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

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

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

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

VACCHO CEO recognised with university’s highest honour

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

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

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

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

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

Read more here.

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

Health Minister visits AHCSA

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

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

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

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

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

Read the full doorstop transcript here.

AHCSA staff member. Image source: AHCSA Facebook.

CAHS celebrates 15 years

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

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

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

Read more here.

Image source: Coonamble Aboriginal Health Service Facebook.

Combining curriculum with culture

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

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

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

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

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

Read the full NITV article here.

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

Input on National Housing and Homelessness Plan

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

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

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

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

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

“It’s important to count the milestones”

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

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

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

Listen to the full radio interview here.

Image source: Intereach.

Sector Jobs

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

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

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

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

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

Elder Care Support: Community-led pathways to care

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

The Elder Care Support program aims to:

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

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

Find out more here.

Implementation of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program

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

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

Webinar details:

Date: Thursday, 31 August 2023

Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm (AEST)

Access link: Click here.

Password: pAPfPEhg384.

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

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

Image source: Unsplash.

What happens in a sobering up centre?

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

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

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

Read the full The Conversation article here.

Image source: Unsplash.

Voice to Parliament resources

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

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

The Uluru Statement from the Heart

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

The Uluru Statement from the Heart

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

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

Australian Electoral Commission Factsheet on Disinformation

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

Australian Electoral Commission Factsheet on Disinformation.

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Community-controlled organisations team up for Homelessness Week

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

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

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

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

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

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

AI in Eye Care

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

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

Read more here.

Image source: Flinders University.

Sector Jobs

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

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

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Safe water for remote NT mob finally possible

feature tile, Yuedumu outdoor tap in poor condition; text 'Funding may finally give Yuendemu and Milingimbi communities access to clean, reliable water'

The image in the feature tile is from an article Yuendumu in Central Australia at ‘severe risk’ of running out of water published by ABC News on 13 August 2019. Photo: Katrina Beavan, 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.

Safe water for remote NT mob finally possible

Minister for the Environment and Water, the Hon Taya Plibersek MP along with her NT counterpart have announced that the Federal and NT Labor Governments are investing in two projects to give First Nations communities access to clean, reliable water. “Most Australians would be shocked to learn that tens of thousands of First Nations people in remote communities still don’t have access to healthy drinking water. It harms people economically, because towns and families can’t get ahead if they can’t rely on the basics of life, and culturally it causes harm for people to see their river and waterways run dry.

“That is why the Federal Government is investing $17.5m with $9.1m from the NT in two new projects to start to fix this problem as part of the Albanese Government’s $150m fund to close the gap on First Nations water security. In Yuendemu we’re together investing $15.3m for three critical construction projects in the Central Desert community. The project includes a water service line replacement, equipping of two existing bores and a rising main replacement which will prevent leakage and provide increased water transfer capacity that can support new housing development. In Milingimbi we’re together investing $11.4m for three critical construction projects to improve access and reliability of water supply in the East Arnhem Land. Across three locations, the project includes upgrading and new bores which will improve access and reliability of Milingimbi’s water supply, unlock the opportunity for new housing development to reduce overcrowding and enable community development.

“Construction will commence in the 2023 NT dry season and will be delivered closely with the Yuendumu and Milingimbi communities to ensure their views and priorities for their own communities are heard. But these two projects are just the start. The Albanese Labor Government is investing $150m in projects like this right around Australia – to make sure communities have access to clean water. These are the first construction activities under this fund, and a clear demonstration of this government‘s efforts to Close the Gap on essential services and water infrastructure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.”

To view the joint media release Delivering water to remote Northern Territory First Nations communities by the Minister for the Environment and Water, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP and the NT Minister for Environment, Climate change and Water Security, the Hon Lauren Moss MLA in full click here. You can also access a related ABC News article NT government’s first water plan to focus on safe drinking water for remote communities here.

4 Aboriginal women from Laramba community NT holding a glass of water

In April the Laramba community celebrated the opening of a water treatment plant for the town, after years of lobbying. Photo: Charmayne Allison, ABC Alice Springs.

SEWB gathering focused on Culture First

Participants at last week’s fourth Social and Emotional Wellbeing Gathering (SEWB 4) in Larrakia Country (Darwin), focused on the importance of ‘Culture First’ and particularly its importance to healing. Speakers included Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney and some of Australia’s leading human rights advocates such as Professor Tom Calma and Thomas Mayo. The University of WA’s Professor Helen Milroy, psychiatrist, and Professor Pat Dudgeon, psychologist, were also key speakers. In her opening address, Minister Burney stressed the historic and important opportunities for shared decision making, and for establishing a voice and meaningful representation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. Participants from government, non-government organisations, academia, and consumer advocates shared their perspectives on culture and what it meant to them, including tradition, ancestors, language, dance, food and connection to Country.

Feedback also mentioned that culture was diverse and that while cultural problems required cultural solutions, there was no ‘one size fits all’. “Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing are often not recognised, and for First Nations workers lived experience and deep cultural and community knowledge are marginalised,” one respondent said. Participants shared that formal qualifications weren’t the only things that counted towards best practice in supporting communities, and that across organisations, culture needed to be a foundation that created culturally safe and responsive workplaces and practices.

Collectively, the long-term benefits of a successful referendum of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament were seen as moving towards closing the gap and better outcomes for First Nations people and communities; an opportunity to be recognised, to have a say, and to be heard. It would also lead to accountability of governments and better, more informed decision making but most importantly it would enable healing for elders, and for the younger generation to be empowered to lead the way forward. The event was co-hosted by Transforming Indigenous Mental Health & Wellbeing, The University of WA, NACCHO, Gayaa Dhuwi, and The Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association (AIPA).

To view the University of WA article Social and Emotional Wellbeing gathering focused on Culture First in full click here.

Uni WA Professor Pat Dugeon keynote speaker SEWB Gathering 4 - 31.7.23

UWA’s Professor Pat Dugeon was a keynote speaker at the SEWB Gathering #4. Image source: UWA website.

Strengthening communities for future generations

Community organisations in remote Indigenous communities have a vital role in addressing the cultural determinants of health, as well as housing insecurity and other social determinants of health. Community, culture, research and family are core to the work of Yalu Aboriginal Corporation – a grassroots Yolngu organisation in the community of Galiwin’ku on Elcho Island in East Arnhem Land. Helen Westbury, the Executive Manager of Yalu and a Palawa woman said “the child is at the centre of everything they [Yalu Aboriginal Corporation] do – ‘Yalu means nurturing’.”

This is evident in Yalu’s work with families who are at risk, supporting them into a better position so children can remain in community and with their families. Community organisations like Yalu offer much more than just service delivery – they are trusted, holistic and empowering in addressing social determinants of health, including housing insecurity and homelessness. Yalu “has become a centre point for a lot of family members and community members, where they come to us for all sorts of support, not only for the programs that we are funded to deliver, but also many other things,” CEO Anahita Tonkin said.

On 2021 Census night, NT had the highest rate of homelessness in Australia – twelve times the national average. Reasons for the high rates of housing insecurity and homelessness in the NT are complex and longstanding. Skye Thompson, CEO of Aboriginal Housing Northern Territory (AHNT) says that many of the issues AHNT deal with are results of the NT Intervention that disempowered local organisations and people, and their capacity. Tonkin and Westbury say “homelessness in remote communities is different to what you see in other communities and cities – it is not just sleeping rough, but also homelessness due to living in severely crowded houses. 15–20 people may live in a three-bedroom house with one bathroom.” Public housing stock has also become substantially less available in recent years. Up to 5,800 families in the NT are on the waitlist for public housing. “We absolutely have a crisis in the NT,” says Peter McMillan, CEO of NT Shelter.

To view the Croakey Health Media article Nurturing and strengthening communities for future generations in full click here.

Yalu Aboriginal Corporation team, Yolngu organisation, Galiwin'ku on Elcho Island in East Arnhem Land

Yalu Aboriginal Corporation team. Image source: Croakey Health Media.

