Category Aboriginal Health Communications

NACCHO Sector News: 4 November 2025

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News

The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.

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

Aboriginal-led schools program teaches healthy habits for life

‘Our Healthy Kids’, a culturally safe, Aboriginal-led primary school program is supporting Aboriginal young people in NSW to strengthen their knowledge of health and wellbeing and develop lifelong healthy habits.

More than 5,000 children have participated in the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council program, which is being supported by an Aboriginal Affairs NSW ‘Delivering Better Outcomes’ grant.
“Teaching all children about health-related topics from a younger age encourages them to think critically about healthier choices and starts a positive shift for the next generation. It gives them access to information I never received in school, setting them up with knowledge and habits that can shape their futures.”

Read the full article.

‘Our Healthy Kids’ Educator Jarrod said, “Delivered by Aboriginal educators and aligned with the NSW PDHPE curriculum, the program covers eight key areas of health, including physical activity, mental wellbeing, and hygiene, through engaging classroom and outdoor activities, including Indigenous games.”

‘Our Healthy Kids’ Educator Jarrod said, “Delivered by Aboriginal educators and aligned with the NSW PDHPE curriculum, the program covers eight key areas of health, including physical activity, mental wellbeing, and hygiene, through engaging classroom and outdoor activities, including Indigenous games.”

Strengthening the Visiting Optometrists Scheme: A 50-Year Vision

When an optometrist flies into a small outback airstrip or drives hours across red dirt roads to reach a remote clinic, they’re not just providing an eye test; they’re restoring independence, education, and wellbeing to people who might otherwise go years without care. For fifty years, the Visiting Optometrists Scheme (VOS) has quietly delivered this lifeline across Australia’s most isolated communities, ensuring access to eye care where geography and circumstance might otherwise deny it.

Last week, as National Rural Health Month approached, Optometry Australia (OA) hosted a celebration at Parliament House in Canberra to mark the VOS’s 50th anniversary. Federal parliamentarians, community leaders, sector stakeholders and outreach optometrists gathered to honour a program that, since 1975, has helped prevent avoidable blindness and bridged one of the starkest divides in the nation’s health system: access to vision care.

Read the full article.

Celebrating 50 years of VOS at Parliament House. Image (L-R): Fiona Moore (OQNT Board Director), Theo Charalambous (OA President), Monica Barolits-McCabe (Executive Director, NACCHO), Lose Fonua (CEO, First Nations Eye Health Alliance)

Celebrating 50 years of VOS at Parliament House. Image (L-R): Fiona Moore (OQNT Board Director), Theo Charalambous (OA President), Monica Barolits-McCabe (Executive Director, NACCHO), Lose Fonua (CEO, First Nations Eye Health Alliance)

Radio interview – Triple M Hobart – Womens healthcare access

TUBES (HOST): We are joined by the Federal Labor and Member for Lyons, the Assistant Minister for Women, Health and Aged Care and Indigenous Health –  Rebecca White, good morning.

REBECCA WHITE: Morning Tubes, morning Kaz, thanks for having me on.

TUBES: There’s been a big announcement on November 1 with further changes to the Medicare Benefits Scheme that will give women more contraceptive choice by making it cheaper and easier to access IUDs and contraceptive implants. Rebecca White, tell us why that’s important for Tasmanian women.

REBECCA WHITE: It’s important because women shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get the health care they need. And I think for so long, women have felt a bit dismissed, not really listened to, and a little bit stigmatised when they want to talk about things like contraception.

So this is a change that is going to make it cheaper and easier for women in Tassie right around the country, to access the contraceptives that they would like to choose, as opposed to what their bank balance can afford.

Listen to the full radio interview.

The Hon Rebecca White MP is the Assistant Minister for Women, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health

The Hon Rebecca White MP is the Assistant Minister for Women, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health

Professor Michael Wear makes history as first winner of Prime Minister’s Prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems

The inaugural Prime Minister’s Prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems has been awarded to Malgana man, Professor Michael Wear.

Professor Wear is the founder of Tidal Moon, Australia’s first Indigenous-owned and led sea cucumber fishery and marine restoration enterprise, based in Shark Bay (Gutharraguda), Western Australia.

Under Professor Wear’s leadership, Tidal Moon is partnering with scientists to restore one of the largest seagrass meadows at the UNESCO Marine World Heritage Site of Shark Bay.

Drawing on his knowledge of Saltwater Country, culture and science, Professor Wear has developed a commercial fishery model for harvesting sea cucumbers, while also collecting conservation data through culturally directed methods.

Professor Wear told National Indigenous Times Tidal Moon has been working on “a model to scale up seagrass restoration by building human capital through our sea cucumber harvesting, and also the techniques of scaling that sea cucumber business as well”.

“We are bringing staff onshore from our offshore operations, and creating more employment opportunities. We are bringing that western science and Indigenous knowledge together through a larger project now,” he said.

Read the full article.

Professor Michael Wear. Image: supplied.

Professor Michael Wear. Image: supplied.

 

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.

 

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au and we will feature it in the news.

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au
and we will feature it in the news.

NACCHO Sector News: 3 November 2025

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News

The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.

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

PITCH First Nations: Using yarns to adapt dementia training for home care workers

First Nations Australians have around 3 times the prevalence of dementia of other Australians and face distinct aged care needs that are not well accommodated by mainstream services.

Dementia Training Australia (DTA) has commissioned National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) to produce PITCH First Nations, an evidence-based training package for home care workers who work with First Nations Elders and older people living with dementia. The project draws on the Promoting Independence Through quality Care at Home (PITCH) training previously developed at NARI.

