Category RACGP

Dec 1 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: World AIDS Day 2023: Inclusion. Respect. Equity

feature tile red ribbon on bark; text 'World AIDS Day 2023: Inclusion. Respect. Equity.'

The image in the feature tile is from National Today, a blog that gathers information on special holidays and moments from around the world.

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.

World AIDS Day 2023: Inclusion. Respect. Equity

Australia has committed to the virtual elimination and transmission of HIV by 2030, with the declaration of ‘leaving no one behind’. Whilst there is a disproportionate burden of other blood borne viruses (BBVs) and sexually transmissible infections (STIs) in our communities, rates of HIV are comparable to that of non-Indigenous Australians.

There were 580 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with HIV, and only 17 new notifications reported in 2021. New diagnoses have declined over the past 10 years, however HIV testing also declined throughout and post the COVID-19 pandemic. This may impact the overall figures.

The Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector has been relentless in their efforts to test, treat and educate their community about HIV and other BBVs and STIs. Their hard work helps ensure all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with HIV have access to treatment to enable viral suppression, which means they have no risk of transmitting the infection to a sexual partner.

Australia is a world leader in the elimination of HIV, in part due to our successful approach to community partnerships and collaboration, which aligns well with the World AIDS Day 2023 theme, ‘Inclusion. Respect. Equity’.

Dr Jason Agostino, NACCHO’s senior medical advisor and member of the HIV Taskforce states “It has been great to see the recent declines in new HIV cases among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Virtual elimination of HIV is in reach for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. The HIV Taskforce Report outlines the key actions to get there along with continued shared decision making and investment in the Aboriginal Community Controlled Sector.”

Complex social factors including, intergenerational trauma, poverty, lack of access to health services, low health literacy, high incarceration rates, and ongoing stigma around HIV continue to affect the elimination of BBVs and STIs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities.

Donnella Mills, NACCHO Chair, says, ‘to achieve the goal of eliminating HIV transmission in Australia for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, this year’s World Aids Day theme Inclusion. Respect. Equity. couldn’t be more critical. Stigma around people with HIV and HIV itself is really concerning. Ultimately, the impact of stigma increases rates of infection because people are too afraid to talk about HIV and afraid of getting tested.’

‘To truly make a difference, we’ve got to put an end to HIV stigma, increase our prevention programs and up our game in the HIV care processes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This means not only ensuring access to treatment but providing the support necessary for individuals to achieve viral suppression. It’s time for all levels of government to step up and work in a coordinated way with stakeholders across the sector.’

NACCHO works with partners to continue advocating for the elimination of HIV and the disproportionate rates of sexually transmitted diseases and blood-borne viruses among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

To build awareness and engage our communities in conversations around HIV, NACCHO hosts the popular HIV Awareness Week Virtual Trivia. This year, it will be held on Thursday 7 December 2023. The event brings people working in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community together, to reduce stigma and mobilise grassroots action.

You can register here for the HIV Awareness Week virtual trivia, which will be held on Thursday 7 December and is open to all ACCHO staff and organisations supporting ACCHOs.

NACCHO 2023 save the date Thurs 7 Dec HIV Awareness Week Trivia tile, Condom Man & Lubilicious

World AIDS Day marks the beginning of HIV Awareness Week, which builds on the original Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HIV Awareness Week, that launched in 2014 by Prof. James Ward (University of Queensland’s Poche Centre for Indigenous Health) and SAHMRI.

You can view the NACCHO media release World AIDS Day 2023: Inclusion. Respect. Equity on the NACCHO website here.

Family Matters 2023 Report launched

A new national report has found Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 10.5 times more likely to be in out-of-home care than non-Indigenous children, with its authors warning more must be done to turn the tide on current trends. The Family Matters Report 2023 released earlier this week (Wednesday 29 November 2023) by the national peak body for First Nations children and families, SNAICC, highlighted the state of child protection across Australia and outlined a range of recommendations to improve the lives of Indigenous children.

According to the report, as of June 2022 there were 22,328 Indigenous children in out-of-home care – the highest number on record and an increase of 85 children from the previous year. SNAICC chairperson Muriel Bamblett said it was concerning to see little traction in improving outcomes across all states and territories. “To have so many children over-represented in the system, so many children are going to grow up away from their family, away from their community,” she said. “They will often not be with their siblings, not know their own country – these are things that are important to Aboriginal [people].”

Ms Bamblett, a Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung woman, said state and federal governments were not acting fast enough to shift control to Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (ACCOs). “It’s a very, very slow transfer of resources, transfer of power and authority, [yet] where we see resources and power back, we see better results,” she said. “Many governments are actually running child protection … out of their government departments, and [there is] very little investment in Aboriginal community control. That speaks against self-determination — Aboriginal people need to be making decisions about their children on their land, on their country, and in their best interests.”

You can access the SNAICC Family Matters Report 2023 here. You can read the ABC News article Report finds Indigenous children 10.5 times more likely be in out-of-home care than non-Indigenous children in full here.

cover of Family Matters Report 2023

Image source: SNAICC website.

National crackdown on vaping

Health and medical groups have welcomed national vaping reforms due to roll out from 1 January next year, from when the importation of disposable single use vapes will be banned. In parallel with the ban – which is subject to approval of legislative and administrative arrangements – all medical practitioners and nurse practitioners will be able to prescribe the use of vapes, where clinically appropriate, from 1 January under a new Special Access Scheme pathway.

In a statement on Tuesday this week (28 November 2023) Minister Butler said from 1 March 2024, further changes are expected to include:

  • cessation of the personal importation of vapes
  • ban on the importation of non-therapeutic vapes
  • requirement for therapeutic vape importers and manufacturers to notify the Therapeutic Goods Administration of their product’s compliance with the relevant product standards
  • requirement for importers to obtain a licence and permit from the Australian Government’s Office of Drug Control before the products are imported.

During 2024, product standards for therapeutic vapes will also be strengthened, including to limit flavours, reduce permissible nicotine concentrations and require pharmaceutical packaging. A transition period will be allowed for businesses to comply with the new requirements. The Government will introduce legislation in 2024 to prevent domestic manufacture, advertisement, supply and commercial possession of non-therapeutic and disposable single use vapes to ensure comprehensive controls on vapes across all levels of the supply chain.

Minister Butler said he expects these reforms will tackle the rising use of vapes by young Australians. The latest data, from the first quarter of 2023, shows that about one in seven 14- to 17-year-olds and one in five 18- to 24-year-olds are current vapers. There is strong and consistent evidence that young Australians who vape are around three times more likely to take up tobacco smoking compared to young Australians who have never vaped, Butler said.

To read the Croakey Health Media article Reforms to reduce easy access to vapes. Photo by Liv Dumville. Amid a national crackdown on vaping, what can be learnt from young people’s experiences? in full click here.

10 colourful single-use vapes

Image source: University of Bath website.

Calls for national agreement to raise age

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACGP) is calling on first law officers from all Australian governments to agree on raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 years of age at the Standing Council of Attorneys-General meeting today (1 December 2023). The Commonwealth, State, and Territory Attorneys-General previously agreed to provide the Standing Council with a position or update on the minimum age of criminal responsibility in their jurisdiction, offering an important opportunity to modernise Australia’s criminal justice system and improve health outcomes of Australian children and young people.

Dr Jacqueline Small, Paediatrician and president of the RACP, says “we urge all Attorneys-General to agree to raise the criminal age of responsibility to at least 14 years of age, without exception. “Agreement this Friday is the best hope for nationally consistent reform to keep very young children out of the criminal justice system. All governments need to listen to health experts who have been sounding the alarm: 10 to 12 years as the threshold for criminal responsibility is too low.”

“Some jurisdictions have made a step in the right direction. We praise the NT and the ACT especially, noting they have more to do, and the leadership from the Commonwealth. Friday’s meeting is an historic opportunity for all states and territories to commit to reforming our criminal justice system and protecting children from harm. Paediatricians and physicians support at least 14 as the uniform, nationally consistent, minimum age of criminal responsibility,” Dr Small said.

To read the RACGP media release Governments must listen to child health experts – Physicians call for national agreement to raise the age of criminal responsibility in full click here.

protestors with banner 'Raise the Age'

Advocates have long called for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised from 10 to 14 around the country. Photo: Nikki Davis-Jones. Image source: The Mercury.

RACGP criticises oversight of PHNs

Insufficient oversight. Potentially inefficient spending of taxpayer funds. Systemic governance issues and poorly managed conflicts of interest. These are the among the highly critical observations included in a recent RACGP submission, available here, to the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) about the oversight of the country’s 31 Primary Health Networks (PHNs), the organisations tasked with improving primary care.

The ANAO auditors are inviting contributions on whether the Department of Health and Aged Care (DoH) manages the performance of PHNs in a way that is fit for purpose; whether compliance has been well monitored; and if the PHN program meets its objectives. In the 12-page document, the RACGP outlines significant member concerns on all three fronts, and queries how taxpayer funds are being spent.

