Category Aboriginal youth

Sep 19 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Voice will help close gap in health outcomes

Aboriginal flag with APH flag pole in the background; text '“A ‘Yes’ vote will help find better, more effective, practical ways to close the yawning gap in health outcomes” Minister for Health and Aged Care - Mark Butler'

The image in the feature tile is of Australian Parliament House seen through an Aboriginal flag as it appears on the SBS NITV Radio – News 11/08/2023 webpage. Photo: Lukas Coch, AAP image.

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.

Voice will help close gap in health outcomes

According to Australian Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler “A good doctor listens carefully to their patients to make sure their diagnosis is thorough and makes a positive difference to their healthcare. A Voice to Parliament (VtP) is simply that: a chance to listen to the voices of Indigenous Australians about better ways to make a positive difference to their lives. The Voice will be a committee of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who offer advice to the Parliament on issues that particularly affect them. With the best of intentions and substantial investment from both sides of the Parliament, the current approach simply isn’t working.”

Dr Simone Raye, President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) says the Voice offers “huge potential to close the gap in unacceptable health disparities”. Dr Raye says the Voice is the much-needed step to give Indigenous people a role in shaping policies that directly impact their future. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) also back the VtP. Professor Steve Robinson, President of the AMA, believes the Voice has the potential to deliver extraordinary outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

Dr Nicole Higgins, President of the RACGP, says the Voice will lead to better health outcomes and is a key step to closing the gap in health equality, “There is no doubt listening to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander VtP will give us a clearer insight into how to better spend the taxpayer money that goes into First Nations health – getting better outcomes and better value for money. I am confident that a VtP and to the Health Minister will help find better, more effective, practical ways to close the gap and allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to live longer, healthier, happier lives. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a real difference. And we know it will work because, when you listen to people about the issues that affect them, you get better results.”

To view the RACGP newsGP article Health Minister: How Voice will make a difference in full click here.

Federal Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler addressing press

Federal Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler says the referendum is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to recognise the place of First Nations people in Australia and improve lives. Photo: AAP. Image source: RACGP newsGP.

Voice an opportunity to address health inequality

An Indigenous public health expert says the Voice to Parliament (VtP) offers the opportunity to address the health inequality that sees Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people die up to nine years younger than other Australians. Dr Summer May Finlay is a senior lecturer in Indigenous health at the University of Wollongong and a Yorta Yorta woman who lives on Dharawal country in Wollongong, with a history working for a range of organisations, including those in the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector.

The latest Closing the Gap report from the Productivity Commission, released in July, shows only 4 of the 17 targets are on track to being met.  Indigenous men have a life expectancy 8.6 years shorter than non-Indigenous men, while the gap for women is 7.8 years.

Dr Finlay said the Closing the Gap strategy could have achieved more had it been designed with the input of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from the beginning. But she believes the Voice offers an opportunity to address some of these failings.

To read the Illawarra Mercury article Voice will boost Indigenous Health outcomes: Public Health expert in full click here.

Dr Summer May Finlay

Dr Summer May Finlay. Photo: Robert Peet. Image source: Illawarra Mercury.

Referendum taking a toll on mob wellbeing

If you need to talk to someone, call 13YARN on 13 92 76 (24 hours/7 days) to talk with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Crisis Support worker. For mental health support, see your local ACCHO, AMS, GP, or Social and Emotional Wellbeing service. See here for more information and links.

In the lead up to the referendum the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research has flagged concern for the wellbeing for First Nations people. Regardless of the outcome, they said the decision will have significant impact on community members and now would be a good time to start talking about wellbeing and check in with each other. The research centre resides at the Australian National University (ANU) and was established in 2022, to contribute toward improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing.

Dr Raymond Lovett, a Wongaibon man, Associate Professor Katie Thurber, are working together to establish what worries and concerns First Nations persons have with regard to mental health and wellbeing surrounding the referendum and have developed a range of fact sheets and tools that have been dispersed to Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities to assist with providing support. The team have reported that along with the additional efforts of responding to non-indigenous questions, instances of encounters with racism are ramping up and in some instances there is divide within families and communities, all of which can trigger a range of mental health concerns.

The Healing Foundation have also provided the tips below:

  • Acknowledge the impact of racism on ourselves and others. Racism has an impact on physical and mental health, and is a source of trauma. Knowing this and be aware of the stressors and symptoms can help us to understand what is happening, manage the effect and help others.
  • Being mindful, implementing mindfulness and meditation techniques such as deep breathing and awareness techniques can help us to ground and manage symptoms. Staying connected, it is normal to experiences feelings of increased isolation as a symptom of racial stress. Participating in social activities with family and friends and talking with people can help.
  • Take care of our health. Eating well and exercising are important ways that we can help to keep our minds and bodies strong. Little things like going for a walk with a friend or learning to cook a new meal are small and simple acts that can help keep us strong.
  • Speak your truth. Don’t feel obligated to contribute to a conversation if the content is stressful for you. Feel free to say “This conversation is making me uncomfortable, I would like to excuse myself” or change the subject.
  • Culture is strength. Practicing culture through activities like connecting to country or creating art are powerful ways that we can process our experiences in a safe environment and find strength when our reserves are running low.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Wellbeing for Mob, leading up to and following the referendum in full click here.

artwork of ATSI women hands in air surrounding by 5 faces representing a range of emotions from sad to happy

Artwork from National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Aboriginal Hearing Unit for women in custody

In an Australian first, an Aboriginal Healing Unit has opened at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (DPFC) providing new culturally safe, community-led and trauma-informed programs for Aboriginal women in custody. Victoria’s Minister for Corrections Enver Erdogan visited the Centre to open the new unit which includes specially designed accommodation alongside culturally appropriate spaces.

The Andrews Labor Government has invested $8.8m for the new unit and programs which will be delivered by ACCO Elizabeth Morgan House. The new facilities include a sensory room, activities room with facilities for art programs, a peaceful outdoor cultural area with art-inspired screening and native plantings, and a yarning circle featuring symbolic mosaics and a fire pit area.

You can read Minister Erdogan’s media release Australian-first Aboriginal Healing Unit in a prison opens in full here.

You can also read Deafness Forum Australia’s November 2022 report Closing the Gap: Addressing the hearing health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Criminal Justice System here. The report’s preface says “Today, there is a particular pressing need to specifically address the high rates of hearing loss of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in contact with the criminal justice system, with rates as high as 80–95% in some communities. The Australian Law Reform Commission (2017) report Pathways to Justice–Inquiry into the Incarceration Rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, estimated that the annual economic burden of the incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples was nearly $8b, with that figure expected to rise to over $20b without appropriate intervention.

legs & torsos of ATSI women prisoners, green uniforms

Indigenous women make up a third of all female prisoners. Image source: ABC News.

Poor mental wellbeing biggest problem for youth

Poor mental health and excessive screen time are the biggest problems facing young people, according to a new survey of more than 2,000 Australian teachers. Braemar College year 11 student Alanah has noticed more stress and anxiety among her peers, as they cope with growing pressures from home and elsewhere. “[There have been] more noticeable moments where people are upset at school,” she said.

Her observations have been backed by a national survey of teachers, which found the vast majority believe poor mental health is the biggest problem confronting young people today. A 2023 Beyond Blue survey found only one in three teachers believed students at their school were mentally healthy. And the percentage of teachers who thought their schools were mentally healthy also fell from 50% in 2022, to just 40% this year. Of the 2,369 teachers surveyed, about nine in 10 said high staff turnover was affecting their wellbeing, and close to 80% believed it was impacting their students.

Schools across the country will soon have access to new mental health resources to improve student wellbeing and help them access support. The new resources from the Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) weave mental wellbeing lessons into other subjects like English and the humanities. “We don’t want students to think the only time we’re talking about the importance of mental health and wellbeing is when they walk into a class and timetable that has health and physical education on it,” ACARA’s curriculum director Sharon Foster said. ACARA developed the new resources with the National Mental Health Commission, Beyond Blue, Headspace and teachers from across Australia.

To view the ABC News article Teachers say poor mental health, excessive screen time, the biggest problems facing young people in full click here.

7 teenage ATSI students in uniform walking in line smiling, school outdoor walkway

Image source: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Students webpage of Independent Schools Australia website.

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 – Dementia Action Week – 18–24 September 2023

During this year’s Dementia Action Week – 18–24 September 2023 NACCHO is sharing a range of information and resources that may be of use to the ACCHO sector.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Dementia in Australia webpage, available here, looks at understanding dementia among Indigenous Australia. It says experiences of dementia and awareness of risk factors for developing dementia vary greatly among Indigenous Australians, as with non-Indigenous Australians, however, as long as dementia doesn’t affect connection to family, community, and culture, many Indigenous Australians perceive the condition as a natural part of life and not necessarily a medical problem that needs to be fixed. According to Mr Eric Deeral, Chairperson, Elders Justice Group, Hopevale Community, Queensland “The causes of Aboriginal dementia in Gugu Yimithurr culture is part of a natural process. The body, mind and spirit naturally get older including the brain… It may not need to get fixed as long as the individual is safe and the family and the community is safe there may not be any need to do anything at all.”

You can find out more information about Dementia Action Week 2023 on the Dementia Australia website here. You can also watch the below video Love in the Time of Dementia – it is one of a series of videos and other resources, available here, developed by Dementia Australia for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Sep 13 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: ‘Indigenous paradigm’ to tackle RHD

feature tile image of Dr Jessica O'Brien & text 'Applying an 'Indigenous Paradigm' to tackle RHD'

The image in the feature tile is of Dr Jessica O’Brien from an article Q&A with Dr Jessica O’Brien published on the Heart Foundation website.

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.

‘Indigenous Paradigm’ to tackle RHD

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) tells us that the median age at death for Indigenous Australians with RHD is 43, with half of those who died aged under 45. Three years ago, cardiologist and Monash PhD student Jessica O’Brien began an important heart research project looking at ways to understand a potentially fatal but preventable disease affecting mainly young Indigenous Australians – rheumatic heart disease (RHD).

Then, two-thirds of the way into it, everything changed. After all her clinical and research training in a biomedical system, O’Brien underwent a kind of academic and cultural awakening in terms of Indigenous health and the problems with what the researchers describe as an overwhelmingly “colonial” health system.

Dr O’Brien said she began talking with Professor Karen Adams, Director of Gukwonderuk, the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences’ Indigenous engagement unit at Monash University, about the paradigmatic clash between biomedicine and Indigenous health. “What I needed to learn is, how do we make our very colonial hospital and medical systems appropriate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I’m Aboriginal myself, but I’m new to Indigenous research. I’m only now learning and trying to apply new ideas in an Indigenous research paradigm.”

