected to open in 2024.

The Head to Health services in Alice Springs will be safe and welcoming places for all people, with a strong focus on being culturally safe and responsive to meet the needs of First Nations people. Head to Health services provide compassionate, flexible and high-quality mental health and wellbeing support from multidisciplinary care teams. People can be seen without an appointment, to get the services they need from a range of professionals, which may include First Nations health workers, psychologists, paediatricians, nurses, social workers and peer support workers.

The new Head to Health service for adults will provide short to medium-term care for people with moderate to severe levels of mental illness. This new service will take a holistic approach to supporting mental health and wellbeing, and provide immediate support and follow up for people who are in crisis or distress. The new Head to Health Kids service will deliver culturally appropriate specialist therapeutic services for children ages 0 to 12 years, strengthening outcomes for children’s mental health and wellbeing and their families throughout the Central Australia region.

Both of these Head to Health services will be co-designed in close partnership with the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC) and First Nations representatives, health professionals and service providers, as well as local communities, including people with lived and living experience of mental ill-health and families experiencing childhood difficulties.

To view The Hon Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister Rural and Regional Health’s media release New free mental health services for Alice Springs in full click here.

Head to Health logo and Dugjuan Hoosan sitting in hills near his home Hidden Valley in Alice Springs. Photo: Maya Newell – Director of In my blood it runs. Image source: Alice Springs News.

Sector Jobs

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

Jun 1 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Imagining Australia without racism

Imagining Australia without racism
Health checks for mob fell during pandemic
Stolen Generations survivors need Healing Card
GPs encouraged to call out racism
Brewarrina’s water, land, future all connected
Sector Jobs
Key Date – Reconciliation Week 27 May – 3 June 2023

The image in the feature tile is of Wayne Nannup, CEO of the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA as it appeared in a National Indigenous Times article Imagine what our country would be like without racism published on Wednesday 31 May 2023. Photo: Giovanni Torre.

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

Imagining Australia without racism

Wayne Nannup, CEO of the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA has written an opinion piece for the National Indigenous Times where he asks us to imagine a life without racism: “We could live at peace in a country that values its First Nations Peoples and recognises us within the Constitution. We could walk freely through shopping centres or ride on trains without the fear of being followed or harassed.”

Mr Nannup says “racism doesn’t discriminate between how little or well-known we are. The colour of our skin continues to be targeted by the ill-informed and bigoted members of society. Racism, or discrimination based on race or ethnicity shatters the world that so many of us live in. It generates depression, affects self-esteem and creates a sense of helplessness and loss and also contributes to increasing physical and mental health disparities amongst our people. The reality is that racism is more evident now than ever before.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article Imagine what our country would be like without racism in full click here.

In a related story the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is currently working on a national anti-racism framework (NARF), which will be a national, central reference point for anti-racism action.

Following on from the release of the NARF Scoping Report 2022, the AHRC has launched a community guide to the scoping report findings to better support understanding of a NARF including how communities can be part of the ongoing process to develop it. The Community Guide (currently being translated into 7 languages alongside the development of an Easy Read Guide) summarises the initial findings outlined in the NARF Scoping Report 2022.

The AHRC have also prepared an amplification kit, available here, which includes a suite of digital and social media content for organisations to raise awareness of the newly published Community Guide available here.

Health checks for mob fell during pandemic

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released a report about Indigenous-specific health checks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report explores the impacts of COVID‑19 and associated restrictions on the number of Indigenous-specific MBS health check services provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people between January 2020 and December 2021. The analysis examines the impacts of COVID‑19 by year and month at the national, state/territory and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas levels.

Following a decade of annual growth, 2020 and 2021 were the first years without an increase in Indigenous-specific health check numbers. The number of health checks delivered during the first 2 years of the pandemic were somewhat lower than during the peak year of 2019 – despite the continuing growth of the Indigenous population.