PITCH First Nations will redevelop the original PITCH training to be culturally relevant, safe, appropriate and tailored to the needs of First Nations people. The training is being redeveloped via a collaborative process with First Nations communities and co-researchers embedded in Aboriginal Community Controlled (ACCO) aged care services, through Yarning Circles with First Nations Elders and older people.

Read the full article

Applications open for 2026 AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical students are invited to apply now for the Australian Medical Association’s 2026 Indigenous Medical Scholarship.
Since 1994, the scholarship has helped grow the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical workforce by supporting First Nations peoples who are enrolled in a medical degree in Australia.

The AMA hopes to build on the increasing success of the scholarship program, with 2025 marking the first time in the scheme’s history that three individual scholarships were awarded in a single year off the back of support from generous donors.

Applications for the 2026 scholarship opened on Saturday and will close on 31 January 2026.

AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen said the scholarship was a crucial part of the AMA’s long-running efforts to grow the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical workforce in the pursuit of improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Read the full article

2026 AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship - Apply Now.

2026 AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship – Apply Now.

Kimberley Youth Night Space Success: Still Awaiting Department Funding

While Kununurra youth crime is in the spotlight, in Fitzroy Crossing – another town in WA’s Kimberley region – children’s laughter drifts through the Marra Worra Worra Aboriginal Corporation’s Night Space – a youth hub that MWWAC director Patrick Green calls a “home for the town’s kids”.

The smell of home-cooked food lingers as Elders swap stories around long tables, a gathering that feels more like a family barbecue than a celebration marking one year of the Night Space. In its first year, the Night Space has offered Fitzroy Crossing’s children warm meals, showers, mentoring and help reconnecting with school and services, with its impact rippling far beyond its walls.

The kitchen has served more than 25,000 meals and engaged nearly 700 young people.

Fitzroy Crossing Senior Sergeant Mark Howes said youth crime has declined significantly since the Night Space began operating 12 months ago.

Read the full article.

Marra Worra Worra Aboriginal Corporation night space one year anniversary.

Marra Worra Worra Aboriginal Corporation night space one year anniversary. Image: Natasha Clark.

We Breathe – Tackling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Smoking

Deciding to quit smoking or vaping is a huge step, and it’s completely normal to feel like there’s a long journey ahead. But you don’t have to go it alone. We’re here to help, and we understand that finding the right support and tools can make all the difference.

That’s why we’ve put together a guide called “5 Hacks to Help Quit Smoking and Vaping.” It’s packed with simple, practical tips designed to help you get started and stay on track.

Ready to take the pledge for a healthier, smoke-free future? Just enter your details into the forms below to receive your free copy of “5 Hacks to Help Quit Smoking and Vaping,” and let’s start this journey together.

Read the full article.

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Terminology update for MBS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker and Practitioner Services

  • From 1 November 2025, the terminology used for MBS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker and practitioner services will be updated to reflect the primary health care services the professions provide.
  •  This update will affect a name change to the Health Insurance (Section 3C General
    Medical Services – Allied Health Services) Determination 2024.
  • This change will not affect how the MBS items for these services are used

Access all the information.

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.

 

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au and we will feature it in the news.

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au
and we will feature it in the news.

NACCHO Sector News: 30 October 2025

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News

The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.

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

PITCH First Nations: Using yarns to adapt dementia training for home care workers

First Nations Australians have around 3 times the prevalence of dementia of other Australians and face distinct aged care needs that are not well accommodated by mainstream services.

Dementia Training Australia (DTA) has commissioned National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) to produce PITCH First Nations, an evidence-based training package for home care workers who work with First Nations Elders and older people living with dementia. The project draws on the Promoting Independence Through quality Care at Home (PITCH) training previously developed at NARI.

PITCH First Nations will redevelop the original PITCH training to be culturally relevant, safe, appropriate and tailored to the needs of First Nations people. The training is being redeveloped via a collaborative process with First Nations communities and co-researchers embedded in Aboriginal Community Controlled (ACCO) aged care services, through Yarning Circles with First Nations Elders and older people.

Read the full article.

Over $9 million for health and medical research partnerships

The Australian Government is strengthening research partnerships that will deliver better care for Aboriginal communities across Australia, with more than $9 million invested in new health and medical research projects.

Through the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Partnership Project scheme, the government is contributing $4 million, with an additional $5 million committed by funding partners.

Three chief investigators and their teams will lead projects, working hand in hand with partners to turn evidence into practical improvements in Aboriginal health services and outcomes.

Professor Asha Bowen from the University of Western Australia will work closely with Aboriginal Elders and community members to develop an Aboriginal health practitioner-led skin health assessment and research evaluation initiative.

Skin conditions that can lead to bacterial infections are common among Aboriginal children and can reduce their quality of life and lead to serious illness. There is an urgent need for better skin health services for Aboriginal children.

In partnership with the Child and Adolescent Health and South Metropolitan Health Services, this project will identify and treat harmful skin conditions in Aboriginal children leading to better outcomes.

Read the full media release.

Exclusive: Noongar medical student Shakayla Walley-Wihongi and team pioneers a new pathway to treat syphilis

23-year-old soon-to-be doctor Shakayla Walley-Wihongi, with a team of scientific powerhouses, has blazed a trail in the treatment of syphilis.

In its most dangerous form of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), the illness claims the lives of 40 per cent of babies born with congenital syphilis. However, perinatal death is 100 per cent preventable.

Syphilis remains at an all-time high with a 251 per cent increase in Australia in the last decade, according to the University of New South Wales’ annual surveillance report released in 2023.Ms Walley-Wihongi graduated with her Honours in Biomedical Science at the University of Notre Dame with the penicillin team at The Kids Research Institute Australia, a research facility that focuses on improving the lives of children who require medical support.

