Category Close the Gap

Dec 8 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Let communities control their own destiny

feature tile: image of 2 AHWs Carbal Medical Services (QLD) injecting ATSI baby in thighs; text 'Giving mob budgets and control over health services would close the gap better than Canberra bureaucrats'

The image in the feature tile is from the Carbal Medical Services (Qld) website, Aboriginal Health Workers – Improving Crucial Health Outcomes In Our Community webpage here.

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

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

Let communities control their own destiny

Canberra’s most senior public servant has urged his colleagues to relinquish power over Indigenous funding decisions and allocations to First Nations communities themselves. Professor Glyn Davis, who is secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, told the Institute of Public Administration Australia on Tuesday this week (5 December 2023) that giving Indigenous communities budgets and control over their employment, health and housing services would close the gap better than Canberra bureaucrats.

In the wake of the failed Voice referendum, the federal public service boss told sector leaders he expected a more hybrid delivery of Indigenous services to evolve after repeated failures of private models tackling Indigenous disadvantage. Professor Davis said that after 40 years of increased outsourcing, the future of public administration was now up for debate. “Empowered communities provide a vital way to address consistent program failure,” he said. “We will never close the gap if public servants in Canberra think we can solve the housing, employment and educational challenges of (Indigenous communities).

Professor Davis’ comments follow a damning Productivity Commission draft report on the Closing the Gap Indigenous program, which was highly critical of federal attempts to work more collaboratively with communities. The report described engagement as “tokenistic”, citing unrealistic time frames for meaningful community input from agencies, who provided limited feedback on how input had shaped policy decisions.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Let Indigenous communities control their destiny, Canberra’s top public servant says full click here.

satellite view of remote Aboriginal community Papunya, 240 kms from Alice Springs

Professor Davis cited Papunya, 240 kms from Alice Springs as an example of why a change in thinking and approach are needed. Image source: BushTel Papunya Profile, NT Government.

2023 HIV Awareness Week Trivia Champions

Yesterday’s 2023 HIV Awareness Week Trivia competition was a resounding success – 36 teams registered and 19 teams completed all trivia questions on the day. Some interesting results from the quiz included:

  • 10/19 teams successfully answered the question: What is unusual about an echidna’s penis? 1. It is wider than it is longer 2. It can rotate 360 degrees 3. It has four heads 4. It is green
  • 4/19 teams were able to correctly answer one of the more difficult questions: What is the name of the HIV surface protein that binds with the CD4+ Receptor of the human immune cells?  1. P17 2. P24 3. Gp120 4. Gp41
  • only one question got 19/19 correct responses: There is often no sign or symptoms that you have HIV, and many people with HIV feel well for years? True or False
  • only 3/19 were able to correctly answer the following two questions: 1. What is the most consumed manufactured drink in the world? 2. How many vaginal tunnels does a female Koala have?

Everyone put your hands together for AWAHS – Albury Wadonga Aboriginal Health Service, who are the 2023 HIV Awareness Week TRIVIA CHAMPIONS!

In second place we have Wurli Wonderers – Wurli Wurlinjang Health Service, Katherine, NT

And bronze goes to ST Mob – Central Australian Aboriginal Congress – Santa Teresa Clinic, NT

We asked you all to show up in your best sexual health costumes and you took us seriously! But there could only be one winner… a big shout out to Wurli Wurlinjang Health Service who took home Best Costume (voted by Dr Dawn Casey, NACCHO Acting CEO).

Congratulations also to Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service for winning Best Prop for Dinosaur Bone (which can’t be posted here – if you know, you know 🦴).

VOTING is now open for People’s Choice, using this link.

We hope you all had a fabulous time, and we can’t wait for next year! 🤩

Steven Oliver, NACCHO staff dressed up for HIV Awareness Week Trivia

NACCHO 2023 HIV Awareness Week Trivia host comedian Steven Oliver and NACCHO staff dressed for the event. Image source: NACCHO.

Experts respond to NDIS review recommendations

Findings from an extensive review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), available here, have been released with ideas on how to transform it. Scott Avery, Policy and Research Director, First Peoples Disability Network said “the barometer for judging the NDIS review is the extent to which it advances a vision for a disability services sector that is anti-ableist and anti-racist, and accommodates a First Nations culture inclusive of people with disability in both word and action.”

Mr Avery said “There is one overarching recommendation that is specific to First Nations people with disability which is for the establishment of an alternative commissioning process to be creating in partnership with First Nations representatives, communities, participants and relevant government agencies. This can be read alongside the recommendations of the disability royal commission to make the NDIS more inclusive of First Nations decision-making in its governance and leadership.”

“What is understated in this report and others,” Mr Avery continued, “is the extent of the organisational change the NDIS and other organisations in the disability sector need to own to give meaningful effect to the dream of an authentically inclusive scheme. First Nations people with disability have been lending their wisdom and voice to one inquiry or another for what has seemed like a generation. Each inquiry has delved deeply into the trauma stories from our community, but at the same time has placed decision-making on implementation into a holding pattern. Disability community leadership and self-determination seems to be the consensus recommendation both the NDIS review and the disability royal commission have landed on. Can we now just get on with it please?”

To view The National Tribune article Recommendations to reboot the NDIS have finally been released. 5 experts react in full click here. Below is the The Hon Bill Shorten MP, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Minister for Government Services address to National Press Club of Australia yesterday on “The NDIS Review”.

Cultural lens on pandemic preparedness

The success of Indigenous communities and health services in protecting Elders during the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is known all over the world. What we know less about are the experiences and perspectives of those who were shielded. An interesting research project, presented at the recent HEAL 2023 Conference, sought to capture some of these experiences using yarning circle workshops. The research team, led by Professor Pat Dudgeon AM and Professor Helen Milroy AM from the Bilya Marlee School of Indigenous Studies, at the University of WA, also sought and received insights about how future public health responses could be improved. Their findings will help form a submission to an ongoing inquiry into Australia’s COVID-19 response.

At the  HEAL 2023 Conference, Amie Furlong, from the University of Canberra, and Selina Edmonds, chair of the Miya Kaadadjiny (Learning Sanctuary) Community Centre in WA, delivered a joint presentation based on research undertaken to gain a better understanding about measures to keep Aboriginal Elders safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Older people are more likely to be negatively impacted by COVID-19, and previous research and experience on disasters has shown that pandemic responses need to be “fair, equitable and dignified for Aboriginal people”, Edmonds told the conference.

Aboriginal people have often been left out of critical planning and decision-making in the past, Edmonds said. It is important to include their voices in disaster response and management plans. Furlong said the lessons from this research will help provide practical suggestions and lessons learned about the pandemic for governments and organisations working in public health and emergencies.

To view the Croakey Health Media article Bringing a cultural lens to pandemic preparedness: Aboriginal Elders share their learnings from COVID in full click here.

gum leaves, wattle, woven basket, painted emu eggs

Artwork on display at the yarning workshops. Photo: Angela Ryder Am and Carolyn Mascall.

Fewer complaints about bad behaviour

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra)’s end of year report has some good news for medical professionals, with an 8.6% drop nationally in notifications made about bad behaviour and 1.5% of registered health practitioners having a concern raised about them in 2022-23. The 17,096 notifications made across the country related to 13,584 individuals. 

Ahpra said the sustained increase in reports over the past two years reinforced its blueprint for reform, which has already seen a public review of the criminal history registration standard, the rollout of specialist investigators and an expansion of the Notifier Support Service, staffed by social workers.   