Remarkable COVID-19 outcome for remote population

The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (DHAC) recently released a report Communicable Diseases Intelligence A low burden of severe illness: the COVID-19 Omicron outbreak in the remote Torres and Cape region of Far North Queensland. The report says the COVID-19 Omicron outbreak in the Torres and Cape region resulted in a far lower burden of severe illness than originally anticipated, with the overall and First Nations case fatality and ICU admission rates similar to those reported nationally for the Omicron wave and that this was a remarkable outcome for a remote population with limited access to health services and at increased risk of severe disease. Local councils worked closely with Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service (TCHHS) during both the preparation and responses stages of the outbreak, and the COVID-19 outreach vaccination program was strongly supported by community leaders.

While vaccination coverage rates were somewhat lower than those reported across the general Australian population, the outreach vaccination program led to similar double dose vaccination rates among First Nations and non-Indigenous residents at the start of the outbreak and the rate among First Nations residents exceeded that of non-Indigenous residents by the end of the outbreak period. This reflected local leadership in advocating for vaccination and ongoing community engagement across remote communities prior to and throughout the outbreak period and contrasted other parts of Australia where vaccination rates among First Nations people were lower than those of non-Indigenous people.

The Torres and Cape region’s experience aligns with reports from parts of Australia early in the pandemic, where both low case numbers and low rates of severe illness among First Nations people were attributed to outstanding Indigenous leadership. In addition to Omicron variant’s milder phenotype and vaccination coverage, we also credit the low burden of severe illness in the TCHHS region to community leadership in promoting vaccination, to councils’ facilitation of localised outbreak messaging, to community engagement in testing and isolation, to the establishment of a local public health team and to widespread participation in a culturally considered care-in-the-home program. The report concludes that the low burden of severe illness can be attributed to local community leadership, community engagement, vaccination coverage and recency, and community participation in a local culturally considered COVID-19 care-in-the-home program.

To view the DHAC’s report in full click here.

Floralita Billy-Whap, Poruma Is, Torres Strait, gets COVID-19 vax

Floralita Billy-Whap gets vaccinated on the island of Poruma in the Torres Strait. Photo supplied by: Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service. Image source: ABC News.

Lack of access exacerbates youth mental health

Suicide is the leading cause of death among Australians aged 15–44, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reported in 2022, with an alarming rate in Indigenous communities. Australia Bureau of Statistics data show Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are twice as likely to die by suicide than non-Indigenous individuals. Zero2Hero projects manager Gemma West said “We’ve found this crisis is particularly evident while we’ve been on the road in remote areas of WA, where we have observed complex and intergenerational challenges concerning youth mental health. Historical events have inflicted grief and trauma on Indigenous communities, disrupting the transmission of cultural knowledge, stories and identity to young people.”

The high rate of hospitalisations for suicide and self-harm underscores the lack of sustainable mental health resources available for young people in these regions of WA. According to Ms West “The absence of proper mental health education in regional areas leaves vulnerable young minds ill-equipped to understand and cope with emotional struggles. Without essential mental health education and support, their resilience remains low, perpetuating the critical issue of youth suicide. The remoteness of communities in the North West exacerbates the problem by limiting access to critical support services. Addressing this crisis demands a collaborative effort to provide support, education, and proper infrastructure for youth mental health in remote Indigenous regions, offering a lifeline to those struggling and reducing the prevalence of youth suicide.”

Ms West said “Zero2Hero’s goal is to provide every young West Australian with access to good mental health education through school programs, regardless of their location or remoteness. In 2022, zero2hero reached more than 28,000 young people living in the Goldfields, Wheatbelt, Pilbara, Kimberley, South West, Great Southern, Mid West, Gascoyne, and metro regions. Those with capacity in metro areas need to step up and start having more of an on-the-ground footprint in remote areas. Handing out flyers and expecting a young person to be able to navigate everything on their own isn’t enough. There needs to be more in-person work being done.”

To view the Business News article Lack of access exacerbates Indigenous youth mental health in full click here.

2 male teenagers, one ATSI, Zero2Hero Camp Hero participants

Participants of the Camp Hero Youth program run by Zero2Hero. Image source: Zero2Hero website.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Key Date – International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples – 9 August 2023

On 23 December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples would be observed on 9 August every year. The date marks the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations. This year’s theme is: Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change for Self-determination.

The right of peoples to self-determination occupies an important place in international human rights law, and is recognised as a fundamental right in major human rights instruments (covenants), including the United Nations Charter. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) states that Indigenous Peoples have the right to self-determination (Art. 3) and in exercising this right, they have the right to freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development. Self-determination is fundamental and must be taken together with Articles 1 and 2 of the UN Declaration because Indigenous Peoples are subject to international human rights law and as Peoples are equal to all other Peoples. These three articles of the UN Declaration confirm that Indigenous Peoples, including children and youth, have the right to make their own decisions and carry them out meaningfully and culturally appropriate to them. In other words, Indigenous Peoples have an equal right to govern themselves, equal to all other Peoples. Indigenous youth are playing an active role in exercising their right to self-determination, as their future depends on the decisions that are made today. For instance, Indigenous youth are working as agents of change at the forefront of some of the most pressing crises facing humanity today.

Since colonisation, Indigenous youth have been faced with ever-changing environments not only culturally in modern societies, but in the traditional context as well. While living in two worlds is becoming harder as the world changes, Indigenous youth are harnessing cutting-edge technologies and developing new skills to offer solutions and contribute to a more sustainable, peaceful future for our people and planet. Their representation and participation in global efforts towards climate change mitigation, peacebuilding and digital cooperation are crucial for the effective implementation of the right of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination, and to their enjoyment of collective and individual human rights, the promotion of peaceful co-existence, and ensuring equality of all.

For more information about International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples you can visit the United Nations website here.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: QLD ACCHOs to see infrastructure improvements

The image in the feature tile is from Mamu Health Services 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.

QLD ACCHOs to see infrastructure improvements

Wuchopperen Health Service, which provides social and emotional wellbeing support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities will receive infrastructure upgrades as part of a nationwide $120m investment announced in December 2022, towards bettering infrastructure and facilities across the ACCHO sector. The ACCHO will use the $1.5m grant for “badly needed” upgrades to its air-conditioning and ventilation systems.

Wuchopperen Health Service chair and NACCHO chair, Donnella Mills acknowledged the mental health needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and praised the funding allocation, “Being the year of the referendum, allocation will go across ACCHOs to make sure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are feeling additional pressures [and] trauma, during what is a very big year for us and our community, can receive that additional support locally,” she said.

Mamu Health Service is another QLD ACCHO receiving the infrastructure grant, which will see a new primary care clinic in Innisfail, with an expansion of capacity to deliver GP clinics, consultation, waiting rooms, and staff spaces.

The above was taken from an article Townsville Bulletin article Infrastructure upgrades and a brand new clinic as part of funding towards First Nations healthcare published in the Townsville Bulletin yesterday, Monday 17 July 2023.

Wuchopperan Health Service Executive Director of Primary Health Care Ben Jesser, CEO Dania Ahwang, Chair Donnella Mills. Image by: Brendan Radke. Image source: Townsville Bulletin.

Benefits of genomics medicine

A new national network designed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will bring the benefits of genomics medicine to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with an aim to improve life expectancy which is currently 10 years less than the general population. Lead of The Australian Alliance for Indigenous Genomics (ALIGN), Professor Alex Brown says “80% of this life expectancy gap is due to chronic diseases.”

“Australia is on the cusp of a new era in personalised medicine that will bring deeper insights into common diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer,” he says.

In a nation-wide effort, a team from Telethon Kids Institute Adelaide will oversee the scientific and operational coordination of the alliance teams. Canberra researchers will lead a team to identify and understand the genomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to better deliver precision health care to them, and NSW researchers will use genomic medicine to identify new and personalised treatments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Charles Perkins Centre Academic Director, NSW Professor Stephen Simpson said, “delivering precision medicine solutions tailored to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities required working with communities to integrate new understanding from genomics with the many other health, social, cultural and environmental factors that contribute to health and wellbeing.”