To read the Monash University Lens article Applying an ‘Indigenous paradigm’ to tackle rheumatic heart disease in full click here.

young Aboriginal boy having RHD heart check

Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Nyikina woman wins Human Rights Award

Today, Janine Dureau was announced as the 2023 Bill Armstrong AO Human Rights Award winner at an online event livestreamed from Vancouver, Canada. Hosted by Community First Development, an Aboriginal community development and research organisation, the Award provides an opportunity to identify and honour those who are doing outstanding work with First Nations’ people and communities, exemplifying self-determination in practice.

This year, the fourth year of this Award, Community First Development received many strong and worthy nominations, including for several inspiring First Nations’ leaders. “The Bill Armstrong AO Award has gone global. As well as our presenting team coming from different continents this year, this extended reach was also reflected in the range of nominations of people working in support of the human rights of First Nations Peoples across different countries and continents… including for several inspiring First Nations’ leaders.”

Following the Panel’s deliberations, Janine Dureau, a Derby born Nyikina woman, was announced as the 2023 Award winner in recognition of her passion and dedication to empowering and strengthening the capacity of Aboriginal people, families and communities to improve their quality of life. Over a 30-year period, Janine has led several campaigns and initiatives focused on culture and leadership for and on behalf of the Aboriginal community. She is currently the Chair of the Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council which she established with the support of 100 Aboriginal women.

To view the Community First Development media release Tireless efforts of two inspiring First Nations women recognised at Human Rights Award click here.

L-R: Janine Dureau, Chairperson at the Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council; Jacqueline McGowan-Jones, Commissioner for Children and Young People; June Oscar, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner; Mary O’Reeri, Former Local Hero Award Winner

L-R: Janine Dureau, Chairperson at the Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council; Jacqueline McGowan-Jones, Commissioner for Children and Young People; June Oscar, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner; Mary O’Reeri, Former Local Hero Award Winner. Photo: Commissioner for Children and Young People WA. Image source: Community First Development.

FASD Awareness Month

To mark Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day, Saturday 9 September 2023, the Australian Government National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) produced a video explaining FASD. In the video Katerina Giorgi, CEO of the Foundation for Alcohol Research & Education (FARE), says that during September – International FASD Awareness Month, we need to draw attention to this often invisible disability by:

  • asking what FASD it means
  • asking what the guidelines say around alcohol and pregnancy
  • hearing the stories of people who are impacted by FASD

NACCHO Executive Director Monica Barolits-McCabe, also featured in the video, said FASD is a fully preventable disability, and “if we have more awareness out there, we take the stigma out of FASD and alcohol consumption.” More conversations about FASD, she said, will result in prevention, earlier screening, early detection and more support.

The third speaker in the video, NOFASD Chief Operating Officer Sophie Harrington, said FASD is often a diagnosis that is misdiagnosed. It can often be seen as other disabilities, and other disorders like autism or ADHD or can masquerade as developmental trauma. Ms Harrington said FASD is preventable only if we understand from the very first time someone decides they want to start trying for a baby, they actually stop drinking.

You view the video below or by clicking on this link.

Dr Demmery: 2023 ACT Woman of Spirit

Dr Karen Demmery, Wiradjuri from Dubbo and Barkindji from Bourke, was kicked out of school in year nine, “My parents had divorced, I wasn’t sure where I was going or what I was doing, so then I got into trouble with the police, drugs and alcohol, and my life began spiralling out of control.”

Many years later Dr Demmery is celebrating her win as the 2023 ACT Woman of Spirit. “It’s the first award I’ve ever won,” she says. “I’m so passionate about what I do now, because I know the impact that it can have and obviously there are more people who are needing help.

“Winning, for me, was the coolest thing, next to so many other brilliant women. We don’t do what we do for recognition, but it’s great when we get it. When they read out my name I started laughing, I was not expecting it and I had no speech written.”

When Karen first started her business, it was called the Trauma, Leadership, Mental Health and Coaching Institute. “I know that when you’re in the midst of it, you don’t realise how bad it is,” she says. “These options for help now, what I am doing, is for my grandkids that aren’t even here yet.”

To view the CBR City News article Dr Karen knows trouble, setbacks and success in full click here.

Woman of Spirit Dr Karen Demmery - 4 different poses collage

Woman of Spirit Dr Karen Demmery… “What I do now is really about helping people to figure out why they do what they do, because once you know, then you can change it.” Photos: Andrew Campbell. Image source: CBR City News.

VIC Aboriginal Aged Care Summit

A 2-day Victorian Aboriginal Aged Care Summit to be held in Melbourne from 3–4 October 2023 will commemorate and celebrate the vital role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders play as the heart and soul of their Communities. The summit will be co-convened by the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) and the Victorian Committee Aboriginal for Aged Care & Disability (VCAACD).

Abe Ropitini VACCHO’s Executive Director of Population health said at the summit “We’ll be hearing from them (the Elders) about the changes that they have witnessed over their lives and their aspirations for the future of their communities and the quality of life that we need to ensure we maintain for all of our Elders, both Elders that we have now and our emerging Elders as well.”

You can listen to the NITV Radio interview here and find more information about the summit on VACCHO’s website here.

NITV Radio logo banner text ' Victorian Aboriginal Aged Care Summit to discuss what it's like to be an Aboriginal Elder today' & portrait image of Abe Ropitini VACCHO's Executive Director of Population Health

VACCHO’s Executive Director of Population Health, Abe Ropitini. Image source: NITV Radio.

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.

Anniversary of UNDRIP

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was adopted by the General Assembly on Thursday 13 September 2007. The Declaration is the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of Indigenous peoples.

It establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the Indigenous peoples of the world and it elaborates on existing human rights standards and fundamental freedoms as they apply to Indigenous peoples.

The Declaration is particularly significant because Indigenous peoples, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, were involved in its drafting.

You can access more information on the Australian Human Rights Commission’s website here.

Sep 7 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Creating supportive communities for alcohol-free pregnancies

The image in the feature tile is from the FASD Awareness Month and Red Shoes Rock Campaign launch at Parliament House.

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.

Creating supportive communities for alcohol-free pregnancies

On Tuesday 7 September NACCHO, Fare Australia, NOFASD, FASD Hub, and lived experience advocates were joined by Health Minister Mark Butler, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney, and other parliamentarians and their staff for the launch of FASD Awareness Month at Parliament House. The event provided an opportunity for attendees to learn more about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and the importance of creating supportive communities for alcohol-free pregnancies. Attendees wore red in support of the Red Shoes Rock Campaign which encourages Australians to wear red shoes or socks throughout September, to spark conversations and create an understanding about this largely invisible and preventable disability.

NACCHO Executive Director, Monica Barolits-McCabe spoke at the event, highlighting the significant impact of the Strong Born Campaign, which includes strength-based communications resources, culturally appropriate health information for women and families, and educational materials for the ACCHO workforce.

“The campaign also supports opportunities to bring communities together to create safe places to yarn about the impacts of alcohol and pregnancy… led by the ACCHO sector.”

“As challenging as some of these conversations are, unless we’re having them in an intelligent and culturally safe way, we are never going to make a dent in this issue,” Ms Barolits-McCabe said.

Also speaking at the launch, Minister Butler said, “We know this is important work and we know, given this is a wholly preventable disability, that this is something we can tick off.”

As part of Red Shoes Rock, more than 50 landmarks across Australia will be lit up red and community events will be held throughout the month.

NACCHO Executive Director, Monica Barolits-McCabe at the FASD Awareness Month launch.

Protecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ knowledges

Pakana woman and Vice-President, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander of the Public Health Association of Australia, Dr Alana Gall says amid a global focus on the importance of traditional medicines, stronger protections are needed for Indigenous knowledges in Australia. While the use of natural products as a basis for pharmaceuticals is somewhat well known, a lesser-known fact is around the exploitation of First Nations traditional medicine knowledge in Australia. For example, the commercial production of a drug made from Duboisia myoporides (commonly known as corkwood), a hybrid of Australian native shrubs used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as a sedative and painkiller, is now the backbone of a lucrative multi-million-dollar industry in Australia.

Are First Nations knowledges acknowledged as the basis for this? Do First Nations peoples gain any benefit from sharing their knowledge?

Speaking at a virtual dialogue with Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and a group of WHO senior officials about Indigenous traditional medicines from a global perspective, Dr Gall highlighted:

  • The urgent need for the protection of Indigenous knowledges through appropriate legislation.
  • The importance of including respectful approaches to the integration of Indigenous traditional medicines into each country’s health policies.
  • The need for the WHO to hold a regular forum that brings Indigenous voices together globally on these issues.

Read the full Croakey Health Media article here.

Dr Alana Gall, pictured at first World Health Organization Traditional Medicine Global Summit held in India. Dr Michael Kyeremateng (L) and Professor Professor Jon Wardle (R). Image source: Croakey Health Media.

I Pledge to Champion a Respectful Referendum

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health advocates have launched the Respectful Referendum Pledge, a set of principles to encourage respectful conversations in the lead-up to the referendum. Developed by the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association (AIPA), Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA), Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia, and the Black Dog Institute the principles aim to reduce social and emotional harm to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the period prior and post-referendum.

Advocates have warned the government the referendum would have negative impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ mental health. Early evidence has shown the racial tone of the debate has had a negative impact on the mental health of First Nations people. Gamilaroi/Gomeroi man and Director of First Nations Partnership and Strategy at the Black Dog Institute, Dr Clinton Schultz said the impacts are already showing.

“We know the tonality of the debate has a significant effect on mental health impacts. The more divisive the debate, the greater the impact; the more respectful and inclusive, the lesser the impact,” he said.

The Respectful Referendum Pledge asks politicians to:

  • Listen to First Nations people
  • Elevate First Nations voices
  • Provide a safe space for First Nations advocates
  • Build common ground through shared goals
  • Set the standard for respectful debate
  • Use culturally appropriate language
  • Build trust through action

Read the full NITV article here. You can also view Referendum Resilience resources here.

Respectful Referendum Pledge.

Blood cancer booklets

For Blood Cancer Awareness Month (September) a descendant of the Muruwari people, Matthew Doyle will unite with the Leukemia Foundation as a voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Matthew lost both of his twin sons, Shawn and Jeremy to blood cancer at the ages of one and two years old. On losing his boys, Matthew says, “There’s not a day that goes past that I don’t think about my children. I think it’s important that people tell their stories.”

Matthew hopes that by joining forces with the Leukemia Foundation as the national ambassador for First Nations people, that he can raise much-needed awareness of blood cancer and the support available to this impacted by the disease. Matthew has designed information booklets written specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander blood cancer patients and harness a rich storytelling culture to help them better understand their diagnosis and what to expect from blood cancer treatment.

“I want to encourage fellow Indigenous Australians experiencing the devastation of blood cancer, to reach out to the Leukemia Foundation to access their support and services,” Mr Doyle said.