Ahpra’s CEO Martin Fletcher said  more work was needed to increase the rates of practitioners identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander working in the nation’s health systems. In 2022-23, only 10,813 health practitioners identify as Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander – just 1.2% of all registered health practitioners, and well short of the 3.8% representation in the general population.  

To view the Medical Forum article Fewer complaints about bad behaviour in full click here.

doctor in scrubs giving the finger

Image source: Medical Forum.

ALP and NZ U-turn on Indigenous affairs

The Voice referendum dominated the national discourse for much of this year. The result was a major setback for the government. Where does that leave the PM’s policy on Indigenous affairs? When asked about his commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart on 15 October, he simply expressed his respect for the outcome of the referendum. There was no mention of treaty or truth telling.

No doubt ALP strategists are currently considering their political options. It would be surprising if they weren’t also analysing NZ’s latest election. The previous Labour government took many steps aimed at improving the lives of Indigenous NZers. These included establishing a separate Māori Health Authority, commissioning He Puapua (a report on meeting the goals in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples), promoting the use of the Māori language, and pursuing ‘co-governance’ (the sharing of certain governance arrangements between Māori and non-Māori). However, many of these steps proved controversial and were opposed during the election by National, ACT, and NZ First.

The election was a disaster for the Labour government. Its support crashed to just 27%, down from 50% in 2020. The number of its parliamentary seats nearly halved. There are many explanations offered for this wipeout – but the explanation that may trouble the ALP in Australia’s post-referendum environment is that significant sections of the kiwi electorate rejected Labour’s progressive agenda on Māori issues. Given the Voice referendum and the kiwi election, ALP strategists may worry that pursuing too progressive an Indigenous agenda in Australia could come at a significant electoral cost.

To view the Pearls and Irritations John Menadue’s Public Policy Journal article The ALP and NZ’s U-turn on Indigenous affairs in full click here.

Uluru Statement from the Heart

Uluru Statement from the Heart. Image source: Pearls and Irritations blog.

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.

Dec 7 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Important steps to preserving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages

The image in the feature tile is from ABC News.

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

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

Important steps to preserving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages

The Albanese Government is investing more than $14 million to support primary schools to teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages in classrooms across Australia. Expressions of interest are now open for the First Nations Languages Education Program which aims to teach and strengthen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. The Program has been developed in partnership with First Languages Australia (FLA), the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. The initiative recognises that each community will have different aspirations and needs for teaching and sustaining First Nations languages. As well as funding a local language plan, it will also support up to 60 First Nations Language educators in primary schools across Australia.

The Program aims to progress Target 16 of Closing the Gap, to support a sustained increase in the number and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages being spoken. Communities that register their interest will first work with FLA to develop a local language plan.

“It’s important to know that Indigenous languages, from the oldest continuing cultures on earth, will be taught in classrooms around the country,” Said Malarndirri McCarthy, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians.

“All students, Indigenous and non-Indigenous will benefit from this program that will ensure First Nations languages thrive into the future.”

Expressions of interest are open until 28 February 2024.

Learn more here.

Image source: ABC News Keane Bourke.

Joint Council strengthens their resolve to implement the National Agreement on Closing the Gap

The Joint Council on Closing the Gap met for the first time since the referendum held on 14 October 2023 on the principle of recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution through a Voice. Joint Council reflected on the importance of the full implementation of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap in the wake of the referendum.

“We know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people overwhelmingly voted for a Voice. We voted for change and to improve our life outcomes,” said Mr Scott Wilson, Acting Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks.

“The Coalition of Peaks, through their work with government and as individual organisations, remain resolute in our commitment and dedication to bring about the change our communities voted for.”

Joint Council heard updates on the progress of Policy Partnerships in Early Childhood Care and Development, Housing and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages and the need to accelerate the work together to deliver tangible changes on the ground in these areas. Members also discussed progress on the commitment by all government under Priority Reform Three to establish or identify an Independent Mechanism to monitor government funded mainstream agencies, organisations and institutions. In the meeting, the Coalition of Peaks raised the importance of the mainstream funding intergovernmental agreements that relate to closing the gap and making sure they make a bigger contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Read more here.

Image source: Coalition of Peaks.

Tasmania raises age of criminal responsibility to 14

Indigenous groups, legal experts and advocates have commended a commitment by the Tasmanian government to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14. They have however noted it falls short of their calls for the raising to be immediate, with the Tasmanian government pledging to implement the reforms by 2029. On Tuesday, the Tasmanian government released their Youth Justice Blueprint 2023/24, committing to raising the age to 14 – without exceptions – as well as raising the minimum age of detention to 16.

Change the Record’s Maggie Munn congratulated the Tasmanian government on the decision, urging them to work with people who are involved at the coal face of youth and Indigenous welfare.

“I implore the Rockliff government to work with experts and communities on the ground to pass legislation as soon as feasibly possible,” they said.

“It is crucial that this legislation meets its intent: to divert children away from the criminal legal system and to give them all the support they need to have a safe and healthy childhood, where they have every opportunity to thrive.”

Read the full article here.

Maggie Munn. Image source: The Australian.

Staying Moving Staying Strong

Culturally suitable resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living with a variety of health conditions have been released by Arthritis Australia. The newly released materials, developed through the Staying Moving Staying Strong (SMSS) project, have been designed to assist Indigenous peoples who suffer from chronic health conditions including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and gout. Arthritis Australia says Australia’s Indigenous population faces significant challenges in accessing healthcare services, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities experiencing elevated rates of conditions including arthritis and autoimmune disorders. They say the prevalence of arthritis among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples stands at 17%, compared to 13% among non-Indigenous Australians.

Brooke Conley, proud Ngiyampaa woman and physiotherapist said participating in the SMSS project was extremely rewarding.

“I hope to see the resources benefiting Aboriginal people by empowering individuals with knowledge and fostering self-management,” Ms Conley said.

Marion, a SMSS participant who lives with osteoarthritis used to think that the condition only affected the elderly. When she experienced knee pain and difficulty keeping up with loved ones, she looked for answers, discovering that osteoarthritis can impact individuals of all ages.

“Look after yourself…(be) aware of prevention type stuff, eating the right food, doing the right exercise, even down to buying the right shoes,” she said.

“…What things can you take that are medicated but also natural stuff as well. We as Aboriginal people have our bush medicine, our emu oils and plant-based oils that help keep that pain away.”

Learn more about Staying Moving Staying Strong here and read the full National Indigenous Times article here.

Staying Moving Staying Strong osteoarthritis resource booklet.

Illawarra Koori Men’s Support Group creating culturally safe spaces to connect for two decades

Illawarra Koori Men’s Support Group began in 2003 with the simple goal of being a place for people to open up and start a conversation. It started with between 30 and 40 members in Kenny Street, Wollongong. Now, the men’s group is the foundation of Gawura Aboriginal Corporation, which also includes a women’s support group and other programs such as Brothers Against Domestic Violence, behavioural change program changeV, Illawarra Aboriginal Men’s Physical health and Training (IAMPHAT) and Koori Youth Aboriginal Kultcha Konnection (KYAKK).

“The reason I want to keep this group going is because when you look around and read the papers there’s that many Aboriginal fellas that are committing suicide, they’ve got no one they can talk to and we need to try and stop that,” Uncle Gee, Illawarra Koori Men’s Support Group founder said.

Connecting with Aboriginal youth is crucial for the group to ensure their sense of belonging and exposure to positive cultural influences.

