Category Eye health

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Contact Colin Cowell
NACCHO Communications and Media
nacchonews@naccho.org.au
Tel 0401331251

3 April 2024

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.

What women want from their maternity care

With growing recognition that the social and emotional needs of women are not being met in their maternity care, it is vital that we understand the needs of the people who use our maternity care systems. Just over 300,000 women and gender diverse people give birth in Australia each year, and this group is incredibly diverse. Women and gender diverse people receive maternity care in many different models of care. Care is provided by a range of professionals, and can be provided in the public, private or Aboriginal community-controlled sectors. One approach to care is known as continuity of care, where the majority of a woman’s care is provided by one maternity professional, and this is typically provided in models such as midwifery group practice.

Generally, Australian maternity care services provide competent physical care, evidenced by low mortality and morbidity rates. However, there is growing recognition that the social and emotional needs of women are not being met, with occurrences of birth trauma and psychological distress on the rise. A parliamentary inquiry established in 2023 in NSW has been looking into birth trauma in that state, with over 4,000 submissions received to date.

Midwives are the largest professional group providing maternity care to Australian women. The Midwifery Futures team has been engaged by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia to undertake a review of the midwifery workforce in Australia to ensure there are enough midwives, in the right places, providing care that meets women’s needs. Australian women have contributed to much research over the past decade, so rather than going and asking them, what is already known about what Australian women need from their maternity care was pulled together. Recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse women, women in rural and remote locations, and gender diverse people face specific challenges, we looked for research including these populations.

To view the AMA InSight+ article What women want from their maternity care in full click here.

First Nations midwives Mel Briggs, of Nowra, and Kady Colman with Mel holding a baby in clinic room

First Nations midwives Mel Briggs, of Nowra, and Kady Colman are the faces of the Sister Scrubs campaign. Image source: Blue Mountains Gazette.

How accounting can make NDIS more equitable for mob

First Nations people in Australia face a higher risk of disability, with their struggles deeply connected to the country’s history of colonisation, ongoing racism, and the social challenges of living with disabilities. These challenges are even more significant for those in remote areas, where jobs are scarce, living conditions are poor, and access to health care and support services is limited. The funding that supports disability services is crucial, but unfortunately, the unique needs of First Nations people have often been overlooked, leading to significant gaps in the support they receive compared to the wider population. So, how can we bridge this gap?

A recent study, available here, has investigated how accounting — often seen just as a number crunching practice — can play a crucial role in transforming the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to better serve First Nations communities, especially those in remote areas. The study focused on the public hearings of the recent Disability Royal Commission and examined how the NDIS’s funding approaches impact First Nations people with disabilities living in remote communities. A key idea explored was creating a “third space” that blends Western and First Nations perspectives to reform the NDIS funding model. The goal was to ensure that First Nations viewpoints on what proper care and support look like are integrated into the NDIS.

Disability services need to respect and include First Nations cultures. Funding models, which give individuals the power to choose and pay for their services, might not fit every community’s needs. Recognising and respecting this diversity is crucial. We also see accounting as more than a calculative tool; it can build a bridge between cultures and help develop inclusive support systems.

To view the University of Wollongong Australia’s The Stand article How accounting can make the NDIS more equitable in full click here.

William Tatipata, co-founder and owner of XtremeCARE Australia, sits with Charlie Kris, an NDIS participant, on Thursday Island, Torres Strait

William Tatipata, co-founder and owner of XtremeCARE Australia, sits with Charlie Kris, an NDIS participant, on Thursday Island, Torres Strait. Image source: Hireup website.

AMA urges take up of ‘safe’ flu vax as season begins

In an ABC Melbourne Radio interview yesterday, 2 April 2024, AMA President, Professor Stephen Robson spoke about the flu season beginning a little bit earlier each year and the need for everybody to start to prepare for the flu season, “Flu season is generally over the Australian winter, but we’ve noted recently over the last few years it’s beginning a little bit earlier each year. So I think it makes perfect sense that everybody starts to attune to that really now and start to prep for the flu season.”

Professor Robson said “the influenza vaccine will become available sometime this month. And of course it is developed looking at the types of influenza virus that affected the northern hemisphere. So this year’s concoction of vaccine will become available soon. And it’s really important that Australians make sure they’re ready, if they can get appointments to have vaccinations and things, because pre-pandemic there was a trend to reduced rates of influenza vaccination in Australia. And particularly in vulnerable groups – a great example being women who are pregnant. So there’s been some moves to try and just make sure it’s back on everybody’s radar. And I think the earlier that you try and get it on everybody’s radar, the better it is.”

Professor Robson continued, “we know that across the course of the pandemic, Australians have been asked to consider having lots of vaccinations for COVID, and there’s often been some at times difficult to decipher advice about when and whom is eligible for those vaccinations. So people have got a sense there’s vaccination going on, and it’s also seen a real swing toward mis and disinformation about vaccination. So there’s a sense that Australians are sort of taking a deep breath, yet another vaccination. But it’s really important to understand that influenza vaccination is simple. It is safe, it’s very effective, and it’s something that can protect the whole community at a time of great threat and great risk to a lot of vulnerable Australians.”

You can view the transcript of the interview in full here.

gloved hands giving injection in to arm

Photo: Shutterstock. Image source: UNSW Sydney Newsroom webpage.

Let’s Yarn About Sleep – Mt Isa Community Symposium

Researchers behind a sleep program delivering health benefits to First Nations youth have held a community symposium in Mount Isa to celebrate and discuss the program’s future direction. Community members, Elders and key stakeholders gathered inside the Buchanan Park Events Complex on Monday 25 March 2024, to reflect on the Let’s Yarn About Sleep (LYAS) program. The first of its kind, the program has garnered international attention for an often under recognised First Nations health issue – lack of sleep.