“Such inefficiency is unacceptable when general practice is experiencing some of the most significant challenges in its history and struggling to remain financially sustainable,” the submission states. The college suggests that assessing PHN performance should shift towards being judged on the delivery of outcomes rather than the provision of services. “The community and primary care stakeholders of PHNs need to be involved in determining these indicators to ensure outcomes are meaningful,” the RACGP states.

The submission puts forward potential improvements to the way PHNs work with ACCHOs. “PNHs have been found by ACCHOs to insufficiently consult and collaborate with them and have failed to provide them with adequate resourcing to serve their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations,” the college states. “The Government must move beyond optional guidelines on how PHNs and ACCHOs work together and create mandatory standards for Aboriginal consultation and equitable involvement in commissioning.”

To view the RACGP newsGP article ‘The bar has been set too low’: RACGP criticises oversight of PHNs in full click here.

hand of man in suit pointing to screen with words Audit Compliance Regulation

Image source: RACGP newsGP.

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.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HIV Awareness Week

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HIV Awareness Week (ATSIHAW) is held each year in the first week of December. Now in its 11th year, ATSIHAW has been making sure that all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people know about the risks of HIV. They also share some great information about how to get tested and what treatment involves.

Anyone can get HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). When someone has HIV, their body’s immune system is attacked, so they’re more likely to catch, or get sick from other sicknesses. The virus is carried in their blood, so it’s important to keep safe!

People most at risk of catching HIV are those who:

  • have unprotected sex with someone who has HIV
  • share a syringe or needle with someone with HIV
  • get blood from an infected person in an open cut or wound
  • get the virus from their mum when they are a baby if she has HIV.

It’s important to be aware of the risks and get tested for HIV if needed. If HIV isn’t treated it can become a very serious disease that could lead to ending up in hospital, or even dying.

Getting tested for HIV is about looking after your health, and the health of your community. To find out more about HIV, visit the ATSIHIV website here.

To get tested for HIV, have a confidential yarn with your healthcare worker.

Oct 30 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: It’s a wrap – 2023 NACCHO Members’ Conference

Feature tile: image of Walter McGuire giving Welcome to Country; text 'NACCHO Members' Conference 2023 lives up to theme: Working Together, we are Stronger'

The image in the feature tile is of Walter McGuire giving the Welcome to Country on Day 1 of the 2023 NACCHO Members’ Conference. Walter McGuire is a descendent of several tribal groups in the SW of WA and a Traditional Owner of Noongar Boodjar which includes the Whadjuk lands on which Perth City stands.

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.

It’s a wrap – 2023 NACCHO Members’ Conference

A record-breaking year, the 2023 NACCHO Members’ Conference saw more than 800 delegates come together on Noongar Boodjar (Perth). Surrounding the theme Working Together, we are Stronger, the conference did just that – with feedback from delegates reporting the collaborative nature of the conference was invaluable. Members and affiliates attended numerous sessions on topics spanning from cancer screening to syphilis outbreak response in ACCHOs, prison health care, and many more. The sessions saw the sector celebrate successes, provide advice and guidance, and advocate for community-developed health solutions that contribute to the quality of life and improved health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In her address to the conference, NACCHO Chair Donnella Mills touched on the referendum result and the role of the sector moving forward, “If anyone can lead us out of a crisis, a crisis of division, it is this sector. In the context of our disappointment in the wake of the 14 October result, we now, more than ever, need to build a stronger NACCHO and get a stronger commitment from the nine governments to the Coalition of Peaks National Agreement on Closing the Gap,” she said.

Breaking out in song and even a booty boogie, Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler performed his rendition of Burning Love, available here, by Elvis Presley on karaoke night. However, when addressing the conference the minister opted for a more serious tone, praising the leadership that NACCHO and ACCHOs around the country played in rallying the health sector behind the Yes vote.

“The theme of this conference is timely: ‘Working Together, we are Stronger,’” he said. “Working together, we are stronger. Because if ever there was a time to come together, to work together, to be stronger together, it is right now.”

The NACCHO Youth Conference saw more than 80 young people from across the country yarn about youth leadership, their place in the community-controlled health sector, and their unique position of being able to learn from Elders and determine what the future looks like. AHCWA Youth Committee member, Soleil White said her main takeaway from the Youth Conference was “just the whole room, you’re bringing youth from all around the country together and that’s really powerful, and it just empowers me to go home and to keep fighting the battles and to keep moving ahead so that we can have a voice for our youth and that we can have better outcomes for our First Nations people.”

A sincere thank you from NACCHO to all who attended and contributed to making it a deadly week.

NACCHO 2023 Members' Conference Smoking Ceremony

2023 NACCHO Members’ Conference Day 1.

Helping mob live healthy and prevent cancer

The Cancer Institute NSW has released a new Helping Mob Live Healthy and Prevent Cancer toolkit – a free online resource that provides culturally tailored, strengths-based information on cancer screening and prevention for the Aboriginal health workforce.

The toolkit features:

  • cancer screening information – breast, cervical and bowel cancer screening + tips on testing for other cancers
  • cancer prevention tips about healthy living and being smoke- and vape-free
  • social and emotional wellbeing information and links to trusted resources and support services
  • downloadable resources which can be used to support yarns with your clients about the benefits of taking part in cancer screening and healthy living. They include tailored checklists for men’s and women’s business and templates to support local promotion of screening and prevention programs
  • a resource directory featuring links to a range of tailored cancer screening and healthy living resources from trusted Australian health and cancer organisations.

All resources have been developed in consultation with Aboriginal health organisations, workers and community members.

Please explore the toolkit here and help spread the word by sharing it with your networks.

For more information, please contact the Cancer Institute NSW using this email link.

You can also view the NSW Government Cancer Institute webpage NSW Promote this toolkit with your networks here.

NSW Government Cancer Institute NSW tile text 'New online toolkit for the Aboriginal health workforce' with image of relevant webpage to toolkit resources

Image source: social media tile from NSW Government Cancer Institute NSW webpage: Promote this toolkit with your networks.

“Our work continues as it has always done”

Less than 14 days after the resounding rejection of the Voice, Indigenous leaders and thinkers are already in talks with each other and with the government in order to find a new path for better outcomes and social justice. In response to the referendum result, and after a week of silence, a 12-point open letter, drafted by up to 85 Indigenous leaders from various fields, was sent to the PM and every member of the House of Representatives and the Senate. In stark contrast to the Uluru Statement from the Heart, the letter was no humble offering on a united way forward.

The letter offered no pragmatic resolution or new beginning. Instead, it gave an early, detailed synopsis of what had just happened and why. It acknowledged the shock and grief at the result and the rejection both of First Nations people and their good-faith attempts at reconciliation. “The truth is that the majority of Australians have committed a shameful act whether knowingly or not,” the letter reads, “and there is nothing positive to be interpreted from it. We needed truth to be told to the Australian people.”

The letter continued, “We want to talk with our people and our supporters about establishing – independent of the Constitution or legislation – an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to take up the cause of justice for our people. Rejection of constitutional recognition will not deter us from speaking up to governments, parliaments and to the Australian people. We have an agenda for justice in pursuit of our First Nations rights that sorely need a Voice – we will continue to follow our law and our ways, as our Elders and Ancestors have done. We will regather in due course and develop a plan for our future direction. While this moment will be etched into Australia’s history forever, today we think of our children, and our children’s children. Our work continues as it has always done. We will continue to fight to seek justice for our peoples.”

To view The Saturday Paper article The ‘Yes’ case responds: ‘It’s a white flag from Labor’ by Yorta Yorta man and award-winning writer and broadcaster Daniel James in full click here.

stacks of Indigenous VTP ballot papers

Australia has voted against enshrining an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, with the results being called early. Photo: Con Chronis, AAP. Image source: NITV.

Dedication, empathy and leadership

In a ceremony that took place on Gadigal Land last week, inspirational GPs received awards from Dr Karen Nicholls, Chair of the RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Faculty, and RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins.

Duel winners of the Standing Strong Together Award were:

  • Dr Kali Hayward – Dr Nicholls paid tribute to Warnman woman Dr Hayward, describing her as ‘an outstanding mentor’, and a ‘shining example of dedication, empathy and leadership, both regionally and nationally’ whose ‘unwavering commitment’ to quality healthcare and raising awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture has led to ‘more respectful, inclusive healthcare services’ as well as improved patient satisfaction and outcomes.
  • Dr Mark Daley – Dr Nicholls described Dr Daley, a GP at the First People’s Health and Wellbeing clinic in NSW, as “passionate and committed to providing the highest quality of culturally safe, trauma-informed care to his patients, many of whom have some of the toughest and most complex health, social and emotional wellbeing issues as a result of colonisation, and the impacts of intergenerational trauma, dispossession and discrimination.”

The Growing Strong Award, which goes to a GP in training, went to Dr Patrick McNamara, who is one of only two Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors in the Australian Defence Force. “He continuously strives to provide the highest care for Defence Force personnel, and goes above and beyond to ensure that healthcare received by Indigenous soldiers is safe and culturally appropriate,” Dr Nicholls said.

This year’s Medical Student Bursary went to Loyala Wills, a Torres Strait Islander woman and final year Flinders University medical student who runs an online platform called Med School Made Colourful, which offers medical education support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

To view the RACGP newsGP article ‘A shining example of dedication, empathy and leadership’ in full click here.