“Many of them don’t have fathers in the house, or they have fathers and don’t seem them for three or four years at a time, so we really need to help them out,” Uncle Gee said.

“They’re looking for a father figure, someone they can talk to and help them back on track.”

Read the full article here.

The Illawarra Koori Men’s Support Group. Image source: Region Illawarra.

Safer summer initiatives for at-risk youth

Central Australia is gearing up for a safer summer with new programs aimed at ensuring the well-being and engagement of young people. In Alice Springs, a culturally-led diversion program is set to roll out, catering to around 50 at-risk Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in the upcoming months. These efforts are part of the ongoing implementation of the $250 million plan, which federal authorities say will ensure a better and safer future for Central Australia. Oonchiumpa will provide customised, culturally-led activities and interventions, including therapeutic camps and day trips for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people identified as particularly at-risk.

The camps, held on-Country, will bring together Elders, young people, and their families in various locations across Alice Springs, aiming to address challenges and forge new pathways for the well-being of young people, supported by the community. These efforts are aimed at helping family and kinship bonds, while linking young people to essential services encompassing health, wellbeing, and family support. Activities will include Arrernte Boxing, sports programs, movie nights, water activities, art and music sessions, games, bush trips, and cultural camps. In remote regions, the Central Desert Regional Council, MacDonnell Regional Council, Mutitjulu Community Aboriginal Corporation, and NPY Women’s Council will coordinate activities, including the Hoops 4 Health regional basketball competition in Mutitjulu.

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here.

Image source: Hoops 4 Health.

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.

Nov 24 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Webinar: The emerging shortage of long-acting benzathine benzylpenicillin

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

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

Webinar: The emerging shortage of long-acting benzathine benzylpenicillin

The NACCHO medicines team and medical advisors are hosting a webinar on the emerging shortage of long-acting benzathine benzylpenicillin, under the name Bicillin LA on Tuesday 28th of November from 3:30 – 4:30pm AEDST. This is an important medication for our sector, particularly for rheumatic heart disease and syphilis. 

The webinar will provide further details on the expected scale of the Bicillin LA shortage and provide information on access to an alternative product from ORSPEC Pharma which has been approved for use in Australia under Section 19A. The webinar will also discuss possible alternatives to Bicillin LA as outlined in national guidelines and the CARPA manual and will provide a forum to ask questions of NACCHO staff and representatives from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Please register here.

 For people who are unable to attend, a recording will be made available for people who have registered.

First Nations wisdom harnessed to protect the environment

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been caretakers of Australia’s diverse environments and its wildlife for tens of thousands of years. The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rangers is set to double by 2030 as part of federal government efforts to close the gap and centre First Nations knowledge in environmental protection. Linday Burney, Minister for Indigenous Austraians announced that the scheme will receive a $359 million boost to increase the number of Indigenous rangers from 1900 to 3800 by 2030. 

“With more than 65,000 years of experience caring for country, Indigenous rangers hold unique and valuable skills in managing Australia’s natural environment,” Ms Burney said. 

“This will mean more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Isaldner people will have the opportunity to do things like protect precious endangered species and control weeds and feral animals.” 

The investment prioritises establishing new Indigenous Rangers Groups in protected areas that don’t already host the program, and hiring more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Isaldner women as they currently represent just 33 per cent of the program’s workforce.

“It’s important they have the opportunity to continue the work of their mothers, grandmothers and all their women ancestors and pass this knowledge onto the next generation, because there are no text books, no manuals,” Ms Burney said. 

Read the full NITV article here.

Image source: Source: AAP / Stephanie Rouse.

‘Healthy Skin, Healthy Heart: Let’s END RHD Together’

An initiative to end the spread of skin- and heart disease in Cherbourg received national recognition at an inaugural healthcare award ceremony in Canberra last week. ‘Healthy Skin, Healthy Heart: Let’s END Rheumatic Heart Disease Together’, a joint initiative between Darling Downs Health and the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council, received the Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healthcare trophy at the National Rural and Remote Health Awards. 

The award recognised the initiative’s efforts to deliver culturally-appropriate, collaborative and sustainable healthcare to Cherbourg, in an effort to stop the epidemic of rheumatic heart disease in the Burnett First Nations community. The rollout of the ‘Healthy Skin, Healthy Heart’ project by a dedicated team of DDH staff included a mobile heart screening initiative, a skin clinic, community education, and mass administration of medicine to Cherbourg’s residents.

“RHD disproportionately affects First Nations people and is a disease of disadvantage and we all have a role in closing the gap and achieving health equity,” said Dr Priya Janagaraj, Darling Downs Public Health physician. 

“Mobilising actions within a community requires a ‘ground up’ approach, leveraging on collective expertise and commitment of a multidisciplinary team, united by a shared passion and drive to make a difference.”

Read the full article here.

Cherbourg Council and Darling Downs Health representatives accepted the Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healthcare award in Canberra. Image source: Burnett Today.

‘ALIVE & Kicking Goals!’ takes home the WA Mental Health Award

Individuals, schools and organisations have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to mental health at the 2023 WA Mental Health Awards. The Awards recognise and reward the achievements of those who demonstrate excellence, innovation and initiative in supporting consumers of mental health services, their families and carers.

ALIVE & Kicking Goals! Youth Suicide Prevention Program (AKG!) took home the Prevention and Promotion Award. Managed by Mens Outreach Service Aboriginal Corporation, AKG! focuses on early intervention and youth suicide prevention through peer-led workshops and one-on-one mentoring. The program was awarded for establishing a program which addresses rising suicide rates, primarily in the West Kimbelery. 

Learn more about the program here. 

If you are feeling stressed, not sleeping well or have increased anxiety and depression you can seek immediate help, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from:

Truth-telling, local voices still on government’s radar

Truth-telling along with local and regional voices remain on the government’s agenda despite the failed referendum earlier this year. Linda Burney, Indigenous Australians minister will attend a Closing the Gap meeting, along with Aboriginal affairs ministers around the nation and peak body representatives. Just a month on from the failed Indigenous voice referendum, Ms Burney acknowledged that how community can move forward from the setback, would be top of the agenda. She said there would be specific discussions about housing, education and inland water targets. But she wouldn’t close the door on the government’s commitment to the Uluru Statement, which calls for a truth-telling process and a treaty along with a voice.

“Very much what I’m hearing moving around the country is ‘what does it mean for the rest of the Uluru statement?'” Ms Burney told ABC Radio.

“In particular, I’m hearing the importance of truth-telling. I am not saying I’ve got a model in my mind, but I am saying that what I’m hearing very clearly from Aboriginal communities is the importance of truth-telling.”

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here.

Image source: National Indigenous Times.

NDIS experiences told at the International Indigenous Disability Research Symposium

Professor John Gilroy, A Yuin man from the NSW South Coast, will see decades of his work come together in the International Indigenous Disability Research Symposium, commencing with the official opening of his art exhibition ‘People’s experience of the NDIS.’ 

“There is still a lot of work to be done to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians living with disability, but the events this week have helped me reflect on how far we have come in our knowledge and understanding,” said Professor Gilroy. 

With representation from academics from Australia, the USA, Canada and Sweden, the goal of the event is to develop a global collaborative research community in Indigenous disability research guided by the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. One of the key focus areas of the symposium will be on how scholars can both empower and respect Indigenous people in disability research.