Meanwhile, a Brisbane team will explore health service and system needs that support genomic medicine to determine which treatments are best suited to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, a Victorian team of scientists will use genomic medicine to better understand and treat immune-related disorders, and a Perth team will use advances in genomic medicine to continue and strengthen their work to unlock better health outcomes for those suffering from rare diseases.

Read more here.

Professor Alex Brown. Image Source: Australian National University.

“Easy Read” National Anti-Racism Framework

The Australian Human Rights Commission has released additional “easy read” community guides to better support understanding of the National Anti-Racism Framework Scoping Report 2022. The framework follows long-standing calls for action to address systemic racism in Australia. The community guide outlines the principles, themes identified in the initial scoping phase, and information on several support services and reporting tools available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other negatively racialised communities across the country.

The new Easy Read Guide includes a series of graphics and simplified text which summarises the key messages in the framework. This includes, why the framework was created, what would the framework do, what has been done so far, what was said by the community, key principles, themes, and what’s next. The latest version also includes translations of seven languages: Arabic, Burmese, Farsi, Samoan, Simplified Chinese, Swahili, and Vietnamese.

The easy read version of the community guide is available here. There is also an amplification kit, including a suite of digital and social media content for organisations that wish to raise awareness, available here.

Amplification kit social media tile.

Walgett homelessness tops state

New Homelessness NSW data has revealed Walgett has the worst rates of homelessness in the state. Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (WAMS) CEO Christine Corby said the ACCHO was fighting a losing battle to care for the community’s health amid the high rates of homelessness, and all levels of government need to step up to tackle the housing shortage.

“Homelessness brings despair… If we don’t fix the cause of this despair then we are contributing to the greater mental health issues for our community requiring holistic care responses from WAMS and the community sector that we are barley resourced to provide,” said Ms Corby.

It comes as the town’s only men’s shelter was demolished more than a year ago to make way for domestic violence units. NSW Homelessness Minister Rose Jackson said the government planned to move the men’s shelter to the current women’s shelter on completion of the new build, however, construction has been halted due to market supply issues and “significant price increases in the construction industry.”

The Dharriwaa Elders Group is backing the push for more joint government investment in Walgett housing. Community trouble-shooter Kim Sullivan said there were 22 clients with complex needs who had been homeless for many years or housed temporarily in motels.

“I work with the homeless of Walgett every day and I find it hard to understand why Australian governments have ignored their need for safe places to stay,” she said.

Read the full ABC article Walgett Aboriginal Elders demand housing help 18 months after men’s homeless shelter demolished here.

Christine Corby. Photo: Kenji Sato. Image Source: ABC News.

The Voice pamphlets published and soon to land in letterboxes

The Yes and No camps in the Voice to Parliament referendum have signed off on their official pamphlets, and every household will get one as well as the referendum question itself: A proposed law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this alteration?

It will also include further information on the vote. However, the pamphlets sent out are not fact-checked and Australians are warned to look out for misinformation. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) says its role is purely as a “post-box” and it will distribute each pamphlet exactly as they’re submitted. Australians are encouraged to use the ‘Stop and Consider’ fact sheet as a guide.

The AEC published both pamphlets online on Tuesday morning before more than 12 million physical pamphlets are printed out and mailed. The AEC says that process will begin “in the coming weeks” and it must happen no later than two weeks before the referendum.

Read the full SBS News article here.

Parliament House. Image Source: Unsplash.

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.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Podcast tackles healthcare inequity

feature tile image of physiotherapist Cameron Edwards & text 'The Deadly Physios podcast returns aiming to promote allyship and amplify leading voices in the field'

The image in the feature tile of proud Kamilaroi man and physiotherapist Cameron Edwards is from the Australian Physiotherapy Association webpage Cameron Edwards and the bridge crossing to Reconciliation published on 15 March 2022.

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

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

Podcast tackles healthcare inequity

In an effort to address healthcare inequity, the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) is launching the third season of The Deadly Physios podcast during the 2023 NAIDOC Week. With the theme ‘For Our Elders’, the podcast aims to promote allyship and amplify leading voices in the field. Hosted by proud Kamilaroi man Cameron Edwards, the podcast features a lineup of esteemed guests, including former Brisbane Broncos rugby league player Nick Kenny, who is now a practice director and physiotherapist with experience in remote Indigenous communities.

The new season of The Deadly Physios podcast offers valuable insights for allied health practitioners to become better allies and improve their interactions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. Edwards expressed his pride in the quality of conversations featured this season, which provides practical examples of allyship through skill and leadership development exercises, cultural reflection and responsiveness training, and engagement with local Indigenous health services and communities.

According to Mr Edwards, the podcast is relevant for physiotherapists working in various areas, including private practice, community practice, and education and contributes to the ongoing dialogue surrounding allyship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in allied health.

You can view the Inside Ageing article Indigenous podcast tackles healthcare inequity through allyship: The Deadly Physios Season 3 launches during NAIDOC Week in full here and listen to the Season 3 trailer here.

tile text ' The Deadly Physios Podcast Services - Australian Physiotherapy Association'

Image source: Inside Ageing.

Ageing forum: putting Elders at heart of work

In May 2023, the inaugural Ageing at the Centre: Putting Elders and older people at the heart of our work forum brought together Aboriginal Elders, local service providers and other stakeholders to share their knowledge, skills and insights to improve the experience of ageing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Across the country, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations are ageing at a faster rate than the rest of Australia’s population. For Aboriginal people, health includes physical, social, emotional, cultural and spiritual wellbeing. Health is also related to each person’s environment and circumstances. As such, key determinants of health and wellbeing in Aboriginal individuals and communities include cultural identity and activities, language, family and kinship, knowledge and beliefs, Country and caring for Country, and access to traditional lands.

There is a clear need for inclusive and culturally appropriate aged care services for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Elders. These services depend on genuine respect of local, cultural, spiritual and community knowledges, and open collaboration with people willing to share their knowledge and expertise.

To view the Australian Ageing Agenda article Update from inaugural ATSI ageing forum in full click here.

Participants at the inaugural Ageing at the Centre forum in Mpartwe (Alice Springs)

Participants at the inaugural Ageing at the Centre forum in Mpartwe (Alice Springs). Image source: Australian Ageing Agenda.

Tackling STIs among mob

Professor James Ward, Director of the University of Queensland Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Brisbane and his team are attempting to accelerate improvements in health, especially sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other infectious diseases among these populations, the most disadvantaged of all Australians. While acknowledging Australia has made progress in Indigenous health, Ward says the country “hasn’t come anything like as far as it could or should have”

Professor Ward, a Pitjantjatjara and Nukunu man,  says “despite me being as passionate as hell about bringing down STI prevalence in this population, rates have remained stubbornly high over the past 25 years”. He says the Indigenous Australian population is unique in that HIV rates are low among a population where STI rates are extremely high. “This unique situation is partially attributable to limited sexual mixing between remote community residents and the rest of Australia. Despite the success of low HIV rates, there are major challenges still, syphilis notifications are around 5–8 times higher in Indigenous Australians compared with the general population”.

Today, Ward’s team is planning a precision public health study focused on STI control. “In this study we are combining social determinants data, health services data, qualitative data collected by peers, and genomics data typing both gonorrhoea and syphilis, and then we will map everything at a local level to generate a precision public health approach in shaping our interventions and where best to scale them up”, he explains. “Working with the communities we will then present them with multiple interventions that fit best with their data, so they can decide how to proceed—this could include education, increased access, testing and incentives to encourage young Indigenous Australians at the highest risk of STIs to engage with health services. This will link multiple areas together and remove the traditional silos of criminal justice, housing, and education and health”.

To view The Lancet Infectious Diseases article James Ward—tackling STIs in Indigenous Australians in full click here and a transcript of the article here.

portrait Professor James Ward, Director UQ Poche Centre

Professor James Ward, Director of Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, University of Queensland (UQ). Image source: UQ website.

