Category Just Justice

May 24 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: ACCHO’s partnership delivers great outcomes

feature tile, image of Senior Lawyer John Cattanach & Aboriginal Community Engagement Officer Belinda Foley in front of Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative building; text 'Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative's partnership with Victoria Legal Aid is delivering GREAT OUTCOMES'

The image in the feature tile is of Senior Lawyer John Cattanach and Aboriginal Community Engagement Officer Belinda Foley standing in front of the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative building. The photo appeared in a Victoria Legal Aid article Creating stronger connections to community in partnership with Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative published yesterday, 23 May 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.

Partnership with ACCHO delivers great outcomes

Geelong Senior Lawyer John Cattanach has always wanted to be part of positive change for First Nations peoples. He says closer ties between Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) and the local Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative to support First Nations people with legal needs – a model being replicated across other regional offices – is helping him achieve that goal. He and Aboriginal Community Engagement Officer Belinda Foley are both based in our Geelong office  and regularly receive referrals through the co-operative in a partnership they established in March last year. The co-operative is a holistic service that provides health, family, community and cultural services to First Nations peoples in the Geelong, Bellarine and Colac region. The partnership with VLA links First Nations peoples to early support from Belinda and John to prevent escalating legal issues, as well a culturally sensitive service that responds to their individual needs.

John is a Marrithiyel man whose mob is located five hours southwest of Darwin, and Belinda is a Central Arrernte woman on her mother’s side (Alice Springs). Both grew up in community (Wadawurrung Country). Their background is crucial for the important work they undertake through the co-operative. In addition to providing practical assistance to First Nations peoples, John and Belinda derive great satisfaction from being connected to their community. “Growing up, I saw firsthand how our mob is treated by police, and I knew I wanted to be a part of the change and the healing,” said John. “From a legal standpoint, I am a lawyer who seeks to keep police accountable, and achieve the best outcomes for our mob. And from a First Nations perspective, I’m here to help Indigenous clients who present with a broken or wonky spirit, and help nurture that spirit so it becomes strong once again.”

Belinda is also proud of the difference the clinic has made in the community and to the Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative, “I’m delighted that this clinic has been able to provide a service to more than 100 clients in under 12 months,” she said. “It has given our First Nations community a safe environment, passed our knowledge to the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative to use in their service delivery and provided comfort to First Nations peoples in that they know a specialist legal service is available to support them.”

To view the Victoria Legal Aid article Creating stronger connections to community in partnership with Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative in full click here.

external view of Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative building

Image source: City of Greater Geelong website.

The system is the real “terror” in youth justice

In an opinion piece published today in the National Indigenous Times,  CEO of the National Justice Project, Adjunct Professor George Newhouse says “It’s the WA Government and not “terrorists” that are the cause of the troubles in Banksia Hill youth detention centre. How can the WA Premier Mark McGowan get away with describing a group of kids with disabilities as “terrorists”? Especially when we know that many of them grew up in the care and control his own State’s Child Protection system. Most of these so-call “terrorists” are in Banksia Hill on remand. Tragically, children are often held in Banksia Hill because they have nowhere to go if they were released. They could and should be supported in a group home or a purpose-built boarding house instead of prison.

So, who are these children? It’s a fact that around 89% of the kids in Banksia Hill have been found by the Telethon Foundation, one of Australia’s leading children’s’ health research organisations, to have a severe neurodevelopmental impairment, and over one third of the children were found to have been suffering from Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD). These are significant impairments. But to deflect attention away from his own government’s abject failure to protect children in State “care”, Premier McGowan launches an attack on them. He wants us to believe that the problems are caused by a few ‘rotten apples” and not his own government’s systemic failures. Failures that have been obvious for decades.

During a recent visit to the facility, Australia’s National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds said: “These are children in need of care and treatment for complex disabilities and serious mental health problems.” Allegations that the children are “monsters” or “terrorists” have been slammed by the former President of the Children’s Court of WA, Denis Reynolds who said: “The Premier and the Minister are saying these are bad, bad children behaving badly, ignoring deliberately any reference to [their] unlawful treatment. It’s the treatment in that place that is causing the behaviour and that’s what we want to stop.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article The system is the real “terror” in youth justice in full click here.

ATSI male youth holding sign 'Close Down Banksia Hill Detention Centre', Aboriginal flag in the background

Photo: Giovanni Torre. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Drinking fountains alone won’t fix water issues

Water plays a significant role in Aboriginal culture. Respect for and understanding of water has enabled Aboriginal people to thrive for millennia in very hot and remote places. The impacts of colonisation including introduced species of plants and animals, farming and overuse of rivers and ground water, compounded by global warming, has dramatically reduced water access and quality, and in some places threatened the water supply. Recent coverage of the quality of drinking water in Walgett, NSW, again highlights that clean, safe drinking water is not a right in Australia. Walgett residents say the water is unsafe to drink and they’re backed by scientists from the George Institute who report an urgent need to address drinking water quality.

The reasons for poor or limited water supply vary. They include river flows and environmental health issues, infrastructure, and insufficient skilled, credentialed staff available to conduct water quality checks. But understanding the causes is one thing. Taking active steps to address them is another. When clean, safe water doesn’t flow to communities, they are more likely to drink sugar-sweetened beverages. A 2020 study, available here, visited three remote schools with high proportions of Aboriginal students. Initial results, gathered in 2014, found 64% of children regularly drank sugary drinks. Some 5% thought drinking water was “unhealthy”. In some places in Australia that’s true at least some of the time.

The availability of safe drinking water impacts tooth decay, obesity and diseases like diabetes. Australia has drinking water quality guidelines but they are not mandatory.

When cold, filtered water fountains were installed in 2018 that 84% of children at those same schools drank water every day. The percentage who regularly drank sugary drinks shrank to 33% in the intervening four-year period. A follow-up study found towns of lower socioeconomic status were less likely to have access to community drinking water and more likely to have a high Aboriginal population. So, Aboriginal people are particularly disadvantaged by this issue. It also found that in many towns the cheapest drink is soft drink.

To view The Conversation article Drinking fountains in every town won’t fix all our water issues – but it’s a healthy start in full click here.

young ATSI girl drinking from water fountain

Image source: Government News.

Victoria’s budget delivers health funding boost

Yesterday three Victorian Ministers released a joint media release Doing what matters for patients and healthcare workers. They said the Andrews Labor Government is doing what matters: giving our healthcare system – and the dedicated workers who care for Victorians – a $4.9b boost in the Victorian Budget 2023/24. This Budget will deliver on every promise we made to Victorians at the election – with more healthcare workers, new services, the latest equipment and new and upgraded hospitals across the state. That’s on top of more than $54b we’ve invested in our healthcare system – as well as the workers we need to run it – since coming to government in 2014.

Of particular relevance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is:

  • $153m to establish 20 new comprehensive women’s health clinics, an Aboriginal-led clinic and a mobile health clinic, nine new women’s sexual and reproductive health hubs, scholarships to expand the women’s health workforce, an inquiry into women’s pain management and 10,800 extra laparoscopy surgeries
  • $2.5m to establish an LGBTIQ+ suicide aftercare service, continue Strong Brother Strong Sister for young Aboriginal Victorians in Geelong and deliver Youth Live4Life for young regional Victorians
  • $256m to support a health‑based response to public intoxication, continue the life-saving North Richmond Medically Supervised Injecting Room and expand our Naloxone and Pharmacotherapy programs
  • $35.1m to Aboriginal community health organisations to deliver 100,000 extra additional Aboriginal community healthcare appointments
  • $86m to increase the time newborns spend with maternal nurses, help mums struggling with breastfeeding, support new dads – and expand our Early Parenting Centre network with a new centre in Northcote and an Aboriginal-led centre in Frankston

To view the Victorian Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas, Minister for Ambulance Services and Mental Health Gabrielle Williams and Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers Lizzie Blandthorn’s joint media release Doing what matters for patients and healthcare workers click here.

group of Strong Brother Strong Sister participants & staff holding Aboriginal flag

The Strong Brother Strong Sister program will receive funding under the 2023–24 Victorian budget to continue to operate. Image source: Strong Brother Strong Sister Foundation website.

Copper detected in Yarrabah health service’s tap water

Staff at an Aboriginal community health facility near Cairns have been offered bottled water and precautionary blood tests after tap water at the service was found to contain elevated levels of copper. Testing of the Yarrabah Health Facility’s mains water in March detected the presence of high levels of copper. It’s understood the issue is isolated to the clinic and has not affected the quality of the drinking water in the wider community. Tropical Public Health Services director Richard Gair said investigations into the facility’s plumbing system were ongoing. Meanwhile, bottled water was being provided to staff and visitors.

“The health service has engaged an expert hydraulic engineering firm to investigate the plumbing system within the facility and make recommendations,” Dr Gair said in a statement. He said senior officers from the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, including experts in environmental health and medical doctors, had met twice with staff at the Yarrabah Health Service in May to answer questions and share with them plans to address the water quality issues.

“Any staff who work within the health facility, including Gurriny Yealamucka and Queensland ambulance staff, have been offered a precautionary blood test for elevated copper levels,” Dr Gair said. “The testing is free and voluntary. The drinking water elsewhere in Yarrabah community complies with the Australian drinking water guidelines.”

To view the ABC News article Water at Yarrabah Aboriginal community health precinct found to have elevated copper levels in full click here.

aerial view of Yarrabah, N Qld

Users of the Yarrabah community Aboriginal health facility are on alert. Photo: Brendan Esposito, 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.

Key Date – Palliative Care Week 2023

During this year’s Palliative Care Week (21–27 May 2023) NACCHO is showcasing some of the amazing programs and resources available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Gwandalan Project is one such program that supports palliative care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. ‘Gwandalan’ is a word from the Darkinjung and Awaba language meaning rest, peace or resting place. For this project, the Gwandalan word represents the spiritual aspect of the palliative and end-of-life journey, with the hope that the spirit is at rest and peace as a result of good palliative care and a ‘good death’.

Education and training materials for the Gwandalan Project aim to support relationships between service providers, frontline staff and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities through cross-cultural education and the sharing of knowledge. This will be achieved through the provision of education and training to support increased capacity in those who care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples during their palliative and end-of-life journey. The Gwandalan Project does not address clinical palliative care content but rather, supports the provision of culturally safe and responsive palliative care by upskilling frontline staff to contextualise care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and deliver services in a way which supports a good ‘finishing up’.

Access to all Gwandalan education and training materials, listed below, is free of charge, thanks to funding by the Australian Government under the Public Health and Chronic Disease Care Grant, National Palliative Care Projects.

  • eLearning Modules – a series of engaging eLearning modules to support frontline staff to deliver culturally responsive palliative care
  • Workshops – face-to-face workshops across Australia to learn about delivering culturally safe palliative care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
  • Webinars – a series of interactive webinars on various aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander palliative care which expand on the learnings from the Gwandalan online modules

You can find more information on the Gwandalan website here.

tile Gwandalan logo & text 'Gwandalan Supporting Palliative Care for ATSI Communities'

Image source: Gwandalan website.

May 17 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Raising awareness about LGBTQI+ discrimination

feature tile image of rainbow flag; text ' LGBTQI+ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience significant and intersecting points of discrimination and marginalisation'

The image in the feature tile is from the Yarra City Council’s Celebrating IDAHOBIT webpage, published on 17 May 2021.