The artwork by Professor Gilroy seen below, surrounds incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability. There is a high prevalence of Aboriginal people with disability being unfairly and unjustly incarcerated due to the criminal justice system not properly equipped to support people with disability, such as brain injury or foetal alcohol syndrome (FASD). The NDIS is not properly engaged with state/territory health and housing systems to appropriately support people with disability to live in the community and prevent reoffending. People with disability have reported that the prison system punishes them as a person rather than helping them with issues pertaining to their mental health and disability. 

Read more here.

Incarceration of Disability and Aboriginality by Professor John Gilroy.

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 26 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Putting a ‘Hand Up’ for mental health

The image in the feature tile is from The Wimmera Mail-Times.

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.

Putting a ‘Hand Up’ for mental health

Hand Up is a mental health awareness campaign initiated by Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Cooperative. This year’s event, held on Friday 22 September, attracted more than 200 people who walked from the Botanic Gardens to the Horsham Sound Shell to participate in dance, football coaching and other activities alongside the Wimmera River. The event aimed to de-stigmatise the shame of seeking support for mental health, as well as empower the community to take the steps needed to seek support.

The goal of Hand Up is to:

  • Enhance Community connection
  • Create better engagement with Mental Health Service
  • De-stigmatise the ‘shame job’ of seeking support for mental health.

Read more here.

If you need health or wellbeing support for yourself, a friend or family member, please contact an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) near you. To find an ACCHO in your area click here.

If you are feeling stressed, not sleeping well, or have increased anxiety and depression you can seek immediate help, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from:

Image source: The Wimmera Mail-Times.

What a ‘yes’ vote would mean for Indigenous eye health

Many organisations and associations in the eyecare sector have publicly shared their support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its call for a Voice to Parliament. Professor Hugh Taylor says his five decades working on eye health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities shows the need for a permanent Voice to Parliament. Professor Taylor worked closely with communities and leaders on the Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision in 2012, establishing 64 regional groups nationwide to coordinate and provide eyecare; two thirds of those Indigenous-led.

“The gap for blindness has been halved and the rates of eye exams or cataract surgery increased three-fold.

“…This showed the importance of putting Indigenous eye health into Indigenous hands,” Professor Taylor said.

He says this success would have been impossible without strong Indigenous community advice, support, and leadership – and the value of this was again demonstrated during NACCHOs handling of COVID.

“We have to listen to and support Indigenous communities and leadership. That is why the Voice is so important. It is clear that decisions for First Nations people need to be made with them, not for them.”

Read more here.

Prof Hugh Taylor examining young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patient. Image source: University of Melbourne.

New approach keeping Aboriginal children out of child protection

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are over-represented in child protection. Aboriginal organisations and communities have long argued that this over-representation can be significantly reduced by drawing on the strengths of community and culture. VIC ACCHOs partnered with the University of Melbourne to undertake and trial new approaches to Aboriginal child protection, grounded in the principle of Aboriginal self-management. The trials were aimed at testing the hypothesis that having an Aboriginal organisation step in where there are worries about children’s safety and wellbeing will divert matters from child protection investigation and court proceedings.

One trial was implemented by Njernda Aboriginal Corporation and the Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Cooperative. This trial focused on holding Aboriginal family-led decision-making meetings where Aboriginal children had been repotted or were under investigation. These meetings bring together the child’s family, Elders, and other significant people in the child’s life to make culturally based decisions and plans that support the best interests of an Aboriginal child.

These trials were complex and were modified during implementation, with results more successful after referrals from child protection intake began to be accepted. However, results from the Njernda Aboriginal Corporation and the Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Cooperative trials, and others in the state, found that Aboriginal agencies are best placed to engage and empower Aboriginal families and connect them to the services and support they need to keep their children safe.

Read the full article here.

Image source: Shutterstock.

Have your say on the revised Australian Standard for community pharmacy practice

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia is an accredited Standards Development Organisation under Standards Australia, and the custodian of Australian Standard (AS) 85000 which sets out the requirements for a quality management system for Australian community pharmacies. Over the past 18 months, the Guild has led a revision of the Standard using an open process of consultation and consensus, in which all stakeholders were invited to participate.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia says, “The review has provided an opportunity to ensure the Standard reflect current practice and can continue to support further advancements in practice into the future.”

As part of the review process, the Guild are seeking feedback on the draft of the revised Standard that has been developed.

Find out more here.

If you wish to provide feedback on the draft complete the feedback form here. You have until November 26 to provide feedback.

Expression of interest AMC Member Council

The Australian Medical Council (AMC) is seeking expressions of interest for the position of a Member of Council who is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person with experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health issues.

Members need to commit to at least three full days per year to prepare for and attend the General Meeting (May/June) and Annual General Meeting (November). Members have the opportunity to collaborate with Council Members drawn from the medical profession, medical and health standards bodies, medical education and training, health consumers and community members.

To nominate for the position, complete and return the Expression of Interest Form along with your CV by Monday 2 October 2023.

Image source: AMC website.

Welcome Baby to Bourke

With no operating birthing unit in Bourke, expectant mothers need to travel to Dubbo to deliver their babies. An initiative to welcome babies born away from Country back into the region, the Welcome Baby to Bourke Community Baby Ceremony Day has been named as a finalist in the NSW Health Awards. Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) Manager Aboriginal Partnership in the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Directive, Pat Canty said the ceremony is incredibly important in impacting cultural ties to the land.

“Introducing our babies to community is a traditional practice that has been implemented through generations and it dates back thousands of years. The ceremony is a significant event for our babies to connect to our community, Country, and our Aboriginal Elders,” Ms Canty said.

The NSW Health Award winners will be announced later this year.

Read more here.

Image source: Western Plains App.

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 25 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: 125 health organisations pledge support for Voice

The image in the feature tile is of Health organisations from across the country which have signed a statement supporting the Voice to Parliament. Image by ABC News.

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.

More than 50 health organisations pledge support for Voice

NACCHO is one of 125 health organisations across the country pledging their support for the Voice to Parliament with an open letter to the Australian public. The open letter in support of the Voice to Parliament follows a survey of 1,600 health workers by the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Orgainsation (VACCHO) which found the majority of health care workers believe Indigenous health and wellbeing outcomes will improve if those communities are more involved in Aboriginal health policy.

The open letter states: We speak as leading health and medical organisations who spend our professional lives dedicated to caring for all Australians.

We have considered carefully both the case for and the case against the proposed Voice to Parliament.

We confidently believe that the proposed Voice will enhance government decision making about matters that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, ultimately improving health outcomes.

As health professionals, we witness firsthand the disparity in health outcomes between non-Indigenous Australians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Despite the best efforts of successive governments at all levels, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to have an average life expectancy gap 8.2 years compared to other Australians. The Voice is an opportunity for us to make a practical difference, to ensure the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians does not continue to widen.

We encourage all Australian to actively consider the possible health and wellbeing benefits that the Voice to Parliament would have for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Just as a good clinician listens to their patient, a Voice to Parliament is about listening to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Read more here.

An Open Letter to the Australian Public: A Voice to Parliament will improve health outcomes.

Why the Voice to Parliament will help close the gap.

In an edited extract from Thomas Mayo and Kerry O’Brien’s The Voice to Parliament Handbook, Professor Marcia Langton and Professor Fiona Stanley explain why Australia should vote yes in the upcoming referendum. The extract states that there is clear evidence mainstream government services have, for decades, failed to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. Most state, territory and federal government services for Indigenous Australians have been very expensive, based on inappropriate data, and ignorant of vital Aboriginal knowledge. Programs that are initiated and implemented by Aboriginal experts, or in close collaboration with them, are trusted and used, are based on local personal/geographic/social circumstances about which Aboriginal experts are full informed and enhance the self-esteem and mental health of the community.