RACGP ATSI Health awards 2023 4 images clockwise from top left: Dr Karen Nicholls; Dr Nicole Higgins with Dr Kali Hayward; Associate Professor Brad Murphy; Dr Mark Daley

Clockwise from top left: Dr Karen Nicholls; Dr Nicole Higgins with Dr Kali Hayward; Associate Professor Brad Murphy; Dr Mark Daley. Image source: RACGP newsGP.

Vaping resources for young mob

Together with the Tackling Indigenous Smoking team, Na Joomelah and National Best Practice Unit (NBPU), Lung Foundation Australia has developed new vaping resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. The resources include three short animations and an accompanying fact sheet covering key topics in vaping and helping empower young people to choose to be vape free.

You can watch the animations, including the one below, and download the factsheet by visiting the Lung Foundation Australia First Nations e-cigarettes and vaping webpage here.

If you have any questions please contact Paige Preston from Lung Foundation Australia using this email link.

Concerns on handling of public drunkenness

Melbourne’s new sobering up centre will have capacity for 140 people a week when public drunkenness is decriminalised next month, but the state’s new system for handling intoxicated Victorians could quickly be tested. The centre’s capacity could be strained if the changes lead to major diversions of low-risk patients away from hospitals. The state government has used 2019 crime statistics for the public intoxication offence to predict that the new sobering-up centre would handle at least 3,700 people a year. But the documents warn that estimate may drastically understate the total demand.

From November 7, the offence of public drunkenness will be abolished and health services will take charge of many cases typically handed by police or paramedics. The reform was legislated in 2021 following the death of Yorta Yorta woman Tanya Day, who suffered a fall while in custody. Intoxicated people who commit crimes, are dangerous or need serious medical support will still be handled by emergency services, but people who are merely drunk in public and need help will be treated by support workers from different providers cross the state. Call-outs for Aboriginal Victorians in Melbourne will be handled separately and have been estimated to be in the range of 330 per year.

Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation CEO Jill Gallagher said repealing public drunkenness was vital to improving safety for First Peoples. “For the same behaviour, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria have faced inordinately higher rates of incarceration for public drunkenness than non-Aboriginal Victorians face,” she said. “Alcohol misuse is a public health issue, not a crime, and therefore should be treated as such.”

The above has been extracted from an article Sobering concerns on new handling of public drunkenness published in The Sydney Morning Herald on 29 October 2023. A related article Melbourne sobering centre facing delays ahead of Victorian public drunkenness overhaul published by ABC News yesterday can be view in full here.

location of Melbourne's sobering-up centre in Collingwood

The location of the Victorian Government’s first sobering-up centre in Collingwood. Photo: Joe Armao. Image source: The Sydney Morning Herald.

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.

Sep 19 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Voice will help close gap in health outcomes

Aboriginal flag with APH flag pole in the background; text '“A ‘Yes’ vote will help find better, more effective, practical ways to close the yawning gap in health outcomes” Minister for Health and Aged Care - Mark Butler'

The image in the feature tile is of Australian Parliament House seen through an Aboriginal flag as it appears on the SBS NITV Radio – News 11/08/2023 webpage. Photo: Lukas Coch, AAP image.

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.

Voice will help close gap in health outcomes

According to Australian Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler “A good doctor listens carefully to their patients to make sure their diagnosis is thorough and makes a positive difference to their healthcare. A Voice to Parliament (VtP) is simply that: a chance to listen to the voices of Indigenous Australians about better ways to make a positive difference to their lives. The Voice will be a committee of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who offer advice to the Parliament on issues that particularly affect them. With the best of intentions and substantial investment from both sides of the Parliament, the current approach simply isn’t working.”

Dr Simone Raye, President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) says the Voice offers “huge potential to close the gap in unacceptable health disparities”. Dr Raye says the Voice is the much-needed step to give Indigenous people a role in shaping policies that directly impact their future. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) also back the VtP. Professor Steve Robinson, President of the AMA, believes the Voice has the potential to deliver extraordinary outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

Dr Nicole Higgins, President of the RACGP, says the Voice will lead to better health outcomes and is a key step to closing the gap in health equality, “There is no doubt listening to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander VtP will give us a clearer insight into how to better spend the taxpayer money that goes into First Nations health – getting better outcomes and better value for money. I am confident that a VtP and to the Health Minister will help find better, more effective, practical ways to close the gap and allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to live longer, healthier, happier lives. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a real difference. And we know it will work because, when you listen to people about the issues that affect them, you get better results.”

To view the RACGP newsGP article Health Minister: How Voice will make a difference in full click here.

Federal Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler addressing press

Federal Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler says the referendum is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to recognise the place of First Nations people in Australia and improve lives. Photo: AAP. Image source: RACGP newsGP.

Voice an opportunity to address health inequality

An Indigenous public health expert says the Voice to Parliament (VtP) offers the opportunity to address the health inequality that sees Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people die up to nine years younger than other Australians. Dr Summer May Finlay is a senior lecturer in Indigenous health at the University of Wollongong and a Yorta Yorta woman who lives on Dharawal country in Wollongong, with a history working for a range of organisations, including those in the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector.

The latest Closing the Gap report from the Productivity Commission, released in July, shows only 4 of the 17 targets are on track to being met.  Indigenous men have a life expectancy 8.6 years shorter than non-Indigenous men, while the gap for women is 7.8 years.

Dr Finlay said the Closing the Gap strategy could have achieved more had it been designed with the input of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from the beginning. But she believes the Voice offers an opportunity to address some of these failings.

To read the Illawarra Mercury article Voice will boost Indigenous Health outcomes: Public Health expert in full click here.

Dr Summer May Finlay

Dr Summer May Finlay. Photo: Robert Peet. Image source: Illawarra Mercury.

Referendum taking a toll on mob wellbeing

If you need to talk to someone, call 13YARN on 13 92 76 (24 hours/7 days) to talk with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Crisis Support worker. For mental health support, see your local ACCHO, AMS, GP, or Social and Emotional Wellbeing service. See here for more information and links.

In the lead up to the referendum the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research has flagged concern for the wellbeing for First Nations people. Regardless of the outcome, they said the decision will have significant impact on community members and now would be a good time to start talking about wellbeing and check in with each other. The research centre resides at the Australian National University (ANU) and was established in 2022, to contribute toward improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing.

Dr Raymond Lovett, a Wongaibon man, Associate Professor Katie Thurber, are working together to establish what worries and concerns First Nations persons have with regard to mental health and wellbeing surrounding the referendum and have developed a range of fact sheets and tools that have been dispersed to Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities to assist with providing support. The team have reported that along with the additional efforts of responding to non-indigenous questions, instances of encounters with racism are ramping up and in some instances there is divide within families and communities, all of which can trigger a range of mental health concerns.

The Healing Foundation have also provided the tips below:

  • Acknowledge the impact of racism on ourselves and others. Racism has an impact on physical and mental health, and is a source of trauma. Knowing this and be aware of the stressors and symptoms can help us to understand what is happening, manage the effect and help others.
  • Being mindful, implementing mindfulness and meditation techniques such as deep breathing and awareness techniques can help us to ground and manage symptoms. Staying connected, it is normal to experiences feelings of increased isolation as a symptom of racial stress. Participating in social activities with family and friends and talking with people can help.
  • Take care of our health. Eating well and exercising are important ways that we can help to keep our minds and bodies strong. Little things like going for a walk with a friend or learning to cook a new meal are small and simple acts that can help keep us strong.
  • Speak your truth. Don’t feel obligated to contribute to a conversation if the content is stressful for you. Feel free to say “This conversation is making me uncomfortable, I would like to excuse myself” or change the subject.
  • Culture is strength. Practicing culture through activities like connecting to country or creating art are powerful ways that we can process our experiences in a safe environment and find strength when our reserves are running low.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Wellbeing for Mob, leading up to and following the referendum in full click here.

artwork of ATSI women hands in air surrounding by 5 faces representing a range of emotions from sad to happy

Artwork from National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Aboriginal Hearing Unit for women in custody

In an Australian first, an Aboriginal Healing Unit has opened at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (DPFC) providing new culturally safe, community-led and trauma-informed programs for Aboriginal women in custody. Victoria’s Minister for Corrections Enver Erdogan visited the Centre to open the new unit which includes specially designed accommodation alongside culturally appropriate spaces.

The Andrews Labor Government has invested $8.8m for the new unit and programs which will be delivered by ACCO Elizabeth Morgan House. The new facilities include a sensory room, activities room with facilities for art programs, a peaceful outdoor cultural area with art-inspired screening and native plantings, and a yarning circle featuring symbolic mosaics and a fire pit area.

You can read Minister Erdogan’s media release Australian-first Aboriginal Healing Unit in a prison opens in full here.

You can also read Deafness Forum Australia’s November 2022 report Closing the Gap: Addressing the hearing health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Criminal Justice System here. The report’s preface says “Today, there is a particular pressing need to specifically address the high rates of hearing loss of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in contact with the criminal justice system, with rates as high as 80–95% in some communities. The Australian Law Reform Commission (2017) report Pathways to Justice–Inquiry into the Incarceration Rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, estimated that the annual economic burden of the incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples was nearly $8b, with that figure expected to rise to over $20b without appropriate intervention.

legs & torsos of ATSI women prisoners, green uniforms

Indigenous women make up a third of all female prisoners. Image source: ABC News.