Researchers from the University of Queensland’s Poche Centre for Indigenous Health collaborated with more than 300 stakeholders from First Nations communities, industry partners and policymakers to develop and then deliver LYAS programs into communities. The centre’s principal research fellow, Associate Professor Yaqoot Fatima, said the symposium response was positive.

“It has helped us realise that events like this are really critical for hearing research outcomes with community members and there is an appreciation of those events and we should do more of them,” she said. Born in Mount Isa in 2020, the small project has grown to now include 54 teenagers. Professor Fatima said another 50 will join next term and schools Good Shepherd Catholic College and Spinifex State College have embedded the program in extra-curricular activities.

To view The North West Star article Isa hosts community symposium for innovative First Nations sleep program in full click here.

Mt Isa ATSI student participants of Let's Yarn About Sleep program

First Nations teenagers from Mount Isa were recruited to take part in the first program targeting improved sleep. Photo: Joanna Giemza-Meehan. Image source: The North West Star.

UWA optometry school boasts 100% grad employment

Forty new optometrists have entered the workforce as part of the inaugural graduate cohort from the University of Western (UWA) Australia optometry school, with every student securing employment and 90% staying to work in WA. After commencing in 2021, UWA’s post-graduate Doctor of Optometry (OD) program is the country’s newest optometry training course, featuring an innovative curriculum design, outback and overseas clinical placements, and a unique collaboration with the Lions Eye Institute (LEI) as a founding partner of the program.

The three-year program saw its first set of graduates completing their education in December 2023. It’s hoped they – and future graduating cohorts – will alleviate workforce pressures in WA that previously relied on graduates from the eastern seaboard. Professor Garry Fitzpatrick, foundation head of optometry at UWA said that without an optometry course in WA previously, this led to a transient workforce, “The UWA program is helping to address this issue and provide a more stable workforce for the future.”

Fitzpatrick said the UWA program sought to develop “socially responsible graduates” equipped to address the diverse needs of patients. To achieve this, UWA senior lecturer Mr Neilsen De Souza said students undertook clinical placements and clinical rotations in various settings, working with different patient populations. “One of the strong features of our program is the opportunity for clinical rotations across Western Australia and Australia. This includes rotations that focus on providing optometry services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people,” he said.

Another unique aspect is a UWA-initiated and funded “hub and spoke model” creating a “very rich rural and remote and cultural experiences” for optometry students, Fitzpatrick said. On Country, eye health centres acting as ‘hubs’ are led by local ACCHOs, with UWA employing a permanent onsite academic clinician at each hub in association with the region’s University Department of Rural Health (UDRH). UWA now has eye health hubs in Darwin, Geraldton, Broome, Bunbury and Karratha.

To view the Insight article UWA optometry school boasts 100% employment rate in first graduate cohort in full click here.

Aboriginal woman having an eye test in clinic room

Image source: The University of WA Doctor of Optometry placement opportunities webpage.

Groundbreaking RSV immunisation program for infants

WA has launched an immunisation program aimed at safeguarding infants against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Starting from the 1 October 2023, babies have been eligible to receive the Therapeutic Goods Administration-approved antibody Nirsevimab at designated healthcare facilities, including GP practices, Community Health Clinics, and Aboriginal Medical Services providing childhood immunisations. Children born from the 1 October 2022, grappling with specific medical conditions heightening their susceptibility to hospitalisation, as well as Aboriginal children, fall within the eligibility criteria for this groundbreaking immunisation initiative.

RSV, a highly contagious respiratory virus continues to be the number one cause of hospitalisation for children aged five and under in Australia, with a quarter of these children needing intensive care. There has been a surge of RSV cases across Australian, with some states experiencing almost double the number of cases than the same time last year. Annually, RSV accounts for over 1,000 infant hospitalisations in WA alone. With an investment of $11m, the state’s RSV immunisation rollout anticipates averting over 700 RSV-related infant hospitalisations, alongside curbing 3,000 emergency department visits and 4,000 GP consultations this year. WA Premier Roger Cook said “WA is proud to be the first state in Australia to roll out an immunisation program to protect newborns and babies from RSV.”

NSW and Qld have announced similar programs. In NSW RSV immunisation will be immediately available to premature infants born after 31 October last year, as well as all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants born after that same date. Additional high-risk, eligible infants include those with chronic neonatal lung disease less than 12 months old, and babies with combined immunodeficiency. Similarly in Qld, those eligible for the RSV immunisation include all newborn infants, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants less than eight months of age, and those with complex medical conditions.

You can view the WAMN News article Western Australia Launches Groundbreaking RSV Immunization Program for Infants in full here and the RACGP newsGP article NSW and Qld announce free infant RSV vaccines in full here.

Midwife Mel Briggs with baby Georgie Resch at Waminda’s Minga and Gudjaga clinic in Nowra

Midwife Mel Briggs with baby Georgie Resch at Waminda’s Minga and Gudjaga clinic in Nowra. Photo: Janie Barrett. Image source: The Sydney Morning Herald.

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.

Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025. 

Registrations are open now for Perth: 16-17 April 2024. 

The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:  

  • Delegation of powers 
  • Finance for Boards
  • Governance documents
  • Managing conflicts of interest 
  • Managing risk  
  • Principles of good governance  
  • Structure and role of boards and sub-committees 

To register, go here.

For more information, please contact NACCHO using this email link.

3 October 2023

The image in the feature tile is from 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.

“There will be relief one way or another, but… you can never un-ring a bell” – The mental health impact of the Voice to Parliament

Cultural load can be described as the invisible workload placed on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to provide knowledge, education, and support to those around them on First Nations issues. NACCHO has distributed $7.8 million of government funding toward mental health programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the lead-up to the referendum. NACCHO executive director, Monica Barolits McCabe said an increase in racism and discrimination towards First Nations people had seen a spike in suicide rates and calls for support amongst communities across the nation.