Examples include Aboriginal birthing, the Youth Justice System, and the First Nations COVID response; these show that when services are developed with Indigenous knowledge, they are extremely effective. For example, all colonised, Indigenous populations internationally are at very high risk from pandemics such as COVID. We, therefore, expected very high infection, hospitalisations, and death rates from COVID in Aboriginal populations. And yet, nationwide, Aboriginal populations had six times fewer cases than non-Indigenous groups.

This extraordinary, and unexpected outcome was due to the Aboriginal leadership taking control of all activities for prevention, diagnosis and treatment, as well as housing, social and medical support. From NACCHO down to state/territory, regional and remote areas, Aboriginal services demanded and received all the resources they needed to implement this success. They had a Voice that was acted upon.

The evidence is clear. Having a Voice will make a huge difference to improving First Nations outcomes.

Read more here.

Professor Fiona Stanley. Image source: Junkee.

Voting yes will provide a stronger platform to improve health.

Palawa man, and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Tasmania Professor Ian Anderson says Indigenous Australians need a ‘stronger platform’ to improve health and wellbeing. Explaining why he will be voting ‘Yes’ on October 14, Professor Anderson writes: An Indigenous Voice to Parliament does not guarantee outcomes, but it does provide a stronger platform through which governments can work more effectively with Indigenous Australian at a regional and national level.

Governments that don’t listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice can make significant errors in policy or legislation. Professor Anderson draws an example from 2022 where the Stronger Futures agreement between the Commonwealth and NT governments ended. This ended a regime of alcohol restrictions in towns such as Alice Springs. For over a year, Aboriginal community leaders and experts warned of the need for urgent action to maintain these alcohol restrictions, fearing a rise in crime and a decrease in community safety. Neither government took on advice from Indigenous leaders and a year later, the restrictions were lifted, and Alice Springs was in crisis.

“There is more to the crisis in Alice Springs than alcohol supply. It requires a focus on a range of issues such as access to domestic violence services or addressing poverty and improving educational outcomes. However, to see change, it is important to continue to engage with the voices of Indigenous people on the ground and Indigenous experts in this area of public health,” said Professor Anderson.

Read the full article here.

Image source: Shutterstock.

Dr Charles Perkins Oration 2023

The Dr Charles Perkins Oration celebrates Dr Charles Perkins life-long dedication to achieving justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This year marks the 23rd anniversary of the Oration and Memorial Prize. Keynote speaker, and Dr Charles Perkins’s daughter, Rachel Perkins reflected on her father’s leadership, as well as the upcoming referendum.

“As we stand on the brink of referendum in this country, it presents us with an extraordinary opportunity to bind this nation together with its first people, our greatest ever handshake, if you like, placed in the Australian Constitution.

“And it’s now, at this time, that I miss him most acutely. I miss his leadership, his fearlessness, his ability to reach out and touch the Australian people with his words.”

Rachel Perkins talked about the lessons which can be learned from her father’s leadership.

“…leadership that is earned, by being amongst and working with our people. It is not bestowed by a party preselection process, or the media spotlight. Leadership in our community is forged sitting in the dirt, listening to our people, working towards consensus, building organistions, building people’s capacity, talking with people, protesting on the streets. And on the inside, within the corridors of power, negotiating with grace and when that fails, going against all the odds, rejecting the status quo, paying the price of speaking truth to power. And still, when you are rejected and you have lost everything, having no regrets. That is what makes a great Indigenous leader.”

Watch the full Dr Charles Perkins Oration 2023 here.

Improving cultural comfort in pregnancy and early motherhood

Indigenous health practitioner Lisa McGrady says she could not ignore the lack of engagement from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mums-to-be in mainstream healthcare services during their pregnancy in the Bundaberg and North Burnett region. She said there are many reasons mums are not engaging in their healthcare, “with barriers like lack of transport, a lack of understanding on the importance and not having confidence to speak up and advocate for themselves in a clinical situation.”

Ms McGrady works at the Indigenous Wellbeing Centre which runs a midwifery program, offering monthly antenatal check-ups, post-birth weigh-ins, and breastfeeding checks. To help engage mums-to-be in the midwifery program the team has but together care bags with donated products to help mums care for bubs and themselves. Ms McGrady said she wanted to provide these bags as a thank you to mums for engaging in the program and ensuring they had what they needed when going to hospital to give birth.

Read more here.

Lisa McGrady, IWC Indigenous health practitioner. Image source: Burnett Today.

Time in the gym changing lives for young men in Mount Isa

A combination of time on Country and time in the gym is guiding young Aboriginal men in Mount Isa away from crime, connecting them with culture, and improving their mental and physical health. Brodie Germaine’s idea to open the gym in 2022 came after the death of his best friend’s father.

“He would ring me up 24/7 in really bad times,” Mr Germaine said.

“For me, I didn’t want to watch another mate lost to suicide, I wanted to help one of my brothers out and so from there I built a gym in my shed.”

Now, in his own gym Mr Germaine is working with the Department of Youth Justice, Employment, Small Business and Training, targeting kids at high risk of engaging in crime.

“The feeling I get when I help these young fellas in the community, them just turning up to the gym, turning up on a Saturday morning, where we take them out bush for the day, that’s a win for me,” he said.

Read the full article here.

Image source: ABC North West Queensland.

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 21 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Constitutional Reform important for the improvement of health outcomes for Indigenous Australians

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.

Constitutional Reform important for the improvement of health outcomes for Indigenous Australians

Australian Constitutional Reform important for the improvement of health outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

Pat Turner CEO of NACCHO states, “A Voice and recognition of Indigenous Australians is critical if there is going to be long term sustainable improvements to health outcomes for our peoples. Currently programs and policies are at the whim of whoever the Minister is and the senior executives of Government Departments.”

“During COVID we were fortunate that our voices were listened to by the then Minister and Dr Brendan Murphy, Secretary of the Department of Health. There were no deaths of our peoples from COVID in the first 18 months and vaccinations and antivirals were allocated taking into account the level of burden of disease is 2.3 times that of other Australians.

“More recently, Minister Butler has supported our submission to address cancer in our communities.  While the mortality rates have been declining for non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for at least two decades, there has been an uptrend in cancer mortality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

The situation is far worse in regional, remote and very remote areas. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are less likely to be diagnosed with localised disease and are less likely to receive treatment than other Australians. The discrepancy in five-year survival rate between major cities and remote areas is particularly stark for certain cancers, including lung cancer (12 per cent compared with 6 per cent) and head and neck cancer (47 per cent compared with 31 per cent).

Pat Turner goes on to say, “The state of Indigenous health in this country is appalling and is the main reason governments have not listened to our advice and have not taken action on the statistics before them and certainly have not provided the funds required. Our study shows there is a conservative $4.4 billion gap in health funding between what is spent on non-Indigenous Australians. That’s $5,000 for each Aboriginal person per year.”

“Having worked in Government as a senior executive for decades I strongly believe having a Voice written into the Australian Constitution together with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap is the best way to improve living conditions and health outcomes for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”

Donnella Mills, Chair of NACCHO, “The NACCHO board agrees with the Voice and Recognition being written into the Australian Constitution and I am proud to have been part of developing the Uluru Statement.  There is no doubt Australia is a divided country.  In Cairns where I live and other places nationally there are hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease, and we are 55 times more likely to die of the disease as youth than other Australians. We have had two deaths from tuberculosis in the last year, babies dying from congenital syphilis and trachoma.  These are diseases of poverty and diseases seen in Third World countries and haven’t existed in non-Indigenous Australian population in decades. They are diseases that result from overcrowded and poor housing, lack of clean water and limited health care funding.”