Poor mental wellbeing biggest problem for youth

Poor mental health and excessive screen time are the biggest problems facing young people, according to a new survey of more than 2,000 Australian teachers. Braemar College year 11 student Alanah has noticed more stress and anxiety among her peers, as they cope with growing pressures from home and elsewhere. “[There have been] more noticeable moments where people are upset at school,” she said.

Her observations have been backed by a national survey of teachers, which found the vast majority believe poor mental health is the biggest problem confronting young people today. A 2023 Beyond Blue survey found only one in three teachers believed students at their school were mentally healthy. And the percentage of teachers who thought their schools were mentally healthy also fell from 50% in 2022, to just 40% this year. Of the 2,369 teachers surveyed, about nine in 10 said high staff turnover was affecting their wellbeing, and close to 80% believed it was impacting their students.

Schools across the country will soon have access to new mental health resources to improve student wellbeing and help them access support. The new resources from the Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) weave mental wellbeing lessons into other subjects like English and the humanities. “We don’t want students to think the only time we’re talking about the importance of mental health and wellbeing is when they walk into a class and timetable that has health and physical education on it,” ACARA’s curriculum director Sharon Foster said. ACARA developed the new resources with the National Mental Health Commission, Beyond Blue, Headspace and teachers from across Australia.

To view the ABC News article Teachers say poor mental health, excessive screen time, the biggest problems facing young people in full click here.

7 teenage ATSI students in uniform walking in line smiling, school outdoor walkway

Image source: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Students webpage of Independent Schools Australia website.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Key Date – Dementia Action Week – 18–24 September 2023

During this year’s Dementia Action Week – 18–24 September 2023 NACCHO is sharing a range of information and resources that may be of use to the ACCHO sector.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Dementia in Australia webpage, available here, looks at understanding dementia among Indigenous Australia. It says experiences of dementia and awareness of risk factors for developing dementia vary greatly among Indigenous Australians, as with non-Indigenous Australians, however, as long as dementia doesn’t affect connection to family, community, and culture, many Indigenous Australians perceive the condition as a natural part of life and not necessarily a medical problem that needs to be fixed. According to Mr Eric Deeral, Chairperson, Elders Justice Group, Hopevale Community, Queensland “The causes of Aboriginal dementia in Gugu Yimithurr culture is part of a natural process. The body, mind and spirit naturally get older including the brain… It may not need to get fixed as long as the individual is safe and the family and the community is safe there may not be any need to do anything at all.”

You can find out more information about Dementia Action Week 2023 on the Dementia Australia website here. You can also watch the below video Love in the Time of Dementia – it is one of a series of videos and other resources, available here, developed by Dementia Australia for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Sep 15 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Community-led approach to suicide prevention

feature tile, NACCHO tile Culture Care Connect on blue aqua Aboriginal art; text 'Innovative, community-led approach to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide prevention'

The artwork in the feature tile was created by then NACCHO staff member Jodi Knight. It is a visual representation of the Culture Care Connect program, symbolising the three levels of program implementation, advocacy and knowledge sharing across the changing landscape of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide prevention, mental health and social and emotional wellbeing nationally. The colours evoke feelings of calm. The gatherings represent coordination, advocacy and governance structures at a national, affiliate and local level. At the local level, the artwork depicts the three different aspects of the Culture Care Connect program: community-controlled suicide prevention planning and coordination; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led program delivery; and strong and supported program workforce.

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.

Community-led approach to suicide prevention

The first of its kind, the NACCHO Culture Care Connect (CCC) program is an innovative, community-led approach to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide prevention.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience rates of suicide 2.4 times higher than other Australians. In 2021, suicide accounted for 5.3% of all deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, while the comparable proportion for non-Indigenous Australians was 1.8%, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, especially those living in remote and regional areas, there are significant barriers that reduce access and utilisation of mental health services, including experiencing culturally unsafe practices.

While reported statistics for suicide are particularly concerning, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have shown remarkable resilience in the face of the ongoing impacts of colonisation, racism, discrimination and intergenerational trauma. CCC seeks to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through self-determination and community-controlled development of suicide prevention networks and plans, co-designed aftercare services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health first-aid training. It is committed to overcoming the inequality experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and reducing the prevalence of suicide and self-harm.

NACCHO has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care until June 2025 to rollout the program. This funding supports the:

  • establishment of 31 Community-Controlled Suicide Prevention Networks
  • establishment of Community-Controlled Aftercare Services
  • coordination and delivery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health First Aid Training

To view the National Rural Health Alliance’s Partyline e-magazine article A community-led approach to suicide prevention in full click here.

group of Culture Care Connect onboarding participants on internal stairs of Nishi building

Culutre Care Connect Aftercare Onboarding, Canberra, June 2023. Image source: NACCHO.

Culturally safe stillbirth prevention and care

Prevention of stillbirth in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and responsive care when such losses occur, are key aims of the Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence (CRE). Understanding Indigenous communities’ experiences, perceptions and priorities around stillbirth, or Sorry Business Babies, is needed to implement prevention strategies and culturally safe practices in Australian maternity health services.

A collaborative consultation process with Indigenous communities around Australia identified stillbirth prevention and care needs. Researchers were led by the community, who shared their lived experiences and stories of their own communities through yarning. Yarning sessions provided a comfortable, safe space for community members to share stories, ask questions and feel heard. Consultations were held in 18 communities – involving 93 community members and 221 healthcare providers, many of whom were also Indigenous community members – across remote, regional and urban areas in QLD, WA, VIC, SA and the NT. Consultations were face to face or online, using yarning interviews, discussion groups and workshops, with some participants having lived experience of Sorry Business Babies.

Findings included the need for better health service engagement and support of families and communities, as well as improved education and resources for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous healthcare providers. Lack of continuity of care was identified as the main barrier in effective prevention, investigation of causes and care for families following stillbirth. This highlights the importance of continuous care for families during the perinatal period, including when a baby does not survive.

To view the National Rural Health Alliance’s Partyline e-magazine article Culturally safe stillbirth prevention and care in full click here. You can also watch the Stronger Bubba Born video about stillbirth below.

Pilbara GP says more help is needed

Pilbara GP Sonia Henry has seen young people die of strokes, teenagers with heart disease, and children who have lost their hearing after untreated ear infections. “We need to do so much better in giving remote Australians back what they give to us,” Henry told the Regional Australia Institute’s national summit in Canberra on Thursday this week.

“Particularly in WA, the mining companies’ profits are huge, but the people who live there aren’t seeing that.” Henry, who has spent years working in remote WA and western NSW, said city-based specialists should serve up to four weeks in the bush every year, easing the burden on young rural doctors and medical students. “Once I saw the things I saw out there, I could never unsee them and I could never just go back to work in Sydney with my eyes closed,” the doctor and author said. “You see this great beauty and you see this enormous suffering and that has changed my life.”

The regional think tank’s annual national conference heard from leaders across politics, business, local government and technology exploring ways to help growing country areas prosper. The organisation this week released a progress report on its policy ambitions to support a regional population of 11 million by 2032. National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) CEO Susi Tegen said there were promising moves in the sector, like greater collaboration between state and federal governments. But research by the NRHA found there was a $6.5b annual spending shortfall in rural health. “That means that population of seven million people is not receiving the health care they deserve,” Tegen said.

To view the SBS News article This GP has spent years working in remote Australia. She says more help is needed in full click here. You can also read a related article ‘If the plane breaks down, it’s just you’: the pressure and awakening of one city GP in the outback published in The Guardian on 3 June 2023 here.
Dr Sonia Henry at the Robe River Rodeo sign in desert Australia

Dr Sonia Henry at the Robe River Rodeo sign in desert Australia. Image source: The Guardian.

Impact of parasites a national shame

Many Australians likely read the coverage of the live roundworm found in the brain of a NSW woman with morbid curiosity. If you missed it, a wriggling, 8cm-long parasitic roundworm was removed from the head of a 64-year-old woman complaining of headaches, depression and forgetfulness. The patient likely picked up the parasite through eating foraged vegetables contaminated by python poo.

You may find it gross, but for researchers of parasites and infectious diseases – who recently met in Darwin for the Annual Meeting for Australian Society for Parasitology – stories like this are fascinating but not particularly gross. What we do find gross is the persistence of awful infectious diseases in situations where they are eminently preventable, and in countries that are rich enough to have eliminated them.

Particularly gross is the prevalence of infectious diseases in First Nations communities despite those same infections being unknown or eradicated among non-Indigenous Australians. In fact, as we heard at the conference, for some Indigenous and remote communities in Australia the problem of worms and other parasites is not only not improving – it’s potentially worsening. Indigenous Australians bear a disproportionate health burden for a swathe of infectious diseases that are otherwise only a problem in the world’s poorest countries. It is an enduring discredit to our country that roundworm infections of humans are newsworthy and enthralling when reported in a Canberra hospital, but are widely ignored when they proliferate in Indigenous communities.