The Australian syphilis epidemic disproportionately impacts two distinct populations: heterosexual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mob whose residences are dispersed across rural and remote communities, and urban living men who have sex with men.

Ms Walley-Wihongi’s primary supervisor, Associate Professor Laurens Manning of the University of Western Australia’s Medical School, conceptualised the subcutaneous infusion of benzathine penicillin G (SCIP) with the wider Penicillin team, before Shakayla’s academic journey.

Read the full article.

Shakayla Walley-Wihongi at Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases Annual Scientific Meeting in Canberra in April.

Shakayla Walley-Wihongi at Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases Annual Scientific Meeting in Canberra in April. Image: supplied.

Study shows world-first Australian preterm birth prevention program is working

New data has shown that a world-first initiative to reduce preterm births in Australia has led to a significant decrease in rates of potentially harmful early birth and improved pregnancy outcomes for women across the country.

Published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health, the study presents detailed outcomes from a six-year preterm birth prevention program first introduced in mid-2018.

Preterm birth – defined as birth before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy – remains a leading cause of death and long-term disability in children worldwide.

In response to rising rates of potentially harmful early birth across the country, the Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance launched a comprehensive preterm birth prevention program in 2018.

Professor of Obstetrics at The University of Western Australia, and Chair and Founder of the Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance, Professor John Newnham said the ‘proof of concept’ phase for the program had been modelled on a pioneering initiative delivered in Western Australia.

“From 2018-2021, broad implementation of preterm birth prevention strategies across the country through the Alliance were found to have lowered the rate of preterm birth by 10 per cent,” Professor Newnham said.

Read the full article.

It’s good to know: Lung cancer screening is free and could save your life!

We are launching a new campaign, supported by the Australian Government, to raise awareness of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program. 

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in Australia, but with lung screening we can change this. If found early, over 65% of lung cancers can be successfully treated.  

If you’re aged 50 to 70 and have a history of smoking, talk to your doctor or healthcare provider about lung screening. 

Find out more: www.lungcancerscreen.org.au   

There's a new lung cancer screening program

There’s a new lung cancer screening program. Visit lungcancerscreen.org.au

 

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.

 

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au and we will feature it in the news.

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au
and we will feature it in the news.

NACCHO Sector News: 27 October 2025

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News

The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.

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

Return to traditional birthing practices brings joy to Bundjalung mothers, elders

In short:

An Aboriginal Health Service in northern New South Wales has held its first smoking ceremony for babies and toddlers.

It is part of a federally funded birthing-on-country program designed to redress inequities and maternal and child health outcomes.

What’s next?

The Bullinah Aboriginal Health Service hopes to establish its own culturally safe birthing centre.

The guests of honour at a smoking ceremony on Bundjalung country in northern New South Wales may not have understood the significance of the event, but it was not lost on their parents and grandparents.

The event was a first for the Ballina-based Bullinah Aboriginal Health Service, and part of its birthing-on-country Sistabirth initiative.

Mother-of-four Relicca Kelly brought along her youngest child, Yarambati. “It’s really nice … we can get a bit of our culture back,” she said.

“People are raising their voice now just to show that our culture is still there, even though the majority of it got taken away. “It’s good to have these events just to feel connected.”

Read the full article.

Baby Yarambati Kelly-Pati is welcomed to country by elder Mildred Cameron. (ABC North Coast: Hannah Ross)

Baby Yarambati Kelly-Pati is welcomed to country by elder Mildred Cameron. (ABC North Coast: Hannah Ross)

Meet the Yolngu woman working to feed her remote island community

41-year-old Vanessa Maymuru is part of a mentor program that provides employment and training opportunities to women in northeast Arnhem Land.

Among the renowned rich red dirt of the Northern Territory’s Arnhem Land region, a demountable building sits among the stringybark forest on the outskirts of Galiwin’ku’s only town. The remote island community is home to around 2000 people, and is one of the most remote regions of Australia’s north, around 550 kilometers northeast of Darwin.

Vanessa Maymuru makes her way inside to the break room, the first to arrive from her cohort, quietly brewing herself a coffee before her shift starts.
“We just put our name and the time and start doing work,” the Yolngu woman told NITV.

After three years of working at Miyalk Kitchen, it’s a familiar routine. The kitchen provides meals to local contractors, catering, and NDIS home delivery. Vanessa is in charge of packing and delivering the food to community members participating in the NDIS food delivery program.

“It’s good, I’m helping Yolngu people,” Vanessa said.

Read the full article.

Yolngu woman Vanessa Maymuru sets off for her daily NDIS food delivery in the remote island community of Galiwin’ku. Source: Emma Kellaway

Children’s Day celebrated with Yawuru culture, song and community spirit in Broome

Families and educators came together at Guwarri in Broome to celebrate this year’s National Children’s Day on Thursday, recognising this year’s theme – Everyone Should Know About Children’s Rights.

The event focused on every child’s right to feel safe, loved and respected, to learn, play, and grow strong in their culture and identity.

Mabu Yawuru Ngan-ga, the Yawuru language centre, led the celebration with help from local schools and early childhood groups.
The crowd was delighted by a visit from the centre’s Brahminy kite mascot, Jir, who joined the children in singing and dancing to Yawuru songs before flying back toward the mangroves.

The Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (BRAMS) Kids Club team handed out gifts to every child, while community partners, including St Mary’s College Broome, the Broome Youth and Families Hub, and Broome Primary School’s KindiLink helped make the day a success.

Read the full article.