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.

Raising awareness about LGBTQI+ discrimination

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator, Achim Steiner has released a statement to mark International Day against Hoomophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) – 17 May. In the statement Mr Steiner said “Deeply-embedded homophobic and transphobic attitudes and social norms leave many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) people extremely vulnerable to discrimination.  Far too often, LGBTQI+ people are singled out for hate-motivated violence, or even murdered. Many are mistreated and even disowned by their own families. This has led to LGBTQI+ people, of all ages and around the world, being among those left furtherest behind as countries pursue the [17] Global Goals [agreed to by world leaders in 2015].”

To view the UNDP article International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) in full click here.

The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) says brotherboys, sistergirls and other LGBT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience a number of significant and intersecting points of discrimination and marginalisation in Australia. The AHRC Resilient Individuals: Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Intersex Rights report considered the intersecting issues of racism, homophobia and transphobia faced by these communities, with participants involved in consultations for the report raising a range of issues including: Little investigation into the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, experiences of racism, discrimination and isolation and the gap between Aboriginal specific service provision and service provision that accommodates for broader LGBT populations

You can read the AHRC article Brotherboys, sistergirls and LGBT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in full here.

You can also read about the 2021 Edith Cowan University (ECU) research which found that 73% of Indigenous LGBTQIA+ participants had experienced discrimination. The study, Breaking the Silence, was led by Pro Vice Chancellor Professor Braden Hill, a Nyungar Wardandi man and head of Kurongkurl Katitjin, ECU’s Centre for Indigenous Australian Education and Research. “For many of the participants there was a great sense of pride in being Indigenous and LGBTIQ+, however, the experience of discrimination, particularly racism, was a major concern,” said Professor Hill.

You can view the National Indigenous Times article Over 70% of Indigenous LGBTQIA+ experience discrimination, new research finds in full here. and also watch Professor Hill, one of four panelists, who came together at the PRIDE@AGSM Network Event: Queer Aboriginal Voices Matter to discuss inclusion of LGBTIQ+ First Nations People through their work, research and authentic leadership, below.

Fears for increased incarceration as legal services cut

There are concerns innocent people will end up in jail as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services are cut across the country, leaving more people to represent themselves in court. Queensland and NSW legal services have withdrawn from 23 locations due to what they say are increasing workloads and a lack of funding.

Atherton Courthouse, where Ngadjon-jiman man Terry Murray helps First Nations people navigate the legal system, is among them. Mr Murray, who works as a court support officer, said he had felt more pressure since lawyers from Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service had withdrawn from the Far North Queensland court. “Clients always ask questions and legal advice and if you don’t have the answers to answer that, that also puts them in an impacted position,” Mr Murray said. “If we don’t have a legal service, they’re just going to sort of do the best they can [representing themselves].”

Aboriginal legal services in Australia receive state and federal funding, the vast majority of which being allocated through the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s department. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Legal Service (NATSILS) says demand has increased “up to 100% since 2018”, but Commonwealth funding had not kept pace. The peak body called for a $250m emergency package in the lead-up to the May budget, but the request was not granted, and state-based services have withdrawn in regional and metropolitan courts. 10 Queensland locations — including Brisbane and Cairns — will no longer have court-based support dedicated to First Nations clients.

To view the ABC News article Fears for increased First Nations incarceration grow as Indigenous legal services cut in full click here.

Aboriginal Legal Services CEO Karly Warner portrait against Aboriginal painting of crocodile

Aboriginal Legal Service chief executive Karly Warner says Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services around the country are on a “slippery slope”. Photo: Patrick Begley, ABC News.

Connecting to Country strengthens culture

20 projects throughout the Kimberley, Pilbara, Mid-West, Goldfields-Esperance and Metropolitan regions will share in $469,384 through the Connecting to Country program. Connecting to Country is a competitive grants program that supports Western Australian Aboriginal people and organisations to undertake on-country activities that foster the intergenerational transfer of knowledge, preservation of culture and strengthening of communities.

The program aims to:

  • facilitate sharing of cultural knowledge and skills between generations, such as the preservation of language, stories and dance;
  • recognise Aboriginal cultural leadership within the Aboriginal community and support leadership development in young people;
  • contribute to stronger community mental health and wellbeing; and
  • strengthen, protect and maintain traditional ways of maintaining cultural knowledge.

To view the Government of WA’s media statement Connecting to Country strengthens culture and communities in full click here.

group of ATSI people in bush

Image source: Government of WA Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries – Connecting to Country webpage.

Aboriginal health leader kicks goals

From a member of the first ever all-Aboriginal rugby league team to the first person employed in an Aboriginal identified position at Nepean Hospital, Clarke Scott has been a leader in both his football career and his career at Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District.

Working in community health for 16 years, Clarke helped break down barriers between clinicians and people in the community. “At Lawson Community Health Centre I helped to support people, and their families in their homes,” says Clarke. “On home visits, I would go along and help the community feel relaxed. Just having another Aboriginal person there really helps.” Clarke also ran Aboriginal Boys Cultural Mentoring Camps out of the Community Health Centre, ensuring young boys were connected to culture, and their responsibilities.

Up until 2022, Clarke was a valuable member of the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District Board. Having served two consecutive five-year terms, Clarke’s passion championing for health equality for the Aboriginal community continues to drive his career. Currently as Aboriginal Health Programs Manager, Drug & Alcohol Services, Clarke says it’s his toughest gig yet. “The stories behind the issues are devastating, helping to address those issues is the challenge for me. But I know it’s part of the job where I can make a difference,” says Clarke. He says having dedicated leadership in the Aboriginal Health team has made a significant difference to embedding change.

To view the NSW Government article Aboriginal health leader kicks goals in full click here.

Clarke Scott, Aboriginal Health Programs Manager, Drug & Alcohol Services

Clarke Scott, Aboriginal Health Programs Manager, Drug & Alcohol Services. Image source: NSW Government webpage Aboriginal health leader kicks goals, 17 May 2023.

Federal budget support for Central Australia’s youth

Following the delivery of the 2023–2024 Federal Budget by the Treasurer last week, mixed reactions have been voiced across the nation regarding the adequacy of funding for the education sector. Ongoing issues with teacher workloads, skills shortages, and wage caps have been compounded by strong concerns surrounding a lack of action on improving equity and diversity across the education sector, which continues to position marginalised socio-economic groups in regional, remote, and Indigenous communities at a marked disadvantage.

In a joint statement released on 9 May, Federal Minister for Education, Mr Jason Clare announced that the Australian Government and NT Government are working together to deliver the next stage of the $250m landmark plan for a Better, Safer Future for Central Australia to improve community safety and provide more opportunities for young people. The Better, Safer Future for Central Australia plan includes funding for community and regional infrastructure; on-country learning to improve school engagement; enhancement of digital connectivity; justice reinvestment; strengthening community safety; a Youth Services Action Plan; up to five new Junior Ranger sites in Central Australia; effective governance to ensure successful service delivery; and improving First Nations health outcomes.

The Australian Government will invest $23.5m to support the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and their families in Alice Springs and surrounding communities. This includes $18.4m to the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (Congress) to expand their existing Children and Youth Assessment and Treatment Services (CYATS). The funding to expand CYATS aims to meet current demand and increase the availability of early detection and intervention services for neurodevelopmental conditions, including Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Additionally, there will be $5m provided to Congress in 2022–23 to support the development of Health Hub in Alice Springs – combining the four current health services into one single centre.

To view the Education Matters article Federal budget supports young people in Central Australia in full click here.

yellow sign, silhouette adult holding child's hand & walking & text 'School Bus' by side of dirt road in outback

Image source: Educations Matters.

Cash incentive offered to find health workers

A program to attract interstate health workers to Queensland has been announced by Queensland Health. The Workforce Attraction Incentive Transfer Scheme will provide interstate and international medical practitioners with a payment of up to $70,000 to move to Queensland with $20,000 payments for other healthcare workers. Applicants can take their pick from one of more than 2,400 communities to work in. To qualify for the payments they must work there for more than 12 months.

Minister for Health, Yvette D’Ath said it had become necessary to think outside the square to lure doctors to the State. “Innovative policies like this means every dollar we spend works hard delivering the right care at the right time, in the right place,” Ms D’Ath said. She described the scheme as a win-win — “more quality healthcare workers in our unique regional and remote communities, more efficient use of resources and great career memories to be made”.

Healthcare workers eligible for this incentive are medical doctors and specialists, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce members, dentists, oral health practitioners and scientific officers.

To view the QLD PS News article Cash incentive offered to find health workers in full click here.

young ATSI boy having a hearing test in mobile medical van; male allied health professional & ATSI female health worker

Image source: Winter 2019 edition of UQMedicine Magazine – University of Queensland 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.

May 12 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Nurse shortage highlighted on International Nurses Day

feature tile image male & female ATSI health workers & patient; text 'Many communities in need of skilled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare workers'

The image in the feature tile is the article $1.1 million grant to research shortage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives published on the a Charles Sturt University News webpage on 16 November 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.

Nurse shortage highlighted on International Nurses Day

Jane Jones has spent over two decades of her career working in healthcare. A finalist for Elder of the Year, she’s got two decades working with ACCHO, Derbarl Yerrigan, in Boorloo (Perth) under her belt. Inspired by her mum, her daughter Tamara Jones followed in her footsteps and became a midwife. On International Nurses Day, the duo acknowledges the need for more skilled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare workers in many communities.

According to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, only 1.4% of registered nurses and midwives in Australia identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. However, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives has increased in the last 10 years with 3,216 First Nations nurses registered in 2019 compared to 1,721 in 2010.

As a Whadjuk, Ballardong and Willman midwife, Tamara knows her patients having culturally appropriate care, is one of the most important parts of her job. Working as a midwife at Wirraka Maya Health Service, a NACCHO member, she runs into points of cultural difference all the time. “The biggest problem with not having an understanding of our culture is that you don’t know how people are living,” Tamara said. “For instance in hospitals they’re just seeing them for 15 minutes, they’re just doing the investigations they need to do and they’re not doing that yarning. In the long run, women are going through sorry business, there are family or domestic violence situations or for some reason they’ve stopped going to see their health provider because they don’t think they’re being heard.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article Aboriginal mother-daughter duo shine light on nurse shortage on International Nurses Day in full click here.

Nurse Jane Jones and her daughter, midwife Tamara Jones

Nurse Jane Jones and her daughter, midwife Tamara Jones. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

ACCHO makes social impact architecture award shortlist

The shortlist for the inaugural ArchitectureAU Award for Social Impact has been revealed. The award recognizes projects that promote the common good. It has been conceived to reward practice that preferences empathy over aesthetics, extending the spatial possibilities of architecture to advance the discipline and to empower its users. Projects may relate to social cohesion, racial justice, inclusive housing, accessibility, equity, social sustainability or other areas where design can make a difference to society. This accolade is the only national recognition of this type of work within Australia.