“Most of our people were rounded up and placed in artificial environments and mixing the different language groups with their movements restricted with Acts of Parliament. Look at Palm Island as an example or Mapoon. It is now time to make us equal through Recognition and a Voice to Parliament and the Executive in the Australian Constitution.

Find the media release here. 

Supporting our community: online Social and Emotional Wellbeing Resources during the Voice referendum 

The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet have launched a portal that brings together a collection of resources aimed at supporting and reducing social and emotional harms to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the period prior and post the Voice referendum https://healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/learn/special-topics/voice-referendum-social-emotional-wellbeing-resources/

The wellbeing resources have been made freely available on the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet website for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, organisations and Community, including new Pause, Breathe, Connect wellbeing resources developed by The Healing Foundation. Building Connection, Strength, Resilience is at the heart of these resources, which comprise, factsheets, support websites, apps, posters, videos and other critical tools.

The launch comes as the negative impacts of the debate increasingly affect the social, emotional and mental health wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

NACCHO Chief Executive Officer Pat Turner said, “We are witnessing first-hand the adverse consequences of this debate within our communities, manifesting as heightened psychological distress, an increased demand for assistance, and a rise in the utilisation of social and emotional wellbeing and mental health services. The resources we’ve developed are not the answer but are critical tools to help keep our Community safe and well”.

The Healing Foundation Acting Chief Executive Officer Shannan Dobson said, “These resources have tools and tips on managing stress for self, family and community and managing increased misinformation. As well as managing challenging conversations and ways to stay safe. While these resources are for the current heightened racism, they are useful tools for our mob for general wellbeing.”

HealthInfoNet Director Professor Neil Drew said, “We are proud to partner with NACCHO to provide support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people during this nation defining referendum.  National debates of this kind can involve difficult and challenging conversations and it is important that we care for ourselves and others during and after the referendum campaign”.

For support, please contact an Aboriginal community-controlled health organisation (ACCHO) near you. To find an ACCHO in your area click here. If you are feeling stressed, not sleeping well or have increased anxiety and depression you can seek help from:

Read the media release here. 

First Nations residential rehabilitation facility on Ngunnawal Country

Canberra’s first dedicated residential rehabilitation facility for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is a step closer to reality with the development application for a revamped $49 million health precinct now open for community feedback. Winnunga Nimmityjah will run the new 24-bed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residential rehab facility.

CEO Julie Tongs described the service as a “real game changer” for the region.

“We need to keep people out of prisons. We need to stop sending our mob interstate for residential rehab because they do really, really well when they go away, but then it’s not very long once they come back that they fall into the same old patterns,” she said.

“With our own residential rehab here, we can then integrate people back into their families and back into the community so that they have the strategies and can fall back on us if they need support.”

Read the full article here.

Concept render of the new Watson health precinct. Image source: ACT Government.

60-day prescriptions webinar

As of 1 September 2023, nearly 100 common medicines listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) will have the option of a 60-day prescription. This means many patients living with an ongoing health condition can now receive twice the medication for the cost of a single prescription. On Tuesday 26 September, pharmacists are invited to a webinar to discuss the 60-day prescriptions of selected PBS medicines.

The webinar will take place between 2.30pm and 3.30pm AEST. Find more details here.

Preventative dental training grants

The Victorian Government has announced a second round of training grants for Aboriginal health practitioners to take part in preventative dental training. The grants are now open for practitioners wanting to become accredited in the application of fluoride varnish, a preventative dental treatment that helps reduce the risk of tooth decay.

Participating ACCHOs can apply for grants of up to $45,000 – with a total of $650,000 allocated. Acting Minister for Health, as well as Minister for Mental Health and Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, Gabrielle Williams, announced the new grants on Friday.

“We know that poor oral health can contribute to longer term health issues making the upskilling of our Aboriginal health practitioners to deliver preventative dental care so important,” she said.

The latest funding follows an initial round of the initiative earlier in the year, which saw eight Aboriginal health practitioners become accredited. These included the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Cooperative, Mallee District Aboriginal Services; with locations in Mildura, Swan Hill and Kerang, and Njernda Aboriginal Corporation in Echuca.

Expressions of Interest for the second round of the program are now open until Wednesday 27 September.

Read the full National Indigenous Times articles here.

Image source: Unsplash.

Picture books celebrate maternal and child health milestones.

Mallee District Aboriginal Services has partnered with Mildura Rural City Council to source culturally relevant and age-appropriate books for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. The Maternal and Child Health service nurses will distribute the books when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families bring their babies and children to a key age and stage milestone visits. Free MCH visits are recommended at ten important milestones from birth until a child starts school.

Mallee District Aboriginal Services CEO, Darlene Thomas said the organisation was proud to donate children’s books that celebrate Aboriginal culture.

“We know that reading aloud to children and sharing stories is critical in developing literacy skills and strengthening family relationships. Engaging our children with culturally relevant stories is a powerful way that we can promote reading, connection, and curiosity from an early age,” Ms Thomas said.

Read more here.

Image source: The Sector.

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 24 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Funding to address FASD in Central Australia

The image in the feature tile is from NACCHO’s Strong Born Campaign.

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.

Funding to address FASD in Central Australia

The federal government has announced that $18.4 million of the $250 million plan for A Better, Safer Future for Central Australia will go towards helping children with neurodevelopment issues. Central Australian Aboriginal Congress chief executive, Donna Ah-Chee said the funding would help identify children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), ADHA and autism.

“Congress has known for a long time that if we get the start of life right, we can change a child’s entire life story.

“We started this critical work in 2018 and now, with these much-needed additional resources, we can make sure that many more Aboriginal children and young people across central Australia can get the assessment and help they need to get on to a more healthy development pathway,” Ms Ah-Chee said.

The funding will see additional staff recruited for the Child and Youth Assessment and Treatment Services (CYATS) program, including two clinical neuropsychologists, an occupational therapist, speech pathologists, a clinical case co-ordinator and an Aboriginal family support worker.

NT Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said expanding the assessment services will mean hundreds of children will be able to receive a FASD diagnosis and early intervention, “FASD is often referred to as an invisible disability but as far as many families and communities are concerned, it’s a very visible part of life with a profound impact on children and their families.”

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here and see NACCHO’s Strong Born FASD Campaign here.

NACCHO Strong Born Campaign social media tile.

Goondir Health Services and UQ improving oral health

The University of Queensland’s Dental Clinic in Dalby has been operating for a decade. The student-led clinic is a partnership with Goondir Health Services and sees more than 800 rural patients attend each year. Wulli Wulli man, Gavin Saltner said having access to the clinic was important, with cost and travel time a barrier for some Western Downs residents accessing dental treatment.

“It’s made a lot of a difference to me.

“Knowing that I could come along to these clinics and get a check-up… they can fit you in wherever they can,” he said.

The clinic’s treatment room sits within Goondir Health Service’s building, allowing for easy referrals to other services. The ACCHOs executive, Shubham Weling said it provides cross influence between other areas of healthcare and the model of care is and should continue to be replicated across the country.

“We’re opening a clinic in Chinchilla as well and we want to advocate for this model out there,” Mr Weling said.

Read the full ABC News article here.