All Australians are welcome here’: Forty years on, PM hails Uluru handback to traditional owners

Anthony Albanese has praised the generosity of the traditional owners of Uluru during the Indigenous Voice to Parliament campaign as something that “stays in my heart as much as this rock is the heart of this continent”.

In the shadow of the iconic Northern Territory landmark, the prime minister reflected on the failed referendum vote on Saturday while commemorating the 40-year anniversary of the return of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park to its traditional owners.
Albanese said that he accepted the outcome of the October 2023 referendum – in which a majority voted against the proposal for constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – even though it was not what he wanted or voted for. But he said he still treasured his memories from his time in the red centre during the campaign for a Yes vote.

“I will be forever grateful for the generosity of the traditional owners, in particular the leaders, the women who did a dance and song to show respect to the prime minister of Australia,” he told reporters at Uluru on Saturday. “It’s something I’ll never forget that stays in my heart as much as this rock is the heart of this continent.

Read the full article.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to media during the ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the handback of Uluru.Credit:AAP

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to media during the ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the handback of Uluru. Credit: AAP

New funding to improve cardiovascular health of First Nations people

A project that aims to close the data gaps in cardiovascular health among First Nations people is among 67 projects Australia-wide to receive funding from the Heart Foundation to drive discoveries in prevention of heart disease, and in the treatment and care of people living with it.

Dr Ingrid Stacey, a research fellow in the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Centre at The University of Western Australia’s School of Population and Global Health and research affiliate with the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, has been awarded $151,000, which will be matched by UWA, to undertake two years postdoctoral research.

Cardiovascular disease is the largest contributor to the life expectancy gap experienced by First Nations people, with the onset of disease often occurring decades earlier than for the non-Indigenous Australian population.

Read the full article.

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.

 

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au and we will feature it in the news.

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au
and we will feature it in the news.

NACCHO Sector News: 23 October 2015

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News

The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.

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

More funding to steer Northern Territory boys away from violence

The Albanese Labor Government is investing almost $2 million in a targeted prevention program for 12 to18-year-old boys in the Northern Territory.

The Turtle Back – Learning and Leadership Centre will be delivered in Palmerston, working with young boys who have been exposed to family violence when growing up, aiming to give them the tools they need to break the cycle, manage emotions in a healthy way and to see a more hopeful future.

The Turtle Back program will be delivered by Grassroots Action Palmerston Aboriginal Corporation (GAP), an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation. They will work with boys from all backgrounds, and ensure connection with culture is front and centre to support First Nations boys.

This program is one of 14 that are funded under the $27 million Supporting Adolescent Boys Trial, with programs now being delivered across all states and territories.

Read the full Media Release.

‘Mob want to see mob’: First Nations clinics a priority for many young Indigenous Australians

Key points

  • A UQ-led study has found cultural connection are of high importance to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders when choosing to access healthcare.
  • The study of 35 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders aged 15–24 in urban southeast Queensland, focuses on barriers and supports to primary healthcare.
  • Researchers say many studies have focused on young people in rural and remote areas, and this is one of the first to survey young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in an urban setting.

Cultural connection and positive healthcare experiences are of high value to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians when deciding to access healthcare.

A UQ-led study examined factors supporting or hindering young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from accessing primary healthcare services, finding many participants preferred Aboriginal providers where they can ‘be themselves.’

Senior research fellow Stephen Harfield, from UQ’s Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and a Narungga and Ngarrindjeri man from South Australia, said a cultural connection is important.

“This is especially the case during adolescence and early adulthood when there is significant physical, emotional and social development,’’ Mr Harfield said.

Read the full article.

Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have shared their experiences with primary healthcare services in a new UQ-led study.

Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have shared their experiences with primary healthcare services in a new UQ-led study. (Photo credit: Louise Beaumont/Getty Images. )

Help shape the next First Nations Health Research Fund grant opportunity

The Indigenous Health Research Fund is investing $160 million in First Nations-led research to tackle health issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The 2026 grant opportunity will award $28.5 million through an open competitive process to an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled program for health research projects.

A Working Group of the NHMRC-MRFF Indigenous Advisory Group, led by Professor Yvette Roe, has provided us with advice on the:

  • design of the 2026 grant opportunity
  • assessment scoring matrix.

Learn more and register to the webinar.

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New campaign responds to rising syphilis cases in Western Australia

The Department of Health has launched a campaign to raise awareness of preventable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis. The campaign urges the community to take steps to protect their sexual health, following a sharp rise in the number of syphilis cases reported across the State.

Syphilis notifications have risen dramatically over the past two decades, increasing 32-fold, from 26 cases in 2004–05 to a peak of 823 cases in 2021–22. While numbers decreased to 653 in 2023-24, they rose again to 680 in 2024-25. In 2025 syphilis caused two stillbirths and one baby to be born with syphilis infection.

WA’s Chief Health Officer, Dr Andrew Robertson said syphilis is a serious infection that can cause long-term health impacts if left untreated. “It is often asymptomatic, which means many people may be unaware they are infected and can unknowingly pass it on,” he said.

Read the full article.

 

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.

 

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au and we will feature it in the news.

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au
and we will feature it in the news.

NACCHO Sector News: 21 October 2025

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News

The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.

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

Support at Home communication toolkit for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Providers, peak bodies, advocacy organisations and community groups can use this toolkit to inform older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their families and carers about the new Support at Home program. The program starts along with the new Aged Care Act from 1 November 2025.

Learn more and access the toolkit.

Let's Yarn about ageing well - Support at home: Communication toolkit.

Let’s Yarn about ageing well – Support at home: Communication toolkit.