“In recent years, there has been a shift in architectural approach – with emphasis placed on the relationship of a building to its community or users, rather than simply on the built form itself. This increasing focus on social values is something we’d like to celebrate, promote and encourage – prompting us to the launch of the ArchitectureAU Award for Social Impact,” said jury chair and editorial director of Architecture Media, Katelin Butler. “The inaugural shortlist demonstrates the multitude of ways that our built environment can have an impact – from taking research into practice and deep community engagement to providing economy opportunities and fostering social cohesion.”

From 139 entries, 39 including Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services have been shortlisted by the jury,  The winner of the prize will be announced on 27 June, 2023 on ArchitectureAU.com and in the July/August issue of Architecture Australia magazine.

To view the ArchitectureAU article The inaugural ArchitectureAU Award for Social Impact shortlist revealed in full click here.

collage 4 images Winnunga new health clinic exterior, reception, architect plan

WNAHCS new, purpose-built facility. Images: top two – Canberra City News; bottom two Judd Studio.

Mums hiding pregnancies for fear of losing babies

About 20% of Aboriginal children reported to authorities over concerns for their safety before birth were removed from their mothers within the first three months of life in Victoria in 2021. For Aboriginal children the rate was 21.5% compared to 13.5% for non-Aboriginal children. The stark figures were revealed as Department of Families, Fairness and Housing associate secretary Argiri Alisandratos gave evidence at the Yoorrook Justice Commission  yesterday. He was asked why pregnant women were not allowed to know details about reports against them before giving birth.

Senior counsel Fiona McLeod pointed to previous evidence that often the very first person those mothers saw after delivery was a child protection officer. “I’d be extremely concerned if the very first person in a birthing suite is a child protection practitioner, that clearly is far from ideal,” Mr Alisandratos replied.

Commissioner Sue-Anne Hunter said she was among many Aboriginal mothers who were worried about unborn notifications. “The reality of our mothers when they’re pregnant (is) thinking these children are going to be removed before they’re even born,” Ms Hunter said. “If I’m emotional about this (it’s) because it’s the truth, you go to hospital and you’re so worried about a notification happening. You become pregnant, you don’t want to tell anybody.” Mr Alisandratos revealed 40% of all child protection reports about Aboriginal children met the threshold to be investigated, compared to 29% for the total population.

To view the National Indigenous Times article High rate of Aboriginal babies taken from mothers in full click here.

Yoorrook Justice Commission - Commissioner Sue-Anne Hunter

Commissioner Sue-Anne Hunter says Aboriginal mothers are hiding pregnancies for fear of losing their babies. Photo: James Ross, AAP. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Historical trauma, old men and suicide

In a recent article, Bob Morgan, a highly respected and acknowledged Aboriginal educator/researcher who has worked extensively throughout Australia and internationally in the field of Aboriginal knowledge and learning for over 40 years, says

I’ve always been concerned about the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal men in particular, and men generally, and to develop a better understanding of what men were experiencing in an ever-changing world.  I designed and hosted a number of men’s gatherings, where I sat in talking and sharing circles with other men, including Dr Mark Winatong, and non-Aboriginal friends and colleagues, to hear the stories of men’s journeys as they talked openly about the low and high points of their life. The men who attended these gatherings were sons, brothers, uncles, husbands, grandfathers and partners, and all of us were flawed in some way, filled with grief and regrets, but determined to be, and do better, as men. 

The men ranged in age from late teens to older men in the 70s or 80s, some of whom were Elders with years of accumulated life experiences and wisdom.  The diversity between and within the men served to enrich us, and we worked hard to ensure that difference didn’t divide us. One issue that kept emerging during these gathering was historical trauma, and how it affected the mental health of Indigenous men, including associated illnesses such as suicide or suicide ideation. Data from the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) illustrate a situation involving suicide and older male Australians that should be of urgent concern to all Australians. The ABS stats show that for men over 85, the rate of suicide is more than three times the national average. Not enough work is being done to better understand why old men are suiciding at such a rate. 

To view the Echo article Historical trauma, old men and suicide in full click here.

Youth justice needs Indigenous-led solutions

All security footage from within WA youth detention facilities Banksia Hill and Unit 18 should be surrendered to an independent body for review, justice advocates said yesterday. At a press conference held in response to the major disturbance at Banksia Hill this week, Megan Krakouer of the National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project said “80 to 85% of the abuses (occurring in the youth detention system) are not known (by the public)”.

“If the WA government has nothing to hide whatsoever, they will hand (the footage) over,” she said. Ms Krakouer called for an independent inquiry into the youth detention and justice systems. Ms Krakouer and her National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project colleague Gerry Georgatos have collected testimony from 100s of current and former Banksia Hill detainees for a class action. Stewart Levitt of Levitt Robinson law firm said the statements of claim for the class action would be filed next week.

Dana Levitt from Levitt Robinson law firm said staff in Banksia Hill, particularly in the intensive support unit, were not properly equipped to deliver the environment needed by young detainees. “The intensive support unit is more like an intensive suicide unit… we have kids in there self-harming and attempting suicide at rates that are beyond belief,” she said. “Instead of attracting people who want to help kids, (the Department) is attracting people who want to hurt kids… There is an abject lack of respect for these children.” Mr Georgatos called for a strong focus on support, nurture and psychological care for young detainees to address their trauma and other conditions so they can escape the cycle of re-offending and incarceration. Professor of public health, Ted Wilkes, said the mental health crisis in the youth justice system needs an Indigenous-led solution.”It is a public health emergency for our children. Us Aboriginal leaders seem to get neglected in terms of our knowledge.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article Justice advocates urge WA government to hand over security video from youth prisons in full click here.

people at Banksia Hill juvenile detention holding placards 'Shame on you McGowan' ' Rehabilitate not incarcerate'

Protesters at Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre. Image source: ABC News.

New Indigenous aged care home – Whynnum

The former Wynnum Hospital site has been handed over to the Winnam Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Corporation, as the site will be used for a new indigenous health and aged care facility. The hospital will be demolished and a new health hub and 30-bed residential aged care facility, including palliative care beds, will be built.

“The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recommended the aged care system improve their specific provisions for the diverse needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – and we are doing just that,” said Aged Care Minister Anika Wells.

“This development is one of four First Nations aged care services across Australia receiving a collective $115m in funding through the Aged Care Capital Assistance Program (ACCAP) to construct new culturally safe, purpose-built facilities. The handover of the site has been a number of years in the making and it’s great to see it finally come to fruition,” said Winnam Chair Aunty Becky. “The planned redevelopment of the site into a wellbeing precinct hub will be a huge asset to the community.”

To view The Weekly Source article Former QLD regional hospital handed over to local community group for new Indigenous aged care home in full click here.

3 ATSI dancers smoking ceremony for handing over of site for new ATSI aged care home


Former QLD regional hospital handed over to local community group for new Indigenous aged care home. Image source: Yvette D’Ath, Facebook – The Weekly Source.

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.

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia – 17 May

Wednesday 17 May 2023 is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. It is an important day to remember why we fight for safe, affirming and culturally appropriate care for all LGBTIQ+ communities.

You can find out how your workplace or organisation can show your support for fighting LGBTQ+ discrimination here. You can also access LGBTIQ+ Health Australia’s website here. LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, (formerly the National LGBTI Health Alliance), is the national peak health organisation in Australia for organisations and individuals that provide health-related programs, services and research focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people and other sexuality, gender and bodily diverse (LGBTIQ+) people and communities.

globe wrapped with rainbow ribbon; text 'international day against homophobia, transphobia & biphobia - 17 May

Image sources: The World Bank and the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

May 9 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Tues 9.5.23

feature tile vector of 12 ATSI women, text 'Wiyi Yani U Thangani National Summit - We Are The Change - National gathering brings "a necessary First Nations gender lens" to everything from housing to education, healing and economic development'

The image in the feature tile is from the Australian Human Rights Commission website Wiyi Yani U Thangani National Summit. We are the change. 9–11 May 2023 webpage.

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.

Gathering has a “necessary First Nations gender lens”

First Nations women have the right to move beyond “holding society together, healing, reducing harms and violence, and guaranteeing cohesion and healthy environments for everyone” and be free to imagine “gender justice”, the social justice commissioner June Oscar says. More than 900 First Nations women are meeting in Canberra this week, the first national gathering of its kind, to bring “a necessary First Nations gender lens” to everything from housing to education, healing and economic development. “There has never been a national action plan or approach to realising the rights of First Nations women and girls,” the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioner Oscar said.

For the past five years, Oscar, a Bunuba woman from the Kimberley, has been developing the Wiyi Yani U Thangani (women’s voices) program. Oscar has consulted more than 2,000 Indigenous women across the nation to identify their greatest needs and aspirations. The Wiyi Yani U Thangani report found that Indigenous women are managing the social health and wellbeing of First Nations communities largely through unpaid and unrecognised work at home, in communities and on country. Without adequate formalised support in place, women are caring for children, elders and those with disabilities, often in overcrowded housing. They are delivering frontline crisis services, supporting family to navigate courts and child protection, as well as maintaining culture.

Oscar says the conference will help design the establishment of the First Nations Gender Justice Institute, based at the Australian National University, to make sure women and girls have a say on the policies and systems that govern their lives and the lives of those they are supporting. “Our vision for the First Nations Gender Justice Institute is that it should be a dedicated independent space for women and girls to talk about issues that affect them and their communities … such as leadership and self-determination, such as women’s knowledges in culture, language, country and water rights, lifting women and their families out of poverty,” Oscar says.

To view The Guardian article National gathering of First Nations women aims to bring ‘gender justice’ to Indigenous issues in full click here. You can watch a livestream of the Wiyi Yani U Thangani National Summit below.

Supporting access to medicines webinar this THURSDAY

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’ was first held on Thursday 4 May.

If you missed it, you can register here for the second webinar being held this:

Thursday 11 May: 12.30pm-1.45pm (AEST)

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

NACCHO tile text 'Hear from the experts to imprve accdess to medicines and medical services for community in the upcoming webinar: Have your say on HTA - Thursday 11 May: 12.30pm-1.45pm (AEST)

Review of funding for mental health services

The Department of Health and Aged Care currently funds mental health and suicide prevention services commissioned through Primary Health Networks (PHNs) and the Integrated Team Care (ITC) program which supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who live with complex chronic conditions and is also commissioned through PHNs.

Ninti One and First Nations Co are undertaking a review of sector funding arrangements a service capability for both programs and the purpose of this review is to explore how the government can best align with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap in the delivery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and suicide prevention services and the ITC program.

Ninti One and First Nations Co are seeking to learn more from you about your perspectives on current and future commissioning arrangements for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Services and the ITC program via a survey response or submission. Your insights will contribute to evidence to inform the review. The survey consists of both multiple choice and free-text and may take approximately 20 minutes to complete, depending on how much information you wish to provide.

You can find out more about the review here and access the survey here.

The survey will remain open until COB Friday 19 May 2023.

Ninti One Limited & First Nations Co logos

An Australia without the RFDS is unthinkable

One of Australia’s most iconic organisations is the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). The RFDS was founded by Reverend John Flynn in Queensland in 1928 and since then it has been an integral part of the landscape – and skies. Reverend Flynn recognised that vast distances and poor communications created intolerable difficulties for the sick or injured in the regions. Almost 100 years on, and even with exponential advances in technology during that time, the RFDS continues to serve a unique purpose – the ability to bring medical care to the most remote parts of Australia, by integrating an airline with intensive care medical services.