Roundtable discusses health of kids in care

Members of the Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) Public Health team attended the Royal Australasian College of Physicians’ (RACP) Child Health roundtable on 21 June 2023. The roundtable event, held at Parliament House, discussed many important issues impacting the health of children in care and protection services. It brought together doctors, policy makers, stakeholders and politicians to discuss policy approaches to improve health care service delivery models for children in out-of-home care.

RACP President, Dr Jacqueline Small also launched the Health Care of Children in Care and Protection Services Australia 2023 Position Statement, available here, which contains 28 recommendations on how to centre child health and mental and emotional wellbeing in policy making and health care service design.

A panel of experts, which included Ms Elizabeth Harnett, Professor Frank Oberklaid, Professor Jonathon Carapetis, Professor Ngiare Brown and Professor Sharon Goldfield, shared expertise and insight to set the tone of discussion for the day. Presentations were also given by Dr Kim Isaacs and CEO Tracey Brand from Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service in WA, Dr Niroshini Kennedy, Dr Karen McLean, Professor Elizabeth Elliott and Dr Paul Hotton. 

To view the AMA article AMA attends RACP child health roundtable in full click here.

Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney addressing RACP child health roundtable

Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney addressing RACP child health roundtable

Exhibition of homeless on Perth streets

An Indigenous-owned corporation is using film and photography to help combat homelessness among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Birdiya Maya Homelessness Research Project is a series of photos and short films taken by the participants, giving an insight into the jarring reality of living on Perth’s streets. It is on display at Curtin University until July 9 2023 and led by the Wungening Corporation — and it’s the first time an ACCO has led a research project of this nature.

The exhibition is backed by research by the Wungening Corporation and the National Drug Research Institute, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people leading the groundwork to make “housing policy and services work better for them.” The study incorporates ongoing engagement with Elders and those with lived experience on the streets of Perth. It aims to address the historical overrepresentation of Indigenous Australians accessing homelessness and social housing services.

Project consultant and Noongar Elder Aunty Millie Penny said she was driven by Indigenous women and children at risk of homelessness. “Children are voiceless,” she said. “They are so disempowered within the family structure that they don’t have a voice to say ‘we don’t want this’.” The corporation was recently recognised in an Indigenous health and wellbeing conference by the Lowitja Institute for its work “elevating the voices of Aboriginal people experiencing homelessness”.

To view The West Australian article Exhibition paints picture of being homeless on streets of Perth in full click here.

Birdiya Maya Homelessness Exhibition is on display at John Curtin Gallery

Birdiya Maya Homelessness Exhibition is on display at John Curtin Gallery. Image source: PerthNow – Central.

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 – Coming of the Light – Saturday 1 July 2023

The Coming of the Light is a holiday celebrated by Torres Strait Islanders annually on 1 July. The Coming of the Light recognises the adoption of Christianity through island communities during the late nineteenth century. Torres Strait Islanders living on the islands or on the mainland come together to honour this anniversary every year. Islanders of all faiths celebrate the Coming of the Light in a festival like no other in Australia.

In the video below, you can watch Nancy Bamaga, a Curtin University graduate with links to the Thabu/Samu Clan from Saibai Island in the Torres Strait, discuss the importance of the Coming of the Light to Torres Strait Islander people, with Diane Moon, Curator, Indigenous Fibre Art, Queensland Art Galley | Gallery of Modern Art (QABOMA) Brisbane. Nancy Bamaga is regarded as one of Australia’s leading Community Management and Cultural Development Practitioners.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Much to celebrate ahead of NAIDOC Week

AHW checking ear of ATSI child (being held by mother); text: 'There is lot to CELEBRATE in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health care'

The image in the feature tile is from the Clinical Services webpage of the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services (WNAHCS) 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.

Much to celebrate ahead of NAIDOC Week

Australia will mark NAIDOC Week from Sunday 2 July, a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life, history and culture, which is the oldest living culture in the world. Although the roots of NAIDOC were present before the 1920s, when Aboriginal activist groups began protesting for their rights, today it is an important celebration of First Nations peoples. Indigenous researchers and leaders say there is a lot to celebrate in First Nations health care with Aboriginal community controlled health initiatives continuing to deliver successful outcomes around Australia as well as demanding Indigenous-led medical research and data.

Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies and Aboriginal Education at the University of Sydney and Co-Chair of the National NAIDOC Committee, Aunty (Dr) Lynette Riley AO said  NAIDOC is an important forum to highlight current issues for Indigenous peoples. A/Prof Riley said this year’s NAIDOC theme “For our Elders” acknowledges that “Elders are pivotal to everything that we do. They’re the people who hold our cultural knowledge. They help to support our communities against institutional racism and the impact of colonisation. Without them, we don’t have our culture.”

One such Elder was the late Olive Brown, an Aboriginal leader and health worker, who set up a temporary health service in Canberra to support people living and protesting at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in 1988. In 2023, that service has become the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services (WNAHCS), an Aboriginal community controlled primary health care service in Canberra, operated by the Indigenous community of the ACT. WNAHCS CEO, Julie Tongs OAM said “Australia is a racist country, and racism is one of the biggest factors impacting on my people on a daily basis. The importance of having Aboriginal community controlled health services is that we provide culturally appropriate care. Particularly our disadvantaged and vulnerable clients.”

To view the article Much to celebrate for Indigenous health ahead of NAIDOC Week published in Issue 23 of InSight today click here.

Julie Tongs, CEO of Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services

Julie Tongs, CEO of Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services. Photo: Kerrie Brewer. Image Source: Canberra Weekly.

Mulungu Health Clinic health services expanded

A huge step by Mareeba’s Mulungu Aboriginal Corporation Primary Health Care Service will allow hundreds of local First Nations people to address not only their dental needs but their general health, while alleviating pressures on the public system. A new dentistry service will be added to the Mareeba clinic following the immense success of the Atherton facility which was established last year.

Mulungu CEO Gail Wason said that after witnessing the high success rate in Atherton, it was time to provide the same service in Mareeba. State-of-the-art equipment has been sourced to enable dentists to perform all necessary procedures in-house. “We have had a clinic in Atherton that has been open for a year and a bit now, and at the same time, the health clinic opened up,” she said. “We have highly advanced equipment in the dental surgery that is unparalleled. It has always been deemed a necessity, not just by me but also by our doctors. They often express the wish to have a magic wand to ensure everyone receives proper dental care, as our people do not readily seek dental treatment until they end up in the hospital.”

To receive a dental checkup, patients must also undergo a full health check, with a focus on overall wellbeing. Ms Wason hopes the new addition to their Mareeba facility will contribute to a healthier and happier community, particularly encouraging the younger generation to prioritise their health. “It is crucial it is about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people addressing their health needs. It aligns with the primary healthcare services we offer,” she said. “We want them to take advantage of the opportunities they have and the opportunities that will arise in the future.”

To view The Express article Boost for health services in full click here.

Mulungu Aboriginal Corporation Primary Health Care Service staff standing outside ACCHO building

Mulungu Aboriginal Corporation Primary Health Care Service (MACPHCS) staff. Image source: MACPHCS website.

Kimberley leaders say CTG figures ‘unacceptable’

Indigenous leaders in WA’s Kimberley region say recent Closing the Gap data is “unacceptable” as they call for meaningful change to improve the lives of Aboriginal people. Recent data released by the Productivity Commission has revealed only four or 19 goals were on course to be met by 2031. Targets focus on reducing high incarceration and family violence rates, improving health and education outcomes, and increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in the workforce.

Aboriginal Family Legal Services chief executive Corina Martin said the figures were disappointing. “The broad lack of progress against the Closing the Gap outcome areas speaks to the ongoing disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal people across Australia,” she said. “It is not acceptable that only four outcome areas are on track to be met by 2031.”