“I want people to know that they are not alone. The Leukemia Foundation has a range of resources to help them and their loved ones through this dark time.”

Read more here and find the First Nations blood cancer booklets here.

Page from the Leukemia Foundation First Nations blood cancer booklet.

Let’s Yarn about Sleep

The Let’s Yarn About Sleep (LYAS) program, led by the University of Queensland, combined Western science with Indigenous cultural teachings to improve sleep health in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The aim of the program is to give kids the tools and knowledge about the spiritual, mental, and physical importance of sleep and encourage them to put it into practice. First to graduate from the LYAS, John aged 14 said it had a life-changing impact.

“I chuck my phone on the desk on the other side of the room.

“I’ve started passing my grades at school and getting Bs and As and it’s pretty good,” he said.

Waanyi Garawa Gangalidda woman Karen Chong, who is Australia’s first qualified Indigenous sleep coach, has been educating program participants in Mount Isa. She said empowering young people with tools such as an actigraphy device worn on the wrist to track sleeping and waking routines and easy tips and tricks on how to get a good night’s sleep had resulted in high engagement in the program.

“Sleep is important for Aboriginal people because it is a time when we connect with our Dreaming, with our ancestors, and when we draw inspiration and creativity for the expression of our culture,” Ms Chong said.

Read the full ABC article here.

Sleep coach Waanyi Garawa Gangalidda woman Karen Chong. Image Source: ABC News.

COVID-19 vax competition offering HUGE prizes

6 ACCHOs and 15 creative people can win return flights, accommodation, and tickets for up to 3 ACCHO staff members to attend the NACCHO’s Members’ Conference in Perth this October.

Enter the COVID-19 Vaccination promotion competition by submitting a deadly video advertisement/promotion that represents the theme: Getting a COVID-19 vaccination is looking after yourself, for your chance to win! Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

  • Relevance to the theme: Getting a COIVD-19vaccination is looking after yourself
  • Composition
  • Creativity
  • Originality
  • Appropriateness for the target age group: Category 1 – kids 5–12 years (in the ACCHO community), Category 2 – teens and adults 13–49 years (in the ACCHO community), Category 3 – older adults 50+ (in the ACCHO community).

There are 3 amazing prizes up for grabs:

Category 1

  • First Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prizeincludes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

Category 2

  • First Prizeincludes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prizeincludes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

Category 3

  • First Prizeincludes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

This is an opportunity for you to really show who and what your community is like, and the best ways to communicate with them.

We encourage teams to be creative with the theme. Is the best way to get your mob interested, through humour? Being strong and serious? Telling a story? Addressing negative stereotypes?

Be open to the possibilities of what ‘self-care’ looks like. Self-care could be 30-year-olds discussing the importance of getting the vaccination; or 70-year-olds spinning around the basketball courts because they’re fit and healthy and vaccinated; or tie your promotion to building community strength and vitality.

The more original and community-oriented, the better.

You can access a competition Entry Form here.

The Terms and Conditions for the competition are available here.

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 – Women’s Health Week

The theme for this year’s Women’s Health Week (4-8 September) is ‘Grow your knowledge.’ It is all about supporting women to make informed decisions about their health with information that is easy to understand.

Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service Aboriginal Corporation held a Women’s Health Expo to celebrate, with stalls to encourage discussions and education around Women’s health.

On Facebook, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service Brisbane said, “This week, encourage your sisters, mothers, aunties, daughters, and friends to priorities their health and well-being by booking in for a health check.

“Through regular health checks you can identify and prevent chronic health issues early.”

Learn more about Women’s Health Week here.

Sep 6 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Codesign important for healthcare and research

feature tile image of non-Indigenous researcher in bush with laptop & ATSI woman & 2 ATSI teenagers; text 'Listening and responding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can change healthcare for the better'

The image in the feature tile is of researcher Dr Jill Vaughan with a speaker of Burarra, northcentral Arnhem Land. Image source: The University of Melbourne.

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.

Codesign important for healthcare and research

The importance of codesigning First Nations healthcare and health research has been highlighted through insights by four researchers from the Menzies School of Health Research (MSHR). Published this week, 4 September 2023, in Insight+, by the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA), First Nations researchers Stuart Yiwarr McGrath and Mark Mayo and non-Indigenous researchers Professor Anna Ralph and Dr Vicki Kerrigan share their experiences in how listening and responding to First Nations collaborators changed healthcare and training for the better.

This forms part of a series of discussions published by Insight+ which addresses how constitutional change and an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice could impact health. A key example shared was the development of Menzies COVID-19 vaccination videos. Through consultation and conversation with community, this allowed tailored, reputable and trusted resources to be created by community members, allowing healthcare choices to be genuinely informed.

As the nation faces an upcoming referendum on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, this article focuses on the value of building trusted relationships and shared decision making. Menzies is committed to walking together – Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians – to support better health and better futures.

You can read about each of the researchers’ codesign learnings here the Menzies School of Health Research media release Codesign and communication supports a healthier future in full click here.

The below video is one of the Menzies COVID-19 vaccination videos. It is an example of a health promotion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people codesigned with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. PLEASE NOTE: the vaccine information in this video is NOT up-to-date. You can find the latest recommendations from the Australian Technical Advisory Group (ATAGI) regarding COVID-19 vaccination here.

ACT apathetic around Indigenous issues

Speaking at a recent symposium on the status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents of Canberra, Jon Stanhope looked at the ACT government’s response, as well as our collective response as a community, to the needs of our indigenous fellow citizens. Mr Stanhope said “The data from the Productivity Commission provides insight into the status of Aboriginal peoples in Canberra; it also reveals much, whether we like it or not, about the non-Aboriginal residents of Canberra and of the community.”

While Canberra on a per capita basis, is the nation’s wealthiest city with the largest relative cohort of upper/middle-class citizens it also has a low real and pro rata Aboriginal population compared to all other states and territories.

Mr Stanhope said the obvious question repeatedly raised with him by Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health & Community Services CEO Julie Tongs is why the appalling life outcomes experienced by many Aboriginal residents of Canberra are greeted by the ACT government and non-Aboriginal Canberrans with either deafening silence or complete indifference.

To read the CBR City News article Why the apathy around harsh indigenous issues? in full click here.

exterior of the Alexander Maconochie Centre Canberra

Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) – “The ACT has the highest rate ration of Aboriginal peoples, male and female combined, in prison in Australia.” Image source: CBR City News.

Calls for major overhaul of VIC justice systems

Victoria’s Indigenous truth-telling inquiry is calling on the state government to create an independent watchdog to tackle police complaints, a First Nations-controlled child protection system and to stop detaining children under the age of 16. During a year-long inquiry, the Yoorrook Justice Commission found evidence of ongoing systemic racism and gross human rights abuses committed against First Peoples in the state of Victoria.

In its most significant proposal yet, the commission has put forward 46 recommendations amounting to a sweeping overhaul of Victoria’s child protection and criminal justice systems. It is the first time in Australian history a government will be forced to respond to a major reform agenda put forward by its own truth-telling commission.

The recommendations range from long-term transformative change — like establishing a dedicated child protection system for First Peoples children, controlled by First People — to urgent asks including raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14. “This is the first truth-telling commission in Australia, in Victoria, for Victorian First Peoples,” Wurundjeri and Ngurai Illum Wurrung woman and Yoorrook Commissioner Sue-Anne Hunter said. “We are not going to tinker around the edges here.”

To view the ABC News article Victorian Aboriginal truth-telling inquiry calls for major overhaul of justice systems in full click here.

Yoorrook Commissioner Sue-Anne Hunter

Yoorrook Commissioner Sue-Anne Hunter. Photo: Danielle Bonica, ABC News.

SNAICC Conference attracts 1,500+ delegates

Yesterday the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC), the national peak boy in Australia representing the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, commenced its biennial conference with more than 1,500 delegates in Garamilla (Darwin). The conference will highlight the work of SNAICC and its members when it comes to Closing the Gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, policy makers, researchers, government officials, non-government organisations and industry representatives will share knowledge and experience about supporting children and families to thrive while also highlighting the importance of supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led solutions to issues.

“The evidence is clear that when we are partners in the decision-making, running the services and developing the policy, it works,” said SNAICC Chair Muriel Bamblett AO. “SNAICC’23 will platform more than 110 sessions that will demonstrate how the work that Aboriginal community-controlled organisations (ACCOs) are doing in early years services and care and child protection are delivering results.” Speakers include international keynote Judge Frances Eivers, former Aotearoa New Zealand Children’s Commissioner, now member of Board of Commissioners; Pat Turner AM, Lead Convenor Coalition of Peaks and CEO NACCHO; and, Dean Parkin, Yes23 Campaign Director.

You can find more information about the conference here and read The Sector article SNAICC Conference kicks off today – more than 1,500 delegates expected in full click here.logo text 'Voices @ the Top SNAICC'23 Larrakia Country 5-7 September

Kulay Kalingka cancer study for mob

A ground breaking national study, Kulay Kalingka, is asking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples about cancer beliefs and attitudes, experiences, engagement with cancer screening programs, cancer treatment, cancer diagnosis, and caring responsibilities. The Study will monitor and inform improvements in cancer outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples against Cancer Australia’s National Cancer Control Indicators and provide data about our experiences of cancer where no data currently exists.

The Kulay Kalingka 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 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, families and communities in cancer research. The Study, funded by Cancer Australia, is designed, led and controlled by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person 18 years or older with or without a cancer diagnosis can complete the survey. You can find the link to the survey for People who HAVE had a cancer diagnosis here and People who have NOT had a cancer diagnosis here.

You can find more information about the Kulay Kalingka Study here.

COVID-19 vax competition offering HUGE prizes

6 ACCHOs and 15 creative people can win return flights, accommodation, and tickets for up to 3 ACCHO staff members to attend the NACCHO’s Members’ Conference in Perth this October.

Enter the COVID-19 Vaccination promotion competition by submitting a deadly video advertisement/promotion that represents the theme: Getting a COVID-19 vaccination is looking after yourself, for your chance to win! Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

  • Relevance to the theme: Getting a COIVD-19 vaccination is looking after yourself
  • Composition
  • Creativity
  • Originality
  • Appropriateness for the target age group: Category 1 – kids 5–12 years (in the ACCHO community), Category 2 – teens and adults 13–49 years (in the ACCHO community), Category 3 – older adults 50+ (in the ACCHO community).

There are 3 amazing prizes up for grabs:

Category 1

  • First Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

Category 2

  • First Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

Category 3

  • First Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

This is an opportunity for you to really show who and what your community is like, and the best ways to communicate with them.

We encourage teams to be creative with the theme. Is the best way to get your mob interested, through humour? Being strong and serious? Telling a story? Addressing negative stereotypes?