Growth in the primary health areas of the organisation means the RFDS helps fill the gap of providing basic GP and dental clinics in locations where it is challenging – or almost impossible – to attract medical professionals to live permanently. In 2022, RFDS facilitated a total of 606 GP and nursing clinics and 151 dental clinics in remote WA. This provided accessible primary care to 8,427 patients who may have otherwise found it challenging to access health services, simply because of where they choose to live.

The RFDS is part of Australia’s broad national health system, and works closely with governments, industry, Aboriginal medical services, primary health networks, local hospital districts, GPs and rural and remote communities.

To view the Business News article An Australia without the Royal Flying Doctor Service is unthinkable – let’s keep it flying high click here.

RFDS dental assistant & dentist, ATSI patient & patient's mother

L-R: RFDS dental assistant Wendy Andrews, dentist Vincenzo Figliomeri, Sonya Williams (standing) and patient Chervina Wongawol. Image source: Business News.

WA prisons mental health emergency

Content warning: This article contains reference to suicide. Please refer to the services at the bottom of this article for support.

A series of suicides in WA’s Serco-operated Acacia Prison will be highlighted by human rights lawyers and a bereaved family this week as the WA Coroner examines the death of nineteen-year-old Noongar and Wirlomin man, Stanley Inman Jnr. On 11 July 2020 Mr Inman was found in a critical condition in a prison storeroom and he died in hospital two days later.

His sister has said she attempted to speak to an Aboriginal Liaison Officer about her concerns regarding her brother’s mental health just days before his deaths. In a statement, Mr Inman’s family said on Monday: “We as a family have stood alongside those other families also affected by this great epidemic and injustice against Indigenous men, women, youth, and children of this country. We simply just don’t understand how to others he has just become a statistic.”

National Justice Project chief executive and Principal Solicitor, George Newhouse, has called on the WA Minister for Corrective Services, Bill Johnston, to take urgent action to address the “mental health emergency” unfolding in WA prisons. “How many more suicides will it take before the WA government acts? We need Aboriginal Medical Services available in prisons to provide the culturally safe care that WA prisons are incapable of delivering,” he said.

To view the National Indigenous Times article WA prisons mental health emergency under the microscope at inquest into death of Aboriginal teenager in full click here.

black and white blurred image of person behind bars

Image source: ABC News.

If this article brought up anything for you or someone you love, please reach out to, call or visit the online resources listed below for support:

13YARN – 13 92 76, 13yarn.org.au

Lifeline – 13 11 14, lifeline.org.au

Beyond Blue – 1300 224 636, beyondblue.org.au/forums

MensLine – 1300 789 978

Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800

Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467

VACCHO backs state’s drug reforms

The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) welcomed the passage of the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Medically Supervised Injecting Centre) Bill 2023 last Thursday night. The new law will make the North Richmond Safe Injection Room facility permanent and widen eligibility criteria to provide “vital lifesaving healthcare to vulnerable members of the community”, VACCHO said.

The proposed amendments to the Bill are based on recommendations of an independent review of the facility by renowned public health researcher John Ryan. The Fatal overdose among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Victoria 2018–2021 report states a majority of the fatal overdoses amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were unintentional. VACCHO Executive Director of Social and Emotional Wellbeing, Sheree Lowe, said this year’s Coroners Court of Victoria report demonstrated that Aboriginal families in Victoria “continue to be severely impacted by addiction”.

“The North Richmond initiative is one important part of a multifaceted services system to help manage the complex forms of trauma that lead to addiction. This service along with holistic supports are required to provide important life-saving support to community,” Ms Lowe said. VACCHO noted in a statement on Friday that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience fatal overdoses at a rate more than three times higher than non-Indigenous people. “In 2023, the significant disparity between Aboriginal and non-Indigenous people should not exist,” the organisation said.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Victorian Aboriginal health peak body backs state’s drug reforms in full click here.

VACCHO HQ Melbourne - external view

VACCHO HQ Melbourne. Image source: VACCHO 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.

May 5 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Heart Week 2023 – learn about ARF and RHD

feature tile NACCHO generated ARF and RHD logo; text 'For Heart Week 2023 NACCHO is encouraging everyone to learn more about ARF and RHD'

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.

Heart Week 2023 – learn about ARF and RHD

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are entirely preventable conditions, and only occur in high income countries when the social and cultural determinants of health are not equitably addressed.

In 2022, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reported the number of cases of ARF and RHD increased nationally from 2016–2020, with 92% of ARF diagnoses occurring in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and diagnoses of RHD 15 times more likely to occur than for non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the same period. This is why it’s so important the ACCHO sector is co-designing approaches to prevent and manage ARF and RHD in Australia.

ARF occurs as an immunological response to a Group A Streptococcal (GAS) infection (be it of the skin or throat).

People affected by ARF usually present with a range of non-specific symptoms and signs, including fever, painful and tender joints, rash, chest pain, shortness of breath, tiredness, and jerky body movements. These symptoms can be easy to ignore so please check in with a health professional if you are worried. Ask the question: could this be ARF?

RHD occurs when the heart valves are damaged by recurrent, untreated episodes of ARF. Whilst effective treatments exist to prevent people diagnosed with ARF from developing RHD, ARF is too often misdiagnosed and mismanaged in Australia. Once the heart valves are damaged, there is no cure. However high quality, holistic care can prevent worsening of the valve damage and ensure people living with RHD can live a happy and healthy life.

For this year’s Heart Week, we are encouraging everyone to learn more about ARF and RHD.

If you have a sore throat or skin sores, visit the clinic and get it checked out.

Have a yarn with your health worker about getting a 715 health check. This could help diagnose ARF and RHD early and ensure you get the right treatment.

If you get ARF or RHD, regular antibiotics (injections or oral) can protect your heart valves and prevent worsening damage.

If you are pregnant or planning to start a family, have a yarn with your GP to check your heart for RHD as early as possible to plan for a safe pregnancy. If you have RHD, it will be important to get regular check-ups during pregnancy to protect your heart from further damage.

For further information, contact the NACCHO RHD team by email here.

tile text 'Heart Week 2023'

Scale of preventable blindness in Australia is massive

Urgent action is required to address the systemic barriers deterring access to eye health care in Australia, write Dr Gifar Hassan and Clinical Professor Leanne Rowe AM. For many years, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) and other eye health organisations have highlighted the massive scale of preventable blindness in Australia, including increasing diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and uncorrected refractive error.

After three years of reduced patient access to preventive eye care and elective eye surgery due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, medical practitioners at the front line of health care are increasingly recognising the fire impact of undiagnosed and untreated visual impairment. This includes falls, motor vehicle and other accidents and injuries, medication error, deterioration of other comorbid disorders due to inactivity, mental health problems, loss of independence and prolonged hospitalisation to name a few.

Based on what is known about the increasing prevalence of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration in our aging population, it is likely millions of Australians are missing out on routine eye screening, follow-up and treatment, particularly in regional and rural areas. As many disadvantaged people continue to have inadequate access to health care as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is also impossible to estimate the true extent of undiagnosed eye disease in vulnerable groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, ethnic minorities, and those with lower incomes.

To view the InSight article Medicare limitations causing preventable blindness in full click here.

ATSI man having eye test

Image source: Flinders University News webpage.

Attorneys General meeting to address justice reform

Last Friday (28 April 2023) the Standing Council of Attorneys General (SCAG), made up of Commonwealth Attorney General Mark Dreyfus and the AGs from each state and territory, met in Darwin. All Attorneys General present agreed “significant and transformational criminal justice reform” is needed to correct the ongoing impacts of the current system on First Nations people.

Currently, targets 10 and 11 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody, “is going backwards”, according to the Council. At the adoption of the agreement in mid-2020, after more than a decade of steps towards it, the most recent set of Australian Bureau of Statistics data recorded an imprisonment rate of 2.2% among all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults. In the most recent set of data, from the December 2022 quarter, the number had risen to close to 2.4%. In June 2022, more than 32% of all prisoners in the country were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Council acknowledged the “significant role” they play in reducing the rate of First Nations adults in custody by at least 15% by 2031. “All Attorneys-General acknowledged the need to do better, collectively, to improve justice outcomes for First Nations Australians,” the SCAG said in a statement. Central to realising targets set out by the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, and a key pillar to incorporating principles and shared decision-making, is the Justice Policy Partnership (JJP) body made up of Coalition of Peaks (Indigenous peak bodies), coalition-appointed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experts, and Australian, state and territory governments.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Attorneys General meeting flags reforms to reduce Indigenous incarceration rate, raising age of criminal responsibility in full click here.

ATSI man's arms / hands though jail bars

Image source: Law Society Journal Online.

Measure aims to protect against heart disease

The Albanese Government is acting to protect Australians against our country’s biggest killer – heart disease. As part of the 2023–24 Budget, the Albanese Government will extend the Medicare rebate (items 177 and 699) for heart health assessments until 30 June 2025. Each day 438 Australians are hospitalised with coronary heart disease. Heart disease is responsible for almost 1 in 10 deaths and for 6% of Australia’s total disease burden. Many Australians don’t know they are at risk of heart disease, as some factors – such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol – might not be noticeable without a medical assessment.

An assessment of a patient’s heart health with a general practitioner (GP) will help to identify the risk of heart attack or stroke in those patients who haven’t previously been diagnosed with heart disease. The Check takes less than 30 minutes with a GP and is the nation’s best tool for preventing heart disease. GPs can then work with their patients to make changes to their lifestyle or prescribe medicines to lower any identified risk of heart disease.

The items will also be amended to remove restrictions preventing First Nations people from claiming a heart health assessment within 12 months of an annual health check for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, supporting the earlier diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease in First Nations people.

To view Minister Butler’s media release Protecting Australians against heart disease in full click here.

red heart stress toy sitting on trace of heart rate, stethoscope

Photo: Krisanapong Detraphiphat – Getty Images. Image source: Prevention website.

Rural and remote deserve health reform that works

Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH) has welcomed the focus National Cabinet is giving to system-wide health reform. It was reinforced at their meeting of Friday 28 April and demonstrated by the announcement of $2.2b in extra Commonwealth funding to improve access health care in the community when and where people need it. Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Mark Butler MP, elaborated on the urgency for action and the proposed direction of reform in his address to the National Press Club on Tuesday 2 May, revealing more can be expected when the Federal Budget is announced next week.

Reforming our health system is a priority long overdue. Our system faces mounting pressures. Ministers acknowledge that key components are no longer fit-for-purpose, and this is putting the entire system at risk. Existing gaps in access and service capacity – long evident and unresolved – must be addressed.

On 4 April 2023, SARRAH convened a roundtable meeting of rural and remote health care providers and workforce organisations. Two things framed our discussion:

1. Chronic and continuing service and workforce shortages in rural and remote Australia – which contribute to, and correlate closely with, poor health and wellbeing outcomes across communities.

2. Current system and policy reform agendas – at the inter-government, intra-government and cross-sector levels which have the potential to enable more equitable, effective and sustainable health and care systems than have been achieved through the policy and delivery frameworks operating over recent decades.

To view the SARRAH media release People living in rural and remote Australia deserve primary health reform that works for them in full click here.

bitumen road through outback Australia

Image source: The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre 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.