One target is to reduce the rate of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island women and children by 50% by 2031. No new data has been recorded, but WA sat higher than the national average in 2018–19. Ms Martin said the data highlighted vulnerable groups. “We know that Aboriginal women and children continue to experience violence at disproportionate and unacceptable rates,” she said. “This illustrates an obvious demand for reform of how services are delivered to and for Aboriginal people. This cannot be the reality that we accept for our families and communities.”

To view the ABC News article Latest Closing the Gap figures are ‘unacceptable’, Kimberley Aboriginal leaders say in full click here.

aerial view of community in the Kimberley, WA

The Kimberley is home to more than 100 Aboriginal communities. Photo: Paul Bell, Feral Films. Image source: ABC News.

Alliance calls for ACCHO-like model of care

Last Friday (23 June 2023) Nyngan was host to the launch of the National Rural Health Alliance’s (the Alliance) Independent Report on health spending for rural Australians. The Report provides startling new evidence of rural health shortfall, with each person in rural NSW missing out on close to $850 a year of healthcare access totalling a hefty $6.5b a year. A sombre read by any standards, the report looks at all ages and geographical positionings, along with Indigenous, disability, aged and children subgroups and the affects the lack of cohesive health care is having on these communities.

“The report looks at health spending from a patient’s perspective, reflecting the alarming day-to-day realities for rural Australians unable to access equitable care,” said Alliance Chief Executive Susi Tegen, who spoke at the Nyngan launch. “Over 7m people, who make up nearly a third of Australia’s population, experience a greater burden from illness and early death, in part due to inadequate funding for their health care. This is despite the significant contribution they make to Australia’s economy,” she said.

The Alliance is calling for the funding of a place-based multidisciplinary model of primary health care – Primary care Rural Integrated Multidisciplinary Health Services (PRIM-HS) – that gives the flexibility to engage communities and address local needs in partnership, in a similar way to ACCHOs. “Communities need access to health care in their localities. To achieve this, we urge government to add to existing city-based and hybrid (city/rural) training, with a flipped model of exceptional rural medical and allied training, including nurse training. This would make training in cities the exception and enable students living rurally to train in their own communities.

Currently there is no ACCHO in Nygnan, the four closest ACCHOs are between 185–258 kms away in Coonamble, Wellington, Peak Hill and Bourke.

To view Western Plains App article Nyngan hosts National Rural Health Alliance in full click here.

aerial shot of Nyngan, NSW

Aerial view of Nyngan. Photo: Emily Taylor. Image source: R. M. Williams Outback magazine.

CHF comes out fighting on double dispensing

The Consumers Health Foundation (CHF) has taken the gloves off in the 60-day dispensing information wars with a new website designed to help GPs and their patients understand the policy. “There’s been a lot of misinformation circulating that is concerning consumers unnecessarily, but the bottom line is that 60-day scripts are good for the health of Australians, as well as their hip pocket,” said CEO Elizabeth Deveny.

“Increasing the ability for an estimated 11m consumers with chronic conditions to get a 60-day supply of their medicines, instead of a 30-day supply, effectively halves the cost of their medicines each time they visit the pharmacy. In addition to saving money, consumers will also save time and travel costs. This is especially important for consumers who live in rural and remote communities who often have to travel hundreds of kms to the nearest pharmacy. Having a greater supply of medication on hand should also lead to more people taking their medicines as prescribed and this has been proven to lead to better health outcomes. For all these reasons, what we are hearing loud and clear from Australian health consumers is that the move to 60-day scripts is a very welcome change.”

The new website includes an open letter from supporting groups – including the RACGP, Asthma Australia, NACCHO, the AMA and the Lung Foundation Australia – to parliamentarians. “The [60-day dispensing] measure will not contribute to medicine shortages,” the letter says.

To view The Medical Republic article CHF comes out fighting on double dispensing in full click here.

hands of chemist holding box of medicine in each hand

Image source: RACGP newsGP.

Community-led effort to understand homelessness

A community-led effort to establish a better understanding  of homelessness in Albany has moved on to the next phase after a successful first data-gathering session. More than 80 participants representing 130 people dealing with homelessness provided details about their experiences at an Albany Connection Point information gathering session last month. The session was hosted by Advance Housing, who have partnered with Albany Youth Support Association, Anglicare WA, Albany Community Foundation, Southern Aboriginal Corporation, Albany Community Legal Centre and Pivot Support Services on the project. Support has also being provided by the Office of Homelessness, Department of Communities, the City of Albany, WA Police and the Great Southern Aboriginal Health Service.

Advance Housing chief executive John Lysaught said the session was a success because it provided proof the problem was bigger than government data suggested. “Participating community organisations have always held that the problem is bigger than recognised by government for our region,” he said. “This single initial collaborative event has shown in 12 hours just how flawed the previous data was.”

He said the session showed there was a larger proportion of people aged 20 to 39 experiencing homelessness than expected given the broader Albany demographic. He also said it highlighted the massive problem rough sleeping which has been a “largely hidden” and that people would engage with a services if they were provided a safe space to do so. Further sessions designed to engage with those affected by homelessness will be organised so that the organisations involved can better advocate for funding to tackle the issue and target their limited resources to area they are most needed.

To view the Albany Advertiser article Community-driven project already leading to more accurate data about extent of Albany homelessness issues in full click here.

homeless person with makeshift bedding sleeping in public area

Photo: Graeme Powell. Image source: ABC News.

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.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Coalition of Peaks urge immediate action on housing

feature tile image: run down urban housing; text 'Coalition of Peaks urges politicians to take immediate action to resolve delays on the Housing Australia Future Fund Bill'

The image in the feature tile is from an article Aboriginal housing: Australian biggest policy failure? written by Paul Cleary and published by Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTAR) on 9 June 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.

Coalition of Peaks urge immediate action on housing

The Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations (Coalition of Peaks) has urged politicians to “stop squabbling” and take immediate action to resolve delays on the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) Bill. Coalition of Peaks’ Deputy Lead Convenors, Scott Wilson and Catherine Liddle, said housing was too critical an issue to “fall victim to political game-playing. Housing is a key social determinant of health; our people need housing now. It’s time to stop procrastinating,” Mr Wilson, who is Chair of the SA ACCHO Network, said.

Ms Liddle, who is also chief executive of SNAICC – National Voice for our Children, said Federal politicians “should be shamed for holding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to ransom. These politicians are letting perfect get in the way of good, forcing our people to languish on the streets and in overcrowded and unfit housing,” she said. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: 18% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in overcrowded households; 20% of those who were homeless in 2016 were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander; and 34% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults rent through social housing.

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association (NATSIHA) CEO and Co-Chair of the Housing Policy Partnership, Ivan Simon, said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people “continue to be severely disadvantaged by the lack of appropriate response from government over many years to the housing circumstances that impact on their daily lives. This also means positive outcomes for the Closing the Gap targets are not being achieved, despite the efforts of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations and the hard work to implement the National Agreement on Closing the Gap,” he said.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations urge immediate action on housing fund in full click here.

Ninga Mia local man John outside his home in the Pilbara

Ninga Mia local man John outside his home. Photo: Tom Joyner, ABC Goldfields.

$6.5b shortfall in rural health spending

Australia’s leading medical organisations are calling on state and federal governments to revolutionise the rural health system, with research revealing a spending shortfall of $6.5b. The National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA), whose members include medical colleges, Aboriginal health organisations and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commissioned the analysis that shows each rural Australian misses out on $850 in health spending per year.

The report by consultancy firm Nous Group found those who live in the country receive far less funding per capita than those in urban areas and workforce shortages make the problem worse. According to the report, released today, “Further action to address these inequities would improve both social justice and economic prosperity.”

The alliance is calling for funding of place-based rural health programs, which are locally delivered and target specific needs of communities, along with more country-based education that would allow doctors and nurses to train in the regions. It also wants a national rural health strategy to streamline complicated and varied funding initiatives. “Tweaking around the edges with trials and funding that stops after three years has exhausted rural communities,” the alliance’s chief executive Susi Tegen said.