Be open to the possibilities of what ‘self-care’ looks like. Self-care could be 30-year-olds discussing the importance of getting the vaccination; or 70-year-olds spinning around the basketball courts because they’re fit and healthy and vaccinated; or tie your promotion to building community strength and vitality.

The more original and community-oriented, the better.

You can access a competition Entry Form here.

The Terms and Conditions for the competition are available here.

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.

Indigenous Literacy Day – 6 September 2023

Indigenous Literacy Day is a yearly initiative by Australia’s Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF). Through literacy programs, ILF seeks to improve the lives and possibilities of Indigenous Australians with literacy programs that put the knowledge and wisdom of the Indigenous people first.

Australia’s First People have a deep knowledge of community, culture, and land with concepts of “literacy” that the western world may not understand. Literacy must be redefined in terms of what it means for different communities and their needs, to create forward-thinking spaces without losing roots. Indigenous Literacy Day advocates people’s right to an education in the languages they speak at home and celebrates Indigenous freedom of expression and participation in public life just as they are.

At the Sydney Opera House earlier today the ILF presented a 15‑minute film celebrating Indigenous Literacy Day with stories and songs from remote Communities.

You can watch the launch of the film which celebrates Stories, Cultures and Languages here.

5 ATSI young kids sitting on a log, text 'Welcome to Barunga!' & Indigenous Literacy Day logo

Image: from the Indigenous Literacy Foundation 15-minute film celebrating Indigenous Literacy Day 2023.

Sep 5 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: VACCHO toolkit to help mainstream services

feature tile artwork by Dixon Patten (Bitja); text: 'VACCHO develops Victorian Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Workforce Strategy Implementation Tool'

The image in the feature tile is of artwork by Dixon Patten (Bitja) that appears on page 35 of the  Victorian Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Workforce Strategy: An implementation tool for organisations in Melbourne’s north and west 2023–2026.

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.

VACCHO toolkit to help mainstream services

Efforts to close the health and life expectancy gaps between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous communities are ongoing and urgent. An important way to achieve that is to ensure organisations operate in ways that embrace Aboriginal cultures and practices. The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) is acutely aware of this, and for nearly 30 years has been advocating for vibrant, healthy, self-determining Aboriginal communities.

A key part of this work is the creation and rollout of the Victorian Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Workforce Strategy 2022–26, available here. This plan supports a strong and able workforce across VACCHO’s 33 member organisations, delivering holistic wellbeing services to Aboriginal people.

However, for this vision to be achieved other organisations must also contribute, says VACCHO’s CEO, Jill Gallagher AO. “The [ACCHO] sector is leading the way in providing culturally safe services, but we are not immune to the challenges of workforce shortages and infrastructure limitations,” she said. “With a rapidly growing population, we need all services in the health system to deliver culturally safe care. It’s vital that there is no wrong door for Aboriginal families in being able to gain access to quality, culturally safe healthcare that is delivered in a high-trust environment.”

With this in mind, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) commissioned VACCHO to develop a toolkit to help mainstream organisations in Melbourne’s north and west implement the health and wellbeing strategy. NWMPHN’s CEO said the free toolkit, available here, provides practical ways for mainstream organisations to support the work of Aboriginal community-controlled organisations.

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To view the NWMPHN article New toolkit to help mainstream organisations support Victoria’s Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Workforce Strategy in full click here.

VACCHO staff Jessica Mitchell (L) and Abe Ropitini (R) standing outside VACCHO building

VACCHO staff Jessica Mitchell (L) and Abe Ropitini (R). Photo: Leigh Henningham. Image source: NWM PHN News.

DHAC key health updates, August 2023

The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (DHAC) has released its Health updates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities August 2023 edition.

This edition includes information about:

  • World Breastfeeding Week
  • ‘Yarning About’ resources series
  • Hearing Health
  • Helping eliminate hepatitis in Australia
  • New childhood immunisation videos featuring child health nurses

You can view the August 2023 edition of DHAC’s Health updates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in full here, including the below new childhood immunisation video featuring child health nurses.

Boosting cancer outcomes for priority populations

Eight grants totaling over $840,000 have been awarded to increase equity for people in population groups with poorer cancer outcomes. The Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health Senator Malarndirri McCarthy announced the Supporting people with cancer grants today, including three directly aimed at reducing the impacts of cancer on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Supporting people with cancer grant initiative is an annual grants program that funds community organisations and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations to better support people affected by cancer at a community level. Since its inception in 2005, 137 grants totalling $11.55m have been funded through this initiative, with funded projects attracting over $9m in contributions from grant recipients and served communities.

The community programs will support locals including through screening, early detection, cancer prevention and care management nationally and in regional and remote communities.

You can find more information about the Supporting people with cancer Grant initiative on the Australian Government Cancer Australia website here, and read Senator the Hon Malarndirri McCarthy, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health’s media release Enhanced funding initiatives to boost cancer outcomes for priority populations in full here.

ATSI woman on phone holding had of sick Aunty lying on couch

Image source: NSW Government Cancer Institute NSW website.

RFDS confronts First Nations stories

Tiwi Islander and actor Rob Collins who returns as Senior Medical Officer Dr Wayne Yates in Season 2 of the TV series RFDA says the “RFDS is unapologetic in confronting First Nations stories.” The series reflects the Broken Hill community and addresses medical issues for the mob. Rob Collins is particularly proud of RFDS for addressing First Nations medical issues to a broad audience in an authentic way.

This season the series not only weaves bush medicine into its storylines, but it does not shy away from the very real concerns faced by Indigenous communities. Rob Collins said he’s “really excited for people to see Wayne’s journey in this [series] because it raises some serious questions about the intersection between Aboriginal people and the medical profession.

“We know anecdotally, that Aboriginal people are over-represented, when it comes to fronting up to hospitals, and suffering chronic diseases. We don’t shy away from that conversation in the series. I’m really proud of the work that we’ve done and of the show for going there. I think it’s going to start conversations that I don’t think we’ve had, in such an unapologetic way on Aussie telly before.”

To view the TV Tonight article Rob Collins: “RFDS is unapologetic in confronting First Nations  stories” in full click here.

Aboriginal actor Rob Collins in RFDS TV series RFDS navy uniform standing in middle of red dirt outback road

RFDS actor Rob Collins. Image source: TV Tonight.

Better sleep to improve mob’s health

A program linking sleep science and traditional knowledge is being expanded to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in regional Indigenous communities. Associate Professor Yaqoot Fatima from The University of Queensland’s (UQ) Poche Centre for Indigenous Health said one in four Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have the condition, known as OSA, to a moderate or severe level but it is largely untreated.

“When a person’s airway is blocked during sleep, there are sudden drops in blood oxygen levels and frequent wakefulness affecting restorative sleep and straining the cardiovascular system,” Dr Fatima said. “People who don’t sleep well are more likely to be overweight and at risk of diabetes, heart disease and mental health issues like depression and anxiety.”

The OSA project has received $4.06m from the Medical Research Future Fund and will be an extension of Let’s Yarn About Sleep (LYAS), a partnership led by UQ which runs a co-designed sleep health program for young Indigenous people in NW QLD. Through consulting with community members and up to 100 service providers the researcher will identify what’s contributing to poor sleep and upskill local health workers to improve the diagnosis and treatment of OSA and other sleep health conditions.

To view the UQ article Better sleep to improve health in Indigenous communities in full click here.

Roslyn Von Senden leads a Walk on Country talking about the use of plants and relaxation techniques as part of the LYAS program for young people

Roslyn Von Senden leads a Walk on Country talking about the use of plants and relaxation techniques as part of the LYAS program for young people. Image source: UQ News.

Helping teens addicted to vaping

The Australian government is cracking down on vaping. Recreational vapes of any type – whether they contain nicotine or not – will be banned from retail sale across Australia after legislation is introduced (though the date is yet to be set).

Rates of teen vaping have been rising rapidly in Australia, from 0.8% of 14- to 17-year-olds describing themselves as a current vaper over the past six months in 2018 to 14.5% in 2023. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, 19.8% have been a current vaper over the past six months. The majority of e-cigarettes contain nicotine, even when they’re not labelled as such. Some vaped tested in Australia contained 900 mgs of nicotine – the equivalent of the nicotine in almost 100 cigarettes.

Nicotine dependence produces a strong desire for, and difficulty controlling, nicotine use and young people are at greater risk of nicotine dependence than adults and can develop dependence faster. Once nicotine-dependent, a person will experience withdrawal symptoms if they reduce or cease their use. A Hooked on Nicotine Checklist, available here, is a tool to assess dependence on smoking cigarettes or vaping, specially designed for adolescents. The higher the score, the less control a teen will have over their nicotine addiction.

To view The Conversation article My teen is addicted to vaping. How can I help them quit and manage their withdrawal symptoms? in full click here.

hand holding out a vape, person's face obscured by a cloud of smoke

Photo: AdobeStock. Image source: ABC btn.

Don’t miss out – COVID-19 vax competition

Win return flights, accommodation, and tickets to the 2023 NACCHO Members’ Conference

6 ACCHOs and 15 creative people can win return flights, accommodation, and tickets for up to 3 ACCHO staff members to attend the NACCHO’s Members’ Conference in Perth this October.

Enter the COVID-19 Vaccination promotion competition by submitting a deadly video advertisement/promotion that represents the theme: Getting a COVID-19 vaccination is looking after yourself, for your chance to win! Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

  • Relevance to the theme: Getting a COIVD-19 vaccination is looking after yourself
  • Composition
  • Creativity
  • Originality
  • Appropriateness for the target age group: Category 1 – kids 5–12 years (in the ACCHO community), Category 2 – teens and adults 13–49 years (in the ACCHO community), Category 3 – older adults 50+ (in the ACCHO community).

There are 3 amazing prizes up for grabs:

Category 1

  • First Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

Category 2

  • First Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

Category 3

  • First Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

This is an opportunity for you to really show who and what your community is like, and the best ways to communicate with them.

We encourage teams to be creative with the theme. Is the best way to get your mob interested, through humour? Being strong and serious? Telling a story? Addressing negative stereotypes?

Be open to the possibilities of what ‘self-care’ looks like. Self-care could be 30-year-olds discussing the importance of getting the vaccination; or 70-year-olds spinning around the basketball courts because they’re fit and healthy and vaccinated; or tie your promotion to building community strength and vitality.

The more original and community-oriented, the better.

You can access a competition Entry Form here.

The Terms and Conditions for the competition are available here.