“It’s uglier than ever than I’ve experienced, and I think many of us have,” she said.

“People are coming up, they’re challenging us. It’s like, OK, this is an Aboriginal issue, so it’s free rein.

“Social media, walking down the street, in your own front yards, various other things.”

For Ms Barolits McCabe, juggling the enormous load, both in the workplace and her personal life, has been only part of the challenge.

“I can’t go a day without being asked by random people, ‘How am I voting? What do I think? Convince me to vote one way or another,” she said.

“It’s absolutely exhausting to be honest.”

13YARN reported a 108% increase in callers reporting abuse, racism, and trauma between March and June. Ms Barolits McCabe also has concerns about the continued impact the referendum debate could have on communities long after October 14.

“There will be relief one way or another, but… you can never un-ring a bell,” she said.

“The exposure to the high levels of ugliness and racism that we’ve experienced in discrimination… across all areas, where we wouldn’t normally want to see it or experience it, it is not going to just be fixed overnight.

“All the trauma is not going to go away. It’s still going to be there for quite some time.”

Access NACCHO’s Voice Referendum: Social and Emotional Wellbeing Resources and Information 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:

Read the full ABC News article Voice to Parliament referendum impacting mental health of Indigenous Australians as charities report increase in racism here.

NACCHO executive director, Monica Barolits McCabe.

Inquiry into Diabetes

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are grossly over-represented in the diabetes burden of disease compared to other Australians. The prevalence of diabetes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults is three times the national rate for non-Indigenous people, and youth onset type 2 diabetes is rising rapidly. There is an urgent need for earlier diagnosis and a focus on prevention. Last month, NACCHO submitted an Inquiry into Diabetes to the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport. The inquiry makes 17 recommendations, including that Government adopts a ‘health in all policies’ approach, recognising that health outcomes are influenced by a wide range of social, commercial, political, environmental, and cultural determinants.

The Inquiry into Diabetes also recommends Government work in partnership with the sector and young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to develop better health programs to support young people with diabetes. It comes as NACCHO members report a worrying trend in which young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people consider a diabetes diagnosis to be inevitable. ACCHOs report a sense of doom in young people and a limited sense of agency that could support them to make healthier choices.

Another recommendation is for diabetes funding to be allocated based on burden of disease, not population. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience disease burden at 2.3 times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to receive the same level of services as the general population, additional recurrent expenditure is needed to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can access culturally safe comprehensive primary healthcare, which is key to reducing the burden of disease.

Read the full submission, with all recommendations here.

The rights of First Nations people with disability are tied to physical, cultural and spiritual health and wellbeing, Royal Commission finds

The Australian Government has been urged to establish a Disability Rights Act to recognise, protect and advance the human rights of people with disability in the final report of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability published on Friday 29 September. The report calls for culturally safe support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability. It also calls for a raise to the minimum age of criminal responsibility, cessation of certain restrictive practices in health and mental health settings, and equitable access to healthcare for people with disability.

Findings from the report state that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability should receive healthcare that is culturally safe and recognises the importance of their connection to community and Country.

“The rights of First Nations people with disability are tied to physical, cultural and spiritual health and wellbeing,” the Commission said in an additional brochure that was published to describe what was heard from First Nations people with disability and some of the changes needed to create a country where First Nations people with disability are included.

The Commission heard that the experiences of First Nations people with disability “cannot be separated from the ongoing impacts of colonisation, intergenerational trauma and racism”.

Some recommendations include to:

  • Strengthen the voices of First Nations people with disability through a First Nations Disability Forum
  • Revise the Disability Sector Strengthening Plan under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap
  • Develop disability-inclusive cultural safety standards for disability service provision
  • Boost the First Nations disability workforces in remote communities.

Read the full Croakey Health Media article here and read the final report of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability here.

Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability Final Report Volume 9: First Nations people with disability.

Rates of preventable blindness have halved but to beat trachoma we need better housing

Between 2011 and 2021 rates of trachoma dropped from 7% to 3.3% of children aged 5-9 screened in remote communities. The number of hotspots has also fallen, from 21 to three, and the disease is on its way to being eradicated. AMSANT chief executive, John Paterson says working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities has been the key to dropping trachoma rates.

“The sooner you involve Aboriginal communities in these processes, you’re much better off getting a better outcome,” he said.

Overall, rates of preventable blindness have been halved. However, health advocates say there is still more to do, and the complete eradication of trachoma is reliant on housing. Mr Paterson says housing should be the “number one priority” given good hygiene is essential to eradicating the disease.

“We need to avoid the current overcrowding where we have 25 to 30 people residing in a house [with] three bedrooms, one both, one toilet,” he said.

Read the full ABC News article here.

Image source: ABC News: Lee Robinson.

Water treatment upgrades for Mowanjum

Mowanjum, near Derby, Western Australia, is the first community to receive improved water infrastructure under the Western Australia Government’s commitment to raise the standard of water services in Aboriginal communities across the state. The community-led project was delivered by an Aboriginal-owned contractor, Kimberley Civil and Drainage, and involved construction of two new wastewater treatment ponds and relining the existing treatment ponds. The upgrades will enhance the operational and environmental performance of the plant and support future population growth in the community.

Western Australia Water Minister, Simone McGurk, said, “Everyone has the right to safe and reliable water services, which is why the Cook Government is committed to ensuring that Aboriginal communities across Western Australia receive water services that meet or exceed the relevant standard under Closing the Gap.

“The upgrades in Mowanjum are the first, important step for this long-term program, which will progressively upgrade water infrastructure in Aboriginal communities over the next ten years.