To view the Kyabram Free Press article Rural health reform call over $6.5b shortfall claim in full click here and the National Rural Health Alliance media release Rural Australians missing out on $6.5 billion annually in health care access while coffers fill up with rural contributions here.

RFDS plan, patient, health workers, 4WD, outback

A report has found people in the country get far less funding per capita than those in urban areas. Photo: RFDS PR Handout. Image source: Kyabram Free Press.

Alcohol restrictions are having a positive impact

Alcohol restrictions in the NT are having a positive impact, advocates say, as police statistics show a drop in family violence callouts, property offences and other antisocial behaviour. Earlier this year, the NT government faced pressure over rising crime and antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs after Intervention-era bans on alcohol in remote Aboriginal communities came to an end, making liquor legal in some communities for the first time in 15 years. Alcohol bans were reintroduced in central Australia in January, with further restrictions imposed in February. Aboriginal people living in remote communities and town camps in the NT are not able to buy takeaway alcohol, although communities will be able to lift the bans if 60% of residents vote in favour of an alcohol management plan.

NT police statistics collated by the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC) revealed a 37% decrease in domestic violence assaults from January to April. All other assaults dropped 35% while property offences were down 25% over the same time period. The People’s Alcohol Action Coalition, a community-based group aimed at raising awareness over alcohol-related harms and headed by the Alice Springs-based Dr John Boffa, said the renewed restrictions were having a positive impact.

CAAC acting CEO, David Busuttil, said it had been tracking police data on crime and antisocial behaviour for many years, analysing trends and seeing the impacts of different legislation, including alcohol restrictions and policies. “In the data, you can see the historical context, when different legislation or changes were made over time … we’ve been monitoring this for a long time because we think it’s one of the key social determinants of health and a key public health issue.” He said the impact on domestic and family violence callouts was particularly stark: “Everyone deserves to be able to live safely. Domestic violence is a major issue all around Australia, but especially in the NT and Alice Springs.”

To view The Guardian article ‘Incredibly noticeable’: alcohol bans have cut family violence and crime in Alice Springs, advocates say in full click here.

aerial view Alice Springs at night

‘The town is a different place’ … alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs have had a positive impact on family violence and crime rates. Photo: Blake Sharp Wiggins. Image source: The Guardian.

$3m for university to help CTG in health outcomes

The University of Newcastle has received $3m in federal funding to establish new medical research infrastructure that will help close the gap in health outcomes for First Nations people. The project, which is being undertaken in partnership with the Lowitja Institute, will help ensure culturally safe health and medical research for First Nations people.

It includes the establishment of a national ethics committee to provide advice and guidance on future research projects. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research Human Ethics Committee will be co-designed with First Nations people to ensure Indigenous Australians have a say in the research projects that affect them. The project is spearheaded by Wiradjuri woman and National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Research Fellow, Associate Professor Michelle Kennedy.

The funding is part of the National Critical Research Infrastructure Initiative, a 10-year, $65m Australian Government investment from the Medical Research Future Fund. The Initiative funds facilities, equipment, systems and services that support world-class health and medical research.

To view the Newcastle Herald story University of Newcastle receives $3million to help close the gap in health outcomes for First Nations people in full click here.

Associate Professor Michelle Kennedy

Associate Professor Michelle Kennedy. Image source: University of Newcastle.

Menzies diabetes program a best practice example

Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) has been involved in two papers published in The Lancet and The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

These have found diabetes is pervasive, growing in prevalence and outpacing most diseases globally, despite increased awareness and ongoing multinational efforts.

In addition, the Diabetes across the Lifecourse; Northern Australian Partnership (the Partnership), available here has been recognised as a best practice case study, to drive innovation in diabetes care and reduce inequity in diabetes outcomes.

You can read the Menzies School of Health Research media releases:

  • Global study highlights Menzies’ program as a leading example of diabetes best practice here and
  • Menzies’ researchers contribute to global studies on Structural racism’s impact on unequal diabetes cases and care here.

Below are the logos of the Menzies School of Health Research NT and Far North Queensland partners.

logos: AMSANT, Apunipima, Baker Institute, CAAC, Diabetes Aust, Miwatj Hlth, Healthy Living NT, KAMS, Qld Govt, NT Govt, Mater, Telethon Kids Institute

Menzies NT and Far North Queensland partners. Image source: Menzies School of Health Research webpage: DIABETES across the LIFECOURSE – Northern Australia Partnership.

Event connects communities in NE and Border regions

A Shields of Emotion Festival in Wangaratta at the weekend was a hit, highlighting connections and services for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in the North East and Border regions. Event manager from Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Services (AWAHS) said as a health service they want to highlight the many services they have including doctors, dentists, family violence support, drug and alcohol and mental health counselling.

“We also wanted to bring community together because it is a very fragmented indigenous community in Wangaratta,” he said. “Events like these help bring people together and share culture and community. It’s part of game plan to keep the connection between culture, community and healing strong. It was great to see people coming from far and wide, and we had people travelling from Moyhu and as far as Albury,” he said.

Mr Jones said the AWAHS health van visits Apex Park every Thursday and up to 40 people generally show up, with some seeing the doctor but others just to share a meal and see community. It’s hoped that the event can be held each year to perpetuate the values of connection within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

To view the Wangaratta Chronicle article Event helps connect the indigenous community in full click here.

Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Servicesw staff Trent Jones, assistant manager Kieran (surname sacred), Rose Kirby

L-R: AWAHS event manager Trent Jones, assistant manager Kieran (surname sacred), and Ros Kirby. Image source: Wangaratta Chronicle.

NACCHO Conference sponsorship opportunities open

Sponsorship opportunities are now open for the 2023 NACCHO Members’ Conference that will be held 25–26 October at the Hyatt Regency Perth, Noongar Boodjar.

This conference will expose your business to over 400 individuals and up to 200 organisations that are focused on delivering positive health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The conference will be promoted via NACCHO’s social media channels, daily news and website reaching a combined audience of more than 236,000 people.

You can also register to attend the NACCHO Members’ Conference and the NACCHO Youth Conference (23 May).

Download Sponsorship Prospectus or register for the conferences 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.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Australians to vote on the Voice within six months

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.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Meaningful steps needed to reduce poverty

feature tile Mon 8 .5.23, image of ATSI boy reading a book; text 'If POVERTY is not reduced the impact of investment in health reform will be GREATLY UNDERMINED'

The image in the feature tile is from What is poverty? webpage of The Smith Family 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.

Meaningful steps needed to reduce poverty

If the Federal Government does not take meaningful steps to reduce poverty in Australia, then the impact and value of its investment in health reform and suicide prevention will be greatly undermined. That is a clear inference from the interim report, available here, of a Senate inquiry into the extent and nature of poverty in Australia, whose release last week was perfectly timed to influence debate around the Federal Budget.

The inquiry considered submissions from many health and medical organisations including the NACCHO and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health organisations, cohealth, National Rural Health Alliance, Public Health Association of Australia, and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.

The report illustrates many ways that poverty undermines physical and mental health and wellbeing, including through its impact on the determinants of health and access to healthcare. People are missing healthcare appointments and not accessing essential medicines, unable to afford healthy foods, and experiencing chronic stress, depression, anxiety, and suicidality as a result of poverty, the report found. Children’s physical health and development is being affected, as are family relationships.

A Salvation Army spokesman told the inquiry that “the best clinical care in the world won’t make a difference if you’re sending them out to sleep in their car afterwards”. Lifeline Australia told the inquiry that socioeconomic status has reliably been identified as a factor which impacts suicide risk. It noted that over the past decade, age-standardised suicide rates in Australia were highest for those living in the lowest socioeconomic areas.

To view the Croakey Health Media article Will the Federal Budget deliver for these key health issues? in full click here.

exterior of poor conditions of remote housing

Overcrowding in remote housing is regarded as a primary cause of rheumatic heart disease. Photo: Lucy Marks. Image source: ABC News.