Save the Date – NACCHO Members’ Conference 2023

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Monday 𝟮𝟯 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿
𝗔𝗚𝗠: Tuesday 𝟮𝟰 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿
𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Wednesday 𝟮𝟱 October Thursday 𝟮𝟲 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿

This year’s Youth Conference, AGM and NACCHO Members’ Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency, Noongar Boodjar (Perth).

The conference brings together people working in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector to network, showcase, learn and celebrate the impact of our work on improving health and wellbeing across the country.

Registrations and sponsorship opportunities will open soon.

For up-to-date information about the conference visit the NACCHO website here.

Or follow us on social media here.

If you have any queries, please contact the NACCHO Conference Team by email here.

save the date tile: NACCHO Members' Conference 2023 26-28 October, Noongar Boodjar (Perth); photo of Perth at night in the background; graphic gold Aboriginal dot wave

May 4 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Funding to eliminate HIV transmission

feature tile, HIV under microscope; text 'Additional $19.7m to improve access to HIV, BBV and STI testing, treatment, information and care'

The feature tile includes a colourised transmission electron micrograph image showing HIV particles (in blue) budding from a white blood cell. Image source: Australian Academy of Science webpage Zero HIV transmissions in Australia by 2020.

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

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

Funding to eliminate HIV transmission

The Australian Government is delivering on its commitment to eliminate HIV transmission in Australia, and address the health disparities experienced by LGBTIQA+ people. An additional $19.7m in the 2023–24 Budget will ensure better access to HIV testing, treatment and information, including support for the HIV workforce and to continue to address other Blood Borne Virus (BBV) and Sexually Transmissible Infections (STI).

The Government will:

  • expand access to HIV treatment for people who are ineligible for Medicare to ensure no one is left behind
  • extend the HIV testing vending machine pilot to increase access to HIV testing for students in South Australia
  • fund the Emen8 website, a critical information hub for sharing HIV information for members of the LGBTIQA+ community
  • fund the HIV Online Learning Australia program to provide up-to-date education and training for the HIV workforce
  • provide additional support for BBV and STI peaks ($2.9 million) including for the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) and National Association of People with HIV in Australia (NAPWHA) to drive the national response
  • provide funding to ACCHOs for BBV and STI testing, treatment and care services for First Nations Australians ($5.0 million).

This investment continues the implementation of the Eighth National HIV Strategy (2018–2022), and provides a platform for the important work of the HIV Taskforce, announced by the Government in December 2022, encompassing the development of the Ninth National HIV Strategy. It will bring Australia closer to its goal of ending HIV transmission by 2030.

The Government is also developing the 10 Year National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ people and will establish an LGBTIQA+ Health Advisory Group to break down barriers to accessing health care.

To view Minister Butler’s media release Eliminating HIV transmission and ensuring health equity for LGBTIQA+ Australians in full click here.

blue gloved hand holding 4 vials of blood with labels HCV,HBV, Syphilis & HIV

Image source: PHN North Western Melbourne website.

$15m+ to improve health infrastructure

Ten new major capital works projects will improve health infrastructure in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the country. Projects include building and renovating clinics, constructing houses for health workers, improving ventilation and cooling in clinics and building the overall capacity of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS). More than $15m will be provided to successful applicants through today’s announcement of Round 1 of the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme – Closing the Gap – Major Capital Works (MCW) program. These projects are the first of the 52 grants which were announced at the Joint Council on Closing the Gap last December, totalling more than a $120m investment.

The existing stock of ACCHS infrastructure is between 20–40 years old and in significant need of repair, reconstruction and/or enhancement. Ongoing rounds of capital works will provide better care for First Nations patients and attract and retain essential health workers in some of the most remote communities in Australia.

Deteriorating and inadequate infrastructure can compromise service delivery, pose safety risks for patients and staff, and inhibit efforts to attract workers. Best practice clinical care can also be compromised by the inability to accommodate an increase in patients and deliver multidisciplinary integrated care. The grants have been co-designed in partnership with NACCHO on behalf of the ACCHS sector. Once completed, the projects will provide First Nations people with culturally safe care in quality surroundings, particularly in remote and very remote locations.

To view Minister Burney’s media release $15.45 million for major capital works in First Nations communities in full click here.

old Armajun Health Service building & new health clinic completed June 2021

Armajun Aboriginal Health Service (AAHS) moved into a new building in June 2021. Image source: AAHS website.

Study highlights success of youth program

Minister for Police and Corrective Services, Mark Ryan, says a State Government funded youth program involving a partnership between Queensland Police and the Johnathan Thurston Academy has been proven to significantly reduce juvenile offending among its participants.

The University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) conducted an independent review into the JT Academy initiative, You Got This, developed in 2021 and sponsored by the QPS. The program is designed to boost the courage and self-belief of disadvantaged young people aged between nine and 16 years. The study found significant reductions in criminal offending by at-risk teenagers taking part in the You Got This program in Cairns.

17 You Got This programs have been delivered across Queensland, including Cairns, Mareeba, Mount Isa, Townsville, Logan, Zillmere and Brisbane City. Jonathan Thurston said he is “so proud of the young people who are showing up to this program and keep showing up
for themselves.” He said, “This is an amazing group of young adults with so much potential. To see the changes they’re making in themselves and their commitment to take a different direction in life just blows my mind.”

To view the Minister for Police and Corrective Services and Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, the Hon. Mark Ryan’s media release Study finds success in Far North youth program in full click here.

Johnathan Thurstan at Yarrabah PCYC last week for YouGotThis Program

Johnathan Thurstan at Yarrabah PCYC last week for YouGotThis Program. Image source: Cairns Post.

ALOs linked to drop in hospital self-discharges

Dr Morgan Berman, an orthopaedic registrar at the hospital, said prior to the introduction of liaison officers a high percentage of Indigenous patients were self-discharging before their treatment had concluded, and in some cases even before surgeries. “Risk factors for self-discharge were younger in age, pensioners or unemployed. They were more likely to be residents of Alice Springs town camps or live in communities within 51–100km of Alice Springs Hospital,” he said. “Some Indigenous men and women are sceptical of Australia’s health care system. The ALOs played a key role brokering appropriate treatment and insured significantly fewer Indigenous patients self-discharged before they had concluded treatment.”

As part of his research, which was unveiled at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Annual Scientific Congress in Adelaide this week, Dr Berman analysed patients who had been admitted to the hospital in the nine months prior to the ALOs introduction, and in the nine months following. He found there had been a 37% reduction in self-discharge among Indigenous patients.

The above has been extracted from the article Self-discharges drop by more than a third at Alice Springs Hospital published earlier today in The Chronicle.

main entrance to Alice Springs Hospital at night

Alice Springs Hospital. Image source: The Daily Telegraph.

Adequate health support in jail not a given

Aboriginal organisations are “fighting for scraps” and prisoners are crying out for better health support while authorities funnel millions into a $1.1b jail sitting idle in Victoria. The decision to build Western Plains Correctional Centre was made pre-COVID-19 when detainee numbers were increasing, Corrections Victoria Commissioner Larissa Strong explained yesterday. Inquiry commissioner Travis Lovett suggested the same amount of money could have made a huge difference to the land’s traditional owners, the Wadawurrung people. Aboriginal organisations were missing out in the meantime, he said.

Commissioners also noted prisoners had to fight to get adequate health support in jail. Commissioner Sue-Anne Hunter said detainees were “crying out for mental health facilities, putting in form after form, not wanting to complain and not wanting to upset any prison guard because they know that their form won’t get through”. Officials conceded that while they were exploring whether there could be direct Aboriginal Health Service delivery within prisons, a recently signed primary health contract had a five-year lifespan.

Ms Strong accepted it could be of great benefit to Aboriginal prisoners if they were able to serve sentences in the community. As of Monday, more than 820 Aboriginal people were in adult prisons in Victoria, representing 12.5% of the state’s entire prison population, she said. Earlier, Youth Justice officials told the inquiry they were determined to achieve zero Aboriginal young people in custody, regardless of legislative change.

To view the Kyabram Free Press article Prisoner health neglected while $1.1b jail sits idle in full click here.

main entrance of Western Plains Correctional Centre

Image source: Community Safety Building Authority, Victoria State Government website.

Vaping crackdown draws global acclaim

In the most significant tobacco and vaping control reforms in years, the Albanese Government has announced a range of measures aimed at reducing the prevalence of tobacco use, its associated harms and reducing the risk of a new generation of people becoming addicted to nicotine. The Government will work with state and territory governments to restrict the import and sale of vaping products, increase minimum quality standards for e-cigarettes to make them less appealing, reduce allowed nicotine concentrations and ban all single use, disposable e-cigarettes.

Many public health leaders have welcomed the news, including the World Health Organization’s Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Emeritus Professor Simon Chapman, a longstanding advocate for tobacco control, said in a statement: “Like plain packaging, countries around the world will be lining up to copy Australia. The Government has again stared down Big Tobacco. All companies wanted to be able to sell these products through cooperative retail outlets with years of form in selling tobacco and illegal vapes to kids.”

Dr Raglan Maddox, program lead of the Tobacco Free Program at the Australia National University, said: “We know that people who don’t smoke but use e-cigarettes are around three times as likely to take up smoking as those who don’t use e-cigarettes…these measures are a much welcome step toward accelerating reductions in tobacco use”.

Speaking ahead of his Douglas Gordon Oration at the Preventive Health Conference on Kaurna Country on Thursday, Emeritus Professor Mike Daube AO said the Government’s announcement on tobacco and vaping “is the best news the public health community has had in years”. While welcoming the vaping reforms, the Alcohol and Drug Foundation said that it is important for adequate support to be in place for people who developed a nicotine dependence through vaping.

To view the Croakey Health Media article Crackdown on vaping and tobacco industries draws global acclaim in full click here.

vapes sitting on wooden table top

Image source: Bowman Dental.

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.

Apr 28 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Building a sustainable SEWB workforce

feature tile native leaves on bark; text 'Research identifies ways to grow a sustainable, empowered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing workforce'

The image in the feature tile is from the cover of the KAMS and TIMHWB booklet Social and Emotional Wellbeing: A Welcome Guide for the Aboriginal Workforce – updated July 2022.

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.

“It’s Us, Or Maybe No One”

Recent research has explored experiences of Aboriginal peoples employed in Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) service delivery to identify enablers, challenges, and requirements of growing a sustainable, and empowered SEWB workforce. The researchers used a yarning methodology with seven Aboriginal SEWB workers purposively recruited from ACCHOs (including Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services(KAMS), Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, Derby Aboriginal Health Services, Yuru Yungi Medical Services, and Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service) located across the Kimberley region of WA.

The researchers concluded that SEWB services, as delivered by Aboriginal peoples within ACCHOs, have great potential to comprehensively meet the health and wellbeing needs of Aboriginal peoples and communities. To optimally undertake their role, Aboriginal SEWB staff need to: have a clear understanding of their role; good relationships within their workplace; relevant sector knowledge; a strong sense of cultural safety within the workplace; and access to meaningful professional development. Understanding the barriers and enablers experienced by SEWB staff provides a platform to meaningfully develop the future Aboriginal SEWB workforce, and delivery of SEWB services.