“By working together with the communities, Water Corporation will not only be improving water services but also helping affect long-term change that improves the health and wellbeing of residents.”

Read more here.

Sector Jobs

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

Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click here to go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.

26 September 2023

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.

23 August 2023

feature tile image of Deadly Choices Tobacco Education Program information stand; text 'New suite of Deadly Choices preventative health promotional assets launched today'

The image in the feature tile is of a Deadly Choice Tobacco Education Program information stand from the Deadly Choices section of the Institute of Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) website.

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

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

New Deadly Choices promotional assets launched

Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health sector came together in Brisbane today to assist in launching a suite of Deadly Choices preventative health promotional assets, including a series of television advertisements, aimed at limiting the number of community members from across the state taking up vaping and smoking.

Seeking to orchestrate healthier, happier communities right across Queensland, Deadly Choices will shine a light on the endemic global health concerns of vaping among youth, while also targeting the incidence of tobacco smoking among pregnant mothers, plus families living in remote communities, all key directives of the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH)’s integrated statewide approach via the Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS)-Deadly Choices partnership.

The major directives of the 2023 Deadly Choices advertising campaigns will be to stress to individuals the importance of making deadly, healthy choices, not only for themselves, but for their families and for their communities as a cultural commitment. “TIS funding allows Deadly Choices to propagate its preventative health messaging around the dangers of tobacco smoking, from Far North Queensland through the Central and South-Western regions of the State, and from the North Coast all the way down to the border areas of the Gold and Tweed Coasts, Stanthorpe and Goondiwindi,” confirmed IUIH Director of Commercial Operations, Dallas Leon.

“Notably, we’ll establish strategic new partnerships with community-controlled health service organisations from Palm Island, Yarrabah, Nhulundu Health in and around the Gladstone region, North Coast, plus Goolburri Health which has an established footprint across the Darling Downs and South-West. “We’ll also strengthen our preventative health practice and messaging in areas of Queensland where Deadly Choices currently delivers health education programs in schools, on behalf of Health and Wellbeing Queensland.

Deadly Choices has previously been acknowledged by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for its efforts in promoting the dangers of smoking among Indigenous communities and has at its disposal an arsenal of health sector service provision experience to enhance protocols against smoking.

You can view IUIH’s media alert ‘Deadly Choices’ Formulates Tobacco Takedown for Qld Communities in full here and find more information about IUIH’s Deadly Choices program here.

Griffith’s award winning eye care model

An ophthalmology project set up at Griffith Base Hospital in NSW to improve access to eyecare services for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people living in the Western Murrumbidgee Local Health District has hit the ground running and with further support can strengthen its delivery of eyecare to the region. When an ophthalmologist and a hospital director floated the idea of establishing a visiting eye health service at Griffith Base Hospital – a six hour drive west of Sydney – little did they know that 24 months later their initiative would be nominated by the hospital staff for a NSW Government Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) Excellence Award.

At a ceremony in Wagga Wagga in June, ‘Saving Sight is our Vision’ was named winner of MLHD’s Keeping People Healthy Award, one of 15 award categories. At the time, MLHD CEO Ms Jill Ludford said it was rewarding to see the number of activities happening across the district with sincere efforts to support First Nations communities, “Improving access to eyecare services through the delivery of high quality, sustainable, affordable, regular and culturally sensitive eye services has been Griffith Ophthalmology’s focus.”

Led by Associate Professor Geoffrey Painter, one of the founders of Gordon Eye Surgery and a director of Foresight Australia, and colleague Dr Dominic McCall, a group of mostly Sydney-based ophthalmologists visit Griffith Base Hospital every four weeks to see and operate on patients from the Western MLHD. In addition, Foresight has sponsored two training courses to upskill employees from the Griffith Aboriginal Medical Service. 

To read the Insight article Griffith Base Hospital’s award-winning eyecare model in full click here.

eye testing training at Griffith AMS - 4 health workers

Foresight Australia has sponsored two training courses to upskill employees from the Griffith Aboriginal Medical Service. Image source: Insight.

NAATSIHWP Professional Development Symposium

The National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners (NAATSIHWP) is holding a professional development symposium at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Kaurna Country over Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 October 2023.

The symposium will consist of two full days of  of workshop-based sessions for full and student NAATSIHWP members to learn about leading-edge clinical and primary health care practices as well as social and emotional wellbeing and culturally based activities.

You can find out more about the symposium, including scholarship opportunities here.

tile: NAATSIHWP professional development symposium 24-25 Oct 2023

2023 Oceanic Palliative Care Conference

The 2023 Oceanic Palliative Care Conference (OPCC) is taking place in Sydney between Wednesday 13 September and Friday 15 September. Close to 80 scholarships have been awarded to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, palliative care workers, consumers, and carers in Australia and the Oceanic region to attend the conference. The scholarships cover registration costs and travel from as far away as Broome, Katherine, northeast Arnhem Land, PNG and Samoa.

Palliative Care Australia CEO Camilla Rowland said the cost of participating is often a barrier “and our hope is that these scholarships enable important voices to be heard and experiences to be shared. OPCC represents a critical learning and development opportunity, and we want that to influence and grow the care people receive – wherever they are.”

The theme for OPCC 2023 is ‘With the end in mind; shaping stronger health systems, delivering quality palliative care.’

Find more information about the 2023 Oceanic Palliative Care Conference click here.

tile: 2 images: Oceanic Palliative Care Conference 13-15 Sep 2023 logo & image clip board with title 'palliative care' & stethoscope

Sector Jobs

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

Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click here to go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.

Key Date – Brain Injury Awareness Week – 21–27 August 2023

During Brain Injury Awareness Week 2023 NACCHO is sharing information about brain injury, in particular how brain injury impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Brain injury impacts many Indigenous, rural, and remote communities across Australian.