BRAMS CEO wins 40under40 Award

Last Friday night at a gala dinner at Crown Perth, Cassie Atchison, CEO of Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (BRAMS) was announced a winner in this year’s Business News Annual 40under40 Awards for her outstanding work in WA.

Business News senior journalist and chief judge Mark Pownall said, “Judges were looking for the entrepreneurs, the people who were willing to take a risk rather than follow the safe path, those who have stepped outside their comfort zone.”

Pat Turner, CEO of NACCHO was very proud to attend the event and said, “It was so good to see one of the CEOs from our sector receive such a prestigious award.”

Mitchell Matera, managing director of Maali Group, was announced as First Amongst Equals at the 40under40 Awards for 2023, taking the top spot ahead of a varied cohort of WA’s young business and community leaders. The proud Noongar man also won the Indigenous Business Category for his electrical, mechanical and civil contracting company, Maali Group. Mr Matera said “As a young Aboriginal apprentice, I saw that while some resource sector companies celebrated diversity, there was no real on-site support or sustainable career pathways for Indigenous apprentices. Unable to find businesses genuinely committed to employment, upskilling and career diversity for Indigenous people in the sector, I started one myself.”

View the Business News article Matera wins first place at 40u40 awards.

Cassie Atchinson, CEO BRAMS, holding 40under40 award & group photo including NACCHO CEO Pat Turner & Cassie Atchinson

40under40 award winner Cassie Atchinson, CEO BRAMS and NACCHO CEO Pat Turner (second from left in group photo) joining in the celebrations. Images from Business News.

First Nations women to speak at historic forum

150 young First Nations women will gather in Canberra tomorrow to help set an agenda for change in relation to the rights, health, safety, wellbeing and prosperity of young Indigenous women and girls. The Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices) Youth Forum is a precursor to the landmark Wiyi Yani U Thangani National Summit (9–11 May), Australia’s most significant gathering ever of First Nations women which will be attended by over 900 women from across Australia (90% First Nations women). The 150 young First Nations women attending the Forum will also attend the Summit.

The Forum and the Summit are designed to help First Nations women and girls reshape many of the policies and programs which impact on their lives and the lives of their families and communities. The Summit is designed for First Nations women to speak on their own terms to government, policymakers and service providers about addressing issues affecting First Nations women and girls. The Summit is the climax of the five-year Wiyi Yani U Thangani systemic change project led by the Commission’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar AO. Leading First Nations women’s rights advocate Michelle Deshong is co-hosting the Summit.

Commissioner Oscar said: “These young women are the next generation of First Nations female leaders. Indeed, many of them are already providing vital leadership across their communities and countries. “Around half of all First Nations people are under 25 years of age so it’s very important that we engage productively and respectfully with our young people and ensure their voices are heard and acted on.”

To view the Australian Human Rights Commission article Young First Nations women to raise their voices at historic forum in full click here.

Push to reduce stigma around FASD

As a little boy, Jazpa Pinnell was so hyperactive he’d run up and down the balconies at school, was unable to concentrate in class, and his meltdowns were so bad friends and family would tell his mum he needed a “belting”. “I was thinking I was a bad parent,” mum Sam Pinnell said. But her fears were allayed, and the Queensland teenager’s life changed for the better at age seven when he was diagnosed with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). These days, with help from psychologists, physiotherapy, occupational therapy – and an understanding of his diagnosis – the Year 11 student is described as well-mannered and respectful.

Jazpa was one of the first children diagnosed with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder at the Gold Coast University Hospital’s FASD clinic, Queensland’s first dedicated clinic for the condition, which opened in 2014. It remains one of the few clinics in Australia. Ms Pinnell is Jazpa’s biological aunt and the woman he calls mum, having cared for him since birth. “So many times they’re put into the too-hard basket or they’re expelled, they’re suspended, because the teachers do not understand that they’re not naughty, they’re not playing up, they’re just struggling to learn,” said Ms Pinnell, who founded a FASD support group. The group has a “no blame, no shame and no judging” motto.

Gold Coast FASD clinic director Doug Shelton said the issue was one for society to address, not just individual women, particularly given Australia’s drinking culture. Dr Shelton, a paediatrician, said the recommendation was for women to drink no alcohol during pregnancy to avoid FASD, but acknowledged about half of pregnancies were not planned. “If you had a precisely badly timed binge in the first few weeks of pregnancy, even if that was just one binge, and there was nothing else, that could be sufficient to cause lifelong problems with that baby,” he said. People with the disorder can also experience problems in school, getting a job, with relationships and some come into contact with the justice system.

To view the ABC News article Gold Coast family push to reduce stigma around foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in full click here.

woman's hands resting on top & base of pregnant belly

The exact number of FASD cases in Australian is unknown. Photo: Tracy Nearmy, AAP. Image source: ABC News.

National Tobacco Strategy 2023–2030 launch

Among all the talk last week about a crackdown on vaping – the most significant robacco control reforms in a decade – has been the roll-out of another major document – the launch of the National Tobacco Strategy 2023–2030, available here. A key priority of the strategy is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking and Closing the Gap. The Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) program would be extended and widened – with $141m funding – to reduce both vaping and smoking among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This is urgently needed  – tobacco legally kills over 57 Australians a day. That’s equivalent to extinguishing an entire country town of 21,000 every year.

It’s still the single biggest preventable risk factor for disease and premature death. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, more than a third of all deaths are caused by tobacco. Over the past decade we have lost more than 10,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lives due to smoking. Multiple policy failures beyond health – from poverty, education, employment, housing, family removals, dislocation and the systematic embedding of tobacco as rations in lieu of wages – mean Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are disproportionately impacted by the harms of Big Tobacco.

There have been huge achievements in reducing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking. In 2018–19, 40% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults smoked daily, down from 50% in 2004-05. A target of 27% is achievable. But to get there we need something “extra” to accelerate those reductions. So the funding to expand the TIS program is urgently needed to have no more than 27% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking by 2030 (5% of all Australians).

To view The National Tribune article New funds will tackle Indigenous smoking. But here’s what else we know works for quit campaigns in full click here.

cover of the National Tobacco Strategy 2023-2030

Scathing report over Doomadgee woman’s death

The Queensland Health Ombudsman has released a scathing report into the preventable death of a First Nations woman at Doomadgee Rural Hospital in the state’s north-west, describing poor record-keeping, “completely unacceptable” follow-up in care and racial stereotyping. Adele Sandy, 37, a mother of four children who had been diagnosed with life-threatening rheumatic heart disease since she was a child, died at the remote hospital after previous presentations to the emergency department, only to be sent home with Panadol.

The Queensland Health Ombudsman’s report followed a Four Corners investigation last year, Heart Failure, into the deaths of not just Ms Sandy, but also her teenage niece, Shakaya George and Shakaya’s best friend, Betty Booth, who also had rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and had been turned away with Panadol from Doomadgee Hospital. Two months before Ms Sandy died, in March 2020, Queensland Health completed a review, Betty’s Story, into the failures of care for Betty Booth before she died, finding clinical risk and poor governance.

The Ombudsman’s report into Ms Sandy’s death said it was “concerned with the lack of progress” since Betty’s Story was delivered. “The tragic loss of Miss Sandy is an ongoing source of grief for the Doomadgee community which is deepened with the knowledge that many of the issues identified in the ‘Betty’s Story’ report are replicated in Miss Sandy’s care,” the report said.

To view the ABC News article Scathing report into Doomadgee Rural Hospital following First Nations woman’s death reveals clinical failures in full click here.

sign at entrance to Doomadgee Hospital, Queensland Government logo & words

Multiple women died after seeking treatment at Doomadgee Hospital, in remote north-west Queensland. Photo: Louie Eroglu, Four Corners. Image source: ABC News.

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.