You can view the research article It’s Us, Or Maybe No One’: Yarning With Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Workers From the  Kimberley Region of Western Australia in full here and the relevant Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet webpage here.

You can also access a KAMS and the Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing project (TIMHWB) project developed Social and Emotional Wellbeing: A Welcome Guide for the Aboriginal Workforce developed by KAMS and the Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing (TIMHWB) project here.

tile with graphic Aboriginal art orange, avocado, brown colours; text 'Social and Emotional Wellbeing'

Image source: Aboriginal Health Council of WA Social and Emotional Wellbeing webpage.

Local decision-making leading to better health

Positive outcomes are being observed in the community of Groote Archipelago coming as a result of local decision-making over health, law and justice, education, housing, and economic development.  Throughout 2022 the NT government and Anindilyakwa Land Council (ALC) collaborated, utilising the Charles Darwin University Local Decision Making Ground Up Monitoring and Evaluation Final Report, along with extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders in Groote Archipelago to develop the The Groote Archipelago Local Decision Making Progress Report 2018–22, available here.

The Progress Report shows that in just four years there has been significant progress across the Local Decision Making priority areas, with just two of the highlights being:

  • Anindilyakwa Housing Aboriginal Corporation, a nationally accredited community housing provider which employs over 12 Traditional Owners, now managing over 350 community houses on the Groote Archipelago in a culturally appropriate and community led wa
  • the establishment of the Warnumamalya Health Services Aboriginal Corporation, involving a passionate group of Anindilyakwa Traditional Owners. They will advise NT Health though a new Health Advisory Board and lead key priorities in the health and wellbeing space, including aged care and disability support, mental health and substance abuse.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Local decision-making leading to better health outcomes for community in full click here.

Urban mob yarning about FASD prevention

In Australia, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a largely hidden disability that is currently under-recognised, under-resourced, and under- or misdiagnosed. Unsurprisingly, efforts to prevent FASD in urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are lacking. Further, mainstream approaches are not compatible with diverse and distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of approaching family, pregnancy, and parenting life.

To support the creation of culturally appropriate and relevant FASD prevention services for urban Indigenous people, a research team sought to understand local Indigenous perspectives, experiences, and priorities for supporting healthy and alcohol-free pregnancies. Participant yarns highlighted the importance of place, community, culture, and family, and some of the structural factors influencing women’s health behaviors during preconception, pregnancy, and parenting years. Insights from the yarns align with an Indigenous health determinants perspective and emerging Indigenous approaches to FASD prevention.

Together, they call for health interventions that are Indigenous-led, culturally centered, holistic, relational, and strengths-based. The findings offer a critical road map for reorientating mainstream FASD prevention work beyond the narrow confines of individualized behavioral change approaches that are prevalent in public health and medical models. Rather, Indigenous approaches to FASD prevention support harm-reduction strategies that are tailored to the lived realities and priorities of urban Indigenous women and their families. This reorientation has important implications for all professionals who work in this space and contributes to the broader movement toward Indigenous justice, recovery, and healing from colonisation.

You can access the research article “Our Mothers Have Handed That to Us. Her Mother Has Handed That to Her”: Urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Yarning about Community Wellbeing, Healthy Pregnancies, and the Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in full here and the relevant Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet webpage here.

Trauma-informed response practices

A practice guide Trauma-informed practices for responding to difficult situations. has been developed by the Sydney: Network of Alcohol and Other Drugs Agencies. The practice guide contains information and advice on providing safe and inclusive service environments for people accessing support, their networks, and staff, and provides practical tips for preventing and responding to difficult situations using a trauma-informed, person-centered, and strength-based approach.

The practice guide discusses:

  • understanding trauma and its effects
  • core principles of trauma-informed care
  • the importance of language
  • responding to difficult situations
  • worker wellbeing
  • links to other resources, information and support services.

The guide includes feedback from people with lived experience of accessing non-government services and what they consider to be important tips for best practice trauma-informed care.

You can access the Trauma-informed practices for responding to difficult situations practice guide here and the relevant Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet webpage here.

Organisations lack focus on diversity and inclusion

Although over three-quarters of HR professionals believe diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is either fairly important or very important to the future success of their organisation research reveals only half of Human Resources (HR) professionals say they have observed their organisation’s leaders prioritising DEI in the workplace. In a survey the Australian HR Institute (AHRI) shared that almost half of HR professionals surveyed said their organisation lacked focus on DEI, with DEI initiatives in Australia focused largely on gender disparity. Less emphasis is placed on under-represented groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people living with disability, LGBTQIA+ people, and those from lower socio-economic status households.

atWork Australia is one company that works with clients to improve diversity and inclusion in Australian businesses, and find creative solutions so everyone can find employment that is right for them. William (Billy) a 57 year-old, proud Kaniyang Elder from WA is one of the almost 11.6m Australians living with a chronic health condition. After working in a number of casual positions, Billy sought support from atWork Australia’s Katanning office in January 2022, hoping to secure full time employment. Billy had no significant work experience when he met with atWork Australia Job Coach, Chelsey, to develop a tailored plan and goals that reflected his interests and values. With Chelsey’s support to build his confidence and acknowledge his capabilities, Billy applied for a position at the local cultural and visitor centre.

To view The National Tribune article Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people who identify as having disability or are neurodiverse are among the most underrepresented groups… in full click here. You can also read more about Billy’s story at the atWork Australia’s webpage Billy celebrates a year in meaningful employment here.

atWork Australia logo & portrait of Kaniyang Elder Billy

atWork Australia client, Kaniyang Elder Billy. Image source: atWork Australia.

Target 120 program for Derby

Emama Nguda Aboriginal Corporation will lead the rollout of the State Government’s $43m youth offending reduction program, Target 120, in Derby, WA. Announced yesterday, the local not-for-profit, which has been operating in the Derby community for more than 20 years, will become just the second ACCO to take over local management of the program after MG Corporation took the reigns in Kununurra in June last year.

Those delivering the program work across services and agencies to tackle the factors that can increase a young person’s likelihood of offending, which include substance abuse, poor attendance at school, lack of housing, family and domestic violence, trauma and mental health issues. To date, nearly half of the participants in Target 120 have had no further contact with police since their commencement in the program.

Launched in 2017, Target 120 is an early intervention program that aims to reduce rates of youth reoffending by connecting at-risk young people with services and support. Kimberley MLA Divina D’Anna said locally-led initiatives were the best way to address the complex issues of youth crime. “I look forward to seeing Emama Nguda Aboriginal Corporation working closely with local young people and their families to help make a positive difference in their lives,” she said.

To view The National Indigenous Times article Emama Nguda Aboriginal Corporation to deliver Target 120 program in Derby to reduce youth offending in full click here. and a related article in the Broome Advertiser here.

MG Corp youth program manager Marcia Gerrard, Community Services Minister Sabine Winton and Kimberley MLA Divina D'Anna

MG Corp youth program manager Marcia Gerrard, Community Services Minister Sabine Winton and Kimberley MLA Divina D’Anna. Image source: The West Australian.

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.

Mar 31 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Telehealth review shows we could do better

feature tile - Dr assessing cut Aboriginal hand on computer screen; text 'telehealth a game changer for many First Nations people but review shows we could do better'

The image in the feature tile is from an article Telehealth a game changer: closing the gap in remote Aboriginal communities published in The Medical Journal of Australia on 31 March 2019.

Dr Angus Turner assessing an ultra widefield retinal scan at the Northwest Eye Hub in the Kimberleys.

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.

Telehealth review shows we could do better

Telehealth has been a game changer for many First Nations people globally, including in Australia. It has allowed First Nations people to access health care close to home – whether that’s screening for health issues, diagnosing illness or monitoring existing conditions. It has done this while minimising exposure to COVID. Telehealth uses information and communication technology to deliver health care at a distance. In Australia, this is mainly via phone and video consultations. Telehealth can be delivered by any health-care provider including doctors, nurses, and allied health or ancillary health providers. Telehealth is not a complete replacement for in-person care. But it can be used instead of some face-to-face appointments.

ACCHOs have traditionally provided primary (initial) health care and some specialist care for First Nations people in Australia. Telehealth allows them to provide a greater range of specialist services. So, this allows First Nations people access to care close to home, with optional support from an Indigenous health worker.

A recent review of telehealth for First Nations people – in Australia, Canada, NZ and the US – shows we could do better. Unreliable internet access, services designed without meaningful First Nations’ input, and concerns about establishing rapport with health workers were some of the concerns.

To view The National Tribune article Telehealth has much to offer First Nations people. But technical glitches and a lack of rapport can get in the way in full click here.

stethoscope on wooden surface wrapped around mobile phone with vector stethoscope on its screen

Image source: The University of Queensland Australia, UQ News webpage.

NT-specific solution to health staff shortages

Finding solutions to the dire challenges facing the health workforce in rural and remote areas to better support Territorians, particularly First Nations people, is the focus of the Better Health Futures Symposium being held in Alice Springs today. The Symposium will bring together the diverse perspectives and experience of influential leaders, rural and remote health experts, educators and researchers to address health challenges spanning the NT.

For instance high staff turnover, high job vacancy rates and low staff retention resulting in critical staff shortages. Plus a decline in Aboriginal health practitioners and international medical graduates, clinic closures, clients not visiting a GP and lacking care plans for chronic conditions. The Symposium is presented by Charles Darwin University (CDU) in partnership with Menzies School of Health Research, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC), Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) and NT Health.

AMSANT Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr Donna Ah Chee said the Symposium will help address major health issues, such as the life expectancy of First Nations people in the NT. “While the life expectancy gap in the Northern Territory is still unacceptable there has been substantial improvement over the past two decades, with a nine-year improvement in life expectancy for men and almost five years for women,” Dr Ah Chee said. “Our sector has been critical in leading these gains. However the progress we have made will stall if we do not urgently address the workforce crisis we are now facing. Many of our services are facing severe shortages of health professionals, leading to reduced services and temporary clinic closures.”

To view the CDU article Health workforce lift for NT in Alice Springs in full click here.

3 ATSI participants (2 young females, 1 male) at 2023 Better Futures Symposium, Alice Springs

The 2023 Better Health Futures Symposium in Alice Springs aims to build a robust rural and remote health workforce in, and for, the NT. Image source: CDU Australia News webpage.

Emerging leaders hope to make communities better

Emerging Indigenous leaders from across the Big Rivers region are among a group of 24 participants of the 2023 First Circles Leadership Program. The program aims to build leadership skills and bring new voices from remote communities to the Territory conversation on matters affecting Aboriginal Territorians.

This year, education, health services, infrastructure, housing and telecommunications will be among the topics discussed at the regional workshops, which take place in Darwin, Katherine, Nhulunbuy and Alice Springs until November. The year-long series of intensive workshops culminate in the group addressing all Ministers in the Northern Territory Government Cabinet, presenting ideas on policies, projects and initiatives that could positively impact their communities.

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Selena Uibo, a First Circles graduate herself, said he had learned firsthand how important this program was in “fostering the next generation of Aboriginal leaders. The program gave me an invaluable opportunity to hone my leadership skills and to work with Government at a grassroots level,” she said. “I look forward to supporting new voices to join the conversation about how to improve lives in remote communities.”

To view the Katherine Times article Emerging leaders hope to ‘make communities better for everyone’ click here.