Australia’s Brain Injury Organisation, Synapse, has produced a number of Indigenous factsheets that talk about issues in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities that may result in a brain injury, or be occurring because of one. The factsheets. available here, include all the most relevant and current information about brain injury and outline what supports are available. The topics covered by the factsheets include:

  • Domestic and Family Violence
  • Drug and Alcohol Abuse
  • Mental Health and Suicide
  • Physical Assault
Yarning Circle for ATSI people with traumatic brain injury

A Yarning Circle developed to bridge the gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with traumatic brain injury. Photo: Edith Cowan University. Image source: NITV Radio website.

15 August 2023

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

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

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.

19 July 2023

feature tile of Aboriginal mother holding baby & young girl interacting with the baby; text 'Structural and systemic change will have a positive effect on trajectory of CTG targets'

The image in the feature tile is from an article More to be done on closing gap for Indigenous wellbeing published in The Canberra Times on 8 March 2023.

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

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

Structural reform needed to CTG

The Productivity Commission’s third Closing the Gap Annual Data Compilation Report shows only four of the 19 targets are on track, while four have deteriorated. “Four targets are getting worse – this is not acceptable. More of the same isn’t good enough, we have to do better. A Voice to Parliament will help to close the Gap, because we know that listening to communities leads to better outcomes that improve people’s lives,” said Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney. Similarly, Coalition of Peaks lead convenor [and NACCHO CEO] Patricia Turner said that “When structural and systemic change is made, there will naturally be a positive effect on the trajectory of the Closing the Gap targets.”

Encouragingly the latest report shows the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25–64 who are employed is improving and on track. There has been a 30% reduction in the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people (10–17 years) in detention, while preschool enrolments have improved. Land subject to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s legal rights or interests also remains on track.

However the data shows a slide in the number of children developmentally on track, increased numbers of children in out-of-home care, increased adult incarceration rates and an alarming rise from baseline in suicide. Peak body for Indigenous Children SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle said the gap was becoming a chasm for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. “More and more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are being removed from families and put into out-of-home care. Fewer children are developmentally on track when starting school. Where we are seeing progress it’s encouraging but it’s not happening at the scale required for genuine reform. Australia needs to do things differently if Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are going to have a brighter future.”

To view the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Journal (ANMJ) article Voice to Parliament the structural reform needed to Closing the Gap in full click here.cover of Australian Government Productivity Commission Closing the Gap Annual Data Compilation Report July 2023

WAMS launches Freedom Rides Memorial and website

The Freedom Riders arrived in Walgett on 15 February 1965. They protested outside the Walgett RSL Club because they had been told the club was refusing to admit Indigenous ex-servicemen. After their protest their bus was run off the road by a car driven by an unidentified person. This event led to Walgett, the Freedom Riders and the plight of Indigenous Australians in rural NSW getting national and international media attention. Little of the history of the Freedom Rides however was publicly recorded or known from the perspective of local Aboriginal people from Walgett, who both themselves and their ancestors took part in this significant event in history.

On Monday this week (17 July 2023) the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (WAMS) launched the Freedom Ride Memorial Park and Freedom Rides to Walgett website. The Remembering the Freedom Ride to Walgett project was initiated by WAMS Chairperson Mary Purse, the daughter of the late Harry Hall who was a primary leader, along with the late Charles Perkins (AO). The project includes history and archival research to tell the story of the Freedom Rides and its surrounding events from the perspective of the local Gamilaraay and Yuwaalaraay people. It is being led by Mary Purse, assisted by Christine Corby OAM, the CEO of WAMS. WAMS has been collaborating on this project with a historian from Nura Gili, University of NSW to research the history through participation of local community members and their families who took part in these events.

The project began with WAMS securing state government funding to develop an artwork to commemorate the Freedom Ride to Walgett to be displayed in a park in Walgett.  The display’s focus is on Walgett’s association with the Freedom Ride, identifying significant local Aboriginal people who had a key role in the demonstrations and events specific to the town.

To access the Freedom Rides to Walgett website click here.

WAMS staff in front of Freedom Rides to Walgett 1965 Memorial Park sign, 17.7.23

WAMS staff at the launch of Freedom Rides Memorial Park. Image source: WAMS.

Financial barriers to sight-saving treatment

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are ending up with avoidable blindness because of the high out-of-pocket costs of sight-saving treatments, according to Dr Guy Gillor, Lose (Rose) Fonua and Associate Professor Mitchell Anjou. As well, the most common treatment for diabetic retinopathy, an intravitreal injection, is challenging to access, as it involves multiple and regular treatments, predominantly in private ophthalmology clinics. Diabetic retinopathy is one of the three conditions that contribute most to avoidable blindness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Gillor, Fonua and Anjou from the Indigenous Eye Health Unit (IEHI) at the University of Melbourne, say “Without a public or no-cost option, these fees mean the difference between retaining one’s vision, and losing it.” In the absence of such a solution, the IEHU has developed a new information sheet – Diabetic Retiopathy Treatment and Cost in Private Practice, available here, to support patients and healthcare teams in negotiating access for intravitreal injection treatment with private ophthalmology clinics.

To view the Croakey Health Media article Financial barriers to sight-saving treatment are leading to avoidable blindness in full click here.

ATSI man having an eye test

Image source: AHCSA website.

ACCHO to deliver healthcare in youth justice centre

Barwon Health has been commissioned to deliver healthcare services to young people at the new Cherry Creek Youth Justice Centre, just outside of Little River, a town approximately 44kms SW of Melbourne. To open next month, the $419m facility is funded and managed by the Department of Justice and Community Safety and will accommodate young men aged 15–17 who are sentenced or on remand.