Cyclists unite to bring bike benefits to remote Kimberley communities

Fifteen cyclists from the United Kingdom will soon start pedalling to raise funds for Australian program, The Bike Creative, the brainchild of school teacher Chris Sellings.

In 2023, Chris Sellings, resident of Boorloo/Perth and originally from Twickenham, England, moved with his wife to work at a remote school over 3,000km away in Turkey Creek in the East Kimberley. Amid the challenges of isolation, about 200 kilometres from Kununurra in Gija Country, Mr Sellings saw a simple but powerful way to make a difference to the community: bikes.

A former cycling coach in Europe, Mr Sellings started a bike club at Ngalangangpum School (the name means ‘mother and child’) in the woodwork shop, teaching kids how to fix and build their own bikes.

The impact was immediate and positive. The club quickly became a go-to place; kids wanted to learn, to create, to ride.

Mr Sellings said parents watched with some amazement as their children returned home with bikes they’d built themselves and the community came alive with the sight of children cycling everywhere.

“The kids are happy, which makes the adults happier. They go to bed earlier because they’re tired and want to get up and ride their bikes,” said parent, Benita Everett.

Read the full article

three kids and an adult repairing bikes.

First Nations communities welcome local climate solutions

More than $650,000 has been given to 24 local clean energy initiatives that will benefit many First Nations communities

The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal is the only national foundation specifically focused on ensuring the social and economic strength of Australia’s remote, rural and regional communities.

Established in 2000, the FRRR awarded the 24 funding grants to address localised impacts of global warming and energy industry transitions via its Community Led Climate Solutions program.

The program supports locally-led projects that inform and empower locals to adapt or act to mitigate risks caused by a changing climate, and also supports initiatives that empower community groups to assist locals impacted by transitions away from fossil fuel industries and/or transitions to clean energy industry.

The $652,740 in grants are funded through two streams, with grants ranging from $19,186 for a native plant nursery in Moora, WA, to $75,000 for an Indigenous STEM education program to be rolled out in multiple remote communities across the country.

Read the full article.

The Yued ILUA area includes the towns of Leeman, Jurien Bay, Cervantes, Gingin, Calingiri, Coorow and Moora and covers more than 26,0000sqkm.

The Yued ILUA area includes the towns of Leeman, Jurien Bay, Cervantes, Gingin, Calingiri, Coorow and Moora and covers more than 26,0000sqkm. (Image: Supplied)

Chlamydia rates dip among teens

There’s been a substantial and sustained decline in chlamydia notifications in 15–19-year-olds since 2010 in QLD, according to Queensland Health.

Finally, some positive STI news!

We’ve seen significantly higher rates of STIs in line with increased testing nationally, and chlamydia is the most common bacterial STI in Australia.

But recent analysis of 20 years’ worth of ABS data for Queensland show the state may be heading in the right direction.

Chlamydia notifications per 100,000 people in those aged 15-19 years almost quadrupled between 2000 and 2010, but then a downward trend began, which was sustained until the end of the dataset in 2019.

Read the full article.

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Looks like the kids are all right after all, at least in Queensland.

 

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.

 

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au and we will feature it in the news.

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au
and we will feature it in the news.

NACCHO Sector News: 16 October 2025

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News

The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.

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

‘No understanding’: The extreme cost of living crisis affecting Australia’s most remote communities

It’s just before dusk and a warm breeze is blowing off the Gulf of Carpentaria, carrying the voices of the Yunkaporta family in Wik Mungkan across the top of the scrub. Bare-footed and waist-high in the grass, they collect what looks like clumps of bird’s nests. This is not a traditional practice, but a more contemporary way to make ends meet.

The Yunkaportas, just like many other families in Aurukun, are collecting grass seeds to sell to mining giant Rio Tinto. The scene is peaceful but freighted with symbolism; they stuff the seeds into reusable shopping bags, and most of the money they earn will be spent on groceries. As Eloise Yunkaporta watches on with her baby daughter nestled on her hip, she says the cost of living crisis is hitting her community hard.

“A weekly shop would cost me about $1,000 for only seven or eight bags of shopping,” she says.

“I do my shopping for the whole family, all the meat and vegetables, fruit … the basic needs for our household and [the cost] just blows my mind.”

Read the full article.

Members of the Wik community in Aurukun set out to gather seeds during the dry season. (ABC News: Billy Cooper)

Members of the Wik community in Aurukun set out to gather seeds during the dry season. (ABC News: Billy Cooper)

I’m a mother of five and a world champion. I refuse to let trauma define me

Shantelle’s story is one of strength. The proud Barkindji and Ngiyampaa woman says some people prefer to see her as a victim.
After 17 years, less than 15 per cent of Closing the Gap targets are on track to be met. Karla Grant hosts this special NITV Insight, asking what’s working to improve First Nations peoples’ lives? Watch episode Closing the Gap on SBS On Demand.

Growing up on Barkindji Country, I was a proud Aboriginal girl with mixed heritage whose identity was constantly challenged. My childhood was filled with paradoxes and intersections; connection and belonging in one breath, hardship in the next. But there were safe people and places anchoring me — my nan, Elders, aunties and uncles, country, culture, and community-run spaces.
Swimming at the local swimming pool with my siblings and cousins, and spending time by the river on Country are some of my strongest childhood memories. It was also from the water — a place of safety, guidance and Dreaming — where I first felt my ancestors call to me as a child. So, when I faced challenges growing up, I knew I carried a compass far older and stronger than any colonial system.

Read the full article.

Three-time jiu-jitsu world champion Shantelle Thompson says she refuses to be a 'trauma token'. Source: SBS

Three-time jiu-jitsu world champion Shantelle Thompson says she refuses to be a ‘trauma token’. Source: SBS

Federal government puts states, territories on notice over failure to close the gap for First Nations peoples

Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy has called out Queensland and the Northern Territory for their high incarceration rates of First Nations people as she outlines plans to impose penalties on states and territories failing to close the gap.