To view the University of Melbourne Pursuit article Parasites may be gross, but so is Australia’s attitude to Indigenous health in full click here.

human threadworm – Strongyloides stercoralis under microscope

The human threadworm – Strongyloides stercoralis – is serious and potentially deadly. Photo: Shutterstock. Image source: University of Melbourne Pursuit.

Summit to address rural medical workforce dilemma

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) will bring together leading doctors and experts in rural medicine to unearth much needed solutions to some of the most pressing issues affecting Australia’s regional medical workforce. In response to crippling rural workforce shortages and a lack of specialist training opportunities throughout regional Australia, the AMA is holding a Rural Medical Training Summit in Canberra today.

The event coincides with the launch of the AMA’s Plan for improving access to rural general practice, which proposes a range of measures to improve access to primary healthcare for rural communities. Proposed measures outlined in the plan include the establishment of a National Rural Health and Workforce Strategy — with funding for an independent workforce planning agency — and expanded training pathways for doctors in rural areas.

The Rural Medical Training Summit will help the AMA and other key health stakeholders develop priorities for advocacy and reform in rural specialist training. AMA President Professor Stephen Robson said the expertise of participants, including one of the world’s foremost authorities in rural medical education — Professor Roger Strasser AM — would be a key part of collaborative efforts in rural medical training reform. “Medical workforce shortages are among the biggest threats to rural health in Australia,” Professor Robson said.

You can read the AMA’s media release AMA summit to address Australia’s rural medical workforce dilemma in full here and the AMA Plan for Improving Access to Rural General Practice 2023 here.

cover of AMA plan for improving access to rural general practice 2023

Strong Born campaign support mob

The Strong Born campaign has been developed by NACCHO and is supported by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE). Led by NACCHO, along with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) clinical and cultural experts across Australia, the Strong Born campaign raises awareness of the risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy, as well as the importance of safe breastfeeding practices.

Raising awareness about FASD has long been a priority for the ACCHO sector. The Strong Born campaign includes resources designed in collaboration with representatives from various Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, to make yarning about this complex topic easier. The resources have been designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and health professionals working in an ACCHO setting. Resources are available via the NACCHO website for anyone seeking to support individuals and families, in a culturally safe way, through issues related to FASD.

NACCHO CEO Pat Turner said, “The Strong Born campaign is about raising awareness and understanding of FASD and reducing stigma and shame. The campaign includes culturally appropriate health information for women and families, educational materials for our Aboriginal healthcare workers and guidance for healthcare providers that work with Aboriginal communities. In collaboration with our member organisations, we’ll also support opportunities to bring our communities together to create safe places for yarning about the impacts of alcohol on pregnancy. Growing strong healthy mums and bubs leads to healthy communities. Our communities need to understand the risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy, and where to go for support, so they can ask for help if they need it.”

To find out more about the Strong Born campaign and to access the campaign resources, visit the NACCHO website here and view the National Rural Health Alliance’s Partyline e-magazine article Strong Born campaign supports First Nations communities in full click here.

 

Sector Jobs

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

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

Aug 30 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Referendum an overwhelming time for mob

feature tile image of Aboriginal flag flying with Australian Parliament House in background; text 'Voice commentary leading to rise in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander psychological distress'

The image in the feature tile is from an article Voice to parliament won’t give ‘special rights’ to Indigenous Australians, legal experts say published in The Guardian on 13 December 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.

Referendum an overwhelming time for mob

In an opinion piece about the Voice referendum proud Bundjalung woman and journalist Bronte Charles said “I get asked which way I’ll be voting. I’ve watched others speak over my people.  I’ve seen the racist tweets and posts, and held my breath as discussions get more toxic. I hear the nasty conversations and go to bed feeling anxious. The referendum on the Voice to Parliament has brought with it a lot of emotions – some good, some bad, some eh. To put it mildly, it’s been an overwhelming time for mob. In a time full of uncertainty – one thing is for sure: whether the outcome of the referendum is a yes or a no, we need to be there for one another and, most importantly, be there for ourselves.”

Ms Charles spoke to three First Nations people working in the mental health space:

  • Tanja Hirvonen is a Jaru Bunuba clinical psychologist and Board Director of the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association
  • Dr Clinton Schultz, a Gamilaroi psychologist and director at the Black Dog Institute
  • Maddison O’Gradey-Lee is a provisional psychologist and is currently completing a PhD that explores young mob’s mental health

who all agreed the Voice has fuelled bigoted attitudes and behaviours, with “a lot of mob are reporting that they’re finding that constant attention, as well as the criticism and debate, becoming quite toxic and impacting heavily on their social and emotional well-being. The psychological distress that we’re seeing amongst mob at the moment is definitely raised.”

Tanja Hirvonen said mob can look after themselves during the referendum by doing what mob do best: “check in on each other as well as your Elders. Draw on the strength of your ancestors and draw on the strength of your mob and make sure to look after yourself. Touch base with your family and have those conversations with your trusted peers or family members. Make sure that you’re connecting with people that are like-minded, who are going to give you that care and compassion and that warm hug that you might need.” Whether you’re voting yes, no or you still haven’t decided, Tanja says that mental health should be a priority.

To view the SBS NITV article OPINION: The referendum campaign already has me overwhelmed. Here’s how you can look after yourself in full click here.

image of back of heads of protesters & Aboriginal flags flying

Photo: AAP. Image source: SBS NITV article ‘The Voice will spark an improvement in Indigenous mental health, say peak bodies.

Maningrida named NDIS market gap trail site

The NT Labor Government has welcomed the announcement of Maningrida as the first of two trial sites in a $7.6m investment into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Minister for the NDIS, the Hon Bill Shorten MP revealed that Maningrida would be a beneficiary of the pilot program for alternative commissioning approaches in thin markets where there are not enough services available to meet participants’ needs.

This is to ensure that participants can better access supports in remote and First Nations communities and will build on the work the NT Government is undertaking in partnership with the community, NDIA and sector as part of the deep dive into how the NDIS is working in Maningrida. Alternative commissioning will be undertaken in partnership with First Nations and remote communities to ensure the pilot is both culturally appropriate and underpinned by an understanding of community strengths and preferences.

Minister Shorten announced Maningrida’s inclusion as a trial site following a gathering with all State and Territory Ministers for Disabilities for a meeting of the Disability Reform Ministerial Council (DRMC) in Darwin, saying “This pilot will allow us to gain invaluable information on how we can ensure Australians with disability living in remote and First Nation communities can access supports and provide lessons on how to build the capability of communities and governments, and the types of alternative commissioning that work best.”

You can view The National Tribune article Maningrida announced as first trial site in $7.6 million NDIS market gap investment in full here and a transcript of the doorstop interview where Minister Shorten refers to the Maningrida trial here.

Manuel Brown Member for Arafura, Luke Gosling MP, Manuel Brown MP, Member for Arafura; Luke Gosling OAM, MP, Member for Solomon; Minister Bill Shorten; Member for Karama and NT Minister for Disabilities Ngaree Ah Kit

L-R: Manuel Brown MP, Member for Arafura; Luke Gosling OAM, MP, Member for Solomon; Minister Bill Shorten; Member for Karama and NT Minister for Disabilities Ngaree Ah Kit. Image: Manuel Brown’s Facebook page.

NT CTG should start with kids

Human-rights activist Timmy Duggan OAM said the Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and Bringing Them Home reports highlighted the ‘urgent national crisis’ of the Gap more than 25 years ago. But as a history of generational trauma continues to weigh on the NT’s Aboriginal kids, he said it was clear more needed to be done to give today’s young people “doses of resilience”. “We can have an impact on them while their brain is still developing and provide good, positive experience[s], good, positive Aboriginal role models that they see day in and day out,” he said.

The NT’s first NBL player combined his sporting career and knowledge of Aboriginal health to launch Hoops 4 Health in 2002, with hopes to drive better outcomes for the NT’s kids. The organisation’s first base is set to open in about six weeks in one of Palmerston’s northern suburbs. Palmerston is home to 7.9% of the NT’s Indigenous population, according to 2021 census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr Duggan said the organisation started as a way to give back to the NT community and engage with kids in the Palmerston and Darwin areas.

Following a royal commission into the protection and detention of children in the NT, he said he was spurred into action and has not missed a weekend session with the kids in Don Dale Youth Detention Centre since 2016. The latest Productivity Commission data shows 96% of NT kids in detention are Indigenous, with First Nations children locked up at a rate 33 times higher than non-Indigenous children. Mr Duggan said Hoops 4 Health was not just about basketball – it was based on Bruce Perry’s neurosequential model for addressing trauma. “Using the trauma-informed model and culturally-informed coaching … can have a big impact in addressing trauma and chronic traumatic experiences,” he said.

The above has been taken from an article Palmerston, NT Closing the Gap efforts should start with kids published in the Gold Coast Bulletin earlier today, 30 August 2023.

founder of Hoops 4 Health, Timmy Duggan OAM with hands on shoulders of young ATSI boy holding basketball, background wall with basketball figures & basketball hoop

Hoops 4 Health founding director Timmy Duggan OAM said the Gap was reaching a ‘crisis’ point and more needed to be done to close it. Photo: Sierra Haigh. Image source: The Gold Coast Bulletin.