Barwon Health public health and primary care co-director Deborah Kay said the regional health service’s vision for Cherry Creek was to offer a range of comprehensive culturally safe services tailored to the needs of the young people in the facility. “We will work with the young people to build knowledge, health literacy, resilience and trusted relationships while preserving dignity and enhancing health outcomes. We know that young people need to be engaged and empowered to understand their own health needs and treatment options.”

Barwon Health will partner with Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative to ensure safe and high-quality care is provided. Ms Kay said it was important to establish a safe, appropriate and sustainable service that was culturally safe for young people from a range of backgrounds.

To view the Geelong Times article Barwon Health to provide services at Cherry Creek in full click here.

exterior of Cherry Creek Youth Justice Precinct

The Cherry Creek Youth Justice Precinct will accommodate young men aged 15 to 17 who are sentenced or on remand. Image source: Geelong Times.

New research to look at dietary practices

Victoria University (VU) researchers have received a VicHealth $230,000 grant to investigate Aboriginal Australian dietary practices and place-making in public health equity. The two-year project, led by Dr Kristina Vingrys together with VU’s Indigenous Academic Unit Moondani Balluk, hopes to uncover ancestral Aboriginal knowledge about the ‘deadly tucker’ and Aboriginal food practices that can be used by the Aboriginal community today. “The project aims to support Aboriginal people and Country, to strengthen social and emotional wellbeing, inter-cultural understanding, skills and knowledge to support sustainable, healthy food systems, and reduce health inequities currently experienced by Aboriginal Australians in Victoria,” Dr Vingrys said.

The multidisciplinary project will involve Aboriginal community and researchers, with research expertise also from dietitians, community psychology, sociology and ecology teams. “We hope to also gather information through lived experiences – we want to uncover the lost knowledge about traditional foods that were grown in the Kulin Nation and the practices around growing, harvesting and preparing them” Dr Vingrys explained. “We are also really interested in identifying the potential nutritional benefits that might have been prescribed to those consuming these foods.”

Moondani Balluk Executive Director Karen Jackson said: “Once the knowledge has been gathered, it will be protected and used by and for the local Aboriginal community for cultural healing and place-making to support their social and emotional wellbeing.”

To view the University of Victoria article VicHealth funding for new research looking at Aboreiginal Australian dietary practies and place-making in full click here.

Pelargonium - a tuberous root plant that was used by Aboriginal people

Pelargonium – a tuberous root plant that was used by Aboriginal people. Image source: Victoria University News webpage.

Mob contribute to health and climate strategy

The Australian Government is engaging with First Nations leaders as it develops Australia’s first National Health and Climate Strategy. Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Ged Kearney MP is holding a roundtable today with First Nations peak bodies and representatives from across Australia. The Strategy will provide a plan of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the health system and better prepare the sector for the challenges presented by climate change, including threats specific to the health and wellbeing of First Nations people.

Climate change threatens to disrupt connections to Country, further limit access to safe drinking water and increase the difficulty in accessing appropriate housing, infrastructure and health services. Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and expertise in the strategy will strengthen climate adaptation and mitigation planning. Co-designing the strategy in partnership with First Nations peoples across the country is essential to its successful development and implementation.

Minister Kearney said “The World Health Organisation has described climate change as the greatest threat to public health in the 21st century. First Nations people already face inequality in health outcomes, and these will only be exacerbated by climate change – it is critical we hear from First Nations people as we develop this strategy.”

To view the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Ged Kearney MP’s media release First Nations voices input to National Health and Climate Strategy in full click here. In the below video residents of Poruma (Coconut) Island, a low-lying coral cay in the Central Islands group of the Torres Strait, calling for urgent action to help protect their island from the coastal flooding and erosion linked to climate change.

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.

13 July 2023

SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deaf Indigenous Dance Group unites communities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The RACGP supports the Voice due to the positive health benefits

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

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

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

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

You can read the RACGP Position Statement here.

You can read the full story here.

Multi generation Aboriginal Australian family sitting on the bed.

Multi-generation Aboriginal family. Image source: xavierarnau

Men sharing stories to save lives

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

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

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

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

In Australia, 75 percent of suicide deaths are men.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fred Hollows Foundation

Fred Hollows Foundation

New Aboriginal cultural heritage laws in WA

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

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

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

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

You can read the full story in The Guardian here.

Advocates at a rally.

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

 

Sector Jobs

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

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.

 

5 July 2023

image of Aboriginal Health Worker & ATSI patient lying on bed in health clinic; text 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals are a source of national pride that should be celebrated every day'

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

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.

Celebrating the contribution of our health professionals

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

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

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

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

Why the Voice is critical to mob’s health

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

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

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

Aboriginal flag flying with Australian Parliament House in background

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

Breaking down digital health barriers

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

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

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

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

RACGP welcomes boost for rural pharmacies

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

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

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

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

pharmacist's hands holding medicine boxes

Image source: newsGP.

Improving literacy, numeracy and digital skills

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

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

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

3 young Aboriginal kids with a book in classroom

Image source: Indigenous Literacy Foundation website.

Eye sector unites for equitable eye health outcomes

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

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

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

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

Conference participants and presenters: (L-R) Kane Ellis, Donna Murray, Lauren Hutchinson, Karl Briscoe, Renata Watene and Uncle 'Widdy' Welsh

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

Sector Jobs

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

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.

20 June 2023

The image in the feature tile is of the Upper House as the legislation on the Indigenous Voice referendum question passed federal parliament, a development that moves the nation closer to a referendum date being determined. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch. 

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.

Australians to vote on the Voice within six months

Australians will officially vote on the Voice to Parliament within the next six months, after the bill to trigger the referendum passed the Senate 52 votes to 19, yesterday. Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney said the development brought Australia “one step closer” to acknowledging Indigenous Australians in the Constitution and making a “great country even greater.”