New telehealth options for Indigenous-specific health checks were introduced at the start of the pandemic. These were used most commonly shortly after being introduced, but then the numbers of health checks delivered this way declined gradually. The impact of the pandemic on the use of Indigenous health checks varied across Australia. Tasmania, which was relatively unaffected by cases and restrictions, stood out as the state that appeared to be the least affected during 2020 and 2021.

To read the AIHW report Indigenous-‍specific health checks during the COVID-19 pandemic in full click here.

Stolen Generations survivors need Healing Card

The Healing Foundation is urging the Federal Government to implement its recommendations for a universal Healing Card for Stolen Generations survivors, modelled on the existing “Gold Card” scheme for veterans.

Under proposals submitted by the Healing Foundation for Federal Budget considerations over the past two years, eligible Gold Card holders would have access to all primary healthcare needs to support them to stay out of hospital, all clinically necessary treatment, and supports and services that assist them to live at home including respite services for survivors and their carers. The Gold Card would also enable them to access healing programs that involve family and community.

By implementing the proposal, Federal Aged Care Minister Anika Wells and Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler could make a real difference to the lives of Stolen Generations survivors and their families, Fiona Cornforth, CEO for the Healing Foundation said.

To view the Croakey Health Media article Timely call for health reform to support healing for the Stolen Generations in full click here.

Stolen Generations survivors Valerie Woods (L) & Brenda Greenfield-Woods

Stolen Generations survivors Valerie Woods (L) and Brenda Greenfield-Woods in Canberra, for the Healing Foundation’s 15th Anniversary of the National Apology Event. Photo: Luke Currie-Richardson. Image source: Croakey Health Media.

GPs encouraged to call out racism

While reconciliation touches on all aspects of Australian society, RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Chair Dr Karen Nicholls says its role in improving Indigenous health outcomes cannot be overstated.

In particular, she said it is important for GP allies to recognise and acknowledge that racism is present within Australia’s healthcare system and has a significant impact on the health and wellbeing patients, as well as their families and communities. “Clearly, we want a health system that is far more culturally safe than what it is,” Dr Nicholls said. “Part of that means that when you see racism, call it out. Definitely, definitely call it out.”

She also says more needs to be done to protect people who speak up about racism, while continued effort is required to dismantle the structural features that allow it to thrive in Australian healthcare.

To view the RACGP newsGP article GPs encouraged to call out racism in healthcare in full click here.

National Reconciliation Week 2023 is promoting allyship by encouraging all Australians to ‘be a voice for generations’. Image source: RACGP newsGP.

Brewarrina’s water, land, future all connected

Water has always been the basis of life in the bush. Speak to any local and they will remember the spark of life that returned to the community when water breached the Brewarrina Weir after years and years of drought. To local Aboriginal communities, cultural water flows create the basis of life for plants, animals, bush medicine – and impact on the physical and mental health of Aboriginal communities right across the region.

Brewarrina Local Aboriginal Land Council is currently in the process of developing opportunities to bring water and life back to local lands and they have taken a group of experts to assess a block of land close to everyone’s heart, the lands associated with the local Aboriginal Mission. A big part of the discussions related to Cultural Flows, the understanding of local Indigenous needs, and how Aboriginal needs are included in future water usage.

According to the Echuca Declaration of 2010, “Cultural flows are water entitlements that are legally and beneficially owned by the Indigenous Nations of a sufficient and adequate quantity and quality to improve the spiritual, cultural, environmental, social, and economic conditions of those Nations. This is our inherent right.”

To view the Western Plains App article Leaders connecting land, water and Brewarrina’s future in full click here.

Brewarrina Fish Traps. Photo: Urain Warraweena. Image source: Brewarrina Local Aboriginal Land Council Facebook site.

Sector Jobs

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

Key Date – Reconciliation Week 27 May – 3 June

In the lead up to National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June 2023) Reconciliation Australia expressed their support for Stan Grant in the face of the racist attacks he has been subjected to, and urged Australians to engage in the national debate on these matters in an informed and respectful manner.