NACCHO tile text 'NACCHO Members' Conference 2023 - 23-26 October, Noongar Boodjar (Perth) MAY THE BEST ACCHOs WIN... - Return Flights; Tickets to NACCHO's Conference for 3 staff members; Accommodation; images of plane, city of Perth at night & motel bedroom

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

(text)

Sep 4 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: COVID-19 competition – win flights to Perth

feature tile, round dot art from conference promotional material overlaid with text 'competition time!' & text 'COVID-19 vaccination program competition win flights, accommodation and tickets to the NACCHO Members’ Conference'

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.

COVID-19 competition – win flights to Perth

Win return flights, accommodation, and tickets to the 2023 NACCHO Members’ Conference

6 ACCHOs and 15 creative people can win return flights, accommodation, and tickets for up to 3 ACCHO staff members to attend the NACCHO’s Members’ Conference in Perth this October.

Enter the COVID-19 Vaccination promotion competition by submitting a deadly video advertisement/promotion that represents the theme: Getting a COVID-19 vaccination is looking after yourself, for your chance to win! Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

  • Relevance to the theme: Getting a COIVD-19 vaccination is looking after yourself
  • Composition
  • Creativity
  • Originality
  • Appropriateness for the target age group: Category 1 – kids 5–12 years (in the ACCHO community), Category 2 – teens and adults 13–49 years (in the ACCHO community), Category 3 – older adults 50+ (in the ACCHO community).

There are 3 amazing prizes up for grabs:

Category 1

  • First Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

Category 2

  • First Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

Category 3

  • First Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

This is an opportunity for you to really show who and what your community is like, and the best ways to communicate with them.

We encourage teams to be creative with the theme. Is the best way to get your mob interested, through humour? Being strong and serious? Telling a story? Addressing negative stereotypes?

Be open to the possibilities of what ‘self-care’ looks like. Self-care could be 30-year-olds discussing the importance of getting the vaccination; or 70-year-olds spinning around the basketball courts because they’re fit and healthy and vaccinated; or tie your promotion to building community strength and vitality.

The more original and community-oriented, the better.

You can access a competition Entry Form here.

The Terms and Conditions for the competition are available here.

NACCHO tile text 'NACCHO Members' Conference 2023 - 23-26 October, Noongar Boodjar (Perth) MAY THE BEST ACCHOs WIN... - Return Flights; Tickets to NACCHO's Conference for 3 staff members; Accommodation; images of plane, city of Perth at night & motel bedroom

ACCHO named WA’s Best GP Service for 2023

Derbarl Yerrigan Health Services (DYHS) has been awarded WA’s best GP practice of 2023 by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). This ACCHO that operates on the lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people in metropolitan Perth was recognised for demonstrating excellence in patient care, safety and a commitment to the wellbeing of the community. DYHS GP Registrar, Dr Corey Dalton, was named the RACGP’s 2023 GP in Training. It is the second consecutive year that an Aboriginal doctor from the DYHS medical team has taken out the award. DYHS CEO, Tracey Brand, said the RACGP awards come as the ACCHO prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

“It is remarkable that a service started 50 years ago by a group of volunteers in an old city building with disused equipment from Royal Perth Hospital has become the largest ACCHO in WA,” she said. “These awards acknowledge our Board’s strong leadership and the dedicated DYHS team’s compassion and commitment to cultural safety and clinical excellence.”

Earlier this year DYHS chose to undergo accreditation through the Australian General Practice Accreditation (AGPAL) which involved the practice team reviewing all systems and processes, prior to an independent assessment conducted by a team of AGPAL surveyors. Ms Brand said “Our model delivers culturally responsive comprehensive primary health services with a focus on prevention, early intervention, comprehensive care and care coordination across the life course of our 22,000 patients.”

To view the Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service media release Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service named state’s best GP service for 2023 in full click here.

tile of 50+ Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service with hands in air at top landing & down stairs of DYHS office

Glen for Women officially opens

On Wednesday last week, 30 August 2023, The Glen for Women was officially opened. The Glen for Women runs a 12-week residential rehab program based on the Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Residential Rehabilitation Network (ADARRN) model of care. The program is designed to support participants with individualised case management plans; grief and trauma counselling; financial counselling; relationship and parenting programs; anger management and relapse prevention programs and 12 step fellowship meetings. Through the program, participants can also learn a range of practical skills to set them up for their return to community.

The Glen for Women has now been operational for 15 months and 84 women have passed through its doors. At the official opening the women who had fought so hard for The Glen for Women, Aunty Coral, Aunty Cheryl, Aunty Gail, Aunty Jan and Aunty Barbara were acknowledged.

You can find more information about The Glen for Women on The Glen website here.

image of outside seated guests for opening of The Glen for Women 20.8.23

Official opening of The Glen for Women. Image sourece: The Glen Rehab Facebook page.

Why the Voice is crucial to health outcomes 

Respected Aboriginal leader Aunty Jill Gallagher – CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) – recently spoke on NITV Radio about the upcoming referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, how Aboriginal Elders drive the narratives as well as an upcoming VACCHO Elder’s Summit. Aunty Jill explained emphatically why a Yes vote is crucial.

You can listen to the NITV Radio interview Aunty Jill Gallagher on why a Yes vote is crucial, the impact on Aboriginal health outcomes and more in full here.

NITV Radio tile text 'Aunty Jill Gallagher on why a Yes vote is crucial, the impact on Aboriginal health outcomes and more' & portrait image of VACCHO CEO Jill Gallagher

Image source: NITV Radio.

Children in detention increases crime

Some advocates say the best way to create an adult criminal is to lock up a child. The younger a child is slapped with a probation order or locked up for committing a crime, the more likely they are to return behind bars. So when QLD brought in laws allowing kids as young as 10 to be held in police watch houses, human rights groups were appalled.

Indigenous advocates were also alarmed given the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the youth justice system. Catherine Liddle, the head of a national organisation for Indigenous children known as SNAICC, said the Queensland government action was a disgrace.

“Suspending the Human Rights Act so children as young as 10 can be held in police watch houses and prisons designed for adults is utterly shameful,” she said. “It makes a mockery out of all the work that we’ve been doing to close the gap, which says to work in partnership with ACCOs before you make decisions like this.”

To view the SBS News article Does putting children in detention prevent or produce crime? in full click here.
corridor with closed prison doors either side

Photo: Jono Searle – AAP. Image source: SBS News.

Reducing medication-related problems

Medicines are the most frequent health care intervention type; their safe use provides significant benefits, but inappropriate use can cause harm. Systemic primary care approaches can manage serious medication‐related problems in a timely manner.

A quality improvement activity developed to improve medicine safety is ACTMed (ACTivating primary care for MEDicine safety). ACTMed uses information technology and financial incentives to encourage pharmacists to work more closely with general practitioners to reduce the risk of harm, improve patients’ experience of care, streamline workflows, and increase the efficiency of medical care.

A stepped wedge cluster randomised trial is planned to be undertaken in 42 Queensland primary care practices to assess the effectiveness of the ACTMed intervention. The primary outcome will be the proportion of people at risk of serious medication‐related problems — patients with atrial fibrillation, heart failure, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, or asthma or congestive obstructive pulmonary disease — who experience such problems. The trail will also estimate the cost per averted serious medication‐related problem and the cost per averted potentially preventable medication‐related hospitalisation.

To read the Activating pharmacists to reduce the frequency of medication‐related problems (ACTMed): a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial article published in The Medical Journal of Australia today click here.

You can also read a previous article on ACTMed published in this newsletter here.

tablet dispenser & hand pouring tablets into palm of other hand

Image source: The Economic 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.

Sep 1 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: 60-day prescribing gets started

many different bright coloured tablets; text 'Today’s START of 60-day prescribing hailed as a big win for patients'

The image in the feature tile is from an article Medicines Australia Still Seeking Certainty published by AJP.com.au on 18 May 2015.

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.

60-day prescribing gets started

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has welcomed the start of 60-day prescribing from today as a big win for patients. AMA President Professor Steve Robson said patients are now able to access cheaper medicines and will save money with fewer tips to the pharmacy. “This initiative, which we have supported since it was first recommended by the independent expert Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee five years ago, will provide much-needed financial relief amid a cost-of-living crisis,” Professor Robson said.

Professor Robson said while there had been a concerted scare campaign against the change, common sense had prevailed, and patients would benefit from the decision by most Senators to support it. “This initiative is supported by many doctor, health and consumer groups, including the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Consumers Health Forum, NACCHO, Asthma Australia and Breast Cancer Australia.” Prof Robson also warned that any attempt to reverse the initiative will cause chaos and confusion.

Under the policy change, more than 300 medicines will eventually become available for 60-day prescriptions. A list of medicines now available for 60-day dispensing is available here.

You can view the AMA’s media release 60-day prescribing gets started in full here, NACCHO’s media release here as well as a related article New 60-Day Prescriptions: Impacts on You and Your Wallet by University of Sydney’s Andrew Barlett, Associate Lecturer Pharmacy Practice and Nial Wheate, Associate Professor of the Sydney Pharmacy School here.

hand putting a tablet in a 7-day tablet dispenser

Photo: Laurynas Mereckas – Unsplash; Image source: Mirage News.

QLD’s Human Rights Act breach condemned

More than 180 human rights, Indigenous and legal groups have written an open letter to the QLD government, condemning their decision to allow children to be housed in adult watch houses. The letter argues the state government continues to “impose punitive and carceral solutions onto vulnerable and marginalised children.” The letter says “These changes in law undeniably violate children’s rights and exacerbate the human rights emergency in QLD’s already broken youth justice system that disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Although making up less than 5% of the child population in QLD, First Nations children comprise 62.6% of the youth prison population.”

The outcry has led to QLD Council of Social Service CEO Aimee McVeigh exclaiming dismay that the QLD government is seemingly unable “design and implement policies that treat children humanely, keep all communities safe, and act in accordance with established democratic processes.” Chief executive of Sisters Inside, Debbie Killroy OAM, led a protest at QLD Parliament last Thursday, calling for an immediate repealing of the laws. “Children lives must never be used as political pawns,” she said. The watch house amendments, which were rushed through QLD parliament last Thursday and resulted in a provision to override the state’s Human Rights Act, had no oversight from any independent parliamentary committee. QLD is the only state without an upper house in parliament and therefore does not see the same parliamentary scrutiny over legislation.

The open letter notes that the Palaszczuk government has a history of defiance and contempt of UN protocols. “In 2022, it blocked the UN torture prevention body from visiting places where people are detained. It now wishes to exclude indefinite detention of children by police from human rights oversight. These are the places where human rights safeguards are needed most.” It goes on to say: “The QLD government’s actions are of such dire concern that our colleagues at the First Peoples Disability Network have taken the step of notifying the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT).” “This situation has resulted in the systematic denial and breach of the human rights of children in custody, and failure to hold Australia accountable to our UN commitments. Overwhelmingly it is First Nations children and children with disabilities who are experiencing this shocking abusive treatment.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article Over 180 organisations condemn Queensland government’s latest breach of Human Rights Act in full click here.

front gates of Qld Government Brisbane Youth Detention Centre

Photo: Darren England. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Griffith University wins FASD grant

A project designed to help screen children and adolescents at risk of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) has been awarded a National Health and Medical Research Council Partnership Grant worth $1.49m. Professor Dianne Shanley from Griffith University’s School of Applied Psychology and Menzies Health Institute QLD is one of the Chief Investigators on the Tracking Cube which her team co-designed. “The Tracking Cube originated when community members from remote QLD voiced their concern around long waitlists for children,” Professor Shanley said.