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Community-controlled housing is ‘life-changing’

feature tile image of Elisabeth Barber & Nathaniel Walsh - long-term housing residents of Dale Parker Place; text 'Having a safe, reliable place to call HOME affects health of people and communities across generations'

The image in the feature tile is of Elisabeth Barber and Nathaniel Walsh, who are long-term housing residents of Dale Parker Place (DPP). DPP is supported accommodation for single males, single females, and couples without children who are experiencing homelessness and are currently sleeping rough or chronically homeless to attain independent, sustainable housing and participate within the community. Image source: Yumba-Meta Limited website Case Studies webpage, available here.

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

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

Community-controlled housing is ‘life-changing’

Yumba-Meta Ltd in Townsville, Queensland is a community-controlled organisation that has delivered comprehensive support programs for 50 years to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This includes short-term accommodation, such as for people experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, or people at risk of incarceration due to intoxication. Medium to long-term housing options include community home ownership, seniors’ housing, and transitional housing to facilitate employment, education or to break the cycle of addiction.

A collaborative research project with Yumba-Meta, which will be released mid-year for Yumba-Meta’s 50th anniversary, explores the power of home and how services can support intergenerational wellbeing. The research found a sense of pride is instilled when families and individuals have a home – somewhere grandchildren can visit, a place where young people can learn from Elders, and a safe place to go. With safe and affordable housing, health was found to improve over time, especially for older generations who have struggled in the past with housing issues such as chronic overcrowding, and racism that prevents Indigenous people renting and purchasing homes in Townsville.

To view The Conversation article ‘Life changing’ – what 50 years of community-controlled housing at Yumba-Meta tells us about home and health in full click here.

AMA: sugar tax needed to curb obesity and chronic disease

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is continuing its call for a tax on sugary drinks to curb the nation’s growing obesity and chronic disease. Data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) this week reveals that obesity continues to be a major public health issue in Australia and is the second biggest modifiable risk factor contributing to disease burden in Australia after tobacco. The AIHW analysis reveals that almost two in three Australians will be overweight or obese by 2030, and obesity will result in 13,400 preventable deaths.

AMA President Professor Stephen Robson said this latest analysis is just more evidence that Australia needs to be proactive in dealing with the obesity crisis, and a tax on sugary drinks would be a step in the right direction. “We know that frequent consumption of sugary drinks is associated with obesity and chronic disease. Evidence from overseas shows that a sugar tax is an effective way to reduce sugar consumption and improve health outcomes,” Professor Robson said.

The public health chapter of AMA’s Pre-Budget Submission 2023–24 launched today outlines how a tax would have a positive impact on health outcomes and the upcoming budget. “Our analysis projects this tax would reduce consumption by 31% by 2025–26, and is estimated to result in 16,000 fewer cases of type 2 diabetes, 4,400 fewer cases of heart disease, and 1,100 fewer cases of stroke. It is a simple but effective way to improve the lives of Australians.” Professor Robson said the tax would also result in government revenue of $2.8 billion across four years, which could be reinvested back into preventative health, at a time where government is looking for savings in the upcoming budget.

In comments made in 2018, on the priorities for inclusion in the 2018-2023 Implementation Plan for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan AMSANT said a tax on sugar has been shown to be effective in reducing consumption and is projected to lead to the biggest health gains, particularly for people on the lowest incomes. Similarly NACCHO proposed in its 2021–22 Pre-Budget Submission, available here, that the Commonwealth introduce a 20% tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, with the revenue accrued redirected back into a subsidy on fresh fruit and vegetables back into communities where the impact is greatest.

You can read the AMA’s media release Sugar tax: a sweet deal for public health and the upcoming federal budget in full here, the AMA Pre-Budget submission 2023–24 chapter about a tax on sugary drinks here, the AIHW report mentioned in the media release here. You can also visit the Sickly Sweet campaign website here for more information on the AMA’s sugar tax campaign.

banner from AMA's #Sickly Sweet campaign webpage - 2 softdrink bottles black content, red label with AMA logo & text 'Sickly Sweet'; also text 'sugary drinks are making us sick. It's time we do something about it'

Image source: AMA #Sickly Sweet campaign webpage.

Have you say on HTA – medicines and medical services

Supporting access to medicines and medical services

All ACCHO sector staff are invited to participate in a free webinar hosted by NACCHO and the Department of Health and Aged Care’s Office of Health Technology Assessment.

Topics include:

  • How do communities get access to medicines, medical products and services?
  • Medicines and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC): How does it work?
  • Medical products and services and the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC): How does it work?
  • NACCHO’s consultation and advocacy activities in Health Technology Assessment
  • How can ACCHOs get more involved in Health Technology Assessment?

Panel members include NACCHO representatives and experts from PBS and MBS committees.

The webinar ‘Have your say on HTA – Getting involved with the funding of medicines and medical services’ will be held this Thursday 4 May.

If you miss this week’s webinar, you can register here: for the second webinar which will be held from 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM (AEST) on Thursday 11 May 2023.

If you have any questions, please contact Mike Stephens via email here.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For further information you can visit the NACCHO webpage Have your say on HTA – getting involved with the funding of medicines and medical services here.

tile NACCHO logo; text 'Access to medicines and medical services - Have your say on HTA - 11 May 12.30pm-1.45pm (AEST)

 

Health updates to keep your mob safe

The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (DHAC) has produced a newsletter providing key health updates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households, communities and stakeholders. In the Key updates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – March 2023 edition you can find out about :

  • Recommendations from ATAGI regarding COVID-19 boosters
  • Using EVA – Easy Vaccine Access
  • Healthy Deadly Lunchbox
  • Safe sex and sexual health
  • Strong Born
  • Updated resources

You can access the DHAC wepage Key updates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – March 2023 here and the Health updates to keep your mob safe. newsletter here.

Key updates for ATSI communities - Mar 2023 newsletter header - Aboriginal art; text 'March 2023, Health Updates, Health updates to keep your mob safe'

Partnership to help boost Indigenous doctors

The University of Notre Dame Australia is proud to partner with St John of God Health Care to help increase the number of Indigenous doctors working in Australia’s healthcare system. Under the partnership, St John of God has provided $160,000 in scholarship funding that will support four of the University’s Indigenous medical students over the four years of their postgraduate degree program.

Head of Notre Dame’s School of Medicine, Professor Gervase Chaney, said the University was proud to partner with an organisation like St John of God Health Care, which had a determination to improve Aboriginal representation in the health system. “Currently only about 0.5% of Australia’s registered doctors are Indigenous, which equates to only about 500 across the country,” Professor Chaney said. “To reach population parity, the figure needs to grow to about 3,500, or seven times the current number. “The tragedy of such low representation is that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will never have had the pleasure of being treated by a doctor who shares and truly understands their social and cultural background.

Past recipient Rosie said the funding allowed her to pay for her Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency registration, get a new passport and reunite with her brothers who live in the Eastern States. “I was also able to pay for my brothers to attend my graduation ball when they returned at the end of the year,” Rosie said. “This was a monumental occasion for our entire family as the first doctor, and the first woman to attend university on both sides of my family.”

To view The University of Notre Dame Australia article Partnership to help boost Indigenous doctors in full click here.

Aboriginal medical graduates. Image source: The University of Notre Dame Australia website.

Clinical placements needed to grow nursing workforce

Universities would welcome the opportunity to have further discussions with government around ways to boost the nursing workforce to improve access to primary care, as recently agreed by National Cabinet. “We are very supportive of the government’s commitment to make healthcare more accessible for all Australians,” Universities Australia Chief Executive Catriona Jackson said.

“In practice, this is easier said than done. Australia already has a shortfall of nurses and modelling shows that this will get worse with a further 85,000 nurses needed by 2025. “Our universities graduate around 16,000 nurses each year. This is well short of demand. “Part of the problem is not having enough clinical placements in the system so that students can complete the qualifications needed to proceed to professional registration.

“Universities are reliant on health service providers to deliver placements for students. We cannot educate more nurses without more – and the right type of – clinical placements. It’s also vital that our sector has a voice in health workforce planning and policy discussions. Education experiences in universities have substantial impacts on workforce outcomes and skill development.”

To view the Universities Australia article More clinical placements needed to grow nursing workforce in full click 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.