Reconciliation Australia said that while Stan’s experience demonstrated once again that Australia still has a long way to go towards building a reconciled and just society, it retained its hope and optimism in the good hearts of most Australians.

Even while Stan Grant was being savaged online for speaking truthfully about the experiences of colonialism during the recent coronation, 84% of Australians believe it is important to know about the histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.

You can read Reconciliation Australia’s media release Stan Grant and Racism in full here.

tile with text 'National Reconciliation Week'

Image source: Only Melbourne website.

NACCHO Aboriginal Health News Alerts

The national authority in Aboriginal primary health care – Aboriginal health in Aboriginal hands

Author Archives: nacchomedia

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: First Nation handling of COVID shows why the Voice to Parliament is needed

First Nation handling of COVID shows why the Voice to Parliament is needed

Boost for health care centres in the north east

Medical Termination Pill access expanded in landmark move

ILSC offers grants for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities impacted by natural disasters

Climate change and the effects of fire on peoples’ connection to Country

Diabetes – Great Debate Series

Sector Jobs

‘Courage’ needed to address disadvantage

Transformative ‘Big Dream, Small Steps’ traineeships

Overcoming fragmented child and family services

CTG report shows ‘privileged’ claims absurd

Study to help young men take care of mental health

Sector Jobs

Key Date – National Diabetes Week – 9–15 July 2023

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Grim reading: Closing the Gap report highlights ‘snail’s pace’ progress

Deaf Indigenous Dance Group unites communities

The RACGP supports the Voice due to the positive health benefits

Men sharing stories to save lives

Fred Hollows: Why First Nations health is still on the agenda

New Aboriginal cultural heritage laws in WA

Sector Jobs

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Place-based approaches improving health and wellbeing

Targeted funds needed to address oral health inequities

First of its kind study explores mob’s experiences of cancer

$150m+ for healthcare in Far North QLD and Torres Strait

Funding boost for SA community initiatives

Sector Jobs

Key Date – National Diabetes Week – 9–15 July 2023

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First Nation handling of COVID shows why the Voice to Parliament is needed

Boost for health care centres in the north east

Medical Termination Pill access expanded in landmark move

ILSC offers grants for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities impacted by natural disasters

Climate change and the effects of fire on peoples’ connection to Country

Diabetes – Great Debate Series

Sector Jobs

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Environmental Trachoma Project helps WA mob

Meta to crack down on VTP misinformation

BlaQ CEO on the Voice to Parliament

Health Performance Framework summary report

Best reform for child wellbeing: raising criminal age

Sector Jobs

Key Date – National Diabetes Week – 9–15 July 2023

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Elders’ significant role in health and wellbeing

Putting communities in front seat of innovation

If we stand in solidarity the Voice will succeed

Resources to help mob in remote areas

Breaking the incarceration cycle

Indigenous leaders – the key to social change

Sector Jobs

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Celebrating the contribution of our health professionals

Why the Voice is critical to mob’s health

Breaking down digital health barriers

RACGP welcomes boost for rural pharmacies

Improving literacy, numeracy and digital skills

Eye sector unites for equitable eye health outcomes

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Dr Naomi Mayers receives 2023 NAIDOC award

52 mob who are changing the world

Uncle Clarke Scott on work with Cancer Council

17% of WA kids live with food insecurity

Senate calls for public dentistry

Cancelled flights affect Cape York health services

Sector Jobs

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Breaking down barriers to support mums-to-be

Stolen as a child, now training others to heal

Health advocate address UN delegates

JCU welcomes first Indigenous Chancellor

Perception Alice Springs unsafe deters workers

Culturally appropriate mental health support coming

Sector Jobs

Share this:

Imagining Australia without racism

Health checks for mob fell during pandemic

Stolen Generations survivors need Healing Card

GPs encouraged to call out racism

Brewarrina’s water, land, future all connected

Sector Jobs

Key Date – Reconciliation Week 27 May – 3 June

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