- PITCH First Nations: Using yarns to adapt dementia training for home care workers
- Applications open for 2026 AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship
- Kimberley Youth Night Space Success: Still Awaiting Department Funding
- We Breathe – Tackling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Smoking
- Terminology update for MBS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker and Practitioner Services
- Sector Jobs
The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.
We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.
PITCH First Nations: Using yarns to adapt dementia training for home care workers
First Nations Australians have around 3 times the prevalence of dementia of other Australians and face distinct aged care needs that are not well accommodated by mainstream services.
Dementia Training Australia (DTA) has commissioned National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) to produce PITCH First Nations, an evidence-based training package for home care workers who work with First Nations Elders and older people living with dementia. The project draws on the Promoting Independence Through quality Care at Home (PITCH) training previously developed at NARI.
PITCH First Nations will redevelop the original PITCH training to be culturally relevant, safe, appropriate and tailored to the needs of First Nations people. The training is being redeveloped via a collaborative process with First Nations communities and co-researchers embedded in Aboriginal Community Controlled (ACCO) aged care services, through Yarning Circles with First Nations Elders and older people.
Applications open for 2026 AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical students are invited to apply now for the Australian Medical Association’s 2026 Indigenous Medical Scholarship.
Since 1994, the scholarship has helped grow the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical workforce by supporting First Nations peoples who are enrolled in a medical degree in Australia.
The AMA hopes to build on the increasing success of the scholarship program, with 2025 marking the first time in the scheme’s history that three individual scholarships were awarded in a single year off the back of support from generous donors.
Applications for the 2026 scholarship opened on Saturday and will close on 31 January 2026.
AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen said the scholarship was a crucial part of the AMA’s long-running efforts to grow the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical workforce in the pursuit of improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
2026 AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship – Apply Now.
Kimberley Youth Night Space Success: Still Awaiting Department Funding
While Kununurra youth crime is in the spotlight, in Fitzroy Crossing – another town in WA’s Kimberley region – children’s laughter drifts through the Marra Worra Worra Aboriginal Corporation’s Night Space – a youth hub that MWWAC director Patrick Green calls a “home for the town’s kids”.
The smell of home-cooked food lingers as Elders swap stories around long tables, a gathering that feels more like a family barbecue than a celebration marking one year of the Night Space. In its first year, the Night Space has offered Fitzroy Crossing’s children warm meals, showers, mentoring and help reconnecting with school and services, with its impact rippling far beyond its walls.
The kitchen has served more than 25,000 meals and engaged nearly 700 young people.
Fitzroy Crossing Senior Sergeant Mark Howes said youth crime has declined significantly since the Night Space began operating 12 months ago.
Marra Worra Worra Aboriginal Corporation night space one year anniversary. Image: Natasha Clark.
We Breathe – Tackling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Smoking
Deciding to quit smoking or vaping is a huge step, and it’s completely normal to feel like there’s a long journey ahead. But you don’t have to go it alone. We’re here to help, and we understand that finding the right support and tools can make all the difference.
That’s why we’ve put together a guide called “5 Hacks to Help Quit Smoking and Vaping.” It’s packed with simple, practical tips designed to help you get started and stay on track.
Ready to take the pledge for a healthier, smoke-free future? Just enter your details into the forms below to receive your free copy of “5 Hacks to Help Quit Smoking and Vaping,” and let’s start this journey together.
Terminology update for MBS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker and Practitioner Services
- From 1 November 2025, the terminology used for MBS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker and practitioner services will be updated to reflect the primary health care services the professions provide.
- This update will affect a name change to the Health Insurance (Section 3C General
Medical Services – Allied Health Services) Determination 2024. - This change will not affect how the MBS items for these services are used
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.
Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au
and we will feature it in the news.