“They wanted to ensure their children were supported close to home and placed on local treatment pathways as quickly as possible. The Tracking Cube is a culturally responsive, tiered neurodevelopmental screening approach that can be integrated with child well-health checks. Ultimately, it’s about screening at risk children and young people in primary healthcare so we can start them on early pathways of support and catch those who might otherwise fall through service gaps.”

A pilot implementation was conducted at an Indigenous remote primary health service which found neurodevelopmental concerns were four times more likely to be identified using the Tracking Cube compared to usual care. The pilot was also able to place the 11% of children identified as at-risk of FASD on local pathways of support. Professor Shanley said the project will follow a Type 1 hybrid design using a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial to measure the effectiveness of the Tracking Cube at eight diverse Indigenous primary healthcare partner sites. “The Tracking Cube will increase identification of neurodevelopmental concerns which will enable early support for children at-risk of FASD in primary healthcare,” she said. “It will also increase the appropriateness of specialist referrals without further overburdening waitlists.”

To view the Griffith University article Griffith research into Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder wins $1.49m grant in full click here.

FASD screening tool - Tracking Cube - cube with ATSI art on each side

Tracking Cube. Image source: Griffith News, Griffith University website.

Youth in detention dying prematurely

Young people in contact with the criminal justice system – be it under community-based orders or in youth detention – are among the most marginalised in our society. And the health and health-care disadvantage faced by these young people may be evident for years. Dr Lucas Calais Ferreira, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne says the research he’d been involved in found high levels of largely-preventable diseases and avoidable premature deaths for these young people in Australia, indicating inadequate health care both in youth detention and in the community.

Almost 50% of young people under youth justice supervision are Indigenous, and they are 24 times more likely than non-Indigenous young people to go into youth detention. Young people in detention commonly have very poor health. This includes high rates of one or more physical and mental health problems, cognitive and neurodevelopmental disabilities, and substance dependence. Dr Calais Ferreira said that in the nearly 25 years of data covered by the research it was found that young people with a history of contact with the youth justice system died at a rate more than four times higher than those of the same age and sex in the general Australian population. Those most at risk of dying prematurely are Indigenous children, males, and those whose first contact with the youth justice system was before they were 14 years old.

The research findings highlight the need for young people involved with the justice system to access high-quality and holistic health care that’s age- and culturally appropriate. This is essential to identify and manage their complex health conditions, both during periods of supervision and – critically – after return to the community. Dr Calais Ferreira said ACCHOs are well placed to provide this and to support continuity of care as these children transition in and out of detention. But the NT is the only jurisdiction where they are funded to provide health care in youth detention. ACCHOs are unable to access Commonwealth funding to support health care in detention elsewhere. Discriminatory exclusion from access to Medicare, which typically prevents access to ACCHOs in detention, is an example of the “inverse care law”. This is when those most in need of high-quality health care are least likely to receive it.

You can read The Conversation article Too many young people who’ve been in detention die prematurely. They deserve better in full here and also listen to a related story, the first episode of an ABC Listen three-part ABC podcast series The outland or the cage about the ineffectiveness of youth detention for children with disabilities such as FASD here.

5 unidentified ATSI inmates at a youth detention centre

Unidentified inmates at a youth detention centre. Photo: Eleni Roussos, ABC News.

Rural maternity services need to be on agenda

When a rural town’s maternity unit shuts down, it has a domino effect and other healthcare services quickly follow. Almost 100 maternity experts met recently in Canberra, calling for the federal government to step in and end the steady decline of services for regional mothers. Their list of demands included a national minimum standard for access to rural maternity care and funding for a maternity workforce plan. Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) president Megan Belot said none of the solutions were new or radical, but they needed political willpower and funding. “We know the solutions, we just want them to be implemented… it’s not something that we can wait another five or 10 years for,” Dr Belot said. “We need the PM to understand our issues and look at our solutions that we came up with.”

The issue had become so desperate, states have begun poaching health professionals from each other by offering incentives to those who relocated to their regional area. “This is why it needs to be on the National Cabinet agenda, we need the states working together,” Dr Belot said. Maternity services are often the lynch pin that holds together other medical services in rural areas. “When you lose a maternity service, there’s no need to keep a theatre running anymore,” Dr Belot said.

Australian College of Midwives chief midwife Alison Weatherstone said of the 300,000 women giving birth in Australia each year, 30 per cent (roughly 90,000) live in rural areas. “Women in rural and regional areas deserve access to models of maternity care equivalent to those women in families in the cities… our targets at the moment are well below what’s acceptable for women,” Dr Weatherstone said. National Rural Health Commissioner Ruth Stewart said the government had give Indigenous women the option to give birth on country. “First Nations’ women have to have access to culturally-safe care – we know that if care is not culturally-safe, they are reluctant to seek it,” she said.

To read the Farmonline National article Rural maternity services urged to be National Cabinet issue in full here.

ATSI baby Judy on lap of mum Leah Ngalirrwuy, Galiwin'ku East Arnhem Land, NT

Judy Mununggrruitj’s mother Leah Ngalirrwuy had to leave her home in Galiwin’ku to have her baby in Darwin 500kms away. Photo: Emma Vincent, ABC News.

Ungooroo August 2023 Newsletter

Yesterday Ungooroo Aboriginal Corporation released the August 2023 edition of their newsletter.

Topics included in the August newsletter edition include:

  • Ungooroo Health and Wellbeing Expo a Huge Success
  • Book your 715 Health Check
  • GP Management Plan
  • Welcome to GP Dr Nicole Payne
  • Welcome to new Practice Manager, Stephen McBride
  • Multiplex training and employment program graduation ceremony
  • New look Websites
  • Speaking in Colour
  • Wattaka Cafe Click & Collect
  • Catering with Flavour

The newsletter is available on Ungooroo’s website here and their social media platforms.

part of the front page of the Ungooroo Aboriginal Corporation August 2023 newsletter

 

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

(text)

Aug 30 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Referendum an overwhelming time for mob

feature tile image of Aboriginal flag flying with Australian Parliament House in background; text 'Voice commentary leading to rise in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander psychological distress'

The image in the feature tile is from an article Voice to parliament won’t give ‘special rights’ to Indigenous Australians, legal experts say published in The Guardian on 13 December 2022.

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.

Referendum an overwhelming time for mob

In an opinion piece about the Voice referendum proud Bundjalung woman and journalist Bronte Charles said “I get asked which way I’ll be voting. I’ve watched others speak over my people.  I’ve seen the racist tweets and posts, and held my breath as discussions get more toxic. I hear the nasty conversations and go to bed feeling anxious. The referendum on the Voice to Parliament has brought with it a lot of emotions – some good, some bad, some eh. To put it mildly, it’s been an overwhelming time for mob. In a time full of uncertainty – one thing is for sure: whether the outcome of the referendum is a yes or a no, we need to be there for one another and, most importantly, be there for ourselves.”

Ms Charles spoke to three First Nations people working in the mental health space:

  • Tanja Hirvonen is a Jaru Bunuba clinical psychologist and Board Director of the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association
  • Dr Clinton Schultz, a Gamilaroi psychologist and director at the Black Dog Institute
  • Maddison O’Gradey-Lee is a provisional psychologist and is currently completing a PhD that explores young mob’s mental health

who all agreed the Voice has fuelled bigoted attitudes and behaviours, with “a lot of mob are reporting that they’re finding that constant attention, as well as the criticism and debate, becoming quite toxic and impacting heavily on their social and emotional well-being. The psychological distress that we’re seeing amongst mob at the moment is definitely raised.”

Tanja Hirvonen said mob can look after themselves during the referendum by doing what mob do best: “check in on each other as well as your Elders. Draw on the strength of your ancestors and draw on the strength of your mob and make sure to look after yourself. Touch base with your family and have those conversations with your trusted peers or family members. Make sure that you’re connecting with people that are like-minded, who are going to give you that care and compassion and that warm hug that you might need.” Whether you’re voting yes, no or you still haven’t decided, Tanja says that mental health should be a priority.

To view the SBS NITV article OPINION: The referendum campaign already has me overwhelmed. Here’s how you can look after yourself in full click here.

image of back of heads of protesters & Aboriginal flags flying

Photo: AAP. Image source: SBS NITV article ‘The Voice will spark an improvement in Indigenous mental health, say peak bodies.

Maningrida named NDIS market gap trail site

The NT Labor Government has welcomed the announcement of Maningrida as the first of two trial sites in a $7.6m investment into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Minister for the NDIS, the Hon Bill Shorten MP revealed that Maningrida would be a beneficiary of the pilot program for alternative commissioning approaches in thin markets where there are not enough services available to meet participants’ needs.

This is to ensure that participants can better access supports in remote and First Nations communities and will build on the work the NT Government is undertaking in partnership with the community, NDIA and sector as part of the deep dive into how the NDIS is working in Maningrida. Alternative commissioning will be undertaken in partnership with First Nations and remote communities to ensure the pilot is both culturally appropriate and underpinned by an understanding of community strengths and preferences.

Minister Shorten announced Maningrida’s inclusion as a trial site following a gathering with all State and Territory Ministers for Disabilities for a meeting of the Disability Reform Ministerial Council (DRMC) in Darwin, saying “This pilot will allow us to gain invaluable information on how we can ensure Australians with disability living in remote and First Nation communities can access supports and provide lessons on how to build the capability of communities and governments, and the types of alternative commissioning that work best.”

You can view The National Tribune article Maningrida announced as first trial site in $7.6 million NDIS market gap investment in full here and a transcript of the doorstop interview where Minister Shorten refers to the Maningrida trial here.

Manuel Brown Member for Arafura, Luke Gosling MP, Manuel Brown MP, Member for Arafura; Luke Gosling OAM, MP, Member for Solomon; Minister Bill Shorten; Member for Karama and NT Minister for Disabilities Ngaree Ah Kit

L-R: Manuel Brown MP, Member for Arafura; Luke Gosling OAM, MP, Member for Solomon; Minister Bill Shorten; Member for Karama and NT Minister for Disabilities Ngaree Ah Kit. Image: Manuel Brown’s Facebook page.