“For too long, Indigenous Australians have been consistently worse off than non-Indigenous Australians…It’s a broken system. And the Voice is our best chance of fixing it, because when we listen to people on the ground and consult with locals, they make better decisions and achieve better outcomes,” Minister Burney said.

In an interview with ABC’s Dan Bouchier on One Plus One – The Elders, NACCHO CEO, Pat Turner talked about the upcoming referendum and encouraged Australians to support the Yes Vote later this year.

To read the SBS News article ‘It’s on’: Senate vote triggers Voice referendum within the next six months click here. You can also watch Pat Turner on ABC’s One Plus One – The Elders here.

Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney poses for a photo with 40 members of Jawun at Parliament House in Canberra. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas.

Improving eye health

AH&MRC and the National Expert Group in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health (NEGATSIEH) co-hosted the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference at the end of last month. With a successful turnout, the conference aimed to build on the collective work of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector to improve eye health access outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

The conference theme ‘Our Vision in Our Hands: Finding our Voice’ sought to highlight emerging and future Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders in the sector, as well as resonating the strength and values of the longstanding movement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination in health, and the broader national movement for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to Parliament.

NACCHO Acting Director, Programs, Anne-Marie Banfield was the Conference Co-Chair and introduced the newly appointed First Nations Eye Health Alliance (FNEHA) board and facilitated a panel discussion about the aims of the alliance. A key focus of FNEHA is strengthening the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce by providing professional support and networking. Collaboration was another key component of the conference, with over 240 delegates from all states and territories, including representatives from ACCHOs, eye care clinicians, policy makers, researchers, non-government organisations, hospitals, professional peak bodies and government departments from across the country.

Learn more about the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference here.

2023 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference. Source: AH&MRC.

Culturally safe breast cancer screening

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists have a chance to improve cultural safety during breast cancer screenings. BreastScreen Victoria is seeking to commission an Indigenous artist to create an original artwork for a breast cancer screening shawl. The aim of the shawl is to help women feel culturally safe, comfortable, and familiar during the breast cancer screening process. The selected artist will also have their work featured on postcards, posters, as well as shared on social media to raise awareness for breast cancer among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

The brief for the artwork is to reflect women’s business and is intended to represent a story of health and wellbeing, that includes breast screening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women aged over 40.

To apply, visit the BreastScreen Victoria website here. Submissions close this week – Thursday 22 June 2023.

Victorian program helping people avoid homelessness forced to close

According to Aboriginal Housing Victoria (AHV), more than 3,000 Victorian Aboriginal households living in public housing find themselves without culturally safe support to help manage their tenancies in times of crisis. An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander homelessness service providing culturally safe and free social housing support has closed its doors after a successful pilot supporting more than 100 Indigenous people last year. Funded by Homes Victoria, the 12-month pilot program was delivered by the Victorian Public Tenants Association, whose chief executive, Katelyn Butters is urging the government to “reconsider” the pre-budget submission which was unsuccessful.

“We believe this is a substantial missed opportunity to help our First Nations communities’ access and sustain affordable long-term homes,” Ms Butters said.

Over the past 12 months Ms Butters’ team helped provide a safe gateway for First Nations people who had previously felt discriminated against in the housing process. AHV chief executive Darren Smith said AHV is also disappointed the program had been defunded. He said, “There is an urgent need for Aboriginal Victorians to have access to culturally safe tenancy support services to help maintain their public housing tenancies.”

To read the full National Indigenous Times article click here.

Victorian Parliament House. Source: National Indigenous Times.

Sector Jobs

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

Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click here to go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.

Macular Week – 19–25 June 2023

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience three times more vision loss than non-Indigenous people, creating a concerning gap for vision. Macular Week is a chance to show the impact of macular disease, raise awareness, and highlight why funding research to find a cure is so vital.

35% if Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults have never had an eye exam. The My Macula quiz, available on the Macular Disease Foundation Australia website here, is an accessible tool to determine if you have any risk factors for macula disease.

Learn more about Macular Week here.

19 May 2023

empty beer cans on Todd River's dry bed, Alice Springs

The image in the feature tile is a photo taken by Tim Wimborne of empty beer cans lying on the Todd River’s dry bed in Alice Springs. The photo appeared in a Reuters article Australia limits alcohol sales in Alice Springs amid crime wave, published on 24 January 2023.

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

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

Prohibition doesn’t address underlying issues

Alcohol management in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities has been a deeply divisive issue, as seen recently in Alice Springs in the NT. Indigenous leaders called for and welcomed emergency restrictions on the sale of alcohol from January 24 2023. This approach resulted in an immediate decrease in alcohol-related harms, including family violence and emergency department presentations.

But Elders in Alice Springs have warned these restrictions “should not let governments off the hook” from addressing the underlying social determinants of alcohol-related harm. This reflects a long-standing community concern that prohibition alone does nothing to address issues such as intergenerational trauma, poverty, housing, education, unemployment, access to alternative activities, access to adequate health care and racism.

Critics of government-imposed alcohol management argue the allocation of resourcing is too strongly weighted toward supply reduction – and especially law enforcement – with inadequate funding of demand-reduction and harm-reduction strategies.

To view the Australian Herald article To reduce harm from alcohol, we need Indigenous-led responses in full click here.

Budget ‘excellent’ for remote healthcare

This month’s Budget included a raft of good news for general practice in regional and remote areas, the RACGP’s Rural Chair has said. Associate Professor Michael Clements has called the measures introduced by the Federal Government last week – which heeded many of the calls made by the RACGP – as “an excellent, rurally loaded Budget.” Among the moves that will most impact rural doctors is a tripling of the bulk billing incentive, a central request of the college’s pre-budget submission – and one which will particularly benefit rural general practices.