2023 First Circles Leadership Program participant Leon Kinthari from Wadeye

Leon Kinthari from Wadeye said he joined the 2023 First Circles Leadership Program in a bid to build his skills. Image source: Katherine Times.

World-first framework for remote nursing

The National Rural Health Alliance (the Alliance) congratulates the Government, the National Rural Health Commissioner and all the professional bodies that have worked together to release the National Rural and Remote Nursing Generalist Framework 2023–2027. This Framework supports registered nurses to work to their full ability in rural and remote healthcare settings.

“We see this as a step in the right direction in building a multidisciplinary model of care in rural and remote settings,” said Alliance Chief Executive Susanne Tegen. “We would like to congratulate and we appreciate the work of Minister Emma McBride and Assistant Minister Ged Kearney in working with grassroots nurses, medical and allied health professionals – including dentists, paramedics and pharmacists – to bring sustainable solutions to the healthcare inequities seen in rural Australia,” said Ms Tegen.

The Alliance advocates for the Primary care Rural Integrated Multidisciplinary Health Services (PRIM-HS) model, which is an evidence-based and community-led policy and funding solution to support primary care where markets are failing or communities are without medical and healthcare services. It aims to overcome the professional, financial and social barriers to working rurally. The Framework aligns with the Alliance’s advocacy efforts to bring this multidisciplinary model of care to rural communities and we seek government funding and support to promote PRIM-HS nationwide.

You can view the NRHA media release More support for nurses under world-first framework for rural and remote nursing in full click here.

Fewer kids in detention but more support needed

The number of young people coming into contact with the criminal justice system has fallen in the past five years. However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children continue to be over-represented under youth justice supervision in every state and territory, according to data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

Indigenous people aged 10-17 are about 24 times more likely to be in detention than other young people. On an average day in 2021-22, almost two-thirds (60%) of people aged 10-17 in detention were Indigenous compared with almost one-third (32%) of adults in prison, the report found. Palawa elder and Amnesty International Australia Indigenous advisor Rodney Dillon said the underlying causes of poverty and inequality needed to be addressed.

Arrernte/Luritja woman Catherine Liddle is the CEO of SNAICC – National Voice for our Children, the peak body that represents Indigenous children in out-of-home care. Ms Liddle said research has consistently shown Indigenous children were more likely than other Australian children to be in out-of-home care, which is a major contributing factor to coming into contact with the criminal justice system. “What we need to do is be putting the dollars into early intervention and looking at ways that we strengthen families so that children don’t hit child protection systems, but rather have the supports that they and their families need,” she said.

To view The Islander article Fewer kids in detention but more support needed click here.

children's hands on bars - one set of hands are Aboriginal

Image source: Law Society of NSW Journal Online.

GRAMS launch competition for No Tobacco Day

As World No Tobacco Day approaches, the Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (GRAMS) has thought of a unique approach to tackle smoking in the community with a recipe competition and free cookbook. GRAMS has launched the recipe competition to coincide with this year’s World No Tobacco Day theme of We Want Food Not Tobacco, and are seeking the community’s best recipe entries.

The competition began on Tuesday 7 March and will end on Friday 21 April, with a Tackling Indigenous Smoking Cookbook to be released on Wednesday 31 May during World No Tobacco Day. GRAMS is asking the community to ditch the smokes and get their recipes into the competition, with weekly prizes for the winning recipe. Recipes include family favourites, healthy snacks, sauces and traditional food.

Tackling Indigenous Smoking acting co-ordinator Brent Walker said anyone could submit a recipe and he hoped to see a variety of healthy, traditional food from the local area such as bush fruits, herbs and spices. Mr Walker said GRAMS took up the idea to raise awareness that cigarettes were not that important and to send a message to give up smoking. “It’s making parents and adults aware that providing food for their kids is more important than buying smokes, they’re getting expensive and kids are going to school hungry,” he said.

To view The West Australian article Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service launch recipe competition for World No Tobacco Day in full click here.

GRAMS employees Brent Walker, Levi Thorne and Neau Simpson

GRAMS employees Brent Walker, Levi Thorne and Neau Simpson. Photo: Tamati Smith, Regional Hub. Image source: The West Australian.

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.

Mar 28 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: SA first state to establish Voice to Parliament

crowd with Aboriginal flags at announcement of SA Indigenous Voice to Parliament

The image in the feature tile is taken from an article South Australia becomes the first state to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament published in the National Indigenous Times on 26 March 2023. Photo: Matt Turner (AAP).

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.

SA first state to establish Voice to Parliament

SA has become the first Australian jurisdiction to establish an Indigenous Voice to parliament, with premier Peter Malinauskas declaring it a “momentous” event. The SA government’s legislation passed the House of Assembly and was immediately given assent by Governor Frances Adamson in a public ceremony before a large crowd who had gathered to witness the event outside parliament house in Adelaide on Sunday.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said that “…the way we pay our respects…is not with our words, but in our deeds. And there are no more powerful deeds than SA becoming the first place in our nation to pass a law enshrining an Indigenous voice to our parliament.” The premier also lamented that while “almost all of us” had experienced Australian prosperity, the Bill marked just one a step towards addressing the gross inequalities faced by First Nations people.

“It is an even more remarkable Australian tragedy, that the one group of people that have been left most behind for the last 200 years, are the very people, who for over 65,000 years have provided great care and custodianship to the land we stand on today,” he said. He later wrote on social media: “Put simply, our First Nations people deserve the right to have a say on the issues that affect their lives. They will now have the opportunity to speak directly to decision makers at the highest levels of in this State.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article South Australia becomes the first state to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in full click here.

SA Premier Peter Malinauskas addressing crowd at lectern after the establishment of SA's Voice to Parliament

SA Premier Peter Malinauskas speaks after the establishment of SA’s Voice to Parliament. Photo: Matt Turner (AAP). Image source: National Indigenous Times.

CAAC supports vision loss prevention resources

Anmatyerre artist Curtis Haines sees a lack of hope in his community among people who have low vision or are blind. “I feel bad because I can see,” he said. “I want others to see too, what I see.” Indigenous Australians suffer from low vision or blindness at three times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians. Now, Haines is part of a collaboration between Vision Australia and the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC) to create artwork and help close the gap.

Ellie Hudson is a vision loss specialist with Vision Australia, working with Congress, which is based in Alice Springs. She said the artworks were an important way of reducing the stigma around poor vision in First Nations people. “People don’t talk up much about eyes,” Ms Hudson said. “We want to say it’s alright, you can talk about it, and you can get help.”

The artworks will feature information on how to maintain eye health, as well as steps to seek help and receive treatment. They will also feature images showcasing connection to country, like hunting and connecting with family — aimed at demonstrating what can still be done if vision loss is prevented, or when treatment is completed.

To view the ABC News story Alice Springs Aboriginal artist develops health promotion material for vision loss prevention in full click here.

Ellie Hudson & Curtis Haines, Vision Australia

Ellie Hudson and Curtis Haines. Photo: Lara Stimpson, ABC Alice Springs.

AMA: ‘crumbling’ health system needs urgent funding

Expectations are growing that the upcoming May federal budget will be a ‘health budget’ after a slew of reports indicating that the Australian health system is “crumbling beyond repair”. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) President, Professor Steve Robson, said the health system requires urgent funding now after being in crisis for years, with cracks starting to show even before the pandemic.

He released AMA’s analysis, delivered in a report Australian Public Hospitals in Logjam, that reveals only three of the 201 Australian public hospitals analysed are delivering care within recommended timeframes. The AMA’s report is not the only one to highlight the dire state of the public health system. Also in February, were two reports: one from the Health Services Union (HSU) by Impact Economics and Policy on the NSW health system, entitled Reform Critical – A Fragmented Health System at Breaking Point; the other from independent public policy think-tank The Grattan Institute.

The HSU report called for a Royal Commission into NSW state’s “chronic misallocation of resources and warped priorities” around health. The Grattan Institute report meanwhile indicated that Australia was “sleepwalking into a sicker future that will condemn millions of Australians to avoidable disease and disability”.

To read the mivision The Ophthalmic Journal article Eyes on Federal Budget to Address ‘Crumbling’ Health System in full click here.

bandaid over cracks in concrete wall / path

Image source: mivision The Ophthalmic Journal.

Mob drastically overrepresented in homeless deaths

New research presented at an inquiry into homelessness services has revealed at least 107 homeless or recently homeless people died in Perth in 2022, with 31% of those who died being Aboriginal people. The people were homeless at the time of their deaths or had recently experienced homelessness. The average age of death was 50 years.

The inquiry also heard that well over half of the public housing tenancies terminated in “no grounds evictions” last year were Aboriginal families. House the Homeless WA campaigners Dr Betsy Buchanan OAM and Jesse Noakes gave evidence at the WA Parliamentary Inquiry into the Financial Administration of Homelessness Services explaining how WA housing policy continues “to trap Aboriginal people in the system and makes Closing the Gap impossible”.

House the Homeless WA presented to the inquiry previously unreported data showing the WA housing crisis has “dramatically worsened” in recent years, and unfairly impacts Aboriginal families at “wildly disproportionate rates”; including that more than 50% of all public housing evictions in WA every year under the McGowan government having been Aboriginal tenancies.

To read the National Indigenous Times article Research reveals Indigenous people drastically overrepresented in Perth homeless deaths and evictions in full click here.

homeless person lying on pavement Perth CBD

Homeless person in the Perth CBD. Photo: Graeme Powell, ABC News.

Inaugural Pilbara Aboriginal Health Alliance newsletter

Pilbara Aboriginal Health Alliance (PAHA) Chair, Richard Ansey, says he is proud to introduce readers to the Inaugural Newsletter for PAHA. Mr Ansey goes on to explain the PAHA is a partnership between the three ACCHOs based in the Pilbara, Mawarnkarra Health Service, Wirraka Maya Health Service and Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service, with the purpose of the PAHA being is to provide strong advocacy and support to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait people, families and communities in the Pilbara Region.

Mr Ansey said the Boards and CEOs of the three ACCHOs have worked closely together over the past few years to secure funding to see their vision become a reality and today the PAHA is an established organisation working at a regional, state and federal level.

The newsletter includes:

  • Chair Report – Richard Ansey
  • CEO Report – Chris Pickett
  • Good News – Culture Care Connect program
  • Member Highlights
  • Prime Minister’s visit to Hedland
  • Global Health Challenge

You can view the APHA Newsletter Issue #01 March 2023 by clicking on this link.

L–R: Robby Chibawe CEO PAMS, Joan Hicks CEO MHS, June Councillor WMHSAC, Minister Mark Butler, Chris Pickett CEO PAHA

L–R: Robby Chibawe CEO PAMS, Joan Hicks CEO MHS, June Councillor WMHSAC, Minister Mark Butler, Chris Pickett CEO PAHA. Image source: PAHA Newsletter Issue #1 March 2023.

Alternative to Custody Program sets women on better path

Selina Newcastle knows what captivity feels, smells and sounds like — what an unairconditioned cell in the Central Australian desert does to a person. Taking in a deep breath of air, the 47-year-old Warlpiri woman and ex-prisoner said: “Freedom, it opens your eyes”. Ms Newcastle shared her story to a crowd of legal experts, politicians and government officials at the launch of the Smarter Justice campaign on Monday this week.