NT CTG should start with kids

Human-rights activist Timmy Duggan OAM said the Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and Bringing Them Home reports highlighted the ‘urgent national crisis’ of the Gap more than 25 years ago. But as a history of generational trauma continues to weigh on the NT’s Aboriginal kids, he said it was clear more needed to be done to give today’s young people “doses of resilience”. “We can have an impact on them while their brain is still developing and provide good, positive experience[s], good, positive Aboriginal role models that they see day in and day out,” he said.

The NT’s first NBL player combined his sporting career and knowledge of Aboriginal health to launch Hoops 4 Health in 2002, with hopes to drive better outcomes for the NT’s kids. The organisation’s first base is set to open in about six weeks in one of Palmerston’s northern suburbs. Palmerston is home to 7.9% of the NT’s Indigenous population, according to 2021 census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr Duggan said the organisation started as a way to give back to the NT community and engage with kids in the Palmerston and Darwin areas.

Following a royal commission into the protection and detention of children in the NT, he said he was spurred into action and has not missed a weekend session with the kids in Don Dale Youth Detention Centre since 2016. The latest Productivity Commission data shows 96% of NT kids in detention are Indigenous, with First Nations children locked up at a rate 33 times higher than non-Indigenous children. Mr Duggan said Hoops 4 Health was not just about basketball – it was based on Bruce Perry’s neurosequential model for addressing trauma. “Using the trauma-informed model and culturally-informed coaching … can have a big impact in addressing trauma and chronic traumatic experiences,” he said.

The above has been taken from an article Palmerston, NT Closing the Gap efforts should start with kids published in the Gold Coast Bulletin earlier today, 30 August 2023.

founder of Hoops 4 Health, Timmy Duggan OAM with hands on shoulders of young ATSI boy holding basketball, background wall with basketball figures & basketball hoop

Hoops 4 Health founding director Timmy Duggan OAM said the Gap was reaching a ‘crisis’ point and more needed to be done to close it. Photo: Sierra Haigh. Image source: The Gold Coast Bulletin.

100% pass rate for GPs in training

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has today labelled a recent 100% exam pass rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GPs in training as a phenomenal achievement. It comes following the recent results of the College’s Clinical Competency Exam (CCE), an exam designed to assess clinical competence and readiness for independent practice as a specialist GP.

RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Censor Dr Olivia O’Donoghue congratulated the GPs in training. “As Censor of the faculty this warms my heart and soul to see more of my peers achieving success in these high stakes assessment and moving onto RACGP Fellowship,” she said.  “The RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health faculty and assessment team have improved the Yagila Wadamba program – ‘Learn to heal’ in Wurundjeri – a culturally appropriate AKT and KFP intensive, and there are policies and procedures supported by the faculty Censor to provide additional advocacy and support through training and assessments. Moving towards training and workforce equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GPs is a priority for the RACGP and a key performance indicator for our training program.”

Dr O’Donoghue said that she was keenly focused on boosting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GP numbers. “We are making progress, but there is a lot more work to be done,” she said. “Numbers of self-identified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainees have been steadily increasing. The RACGP currently has 60 GPs in training and 124 Fellows. The aim is for greater than 3% representation across training and for Fellows.

To view the RACGP media release RACGP welcomes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander exam success in full click here.

ATSI GP checking patient's heart with stethoscope

Photo: James Cook University General Practice Training. Image source: RACGP newsGP.

IWC tackles antenatal care gap for mums-to-be

The healthcare gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is well-known, but its extent concerning women’s antenatal and reproductive care remains relatively obscure. This is one of the reasons the Indigenous Wellbeing Centre Ltd (IWC) in Bundaberg, Qld, runs a midwifery program that offers monthly ante-natal check-ups, post-birth weigh-ins, and breastfeeding checks. Working alongside participants general practitioners or the hospital ante-natal clinic, this bulk-billed program provides expecting mothers of Bundaberg and North Burnett with vital continuity of care, which has been proven to improve a mum’s comfort level through her pregnancy and into early motherhood.

Through their dedicated work in this program, midwife Stephanie Rackemann and Indigenous health practitioner Lisa McGrady could not ignore the lack of engagement from Indigenous mums-to-be in mainstream healthcare services during their pregnancy in the Bundaberg and North Burnett region. “I’ve seen too many Indigenous mums late in their pregnancy who have not so much as had a GP appointment. It is sad to know that there is such a mistrust of the mainstream health care system that Indigenous mums would rather avoid care,“ Stephanie said.

“There are so many reasons these mums aren’t engaging in their healthcare, with barriers like lack of transport, a lack of understanding on the importance and not having the confidence to speak up and advocate for themselves in a clinical situation,“ Lisa explained. This is where the difference in the IWC Midwifery program comes in. Not only do these mums have access to a knowledgeable, experienced and approachable midwife, but they also have continued access to Lisa.

To view the Bundaberg Today article IWC tackles the gap in antenatal care for Indigenous mums-to-be in full click here.

Lisa McGrady, IWC Indigenous health practitioner with some of the valuable supplies provided by the community

Lisa McGrady, IWC Indigenous health practitioner with some of the valuable supplies provided by the community. Image source: Bundaberg Today.

Better access for people with diabetes and CVD

“Many Australians have diabetes and cardiovascular disease” (CVD), says Expert Advisory Panel member Professor John Prins. “These chronic diseases cause severe illness and death. But healthcare services are not uniform across Australia for people living with these diseases.” A new Targeted Translation Research Accelerator Research Plan calls for ‘better methods of getting that care to people.”

Prof Prins continued. “One way to improve care is to build our knowledge of the causes of diabetes and CVD. “If you have both these diseases, they get worse faster than if you had just one disease. If we can find common mechanisms causing both diseases we can attack them both at the same time. The research plan also calls for new ways to predict who is at risk of diabetes and CVD and their complications. This will help health practitioners get the right care to people at risk. We want health practitioners to recognise patients they need to escalate to that next level of care. That might be the GP 100kms down the road or a major centre that can do further investigations.”

The plan supports researchers to build our knowledge about disease mechanisms and risk prediction with Incubator project funding. This research will help develop new diagnostics, devices, therapies and risk predictors for people living with diabetes and CVD. The plan also supports funding for large-scale multidisciplinary projects that use technology and data to improve care. The large-scale projects will be codesigned with consumers and health services to:

  • improve remote patient monitoring
  • focus on urban, rural, regional and remote areas
  • focus on First Nations people
  • focus on culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people.

The aim of these projects is to improve access to high-quality, patient-centred care.

To view the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care news article Improving health outcomes for people with diabetes and cardiovascular disease in full click here.

ATSI man gripping chest

Image source; Medical Journal of Australia.

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.

Aug 28 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: VAHS marks 50 years of saving lives

feature tile image VAHS premises on Nicholson Street, Fitzroy; text 'Victorian Aboriginal Health Service celebrates 50 YEARS making a difference and saving lives'

The image in the feature tile is of the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) premises on Nicholson Street, Fitzroy. The image appeared in an article by Bertrand Tungandame – VAHS celebrates 50 years making a difference and saving lives, published by NTIV Radio on 25 Auguste 2023.

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.

VAHS marks 50 years of saving lives

The Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) was set up in 1973 by Aunty Alma Thorpe, Uncle Bruce McGuiness and other Aboriginal community advocates as a place where Aboriginal people could access medical and social care in a time when racism and other barriers prevented Aboriginal people accessing care. Marking the 50th anniversary on August 18, 2023, VAHS Chairperson Tony McCartney reflected on the importance of the date in the history of not only Aboriginal health, but in the Aboriginal rights movement of Melbourne, Victoria, and Australia at the time.

“…VAHS is the oldest Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation in Victoria, and second oldest in the country. Since its inception VAHS has been instrumental in self-determined Aboriginal health and wellbeing in Australia. Since starting from humble beginnings and with volunteers at the small shop front in Fitzroy to a place community members called a home away from home – we have grown into a service with sites across Fitzroy, Preston, Epping and expanding to St Albans in our 50th year,” Tony McCartney said.

Over the years VAHS has achieved many supports and firsts in Australia – including establishing the first Aboriginal dental clinic that travelled around Victoria and to border towns, the first Aboriginal women and children’s program and the country’s leading Aboriginal health worker education program Koori Kollij.

To read the VAHS media release VAHS celebrates five decades of making a difference and saving lives in full click here. You can also listen NITV Radio podcast of VAHS Chairperson Tony McCartner talking about the history of VAHS here.

tile VAHS 50 years 1973-2023 Respect our past. Honour our present. To build our future.

UQ student dental clinic making a difference

Gavin Saltner, Wulli Wulli man is among more than 800 rural patients who attend a student-run dental clinic in SW Queensland each year. The UQ Dental Clinic — run by supervised fifth-year dental students — opened at Dalby 10 years ago, with another practice opening more recently at St George. Mr Saltner said having access to the clinic was important, with cost and travel time making dental treatment prohibitive for some Western Downs residents.

A report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) earlier this year found that regional and remote populations had poorer oral health standards than those in the city. It also found that access to fewer dentists, longer travel times and limited transport options impacted the oral health care rural residents received. But the model of the dental clinics in SW Queensland has been deemed so successful it could be used elsewhere. The clinics are a partnership between the university and Indigenous organisation Goondir Health Services.

Goondir Health Services executive Shubham Weling said the unique co-location model and a student-led workforce had the potential to be replicated across a range of allied health fields. “We’re opening a clinic in Chinchilla as well and we want to advocate for this model out there,” Mr Weling said. He said placing the clinics’ treatment rooms within the Indigenous organisation’s building allowed for easy referrals to other services. “So you’ve got cross influence between GPs, dentists, as well as disability support workers for the one client,” Mr Weling said. “It improves the uptake of services and just overall health outcomes and family gain because it’s all interrelated.”

To view the ABC News article UQ free dental health clinic in Dalby improves Indigenous oral health outcomes in full click here.

ATSI man Gavin Saltner in in dental chair at UQ Dalby Dentral Clinic, Goodnir Aboriginal Health Services & Dental Clinic

Gavin Saltner is a regular patient at the UQ Dalby Dental Clinic. The clinic is embedded within the Goondir Health Services facility and treats about 800 Indigenous patients a year. Photo: Laura Cocks, ABC Southern Qld.

Kidney Health 4 Life effectiveness study

Newly diagnosed with kidney disease and want more support? Then Kidney Health 4 Life might be for you!!

This September, Kidney Health Australia is launching a research study to assess the effectiveness of Kidney Health 4 Life , a pilot program designed to help people with kidney disease to self-manage their condition. By participating in the study, you will have access to the program before it goes to the wider public, as well as helping to shape the future of kidney disease support.