However, while the broad budgetary picture is a positive one for Assoc Prof Clements, he is realistic about how quickly it will solve the challenges of general practice in regional and remote areas. “I think this will have a positive impact on rural workforce as it does financially incentivise more rural and remote work,” he said.

Assoc Prof Clements said “This should be seen as a start of a multiple stage process to reinvigorate rural workforce. I think the Federal Government has shown significant new investment into rural health and now is the opportunity for state governments to come to the party as well.”

To view the RACGP newsGP article Budget ‘excellent’ for remote healthcare: RACGP Rural Chair in full click here.

white 4-wheel drive red dirt road Australian outback

Photo: Francesco Ricca Iacomino, iStock. Image source: The Medical Republic.

NSW’s first mobile CT imaging van unveiled

Communities in the NSW’s north west will soon have better access to the latest diagnostic imaging technology, with NSW’s first mobile CT imaging van officially unveiled by NSW Minister for Health and Regional Health, Ryan Park, during his visit to Walgett Multipurpose Service yesterday.

CT – or computed tomography – takes detailed images of the internal organs, bones, soft tissue and blood vessels. The new Remote Mobile CT Service will be used for non-emergency patients to help diagnose causes of pain from muscles or joints, detect diseases or prepare patients for further treatment or surgery. The ground-breaking service will begin welcoming patients in the coming weeks, and is expected to see around 1,500 per year as it rotates between Walgett, Bourke and Cobar.

Mr Park said, “Bringing these specialist services closer to people’s homes is tremendously important in this part of the state, where the cost and complexity of travel and leaving family or community can be a disincentive. Having the Remote Mobile CT Service at their doorstep will help many patients avoid hours on the road, some of them up to 10-hour round trips to Dubbo, to have scans. It will also be a huge benefit as we continue improving health outcomes among our Aboriginal communities.”

To view the NSW Government article Remote communities benefit from state’s first mobile CT service in full click here.

NSW's first mobile CT service (van)

Mobile CT Service van. Image source: NSW Government website.

New vision clinic opens at GRAMS

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in WA’s Mid West will be able to access eye screening and treatment at a new vision clinic opened yesterday at Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Services (GRAMS). The clinic has been established by The University of WA’s Eye Health Centre of WA with the support of The Fred Hollows Foundation, WA Centre for Rural Health and GRAMS.

UWA Head of Optometry Professor Garry Fitzpatrick said the state-of-the-art clinic would deliver culturally safe eye care services, “Affordable and accessible primary eye care services will be available for people of all ages who are experiencing eye health issues like blurred vision, dry eyes, low vision or who need glasses or lenses and who will be able to access services without a referral.”

GRAMS CEO Deborah Woods acknowledged the partnerships with The Fred Hollow Foundation and UWA. “GRAMS is extremely excited to be able to deliver next level eye health service to our clients all under one roof,” she said.

To view The University of WA article Cultural safety focus of new eye health clinic in Geraldton in full click here. You can also view more photos of the new vision clinic on the GRAMS website here.

Photo (L-R): Deborah Woods (CEO GRAMS), Wilfred Tang (Program Director UWA) and Eric Dalgety (Eye Health Practitioner GRAMS) pictured with the new state-of-the-art technology

Photo (L-R): Deborah Woods (CEO GRAMS), Wilfred Tang (Program Director UWA) and Eric Dalgety (Eye Health Practitioner GRAMS) pictured with the new state-of-the-art technology. Image source: GRAMS website.

New course to help close health gap

A new course to help close the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Care has been announced by the TAFE Queensland Bowen Campus and eligible students may be able to study for free. The Certificate lll in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Care is being offered for the first time at the Bowen Health Hub. It is predicted that the Indigenous health worker sector will grow strongly over the coming years and could increase by 17%.

Community and Health Faculty Manager for TAFE Queensland in Far North and North Queensland, Melanie Clarke, said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers are a vital link between individuals, communities, and health services. “The course will teach students how to undertake basic health assessments, as well as how to identify community health issues and needs, and assist with health screening, promotion and education services,” she said.

The year-long course begins this month and will encompass seven week-long training blocks at the Bowen Health Hub. “The facility is a simulated clinical training ward which replicates a real-life hospital environment, allowing students to gain vital hands-on skills using industry equipment and technology,” said Ms Clarke.

To view the Mackay and Whitsunday Life article New Course Launches For Bowen Health Hub in full click here.

male health worker taking woman's blood pressure in clinic room at Bowen Health Hub QLD

Bowen Health Hub. Image source: TAFE Queensland Student Handbook 2023.

Why the Voice is nurses’ business

For far too long, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people haven’t had a say on decisions, policies and laws that affect their lives, says Sye Hodgman, a Trawlwoolway Palawa-Pakana nurse and First Nations Strategy, Policy and Research Officer with the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU).

“There are constitutional powers that are given to government to make laws specifically in respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” explained Sye, in an address to the Coalition of National Nursing & Midwifery Organisations (CoNNMO) in Melbourne earlier this month. “Every time that happens, communities get hurt. But there is no power or protection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to even be involved, or recognised, in that process, apart from being a recipient.”

“The very fact that we require predominantly white Australia and non-Indigenous Australian people to give us permission to have a Voice and to be voting on this particular process is symptomatic of the endemic systemic racism within the Australian political system,” Sye told CoNNMO attendees, which included Australia’s Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Alison McMillan, and Australian Nursing and Midwifery (ANMF) Federal Secretary Annie Butler.

To view the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal article ‘Nothing about us without us’: Why the First Nations Voice to Parliament is nurses’ business in full click here.

Sye Hodgman, a Trawlwoolway Palawa-Pakana nurse and First Nations Strategy, Policy and Research Officer with the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU)

Sye Hodgman, a Trawlwoolway Palawa-Pakana nurse and First Nations Strategy, Policy and Research Officer with the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU). Image source: Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal.

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.