“The rising rates of incarceration and the early deaths still of First Nations people demand our country’s full attention, and we must do our utmost to make sure we meet those targets,” she told the ABC.

“There is no doubt that Queensland and the Northern Territory’s targets are alarming, in particular the Northern Territory around the high incarceration rates of First Nations people, in particular youth.”

Read the full article.

Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy says the rate of young people being locked up in the Northern Territory is "alarming".

Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy says the rate of young people being locked up in the Northern Territory is “alarming”. (ABC: Matt Roberts)

‘He rode and ran to freedom’: Remembering Gunditjmara Elder Alby Clarke

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised the following story contains the name of a person who has died.

Alby Clarke, a respected Gunditjmara Elder known for his tireless advocacy through sport, has been remembered for a life defined by resilience, transformation and determination.

Mr Clarke entered the Dreamtime on 16 September 2025, aged 90.

Born in Melbourne in 1934, he moved to the Framlingham Aboriginal Reserve near Warrnambool with his family after his father’s death when he was 10. An active child, he cycled to collect supplies and later joined a travelling boxing troupe, competing at country shows across Victoria and New South Wales.

In his ’60s, Mr Clarke faced a serious health warning after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Determined to change his future, he gave up alcohol, began exercising and set himself a new mission – to use sport to advocate for First Nations health and reconciliation.

Read the full story.

Gunditjmara Elder Alby Clarke, a champion for health and reconciliation through sport, passed away aged 90. (Image: Anthony Brady)

Gunditjmara Elder Alby Clarke, a champion for health and reconciliation through sport, passed away aged 90. (Image: Anthony Brady)

Innovative nurse-led clinics boost healthcare access in regional Australia

A new healthcare initiative in regional New South Wales is expanding, after successfully demonstrating how nurse-led clinics can improve access to care while reducing pressure on overstretched general practitioners and emergency departments.

A pilot program, led by Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network, saw over 25 nurses deliver chronic disease management and preventative healthcare across 18 general practices in Wagga Wagga and surrounding areas from October 2024 to May 2025. The Primary Health Network has been commissioned to run the strategy again, with 28 practices set to take part.
Operating in a region facing critical health workforce shortages and poorer health outcomes than metropolitan areas, the nurse-led clinics provided care for chronic respiratory diseases, chronic heart failure, diabetes, First Nations preventive health, and healthy ageing in residential facilities.

Read the full article.

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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.

 

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au and we will feature it in the news.

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au
and we will feature it in the news.

NACCHO Sector News: 9 October 2025

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News

The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.

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

Cheaper groceries continue to reach remote NT communities under federal subsidy scheme

More than 50 remote stores across the Northern Territory now have access to cheaper groceries under the federal government’s Low-Cost Essentials Subsidy Scheme.

The initiative, announced last month, has now enrolled 100 remote community stores across Australia. It reduces the cost of 30 staple items — including fresh and canned produce, nappies, and toilet paper — helping to bring prices closer to those in cities.

According to the government, communities such as Croker Island in the north, Aputula in the south, and Atitjere in the east are among those benefiting from lower grocery prices, with remote consumers saving up to 50 per cent on these essentials.

The scheme is overseen by the National Indigenous Australians Agency and implemented by Outback Stores, a not-for-profit Commonwealth company.

Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, said the federal government had promised cost-of-living relief, “and that’s exactly what we’re delivering in remote communities across the Northern Territory”.

Read the full article.

Malarndirri McCarthy (left) and Marion Scrymgour.

Malarndirri McCarthy (left) and Marion Scrymgour.

Supporting families through stillbirth and miscarriage

The Albanese Government has provided $3.2 million over four years to Red Nose Australia to deliver the ‘Healing Through Community’ project, supporting families through stillbirth and miscarriage.

Each year in Australia, more than 110,000 families experience the heartbreak of stillbirth or miscarriage.

Healing Through Community resources support stillbirth and miscarriage bereavement care services for First Nations families, multicultural families, refugee and migrant communities, women and families living in rural and remote areas, and women younger than 20 years.

While any pregnancy can result in stillbirth or miscarriage, rates remain high for women from these communities.

The project was co-designed with health professionals and communities to ensure culturally safe and practical resources. It provides referral pathways for women, tools for local and national support, and powerful video stories from people with lived experience. These resources validate grief, amplify community voices, reduce stigma, and support training and awareness for the health workforce.

Read the full article.

High Mental Health Burden in Indigenous Young People

A recent Headspace survey found that 59 per cent of First Nations young people (aged 12-25) reported ‘high or very high’ psychological distress. Experts and those with lived experience were not surprised, attributing the confronting statistic to generational trauma, the ongoing impacts of colonisation, and systemic factors like racism, climate anxiety, and food insecurity.

Wiradjuri person Ley Laupama called the severe distress rate “believable,” given the struggles faced by their community. Despite the high levels of distress, Headspace noted an encouraging trend: more young people are actively seeking mental health support. The organisation is focusing on providing culturally safe and effective environments to meet this growing demand.

Read the full article.

Image: Headspace.

Image: Headspace.

‘A substantial new direction’: Construction of Aboriginal Child and Family Centre begins

Aboriginal families in Western New South Wales will soon have increased access to early learning and health screening after construction began on a new Aboriginal Child and Family Centre in Broken Hill.

The project is being delivered in partnership with the local Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation, which was awarded the contract following a competitive open tender process.