You may be eligible for the study if you meet the following criteria:

  • Adults (18+ years) diagnosed with early to mid-stage CKD (Stages 1-4) within the past 12 months (from time of enrolment)
  • Adults (18+ years) who have commenced dialysis (both PD and HD) in the past 12 months (from time of enrolment)

Eligible participants will be assigned to either the program group or standard support group. This will help determine how effective the program is compared to Kidney Health Australia’s standard support. People assigned to the program group will have access to online modules covering topics such as diet and nutrition, disease management, exercise, and managing stress and sleep. Health coaching will also be offered.

People assigned to the standard support group will have access to Kidney Health Australia’s current services including Helpline and Kidney Buddy peer support program and extensive resources. The good news for those assigned to the standard support group is that they will have access to the full KH4L program once the study is complete

If you think you fit the eligibility criteria, you can submit an EOI form on the Kidney Health Australia website here. HURRY. Places are limited.

Kidney Health Australia tile text 'are you new to kidney disease or dialysis & need more support? Apply for the KH4L research study today.

Just 3 in 10 kids had a health check in 2021–22

Just three in 10 First Nations children aged 0–14 years received a health check within the past year, according to new data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The AIHW report — Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander specific primary health care: results from the OSR and nKPI collections, available here, contained data collected from more than 200 organisations.

A total of 586,000 First Nations patients were treated between 2021 and 2022, but only 30% of children had a formal health check in the previous 12 months, making target 4 of the Closing the Gap agreement’s socioeconomic outcome areas — which reads “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children thrive in their early years” — seemingly further away than ever.

With regards to other preventive health measures, 45% of patients received an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health assessment and 47% received a risk assessment for heart disease in the last two years. 70% of patients aged 11 and over had their smoking status recorded in the past year, of which 53% reported quitting smoking or never smoking. Among First Nations patients assessed for CVD risk, 58% aged 35-74 with no known history of CVD reported a low absolute risk within the last two years, 35% were high risk and 7% had a moderate risk. 65% of First Nations patients with type two diabetes reported blood pressure results within recommended guidelines in the past six months, while more than half had a chronic disease management plan completed within the past two years.

To view the Health Services Daily article Just three in 10 First Nations kids had health check in past year in full click here.

young ATSI child having ear check

Image source: QLD Government Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service webpage.

Mental Health for Mob fills service gap

Walgalu-Ngambri and Dharawal woman and Mental Health for Mob founder Kristen Franks has seen and heard a lot over the past decade working in the mental health sector. She has worked across towns in central west NSW and in Canberra and its surrounding regions and helped an array of people – from children, the young, schools and families to pregnant women, the suicidal or self-harming, those with behavioural disorders and in the criminal justice system.

“Throughout all this, I noticed that I was often the first Aboriginal mental health clinician an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person would see,” Kristen says. “It was incredibly difficult to hear this was the first time they’d felt culturally safe [and that] they’ve never felt heard or connected because there was no lived experience understanding.” A decade of hearing this message reached fever pitch in late 2021 when Kristen’s community and Elders supported her to meet this cultural need.

While Kristen never intended to make a profit from offering free mental health care, she soon found herself staring down the hard realities of starting a non-profit organisation. Insurance, registrations and finding a space for clients, to name a few. All while Kristen held down a full-time job and tried to begin to address an “overwhelming” community need. Over the following six months, crowdfunding and some modest grants transformed Mental Health for Mob from an Instagram page that shared mental health resources to a fully fledged mental health service.

You can read the Riotact article How Kristen turned an Instagram page into a culturally safe mental health service in less than six months in full here.

Kristen Franks' face with white body paint & Mental Health for Mob logo

Kristen Franks established Mental Health for Mob. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Emergency aeromedical evacuation training

About 7 million of Australians (about 30%) live in rural and remote areas. People living in these areas have poorer health outcomes overall according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), and also have access to fewer primary, secondary and tertiary health services. Potentially preventable hospitalisations are twice as high as for those in metropolitan and regional areas. A 2023 Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) report found that Australians in rural and remote settings are at substantially higher risk of heart, stroke and vascular disease (accounting for a quarter of all RFDS missions), and the health services are not always there to support them.

A new agreement between CareFlight and Charles Darwin University (CDU) will give health students the opportunity to work in the Top End with emergency aeromedical retrieval teams on flights. The agreement creates clinical placements for future medical students at the CDU Menzies School of Medicine. The university will apply for 40 of 80 places in the Australian Government’s $114.2m Increasing Rural Medical Training Grant Opportunity to support the placements.

Ms Quinn is excited about the CDU partnership. “It is something we have wanted to do for years,” Ms Quinn said. “It is really important for building our workforce for the future. Our patients are some of the most disadvantaged in Australia; they have complex medical problems and disease processes. Students will see what it’s like to be an independent practitioner. It’s not just the medicine – it’s about logistics and making quick decisions,” Ms Quinn said, who added it was a privilege to work in those remote locations.

To view the InSight+ article Tyranny of distance: emergency aeromedical retrieval in outback Australia in full click here.

CareFlight van, plane, patient on gurney, 3 medical professionals

CareFlight treats and transports patients needing specialist care. Photo: CareFlight NT. Image source: InSight+.

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.

Aug 16 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: VACCHO CEO recognised with university’s highest honour

The image in the feature tile is of VACCHO CEO, Jill Gallagher AO.

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.

VACCHO CEO recognised with university’s highest honour

Gunditjmara woman and VACCHO CEO, Jill Gallagher AO has been conferred an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Melbourne. Ms Gallagher has been VACCHO’s CEO since 2003 and has been influential in raising awareness of health issues and improving access to dedicated services, including the establishment of the Koori Maternity Service and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ageing and Aged Care Council.

As well as being an advocate for self-determination outcomes for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Ms Gallagher has led consultations with community for the development of the first piece of Treaty Legislation in Australia, now an Act of the Victorian Parliament. She was honoured alongside disability advocate, Keran Howe OAM and marine science and conservation expert, Professor Emma Johnston AM.

University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Professor Duncan Maskell congratulated the three recipients of the University’s highest honour.

“Honorary doctorates recognise the outstanding contributions and distinguished community service of people like Ms Gallagher, Ms Howe and Professor Johnston.

“In different ways, they have made major and lasting impressions on society, and it is very fitting that the University recognises them in this way,” Professor Maskell said.

Read more here.

Jill Gallagher AO, Keran Howe OAM, Professor Emma Johnston AM. Image source: The University of Melbourne.

Health Minister visits AHCSA

On Tuesday 15 August, Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler visited the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia (AHCSA). The minister spoke about the influence the Voice to Parliament would have on closing the health gap; He said health is a key policy area where the Voice would deliver better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“…for years and years now, the community, the Parliament, health ministers of both political persuasions, have been confronted time and time again, the appalling statistics of the yawning hap in health outcomes and life expectancy between First Nations Australians and non-Indigenous Australians.

“The truth is, we need a new approach, and the Voice allows us to turn a new page as a government and as a parliament in listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people about solutions that will actually shift the dial,” said Minister Butler.

AHCSA and the health minister also discussed the challenge of vaping for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The health minister said it is a challenge right across the country, however, community-controlled health organisations are in discussions with government on how to best address adolescent vaping.

“There’s a program delivered out of this building by AHCSA as well, but it is now having to come to grips with the very new recent challenges of vaping. We’ve been talking about how best to do that,” said Minister Butler.  

Read the full doorstop transcript here.

AHCSA staff member. Image source: AHCSA Facebook.

CAHS celebrates 15 years

Coonamble Aboriginal Health Service (CAHS) celebrated 15 years of operation on Friday 11 August. More than 200 community members, as well as special guest speakers including Stan Grant came together at the Coonamble Bowling Club to mark the milestone. In a “strong” and “emotional” speech, Stan Grant paid tribute to the Elders and the founding members of the ACCHO for their dedication to improving health outcomes for Coonamble and the wider community.

CAHS CEO, Phil Naden said a highlight of the celebration was sitting down and yarning with mob and hearing about the legacy of such a wonderful organisation.

“I’m privileged to be the CEO of this wonderful organisation and I’m also privileged to know so many beautiful people,” he said.

Read more here.

Image source: Coonamble Aboriginal Health Service Facebook.

Combining curriculum with culture

A new way of learning which combines curriculum with culture is seeing high-school students once at risk of dropping out now excelling. The Wiradjuri-made school program Ngurang-gu Yalbilinya (NgY) is helping schoolboys connect to their identity and increasing school engagement by intertwining curriculum with cultural lessons. In the classroom they are taught the usual school subjects like maths and English, while also learning Wiradjuri language, traditional wood carving, ceremonial song and dance, and painting.

14-year-old student, Steven said before the program he struggled in school, “I was getting in a lot of fights and sometimes I would get a suspension warning or two. I’d be wagging.

“The teachers here really helped me… through the tough times,” he said.

Since the program began more than two years ago, attendance rates have almost doubled from 44% to 94%. Teacher Tim Bennett, said a key to its success is the wrap-around support students can access, which goes beyond the classroom. Teachers work closely with local ACCOs to ensure the students and their families receive the support they need, that includes the Orange Aboriginal Medical Centre providing regular health checks and encouraging healthy eating.

“It’s not just an academic need, if the child or the family suffered trauma that could also affect the student engaging in mainstream classes. So, we have to address that as well,” said Mr Bennett.

Read the full NITV article here.

Students of the Ngurang-gu Yalbilinya education program. Image source: NITV.

Input on National Housing and Homelessness Plan

The Federal Government has begun consultations for the new National Housing and Homelessness Plan. Community organisations are among those Housing and Homelessness Minister, Julie Collins wants to hear from for input on the national plan’s issue paper. Croakey Health Media said given the critical connection between housing and health, health organisations should be encouraged to submit their feedback.

The Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association recently said, “having access to safe and affordable housing is a key social determinant of health, with many Australians currently facing poorer health outcomes as a consequence of the standard of their living conditions.”

Homelessness Australia and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies are calling for a separate and self-determined First Nations National Housing and Homelessness Plan, to address the unique issues relating to the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in homelessness.

Public consultations on the plan will be conducted via face-to-face community events in each State and Territory from Monday 28 August and submissions close Friday 22 September.

Read the full Croakey Health Media article Federal Government seeks input on long-awaited National Housing and Homelessness Plan here.

“It’s important to count the milestones”

Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation CEO, Richard Weston says we are seeing improvements in areas of the health of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Broken Hill region. In the interview with 2WEB – Outback Radio Mr Weston said while the region is a long way behind the rest of the state and the country and there’s “a lot more work to be done,” it’s important to count the milestones.

Mr Weston said they have seen some improvements in early childhood health and development, “which is really important for those future generations.”

“We [also] have very good programs for supporting people with chronic diseases… and also for preventing and intervening early in chronic diseases,” Mr Weston said.

Listen to the full radio interview here.

Image source: Intereach.

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.