UQ Dental Clinic. Image source: ABC News.

New GP clinic to South Hedland

South Hedland in Western Australia will once again have a GP clinic with Indigenous-owned provider Marlu Health opening a practice to fill the void left by the closure of Sonic Healthcare. 

The practice will offer a variety of medical services including:

  • GP Services;
  • Occupational health, Pre-Employment Medicals, Fitness for Work and Injury Management Services;
  • Psychology and Mental Health Services through Hedland’s only psychologist Caroline Rodgers;
  • Employee Assistance Programs; and
  • Pathology collection services supported by Australian Clinical Labs, with saliva testing to replace urine testing for drug and alcohol screening.

Director of Medical and Health Services, Dr Lincoln Luk, said Marlu Health had a commitment to traditional owner values and giving back to the community.

“We are looking forward to providing a range of services to the Hedland community, and it was important for us to establish our clinic in South Hedland. We have not previously been a GP provider and were not looking to do so, but we saw the need in Hedland and felt that it was our civic responsibility to help,” Dr Luk said.

You can read the article on the Town of Port Headland website here. 

Sonic Health Plus.

“We cannot continue to have spaces that are void of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s leadership, voices, ideas, and solutions”

Co-chairs of the National Close the Gap Campaign, Karl Briscoe and June Oscar said if we as a nation are committed to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equity and equality, and to closing the gap, then we must also be committed to “listening to and hearing the leadership and advice that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples share with us.”

If successful, the Voice, through constitutional recognition, will allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elected representatives to make representations to the Executive and to Parliament. Mr Briscoe and Ms Oscar wrote, “key to this structural reform is that it provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with a constitutionally enshrined voice, a permanent seat at the table, and a genuine opportunity to provide advice on matters that directly affect our lives.”

“We cannot keep doing more of the same. Large-scale structural reform is necessary if we ever hope to close the gap.

“We cannot continue to have spaces that are void of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s leadership, voices, ideas, and solutions. To do so will only entrench inequality further,” they said.

Read the full article here.

Image source: Close the Gap Campaign Instagram.

Lessons in heat resilience

When you arrive in Tennant Creek, 1000km south of Darwin, what hits you first is the absence of smells. Usually, the air is permeated with the cooking of kangaroo but now it is barely there.

In the last heatwave, dead kangaroos were found at the bottom of watering holes previously thought to have never dried up. Some locals believed kangaroos could never fall victim to thirst, that they would always find a place to drink. It wasn’t true.

Warumungu Elder Norman Frank Jupurrurla doesn’t need to consult records. He says his experience with the area over his lifetime tells him one thing for certain: it’s getting hotter. The decline of kangaroo populations, and the resulting impact on human food sources, is just one sign.

Dr Simon Quilty, of the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University, is direct when describing the impact climate change is having on the area: “It is an ecological disaster.”

He is the lead author of a new article in The Lancet, analysing heat-mortality rates in the NT. The study, which involved Associate Professor Aparna Lal, of the ANU, and Jupurrurla, also found that despite high rates of chronic illness, socioeconomic and housing inequity, and far less access to air-conditioned spaces, Aboriginal people living in the NT were no more likely to die from the heat than the local non-Indigenous population.

Quilty says this discrepancy appears to be cultural. He says it is “a story of how Aboriginal culture and knowledge of environment has enabled extraordinary resilience to extreme weather”.

You can read the article online in The Saturday Paper here. 

Expression of interest AMC Member Council

The Australian Medical Council (AMC) is seeking expressions of interest for the position of a Member of Council who is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person with experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health issues.

Members need to commit to at least three full days per year to prepare for and attend the General Meeting (May/June) and Annual General Meeting (November). Members have the opportunity to collaborate with Council Members drawn from the medical profession, medical and health standards bodies, medical education and training, health consumers and community members.

To nominate for the position, complete and return the Expression of Interest Form along with your CV by Monday 2 October 2023.

Image source: AMC 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.

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.

Aug 15 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Elder Care Support: Community-led pathways to care

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.

Elder Care Support: Community-led pathways to care

NACCHO’s Elder Care Support Program will work with the sector to ensure older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as well as their families, receive the necessary assistance in understanding, navigating, and accessing the aged care services they are entitled to. The program has been made possible by a three-year Commonwealth funded initiative and aims to increase workforce capability and capacity in community-controlled aged care support and empower the sector to coordinate place-based aged care needs.

The Elder Care Support program aims to:

  • Support older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to understand and engage with the aged care system, to receive greater local support.
  • Reduce barriers across the aged care journey to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accessing aged care services, achieving, or exceeding parity with non-Indigenous people at a while of system program level.
  • Increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people receiving care on Country.
  • Increase clinical and non-clinical employment and career opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in aged care.
  • Increase real time intelligence on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s needs and experience in aged care.

If you want to support Elders in community through connecting them with the care they need, talk to your local ACCHO to join the Elder Care Support team.

Find out more here.

Implementation of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program

Mark your calendars for the National Lung Cancer Screening Program webinar taking place on Thursday 31 August. Joint hosted by NACCHO Deputy CEO, Dr Dawn Casey, the Department of Health and Aged Care, and Cancer Australia, the purpose of the webinar is to provide an update on the planning of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program and discuss opportunities for stakeholder engagement.

In May, Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler announced Government investment of $263.8 million from 2023-24 to implement the program, for commencement by July 2025. The program aims to maximise prevention and early detection of lung cancer.

Webinar details:

Date: Thursday, 31 August 2023

Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm (AEST)

Access link: Click here.

Password: pAPfPEhg384.

*Please allow 5 minutes to join the webinar. Questions can be submitted during the session.

Find more information on the National Lung Cancer Screening Program here.

Image source: Unsplash.

What happens in a sobering up centre?

When someone has a problem with alcohol, the first step is to reduce immediate harm because it can sometimes be a slow process to change longstanding drinking behaviours. Earlier this month the VIC government announced it’s establishing a permanent sobering up centre, following in the footsteps of WA, NT, SA, and QLD. It follows the state’s decriminalisation of public drunkenness, where instead of making an arrest or processing a fine, police will take people to a sobering up centre, if there is one in the area.

Public drunkenness laws disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and homeless people. Sobering up centres are a more effective and less harmful response to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people found intoxicated in public places than a police cell, as it understands alcohol and other drug problems as a health issue.

Sobering up centers are safe places where people who are too intoxicated to look after themselves can go to recover, with health professionals including Aboriginal health workers on site who can provide care if someone is sick or injured. They also provide food, showers, clean clothes, beds, access to help and support, including referrals to withdrawal and rehabilitation services and on-site counselling.

Read the full The Conversation article here.

Image source: Unsplash.

Voice to Parliament resources

The referendum to constitutionally enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament is critically important for health and wellbeing.

Croakey Health Media has compiled a valuable list of articles and resources surrounding the Voice to Parliament:

The Uluru Statement from the Heart

The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an invitation to the Australian people from First Nations Australians. It asks Australians to walk together to build a better future by establishing a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution, and the establishment of a Makarrata Commission for the purpose of treaty making and truth-telling.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart

Australian Electoral Commission’s Yes/No pamphlet – fact checked by RMIT/ABC

The Yes and No cases for the Voice to Parliament, drafted by parliamentarians from each side of the debate, have been published on the Australian Electoral Commission website and are being mailed out to Australian households. The ABC News article contains fact check’s analysis of claims made in the No campaign and the Yes campaign.

