- First Nations Wellbeing Conference comes to Magandjin for the first time
- Kidney care program changing lives in Cape York
- VACCHO: New aged care system could deepen inequality for First Nations Elders
- Meet the Kamilaroi gardener whose art is bringing joy to this children’s hospital
- Sector Jobs
The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.
We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.
First Nations Wellbeing Conference comes to Magandjin for the first time
First Nations Wellbeing Conference returns in 2025 for its fifth year, and this year is set to bring record delegate numbers, for this first-ever trip to Magandjin/Brisbane.
The Conference (IWC25), hosted by the Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association (ANZMHA) across October 20-21, will gather Indigenous and non-Indigenous professionals, Elders, community leaders, researchers, and practitioners to strengthen cultural identity, celebrate community resilience, and chart diverse pathways to health and wellbeing for First Nations Australians, Māori, and Pasifika peoples
Following last year’s record-breaking gathering in Aotearoa – New Zealand, IWC25 brings the conversation back to Australia, providing a powerful opportunity to reflect, learn, and collaborate on Indigenous-led approaches to flourishing futures.
This year’s theme, ‘Walking Together, Flourishing Together: Pathways to Indigenous Wellbeing’, highlights the importance of cultural connection, ancestral wisdom, climate stewardship, youth empowerment, and Indigenous models of care in shaping stronger, healthier communities.
Get more information on this conference.
Deanne Broome, Aunty Caroline Busch from Catholic Care NT, Dr Kriscia Tapia, and John Ryan at the 2023 Indigenous Wellbeing Conference in Darwin. Image: University of Sydney..
Kidney care program changing lives in Cape York
A Weipa-based team of clinicians delivering culturally centred kidney care to residents in six communities of the Westen Cape region is having a dramatic effect on progression of serious kidney disease and dialysis in the region.
Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service (TCHHS) Dr Natalie Pink presented findings of the remarkable results of the Cape York Kidney Care team during the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service Research Symposium on Friday.
The study found the number of people commencing dialysis in the western Cape had more than halved since the start of the CYKC service in 2020.
The CYKC team is made up of a rural generalist doctor, renal nurse practitioner, dietitian and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker and currently sees around 400 patients across six communities – Aurukun, Pormpuraaw, Kowanyama, Napranum, Weipa and Mapoon.
Staff from the Cape York Kidney Care team (l-r) Nurse Practitioner Kimberley Withers, dietitian Kaylah Schroeter, Dr Natalie Pink and Program Manager Natasha Wellby
VACCHO: New aged care system could deepen inequality for First Nations Elders
Victoria’s former Treaty Commissioner has warned that upcoming changes to Australia’s aged care system risk becoming “yet another barrier” to closing the gap.
From November 1, the federal government will begin rolling out the Support at Home program, which will replace the existing Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) and Home Care Packages (HCP) system.
The government says the changes respond to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and are designed to provide a “simpler and more equitable system for older people that helps them to stay at home for longer.”
Support at Home will replace both the HCP and Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) programs. The CHSP will transition to the new system no earlier than July 1, 2027, and will continue as a grant-funded program until then.
VACCHO CEO Jill Gallagher. Image: Leroy Miller (First Peoples’ Assembly).
Meet the Kamilaroi gardener whose art is bringing joy to this children’s hospital
Brad Dodd spends his days tending to the gardens at Sydney’s Westmead Children’s Hospital, but his true passion brings even more colour into patients’ lives.
For Brad Dodd, bringing joy to others is the greatest privilege.
The Kamilaroi man has tended to the gardens at Westmead Children’s Hospital for more than five years.
He one of two gardeners maintaining the massive site on Dharug Country in Sydney’s West.
“I enjoy the instant satisfaction of when you cut grass and it looks neat and tidy once you’re done. It’s not a stressful job,” he laughed.
Much of the work is mowing, pruning and weeding, it means a lot to the young patients and their loved ones.
“It’s about having a nice place for kids to play, nice scenery for parents to come out and just chill for a bit too,” he told NITV.
“You just don’t know that that sort of impact has. It can make a big difference for people.
“I feel privileged to be part of that journey.”
Brad Dodd is painting one of two large fibreglass cows which will stand in the gardens at Westmead Children’s Hospital. Credit: Rachael Knowles
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.
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