After participating in a six-month Alice Springs based diversion program in 2022, Ms Newcastle is now showing the Territory’s leaders what a new approach to crime can look like. Ms Newcastle is one of 20 women who have completed the Mparntwe/Alice Springs Alternative to Custody Program over the past two years.

“I needed some help because I didn’t want to go back to drinking alcohol again,” she said. “I got so much support when I was there. I could talk to them about my problems and share stories, and I learned how to manage myself and look after myself better. I want to get a job now and keep busy. I feel like I have a second chance at life.”

The above has been extracted from The Weekly Times article Mparntwe, Alice Springs Alternative to Custody Program setting women on better path. You can find out more information about the Alternative to Custody Program here.

Warlpiri woman Selina Newcastle took part in the Mparntwe/Alice Springs Alternative to Custody (ATC) Program

Warlpiri woman Selina Newcastle took part in the Mparntwe/Alice Springs Alternative to Custody (ATC) Program in 2022. Photo: Sierra Haigh. Image source: The Weekly 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.

Mar 22 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: AI helps detect heart disease in remote Australia

feature tile image ATSI man have echocardiogram; text 'AI has enormous potential for use in remote Australia to screen more people and catch heart ailments earlier'

The image in the feature tile is of a man in the Alice Springs Hospital undergoing an echocardiogram with the aid of artificial intellegience. Photo: Steven Schubert. Image source: the article ABC News article How artificial intelligence is helping to detect heart disease in remote Australia published by ABC News earlier today.

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.

AI helps detect heart disease in remote Australia

In a small room in the Alice Springs Hospital, Rhonda O’Keefe is giving a man an ultrasound on his heart, despite having no formal training to do so.  Ms O’Keefe is not a sonographer, she’s an Aboriginal Health Practitioner. She has some medical training, but not the two years of post-graduate study it takes to become a qualified sonographer.  Instead, Ms O’Keefe is being guided by artificial intelligence (AI) as she performs the echocardiogram, the ultrasound of the heart. The AI software prompts Ms O’Keefe on where she needs to hold the ultrasound probe, and how much pressure to apply, depending on what the echocardiogram is looking for. Her first attempt at performing the procedure was just two weeks ago, but already she is obtaining pictures that cardiologists can use for diagnosis.

It’s a remarkable achievement, according to Dr Angus Baumann, the only full-time cardiologist at the Alice Springs Hospital. Dr Baumann, who has been observing Ms O’Keefe’s training, said when he learned to conduct echocardiograms it took him months of practice to get usable images — despite already working as a specialist in the field after years of medical school. “With this technology, someone’s able to get usable images on their first go,” he said.

The images are uploaded to a cloud-based server, and then downloaded and analysed by cardiologists. who may be hundreds of kms away from the patient. Dr Baumann said he could see an enormous potential for the technology to be used in remote Indigenous clinics to try to screen more people and catch heart ailments earlier.

To view the ABC News article How artificial intelligence is helping to detect heart disease in remote Australia in full click here. You can also read a previous story, here, about the trial of this AI technology being run from the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service.

Aboriginal health practitioner Rhonda O'Keefe performs an echocardiogram as cardiologist Dr Angus Baumann observes

Aboriginal health practitioner Rhonda O’Keefe performs an echocardiogram as cardiologist Dr Angus Baumann observes

Closing health gap needs more than booze, crime control

In a letter to the Alice Springs News Editor, Dr Simon Quilty, who was formerly based at Alice Springs Hospital and is currently working with Purple House said: “While there is a lot of focus on alcohol, crime and violence in communities such as Alice Springs, it is the long-term, underlying issues that are the real problem here. We are definitely experiencing difficulty in attracting, retaining and housing health professionals right across the NT, addressing this issue in isolation of the greater social disparity only makes the problem worse.

When our patients do not have adequate housing, and are living in conditions that are extremely detrimental to the health, education and basic safety of their residents, this provides fertile grounds for youth disengagement, domestic violence and social disharmony. There is a pervasive sense of hopelessness that is a key contributing factor to the issues affecting these communities and this has been exacerbated by the social fallout after COVID which has resulted in the cessation of many social programs that previously supported many people, particularly youth, in these communities.

How does it look to our patients when doctors and nurses are provided with accommodation, when they are sleeping in shifts so they can fit in the increasing number of people needing basic shelter? Extreme disparity exists even within our Aboriginal health workforce. Alice Springs Hospital Aboriginal Liaison Officers, who provide interpreting services essential to the delivery of health care to our patients, are the lowest paid interpreters in the country. These are essential health workers, who speak many dialects, and the value of their skills must be equitable with interpreter salaries for government services for immigrants to Australia.

To view the Closing health gap needs more than booze, crime control article published in the Australian Rural & Regional News in full click here.

Dr Simon Quilty checking female ATSI women with stethoscope

Dr Simon Quilty with patient in Alice Springs. Image source: Stephanie Zillman, ABC News.

Community Hubs based on ACCHO model

Genuine community engagement is required to deliver equitable outcomes for people living in rural and remote Australia, according to Mark Burdack, CEO of the Healthy Communities Foundation Australia (the Foundation). The Foundation has a proposed policy for Community Hubs in rural areas, which Mr Burdac describes as “a one-stop-shop for services that are engaged in addressing the social determinants of health”.

Similar to the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health (ACCHO) model, Community Hubs would be funded by both state and commonwealth governments, and led and governed by communities, he says. The ACCHO sector has shown us how we can effectively support communities and merge health promotion, prevention and intervention using multi-jurisdictional funding models. We have the capacity and models to do things differently in rural and remote health if there is a will to do so.

But this requires decision makers to recognise that rural and remote people have the knowledge, skills and capacity to create more equitable access to healthcare, and more equitable health outcomes, if they receive the right support and investment needed to lead that change.

To view the Croakey Health Media article How Community Hubs could contribute to better health for rural and remote Australians in full click here.

group of smiling 7 ATSI youth & The Healthy Communities Foundation Australia logo

Image source: The Healthy Communities Foundation Australia website.

New oral health education resources for mob

For the last three years, the FDI World Dental Federation has used World Oral Health Day on 20 March to campaign for everyone around the world to ‘Be Proud of Your Mouth’. However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and adults continue to have poorer oral health than non-Indigenous Australians. Due to the poorer oral health outcomes of First Nation peoples, the Australian Dental Association (ADA) embarked on the development of the culturally appropriate oral health education resources. On World Oral Health Day this week the ADA was pleased to launch these resources as part of its new Mob Smiles initiative.

According to Indigenous dental practitioners the available resources for use with children and adults in Australia do not resonate with this target population. The goal of the Mob Smiles resources is to develop oral health education kits purposely developed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and adults. Poor oral health can affect individual quality of life and exacerbate chronic health conditions. Unfortunately access to affordable, and culturally appropriate dental care is difficult for many Indigenous Australians. The resources aim to provide education and oral health information in a culturally safe manner.

The suite of oral health resources consists of posters, flyers and factsheets for various ages including toddlers, teenagers, pregnant women and the elderly. The multiple resources provide education in caring for oral health and details on hygiene, diet and scheduling dental visits.

To view the Australian Dental Association article ADA Mob Smiles released on World Oral Health Day in full click here. You can also find more information about Mob Smiles here and World Oral Health Day here.

Medicare cards coming soon to the myGov app

Australians will soon be able to add their Medicare card to the digital wallet in the myGov app.

The new myGov app, available here, was released last year. The app has a digital wallet where people can securely store some government digital cards and certificates. People can already use the wallet to store their Centrelink concession and health care cards.

The new digital Medicare card in the myGov app will look similar to Medicare cards in the Express Plus Medicare app, available here and physical cards.

The myGov app has features to protect against fraud and theft of all items in the myGov wallet. Medicare cards and Centrelink concession and health care cards have:

  • an animated hologram to show the card is not a screenshot
  • a QR code that can be scanned to confirm the card is genuine and valid
  • the date and time of when the card was last updated at the bottom of the screen.

If a person is no longer eligible for Medicare, the card will be automatically removed from their myGov app.

When a person’s Medicare card expires, it’ll be replaced automatically in their myGov wallet if they’re still eligible.

Accepting a digital Medicare card and scanning the QR code is optional, you don’t have to accept it if you don’t want to. You can still verify a Medicare card in the same way you do now.

Scanning QR codes

You scan the code using the myGov app on your device. You don’t need to sign in to the app to scan the QR code.

You can find more information and instructions on how to scan the QR code on the myGov website here.

Further information will be provided when the Medicare card becomes available in the myGov app.

hand holding mobile phone with Australian Government myGovID

Image source: The Sydney Morning Herald.

‘Harmony Day’ obscures need for systemic change

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD) is observed around the world on 21 March, yet in Australia it’s called ‘Harmony Day’. The change came about in 1999 at the order of the Howard government who sought to replace the IDERD and portray a unified multicultural society, one that did not need to actively combat racism. This aligned with the personal views of the PM John Howard, who always maintained that racism was not an inherent problem in Australia.

But critics have said the positively framed ‘Harmony Day’ intentionally obscures the need for systemic change. “It’s absurd,” said Professor Chelsea Watego. “[It’s] quite telling that this country still insists on erasing the reality of racial violence in this place. We have a health system that makes aspirations [to be] free of racism, without a strategy for achieving that. We have a Race Discrimination Act which successive governments have suspended specifically in relationship to Indigenous people, on multiple occasions. The parameters for prosecuting a race discrimination case in this country are so narrow, that so few get through. The name Harmony Day tells us about the ways in which this country and all of its institutions have refused to deal with the reality of racial violence.”

To view the NITV article It’s the International Day of Eliminating Racial Discrimination. Why does Australia call it ‘Harmony Day’? in full click here.
black & white photo of 1960 Sharpeville massacre protestors & 4 silhouettes jumping holding letters of the word 'harmony'

While the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination commemorates the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, critics say Australia’s ‘Harmony Day’ obscures the need to fight systemic racism. Image source: NITV.

Sector Jobs

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Dietitians Week 20–26 March 2023

Today is the third day of Dietitians Week 2023 and as part of raising awareness of the role and value of dietitians, today we are sharing a case study of Jenna Perry, a Graduate Accredited Practising Dietitian. Jenna is originally from Lutriwata (Tasmania), where she has Aboriginal ancestry on her father’s side of the family. Although there was a disconnect with culture growing up, Jenna says she was always passionate about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and advocating for health care that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people delivered in a way that strengthened cultural identity and cultural beliefs of health and wellbeing.

A Bachelor of Dietetics wasn’t offered in Jenna’s home state, so she decided to move away to the Sunshine Coast on Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi country. There she started a Bachelor of Nutrition before transferring over into the Bachelor of Dietetics. While Jenna says she loved studying for a Bachelor of Dietetics, there was minimal education on cultural humility or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health through a strength-based lens. Because of this Jenna was very grateful to attend the Indigenous Allied Health Australia (AIHA) Health Fusion Challenge and complete a placement at the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH).

To view the Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) article My Journey into Dietetics Jenna Perry in full click here.

portrait shot of Jenna Perry & text 'My Journey into Dietetics Jenna Perry'

Image source: IAHA website.