Australian Electoral Commission Factsheet on Disinformation

During the referendum you may come across information that isn’t supported by evidence, is missing context or is even deliberately misleading. To be well informed, be a critical thinker when consuming information and think about whether the information is accurate and truthful.

Australian Electoral Commission Factsheet on Disinformation.

 

Pat Turner on “the most important vote of our collective lifetimes”

The referendum for a constitutionally enshrined Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament is the most important vote of our collective lifetimes, according to NACCHO CEO, Pat Turner.

“I am dismayed at how the debate on the Voice has been hijacked by all sorts of nonsense and misinformation.

“We have a simple truth here. Believe it or not, Aboriginal people know what’s best for Aboriginal people. All we want is a say in our own affairs, not a veto, not an advantage over others. We want a fair go. And a Voice will help us get it,” Ms Turner said.

You can read Ms Turner’s speech The significance of the Voice in Closing the Gap speech in full on NACCHO’s website here.

Read the full list of articles and resources on the Voice to Parliament on the Croakey Health Media website here.

Community-controlled organisations team up for Homelessness Week

Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service came together with other Aboriginal organisations to provide vital services and information for Homelessness Week (Monday 7 August to Sunday 13 August). Staff from the ACCHO provided holistic health checks and vaccinations, attendees were also able to access shower facilities, free haircuts and shaves, and were provided with resources from Kimberley Community Legal Services.

Housing support worker, Paula Clayton said the day allowed those attending to have fun and hopes people can be more understanding of the homeless community.

“It can happen to any of us, it doesn’t matter where you come from, especially in this social and economic situation with housing.

“[It’s] about celebrating our clients and letting them have a fun day to do some activities and see all the services provided,” she said.

Read the full The West Australian article Centacare Kimberley and Aboriginal Family Legal Services host Homelessness Week even in Broome here.

Tegan Kissane and Debbie Ryder. Image by: Katya Minns. Image Source: The West Australian.

AI in Eye Care

The AI in Eye Care (with Indigenous Perspectives) Conference will take place on Yawuru Country (Broome, WA) on Tuesday 24 October and Wednesday 25 October. The aim of the conference is to bring together experts in the field to discuss the advances in AI and its impact on eye care and diagnosis. Intended for ophthalmologists, optometrists, and orthoptists, the event will also include a session open to non-eye care professionals including Aboriginal health workers.

A key focus of the conference will be a workshop, where visiting experts will discuss and examine the principles and ethical implications of AI diagnostic tools in eye care. Topics that will be covered include privacy and patient data, equality of access and results, transparency in the development and application of algorithms.

Read more here.

Image source: Flinders University.

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 10 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: What will the Voice mean for our children?

The image in the feature tile is by SNAICC for National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day.

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.

What will the Voice mean for our children?

SNAICC CEO, Catherine Liddle has put into perspective what the Voice will mean for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and closing the gap. She said findings from the Productivity Commission’s latest two reports on closing the gap highlight how far we still have to go, with education impacting all aspects of life. She said when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have access to high-quality early learning, they are set up for lifelong success; they benefit from significantly improved health outcomes and are less likely to come in contact with child protection and youth justice systems.

Ms Liddle said an advisory body, with informed perspectives from communities, would help ensure that barriers preventing improvement in educational and life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were removed.

“It would help shed light on the underinvestment in children’s early years. A Voice would help secure the future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

“We need to hear and heed their voices.”

Read the full article here.

Image source: SNAICC.

Doctors say the Top End is on the frontline of the climate crisis

Earlier this week, more than one hundred parents and doctors from the NT travelled to the Capital to demand the federal government stop fracking in the Beetaloo Basin and withdraw its $1.5 billion subsidy for the Middle Arm project on Darwin Harbour. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also protested against the Santos’ Barossa gas project off the coast off the coast of the Tiwi Islands.

One protester said, “First Nations communities and campaigners in the Northern Territory are fighting on all fronts.”

NT pediatrician Dr Louise Woodward said the delegation of parents, health professionals, and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) were raising the alarm about the impacts of gas developments on the climate.

“Northern Australia is on the frontline of the climate crisis, it’s getting hotter in the Top End, we have more heat stress days every year and many of our families do not have appropriate housing or money to pay for power to escape the heat.

“Our hospitals and clinics do not have the resources to manage the needs of our communities as it is – what is going to happen as the climate crisis progresses?” she said.

Read the full ABC News article here.

Image source: ABC News.

ACCHO’s helping improve children hearing health

The Hearing Assessment Program – Early Ears (HAPEE) aims to improve the ear and hearing health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. In 2022-23, the program provided over 14,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with free clinical assessments of their ear and hearing health, finding around 49% had undiagnosed ear disease, and 26% had undiagnosed hearing loss. In an evaluation of the program by Winangali, parents and health workers said it has been successful in identifying problems early and improving understanding of ear health.

Minister for the NDIS, Bill Shorten said, “these results would not be possible without the strong support of local community-controlled health services.”

Health Minister, Mark Butler said the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children being identified with ear disease, preventable ear disease and hearing loss is not reducing.

“This is why the Government is partnering with the First Nations community-controlled sector, Hearing Australia and hearing health program funding and transition service delivery to the community-controlled sector, in line experts to streamline with Priority Reform Two under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

“This work will be guided by a national strategy to reduce preventable ear disease and hearing loss among First Nations children currently being developed by NACCHO.”

Read more here.

Image source: Unsplash.

Birthing on Country activity for National Science Week

South Coast Women’s Health and Welfare Aboriginal Corporation (Waminda) will hold an activity focused on Birthing on Country at the University of Wollongong’s Shoalhaven campus Saturday 12 August. It will include midwives and interactive mannequins to measure foetal heart rates. Participants will also have their health monitored with interactive medicine displays including blood pressure measurement and ultrasound viewing of muscles.

Waminda says Birthing on Country “is a continuation of thousands of years of knowledge and practice, which provides holistic maternal, child and family health care that embeds cultural integrity and safety during pregnancy, labour, birth and postnatal care.

“Birthing on Country is about our women from community lead by our Elders and Aunties, to take back control for our Minga’s (mums) to birth healthy beautiful Gudjaga’s in a safe space that is centred around culture and then throughout the continuation of Minga’s and Gudjaga’s life cycle.”

The science showcase is part of National Science Week and will include other activities including robotics and astronomy.

Read the full Milton Ulladulla Times article here.  

Image source: South Coast Women’s Health and Welfare Aboriginal Corporation.

Garma Festival an opportunity to talk about health on East Arnhem Land

With the Garma Festival finished for another year, Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation chief executive and proud Kamilaroi man, Steve Rossingh wants to remind people of what remains once visitors return home, and the festivities are over. He said coronary heart disease, type two diabetes, renal failure, and suicide continue to end lives, and East Arnhem Land presents the highest rates of preventable deaths out of the whole nation.

“The health of Yolŋu people across all of East Arnhem Land is probably the worst of all Australians. Some of the health statistics are what you would see in what are considered to be third world countries,” he said.

As well as acknowledging social determinants of health including environment, overcrowding, education, and the long-lasting impacts of racism, Mr Rossingh said properly coordinated and resourced community-controlled health organisations are the best was for address the crisis in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

“One thing that governments can do is really support the community-controlled sector, not just in terms of providing funding, but adapting their service responses in a way that Aboriginal community-controlled services are respected, and that our methodologies are able to be applied.

“…We know if we apply them, the outcomes are going to be better.”

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here.

Garma Festival. Photo by: Peter Eve.

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.