100% pass rate for GPs in training

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has today labelled a recent 100% exam pass rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GPs in training as a phenomenal achievement. It comes following the recent results of the College’s Clinical Competency Exam (CCE), an exam designed to assess clinical competence and readiness for independent practice as a specialist GP.

RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Censor Dr Olivia O’Donoghue congratulated the GPs in training. “As Censor of the faculty this warms my heart and soul to see more of my peers achieving success in these high stakes assessment and moving onto RACGP Fellowship,” she said.  “The RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health faculty and assessment team have improved the Yagila Wadamba program – ‘Learn to heal’ in Wurundjeri – a culturally appropriate AKT and KFP intensive, and there are policies and procedures supported by the faculty Censor to provide additional advocacy and support through training and assessments. Moving towards training and workforce equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GPs is a priority for the RACGP and a key performance indicator for our training program.”

Dr O’Donoghue said that she was keenly focused on boosting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GP numbers. “We are making progress, but there is a lot more work to be done,” she said. “Numbers of self-identified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainees have been steadily increasing. The RACGP currently has 60 GPs in training and 124 Fellows. The aim is for greater than 3% representation across training and for Fellows.

To view the RACGP media release RACGP welcomes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander exam success in full click here.

ATSI GP checking patient's heart with stethoscope

Photo: James Cook University General Practice Training. Image source: RACGP newsGP.

IWC tackles antenatal care gap for mums-to-be

The healthcare gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is well-known, but its extent concerning women’s antenatal and reproductive care remains relatively obscure. This is one of the reasons the Indigenous Wellbeing Centre Ltd (IWC) in Bundaberg, Qld, runs a midwifery program that offers monthly ante-natal check-ups, post-birth weigh-ins, and breastfeeding checks. Working alongside participants general practitioners or the hospital ante-natal clinic, this bulk-billed program provides expecting mothers of Bundaberg and North Burnett with vital continuity of care, which has been proven to improve a mum’s comfort level through her pregnancy and into early motherhood.

Through their dedicated work in this program, midwife Stephanie Rackemann and Indigenous health practitioner Lisa McGrady could not ignore the lack of engagement from Indigenous mums-to-be in mainstream healthcare services during their pregnancy in the Bundaberg and North Burnett region. “I’ve seen too many Indigenous mums late in their pregnancy who have not so much as had a GP appointment. It is sad to know that there is such a mistrust of the mainstream health care system that Indigenous mums would rather avoid care,“ Stephanie said.

“There are so many reasons these mums aren’t engaging in their healthcare, with barriers like lack of transport, a lack of understanding on the importance and not having the confidence to speak up and advocate for themselves in a clinical situation,“ Lisa explained. This is where the difference in the IWC Midwifery program comes in. Not only do these mums have access to a knowledgeable, experienced and approachable midwife, but they also have continued access to Lisa.

To view the Bundaberg Today article IWC tackles the gap in antenatal care for Indigenous mums-to-be in full click here.

Lisa McGrady, IWC Indigenous health practitioner with some of the valuable supplies provided by the community

Lisa McGrady, IWC Indigenous health practitioner with some of the valuable supplies provided by the community. Image source: Bundaberg Today.

Better access for people with diabetes and CVD

“Many Australians have diabetes and cardiovascular disease” (CVD), says Expert Advisory Panel member Professor John Prins. “These chronic diseases cause severe illness and death. But healthcare services are not uniform across Australia for people living with these diseases.” A new Targeted Translation Research Accelerator Research Plan calls for ‘better methods of getting that care to people.”

Prof Prins continued. “One way to improve care is to build our knowledge of the causes of diabetes and CVD. “If you have both these diseases, they get worse faster than if you had just one disease. If we can find common mechanisms causing both diseases we can attack them both at the same time. The research plan also calls for new ways to predict who is at risk of diabetes and CVD and their complications. This will help health practitioners get the right care to people at risk. We want health practitioners to recognise patients they need to escalate to that next level of care. That might be the GP 100kms down the road or a major centre that can do further investigations.”

The plan supports researchers to build our knowledge about disease mechanisms and risk prediction with Incubator project funding. This research will help develop new diagnostics, devices, therapies and risk predictors for people living with diabetes and CVD. The plan also supports funding for large-scale multidisciplinary projects that use technology and data to improve care. The large-scale projects will be codesigned with consumers and health services to:

  • improve remote patient monitoring
  • focus on urban, rural, regional and remote areas
  • focus on First Nations people
  • focus on culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people.

The aim of these projects is to improve access to high-quality, patient-centred care.

To view the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care news article Improving health outcomes for people with diabetes and cardiovascular disease in full click here.

ATSI man gripping chest

Image source; Medical Journal of Australia.

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.

Aug 25 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: National CTG Agreement focus will not change

feature tile ATSI mum & young child standing in middle of outback dirt road; text 'Productivity Commissioner says Voice referendum result will not change focus of the National Agreement on CTG'

The image in the feature tile is from the Coalition of Peaks webpage National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

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.

National CTG Agreement focus will not change

The result of the Voice to Parliament referendum will not change the focus or the mandate of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, Productivity Commissioner, Natalie Siegel-Brown, has told a Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) livestream audience. “If the Voice comes about through the referendum, we’ve suggested that it could augment or support holding governments to account under the Agreement,” said Ms Siegel-Brown. “A Voice shouldn’t mean…that governments resile from any of their commitments under those priority reforms or…under the targets.”

Facilitated by Australian Unity General Manager for Indigenous Business and Community Engagement, Trish Oxford, the Productivity Commission Chairman, Michael Brennan, and Commissioners, Romlie Mokak and Natalie-Siegel-Brown, joined CEDA to discuss the outcomes of the latest Closing the Gap draft report, released in July 2023.

Mr Brennan said that although a constitutionally enshrined Voice would potentially help to bolster the National Agreement’s accountability mechanisms, other avenues will be explored if the referendum does not pass. “It’s really about us remaining nimble and noting that the importance of this Agreement is sustained, irrespective and whatever the outcome, we have to make sure that we’ve got the right architecture to achieve the promise…at the heart of the 2020 Agreement,” Mr Brennan said. “The Agreement isn’t just words on the page, these are commitments…firm commitments made by governments in partnership with the Coalition of Peaks, as representatives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait organisations and communities,” Commissioner Romlie Mokak said.

To read the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) article Productivity Commission says that Voice to Parliament Outcomes will not change the focus or mandate of the Closing the Gap Agreement in full here.

World-first service for First Nations stroke survivors

WA researchers have developed and trialled a world-first service that will enhance the rehabilitation experience for Aboriginal Australians who have had a stroke or traumatic brain injury. The Aboriginal Brain Injury Coordinator role was rolled out between 2018–2022, providing support, education, information and advocacy. The role was filled by Aboriginal health professionals and was developed as a way of providing culturally appropriate care and support for Aboriginal people during their recovery.

The Aboriginal Brain Injury Coordinator service was trialled in WA as part of the Healing Right Way study, led by Professor Beth Armstrong and a team of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal clinicians and researchers.  It was performed in partnership with Aboriginal Medical Services, eight hospitals across WA and the Stroke Foundation. “Aboriginal Australians experience stroke and traumatic brain injury at significant rates and a culturally appropriate response to rehabilitation and recovery has been really lacking,” says Chief Investigator, Professor Beth Armstrong.

Over 100 Aboriginal people who had experienced a stroke or traumatic brain injury participated in Healing Right Way. They came from across WA, with many people living in rural and remote areas where there are few support and rehabilitation services.  In studies prior to Healing Right Way, Aboriginal stroke survivors had shared with Professor Armstrong’s team that their care would have been enhanced had there been greater cultural responsiveness, including in the communication with health professionals and by having more Aboriginal health professionals involved in their care. “Healing Right Way was the direct result of these recommendations, and the Aboriginal Brain Injury Coordinator role was developed. 

To view the Stoke Foundation’s media release World-first service to help First Nations stroke survivors in full click here.

Rebecca Clinch, Healing Right Way Aboriginal Brain Injury Coordinator, and Justin Kickett, stroke survivor and Healing Right Way Research Assistant sitting outside laughing

Rebecca Clinch, Healing Right Way Aboriginal Brain Injury Coordinator, and Justin Kickett, stroke survivor and Healing Right Way Research Assistant. Image source: Government of WA – WA Country Health Service website.

More rural doctors good for the bush

The National Rural Health Alliance (the Alliance) has welcomed the federal government’s announcement of new funding agreements with states and the NT which will increase the number of doctors in regional, rural and remote locations. “The John Flynn Prevocational Doctor Program will promote training opportunities for the growth of the rural medical workforce,” said Susi Tegen, Chief Executive of the Alliance. “We know that when doctors have opportunities to train in rural locations, they are more likely to want to stay in those areas when they finish their medical training.

“Rural Australians have poorer access to local health care, including primary and specialist care. They are often required to travel long distances to receive care, compared to their metropolitan counterparts. Having more doctors available can make a difference in rural communities. We also welcome the priority for high need areas including those that support an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce and service delivery, which is also a strategic focus for the Alliance,” said Ms Tegen.