Designed to provide integrated, culturally appropriate and needs-based services for Aboriginal families and children, the NSW Government said Aboriginal Child and Family Centres (ACFC) also operate as community hubs, providing universal early learning services for all families, alongside dedicated health and community spaces.

Maari Ma CEO, Richard Weston, said the Centre will support Aboriginal families in the Broken Hill region.

“Maari Ma is proud to be in partnership with the Department of Communities and Justice in the establishment of a new Aboriginal Child and Family Centre in Broken Hill—a major new initiative launched in our 30th anniversary year,” Mr Weston said.

“The centre will provide a culturally grounded space focused on early childhood education, development and family wellbeing.

“This is a substantial new direction for Maari Ma, and one that goes to the heart of our purpose—supporting the growth and development of Aboriginal children and their families.”

Read the full article.

Broken Hill City Council Mayor Tom Kennedy, NSW Member for Barwon Roy Butler, Maari Ma CEO Richard Weston and NSW Minister for Families and Communities, and Minister for Disability Inclusion, Kate Washington.

Broken Hill City Council Mayor Tom Kennedy, NSW Member for Barwon Roy Butler, Maari Ma CEO Richard Weston and NSW Minister for Families and Communities, and Minister for Disability Inclusion, Kate Washington. (Image: Roy Butler MP/Facebook)

 

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.

 

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au and we will feature it in the news.

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au
and we will feature it in the news.

NACCHO Sector News: 7 October 2025

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News

The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.

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

CSIRO report highlights need for First Nations-led approach to AI in healthcare

Scientists from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, together with First Nations partner organisations, have found that artificial intelligence (AI) has potential to improve healthcare in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. However, its safe and effective use must be guided by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices and knowledges.

Aboriginal man from Iningai Country in Western Queensland and CSIRO Research Scientist and lead author Dr Andrew Goodman said current frameworks for AI development and application tended to be overly general and insufficiently detailed in relation to cultural diversity.

“In Australia, this has resulted in a gap in understanding of how AI can serve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” Dr Goodman said.

The Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare in Australian First Nations Communities: Scoping Project to Explore Relevance addresses this gap. The scoping project engaged 53 leaders, clinicians, researchers, and health service providers across four workshops between 2023 and 2025.

“Although these are early findings, this report provides a critical starting point for how to build responsible AI systems in technology such as apps and data collection to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare outcomes,” said Dr Goodman.

The consultations identified three critical priorities for responsible AI use in First Nations health:

  • Building AI health literacy and cultural appropriateness by ensuring communities understand how AI works, what data it uses, and how it can support day-to-day care.
  • Protecting First Nations data sovereignty by guaranteeing that health data is held, governed, and used under the custodianship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations.
  • Supporting self-determination by placing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations at the centre of AI design, implementation, and oversight.
  • These findings underscore the importance of embedding cultural knowledge in the design of AI systems.

Read the full article.

Family support service to keep Mid West and Gascoyne children safe at home

A vital service aimed at keeping children safe and reducing the number of WA youth entering out-of-home care is changing hands.

The Intensive Family Support Service, funded by the Department of Communities, will soon be delivered by MercyCare in partnership with Bundiyarra Aboriginal Community Aboriginal Corporation.

The program, which will slowly be rolled out from October 20, will offer in-home, practical help to families facing significant challenges, including poverty, housing instability and limited access to services.

Under the initiative, up to 45 families in Geraldton, Carnarvon, Meekatharra and nearby towns will receive intensive support each year over the next five years.

MercyCare’s general manager of youth, wellbeing and accommodation services Suzanne Caren said the program was designed to address the unique pressures affecting regional families in WA.

“Many families here are navigating remote living, housing shortages, unemployment and limited access to childcare and essential services,” she said.

“These challenges don’t just affect parents, they directly impact children’s safety, wellbeing and development. Without the right support, families can become isolated and overwhelmed and that’s when children are most at-risk of entering care.”

Read the full article

Suzanne Caren is MercyCare's general manager of youth, wellbeing and accommodation.

Suzanne Caren is MercyCare’s general manager of youth, wellbeing and accommodation. Credit: Jessica Antoniou/Kalgoorlie Miner

Racism a major issue in healthcare: RACGP Health of the Nation

Almost one third of GPs witnessed racism towards patients in the health system in the past year, according to the RACGP’s 2025 Health of the Nation report.

The nationwide survey of more than 2400 RACGP members also found that around two in 10 GPs personally experienced racism from a patient within their practice during that time, while one in 10 personally experienced racism from a colleague.

RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said these figures, along with separate statistics showing 30% of GPs have observed racism towards patients in the broader health system, are symptoms of a larger systemic issue.

“Racism in the health system is an issue that affects healthcare workers and patients alike. It is not something we can ignore, and it is certainly not something that will fix itself,” he said.

“These findings make it very clear that both action and resources are needed to tackle systemic racism in the health system, including general practice.

“The message is unmistakeable: Racism is bad for people’s health, and patients and GPs must be protected from it.”

Dr Wright said the RACGP has taken steps to address racism, such as implementing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural and health training framework to support culturally safe care, but called for wider action to eliminate racism across the health system.

Read the full article.

$5.5million First Nations Heritage Grants Program funds cultural preservation

A program designed to transfer knowledge from elders to younger generations and document cultural sites in the Kimberley has received a $200,000 funding boost.

The Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation, located in the far north Kimberley, will use the grant from the State Government’s First Nations Heritage Grants Program to conduct cultural workshops and document significant cultural sites across the Wunambal Gaambera Country.

This vast region covers 2.5 million hectares of land (graa) and sea (wundaagu) and is part of the Uunguu Indigenous Protected Area, a Category VI IUCN Managed Resource Area, which is declared and managed by the Wunambal Gaambera people.

Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, said the funding highlighted the Government’s commitment to recognising and preserving the cultural importance of First Nations sites across the nation.

“The Albanese Government is dedicated to enhancing the recognition of First Nations cultural heritage at World and National Heritage-listed places,” she said.

“Our country is rich in natural and culturally significant sites that are crucial for First Nations peoples. These locations need protection, and we are proud to work alongside Traditional Owners to ensure this happens.”

Read the full article.

Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation, Uunguu Rangers completed a week of mapping and monitoring balguja (dugong) and jala (seagrass) in the Uunguu Indigenous Protected Area.

Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation, Uunguu Rangers completed a week of mapping and monitoring balguja (dugong) and jala (seagrass) in the Uunguu Indigenous Protected Area. Credit: Supplied by Wunambal Gaambera

 

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.

 

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au and we will feature it in the news.

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au
and we will feature it in the news.

NACCHO Sector News: 2 October 2025

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News

The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.

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

HAVE YOUR SAY: Shaping the National Peak Body for Family, Domestic & Sexual Violence

NACCHO is calling on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services and sector professionals to have your say in shaping the new National Peak Body for Family, Domestic & Sexual Violence.

The national survey (open until 10 October 2025) is broken up into three parts .

Please click on the links below to have your say in each section:

Your voices have already shaped this journey, we’re building on that foundation to ensure the Peak Body reflects community wisdom, sector expertise and lived realities. Please complete the survey and share it widely.

Find out more and access the survey.

If you have questions or wish to discuss further, you can contact the Coalition Secretariat at secretariat@coalitionofpeaks.org.au.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Shaping the National Peak Body for Family, Domestic & Sexual Violence.

Speech from Chief Medical Officer, Australasian Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference – 16 September 2025

The recent declaration of syphilis as a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance (CDINS) highlights the growing urgency of addressing its spread across Australia. Unlike previous CDINS declarations for COVID-19, Japanese encephalitis, and mpox, syphilis has shown a steady increase over the past decade, with cases rising by an average of 13% annually since 2011. This declaration enables a nationally coordinated response to a long-standing public health challenge.

Read the speech by the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd AO, at the Australasian Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference in Adelaide about his declaration of syphilis as a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance.

Outback nurse transforms remote diabetes care with cans, rocks and bush tucker

When Rishoniy Caine arrived in a tiny outback NSW town with one general store, no gym and the task of fixing its diabetes problem, she decided to do things a differently.

The Bundjalung woman knew from her experience as a nurse in remote Kimberly and Cape York communities the difficulties residents faced buying healthy food.

“If you can imagine the nearest town is 1,000 kilometres away, it can be very challenging to get fresh food. It’s almost non-existent,” she said. “Also a lettuce might be $16 and two litres of milk $12, while a can of coke is $2, a pie is cheap.”

She incorporated what she learnt from elders about bush foods and traditional medicine into a pilot program in a rural NSW town that faces similar issues — Collarenebri, about 75 kilometres from Walgett in the state’s north-west.

Cooking and gardening lessons are provided alongside medical treatment and, instead of weights, participants are encouraged to lift cans.

Read the full story.

Kellie Henderson (left) has lost 30 kilograms and tamed her diabetes with Rishoniy Caine's simple approach. (ABC Western Plains: Zaarkacha Marlan)

Kellie Henderson (left) has lost 30 kilograms and tamed her diabetes with Rishoniy Caine’s simple approach. (ABC Western Plains: Zaarkacha Marlan)

A new First Nations voice to guide Australia’s public health sector

The Public Health Association of Australia has announced they will be establishing an Aboriginal and Torres-Strait Islander voice to help guide their work after a near unanimous vote by their members. Nearly two years after the failed referendum saw a First Nations voice to parliament shot down, NGOs like the PHAA and state governments have chosen to follow the wishes of the majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander communities in Australia who voted for this special representation.

Listen to the podcast or read the transcript.

Young Aboriginal girl gets a check up at the doctor’s surgery

Young Aboriginal girl gets a check up at the doctor’s surgery Source: Getty / LOUISE BEAUMONT\

Healing land and spirit through Noongar knowledge and regenerative land management

In Western Australia’s Wheatbelt, a region long shaped by industrial farming practices, a new model of regenerative agriculture is taking root. At Yaraguia farm, Ballardong Noongar man Oral McGuire is healing Country, reconnecting First Nations knowledge of caring for Country with modern land management to restore ecosystems and produce food that benefits both the land and the community.

Out in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia, something is happening … It’s a movement to heal Country – and community.

“And you can see the soil, how degraded it is.”

For generations, acres of land in the Wheatbelt was stripped by clearing, cropping and overgrazing. Ballardong Noongar man Oral McGuire says settlement and colonisation left scars on both soil and spirit.

“All of these activities are very extractive activities that for 170 odd years this little piece of land here, the whole landscape through this region, has suffered that abuse from, you know, settlement colonisation.”

Today, Mr McGuire works as a regenerative land manager, guided not by commodity farming, but by cultural law.

“Slow burning, or our cool burning that we do as Noongars, and we do it to replenish country. The season we are in now is the right season for us to be doing it.”

Fire, water, native plants – all are central to reviving ecosystems that once thrived here.

“So they are indicators that the soil, the balance and the health of the soil is returning, because they haven’t been here.”

Listen to the podcast or read the full story

Ballardong Noongar man Oral McGuire Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan

Ballardong Noongar man Oral McGuire Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan

 

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.

 

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au and we will feature it in the news.

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au
and we will feature it in the news.