The Alliance advocates for better rural medical training as an incentive for the attraction and retention of medical graduates and junior doctors in rural medical practice. The Alliance also advocates for the funding of a place-based multidisciplinary model of primary health care, called the Primary care Rural Integrated Multidisciplinary Health Services (PRIM-HS) that gives healthcare funding flexibility to communities to address workforce shortages and accessibility issues in rural areas. “We see this program by the federal government as a step toward addressing the dire situation faced by our rural communities” said Ms Tegen.

To read the NRHA media release Increasing doctor numbers in rural Australia is good for the bush in full click here.

doctor with stethoscope around neck standing in a paddock

Image source: Health Times.

Renewed focus on NT health workforce

The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has welcomed a renewed focus on the NT health workforce and future of general practice care following a Primary Health Care Workforce Summit held in Alice Springs on Wednesday 23 August 2023. RACGP NT Chair, Dr Sam Heard, said that the Summit was a great opportunity to secure the future of general practice care, “the NT is the best place in Australia to train and work as a GP. There is so much important work to do in general practice care and it is really rewarding to work in an extraordinary team, to be highly valued, and to give back to the community. You can really make a difference to the lives of people in your local area and the opportunities for building experience and for career advancement are well recognised.”

Dr Heard said “It was great to see the Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health Malarndirri McCarthy, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Ged Kearney, and NT Chief Minister and Health Minister Natasha Fyles, come together to directly engage with healthcare workers and experts from across the NT. “RACGP representatives also met with several organisations including the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, and NT Health, to discuss a range of solutions ahead of the Summit. “We agreed on an ambitious seven-point plan, which we took to the Summit, to help ensure no patients anywhere in the NT are left behind,” Dr Heard said.

“The NT is facing a critical shortage of GPs, with survey results from last year showing shortages across private general practice, the Aboriginal Community Control Health sector, and the public sector. It is no surprise that remote and isolated areas of the NT are disproportionately affected; in some communities the loss of one GP can mean no access to general practice care without travelling vast distances. GPs are central to patient care right across Australia, but this is especially so in remote areas” Dr Heard said.

To read the RACGP media release Focus on boosting the Northern Territory health workforce welcomed in full click here.

NT GP checking heart of ATSI boy

Image source: Charles Darwin University website.

ADHA Consumer Digital Health Literacy sessions

The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) has developed a suite of  free live online learning sessions which will enable participants to find out how they can use digital health tools such as My Health Record, the my health app and electronic prescriptions.

During September and October 2023 you can join our free online learning sessions remotely from anywhere with an internet connection, and learn from a range of presenters and have your questions answered. You can register here, for any of the upcoming sessions (listed below) or view a recording here, including Auslan interpreted recordings. ADHA also have a range of self-paced eLearning resources, available here, that can be accessed at any time.

  • Keeping your My Health Record private and secure
  • Introduction to My Health Record
  • How can I view test results or scans in My Health Record?
  • Medicines information, allergies and adverse reactions in My Health Record
  • How My Health Record can help support your mental health management
  • My Health Record for carers
  • Health on the go: my health app for travellers

You can find more detail about each of the information sessions, including registration links here.

ADHA have recently published a YouTube playlist of their past digital health learning sessions, available here, which all include an Auslan interpreter. The sessions have a been broken down into ‘chapters’ on YouTube so attendees can more easily pinpoint the content they are most interested in.

ADHA tile text 'Australian Digital Health Agency - Upcoming consumer online learning session'

Sector Jobs

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

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

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

During Brain Injury Awareness Week, held annually to raise awareness of brain injury and its impact, NACCHO has been sharing stories and information. One in 45 Australians live with a brain injury. It’s an invisible disability, as there is often no physical evidence of the injury, but it affects how people think and feel as they recover and reintegrate into everyday life.

Murrumbidgee Local Health District’s (LHD) South West Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service (SWBIRS) provides support to assist people affected by brain injury to regain skills required to so they can participate in home, school, work and community activities. The SWBIRS Transitional Living Unit, Tarkarri provides a bridge between hospital and home for people learning to live with a traumatic or acquired brain injury. “Tarkarri is an Aboriginal word that means ‘creating futures’,” said Jenny Goodfellow, an OT who coordinates the Transitional Living Unit program.

Ms Goodfellow explained that “After suffering a brain injury it’s common to act, feel and respond differently to situations as well as experience changes in your behaviour, personality and thinking. These changes can make it difficult to return to work, sport or activities you enjoyed before. It can also put pressure on your relationships with family, friends, co-workers and other people in your life. At Tarkarri we work with clients who have an acquired or traumatic brain injury to work on the skills they need to get back to life, including independent living skills, life roles and responsibilities and individual goals, so that they can create the future that they want. The team also work with your family to help them understand what’s going on with you, what’s changed and how they can support you.”

To view the NSW Government Health Murrumbidgee Local Health District media release Brain Injury Awareness Week 2023 in full click here.

Jenny Goodfellow, Coordinator of Tarkarri Transitional Living Unit and clients Cooper Maher and Adam Scott

Jenny Goodfellow, Coordinator of Tarkarri Transitional Living Unit and clients Cooper Maher and Adam Scott during Brain Injury Awareness Week, 21-28 August 2023. Image source: NSW Health Murrumbidgee LHD webpage.

Aug 3 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Have your say on diabetes in Australia

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.

Have your say on diabetes in Australia

NACCHO is making a submission to the parliamentary committee inquiry into diabetes in Australia and wants to hear from member services. Across three webinars (Monday 7 August, Tuesday 8 August, and Friday 11 August) NACCHO members are invited to have their say on how they work with local community around diabetes diagnosis, support, and management; Including what works for their communities, and what resources are needed to better support Community.

The inquiry follows a referral on May 24 from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler and is investigating the cause of diabetes in Australia, risk factors, prevention, diagnosis, management, and the effectiveness of current Australian Government policies and programs surrounding the disease.

Written submissions closing on Thursday 31 August.

There are three opportunities to contribute. Registration links are below:

Pat Turner to speak on Closing the Gap at University of Canberra

NACCHO CEO, Pat Turner will speak at the University of Canberra (UC) Thursday August 10 on Closing the Gap, in a series of public lectures on the Voice to Parliament. It comes as UC launches a Virtual Freedom Ride paying tribute to 1965 student activism in the lead up to the 1967 referendum. Ahead of the 2023 referendum the university has created its own Freedom Ride in digital form. Pro Vice-Chancellor of Indigenous Leadership, Professor Maree Meredith said it’s a platform for students and staff to access important information about the Voice to Parliament.

“The Virtual Freedom Ride honours the work that was done back in the ‘60s and it was those students that were really critical to build that awareness. This is why we are making sure that the students have a role,” said Professor Meredith.

Professor Meredith said the lectures and the Virtual Freedom Ride would help counter misinformation surrounding the Voice.

“As a civic institution, that’s our role. It’s to promote the debate but with facts and with evidence. That’s the role of universities,” she said.

Find the Virtual Freedom Ride here and the full Canberra Times article here.

The freedom ride bus outside Hotel Boggabilla in 1965. Image source: The Canberra Times.

Calls to ignore scare campaign over 60-day prescribing reforms

NACCHO, CHF, RACGP and the AMA have joined together to call on the Opposition and the Greens to support 60-day scripts to save patients money and time, and free up GPs for other patients. The 60 Day Dispensing reform is due to commence on 1 September, however, a “scare campaign” over the past several months to stop the changes has triggered concerns that the Opposition and The Greens will try to block the reform in the Senate with a disallowance motion.

RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said, “I’m calling on Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and The Greens to put Australians first and rule out a disallowance. 60-day dispensing is in patients’ best interests – it will save around 6 million people money and time, and free up GP consults for other patients.”

Health Minister, Mark Butler also urged the Coalition to reconsider its opposition to the introduction of 60-day scripts. The Minister said 30-day scripts makes “no sense for people who are on the same medicine, year in year out, decade in decade out, sometime for the rest of their lives.”

Read NACCHO’s June media release here and the RACGP media release here.

You can also read the Croakey Health Media article in full here.

Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara youth speak up for each other

Friday 4 August marks National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day. Ahead of the day to celebrate and stand up for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, a group of young people from Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Lands met with the National Children’s Commissioner last week to discuss the needs of young people “to keep them out of trouble.”

NPY Women’s Council said the group spoke with the Commissioner about the underlying factors causing young people to “muck up”, which included social media fueling negative stereotypes, racism, negative relationships with law enforcement, and difficult home lives.

Making suggestions on what’s needed to better support the young Community, they discussed the importance of meaningful and purposeful engagement. One young person said, “getting to keep language and culture and learn at school – having both – makes people happy,”

Another talked about the importance of family and culture, “Family can help show us the right way… Nana’s, older cousins, Elders…family is comforting.”

The Children’s Commissioner will be travelling around Australia to talk to young people and will create a report to government.

Read more here.

Image source: NPY Women’s Council.

Making decisions about a child in care

WA’s Department of Communities has created a decision-making guide to support foster and family carers. Who can say OK in WA was developed in consultation with ACCHOs and community service organisations to support decision-making about children in care. It will be a resource for foster and family carers who are frequently presented with everyday decisions that all families make about children and young people. It is designed to make carers feel confident about which decisions they can make, so that childhood experiences for children in care are as normalised as possible.

It includes guidance on identity and culture, helping carers honour, respect, and maintain the child’s birth family’s culture. As well as advice on decisions for household rules and discipline, education, physical and mental health, sexuality and gender diversity.

Learn more here.

Who can say OK in WA resource

Deadly start to providing culturally safe care

A new school-based traineeship program is helping build Townsville University Hospital’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce. The Deadly Start program provides year 11 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students with 12-months workplace experience within the hospital and a Certificate III in Health Service Assistance or Allied Health Assistance. Pimlico High School student Bevan Kepa said the course helped him find a path to a career in healthcare.

“It’s been really helpful because I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do after school…”

“It’s important for me to go down this path so we can have more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation in the health industry,” he said.

The program comes alongside the University Hospital’s Reconciliation Action Plan, to have greater Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workplace representation, which reflects the region’s population. Workforce programs co-ordinator, Alisha Kyle said programs like Deadly Start help to improve cultural safety, “by having a workforce that represents our First Nations consumers, we are improving access to healthcare for our mob, and ultimately improving their health outcomes.”

Read more here.

Pimlico High School student Bevan Kepa. Image source: Townsville Bulletin.

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.

Aug 1 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Important conversations about bowel cancer screening

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.

Important conversations about bowel cancer screening

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 50 to 74 are urged to do a free bowel cancer screening test. Bowel cancer is Australia’s second biggest cancer killer and one of the most common cancers impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. However, if detected early, almost all bowel cancers are treatable. Approximately one in three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are completing their bowel cancer screening tests as part of the national program. Wuthathi and Meriam man John Paul Janke is advocating for more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to take up the free test, part of the National Bowel Cancer Screening program.

“As Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, we need to have important conversations about our health.

“Bowel cancer screening is something that is simple, free and easy to do. We need to encourage our brothers and sister to participate, there’s absolutely no shame in looking after your health and wellbeing,” Mr Janke said.

All eligible Australians aged 50 to 74 receive the free bowel cancer screening test in the mail every two years, or through their healthcare professionals. Replacement kits can be ordered through your local health clinic.

For NACCHO Bowel Cancer Screening resources go here.

To read the full Canberra Weekly article click here.

Improving access for patients and attracting medical professionals to the regions: RACGP tours WA

Last week, RACGP President, Dr Nicole Higgins toured WA to discuss doctor shortages, workforce challenges, and culturally safe care. Derbarl Yerrigan Aboriginal Health Service was on the list of stops, the ACCHO providing expertise on how to best provide care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. RACGP WA Chair, Dr Ramya Raman said, “many of us, including myself, have Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and we need to be understanding and respectful to the cultural aspects, as well as being able to manage some of the health conditions in a culturally sensitive manner.”

Attending other health services throughout the state, RACGP said the main concerns raised about rural healthcare include improving access for patients, and how to best attract medical professionals to the regions. COVID-19 exacerbating workforce challenges, and creating changes across general practice, which are expected to be felt for years to come.

“There is a level of isolation that many practitioners, medical students, as well as nursing and allied health staff and other colleagues are feeling. There’s a sense of burnout,” Dr Raman said.

Read the full News GP article RACGP tours WA to discuss doctor shortage here.

National Road Safety Action Grants Open

Grants to help reduce road fatalities and injuries are now open. On Friday 28 July Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Senator Carol Brown announced the opening of the National Road Safety Action Grants Program. The program will deliver key non-infrastructure commitments critical to the delivery priorities outlined in the National Road Safety Strategy 2021-30 and National Road Safety Action Plan 2023-25.

The program will provide funding across five key focus areas critical to reducing fatalities and serious injuries on our roads:

  1. Community Education and Awareness, including workplace road safety.
  2. Vulnerable Road Users
  3. First Nations Road Safety
  4. Technology and Innovation
  5. Research and Data

Applications for the first two focus areas (Community Education and Awareness, and Vulnerable Road Users) are now open. The program is open to a range of organisations including not-for-profit and research, as well as local, state, and territory governments.

Application for the next two streams (First Nations Road Safety, and Technology and Innovation) are expected to open later this year.

Applications for focus areas one and two close Friday 25 August.

For more information go here.

Image source: The Conversation.

AIDA and AMA sign agreement to help close health gap.

The Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) have signed a memorandum of understanding, cementing a shared commitment towards tackling serious health inequalities affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and to empower future Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors.

“Clinical safety is cultural safety, and it is essential we continue to improve outcomes for our people. By uniting in purpose, we can continue to unlock endless possibilities through our work towards a shared vision of a culturally safe healthcare system,” said AIDA President, Dr Simone Raye.

AMA President, Professor Steve Robson said the new agreement would unlock further collaboration with AIDA and foster growth of a culturally safe expert medical workforce.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a right to affordable and culturally safe healthcare, no matter where they are in Australia,” he said.

Read more here.

AIDA President Dr Simone Raye and AMA President Professor Steve Robson. Image source: AIDA Facebook.

What does ‘Culture First’ mean to you? SEWB Gathering 4 gets underway.

The fourth Social Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) Gathering is in full swing, kicking off yesterday Monday 31 July and is on until Wednesday 2 August in Darwin. Delegates from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies, community organisations, leaders, and experts from across Australia joining forces to discuss social and emotional wellbeing topics, centered around the theme ‘Culture First.’ The upcoming referendum was a key discussion yesterday, with the question ‘How does the Voice and political issues impact on SEWB?’

Taking to the podium Professor Tom Calma said, “I emphasis youth because this referendum is about the future. Young Australians will be a driving force in this referendum, they have been spared the miseducation and misinformation that was received by their parents and grandparents.”

Image source: Centre of Best Practice Facebook.

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: World Breastfeeding Week

World Breastfeeding Week runs from Tuesday 1 August to Monay 7 August. The global campaign aims to raise awareness among decision-makers, workplaces, and the wider community about the importance of breastfeeding and its benefits.

Key messages of the campaign include:

  • Breastfeeding is easier when everyone steps up to support mothers.
  • Women everywhere need paid maternity leave.
  • Breastfeeding is easier when workplaces provide support and dedicate time and space to breastfeed or express milk.

NACCHO’s Strong Born Campaign, in collaboration with the National FASD Campaign Working Group, aims to raise awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and the harms of drinking alcohol while pregnant and breastfeeding.

Messaging surrounding breastfeeding includes:

“No alcohol during pregnancy or when breastfeeding is the safest way for mum and baby.”

“If breastfeeding bub, they can get charged up too and get really crook.”

Strong Born Campaign resources are available here.

Jul 28 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Yarrabah community deserve answers

feature tile image tap on wall with paint & child handprints; text 'Yarrabah community want answers about lead in tap water'

The image in the feature tile is from an article Authorities knew key water treatment infrastructure was ‘offline’ 12 months before lead discovered in Yarrabah tap water published by ABC News earlier today, 28 July 2023. Photo: Brendan Mounter, ABC Far North.

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.

Yarrabah community deserve answers

The Queensland government was warned of critical infrastructure failures more than a year before lead was discovered in the tap water of Australia’s largest Aboriginal community. Lead up to 12 times the safe level was detected in May in tap water at schools in Yarrabah, in far north Queensland, and levels above acceptable limits have been found in water at the town’s health services and in some homes.

Kaylene Jackson, an outreach worker at the Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service, said it had caught her off guard. “Because we don’t know anything about, you know, lead poisoning or anything like that,” she said. Ms Jackson said two of her grandchildren and a family friend had elevated lead levels in their blood. Ms Jackson said she wanted a more widespread investigation. “I feel angry and wild,” she said. “Because in this day and age in Australia, we should be able to go to the tap, turn it on, grab clean drinking water, be able to drink it.”

Jason King, a Yued Noongar man and the director of clinical services at Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service, agreed that there needed to be a more “widespread understanding of the severity and the spread of [the] water quality issues”. “We then have to drill down and figure out what is the actual cause because if it’s not coming from the water, it needs to be coming from somewhere else,” Dr King said. “There is a genuine interest in getting answers because the community deserves those answers.” Dr King said the health service was in discussions with the paediatrics team in Cairns to include heavy metal testing in situations where doctors had concerns about someone’s neurodevelopment.

To view the ABC News article Authorities knew key water treatment infrastructure was ‘offline’ 12 months before lead discovered in Yarrabah tap water in full click here.

Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service outreach worker Kaylene Jackson, Yarrabah

Yarrabah resident Kaylene Jackson wants to know why children are returning elevated lead results in blood tests. Photo: Brendan Mounter, ABC Far North.

Pride is about bravery says Mirning artist

Mirning artist Tyberius Larking uses the motif of the butterfly to explore his identity as a trans man. Ahead of an exhibition titled PRIDE showing at the Adelaide Contemporary Experimental (ACE) that features his work, Tyberius explained that to him, “Pride is about bravery.” The bright, first-year University of Adelaide science student explains he has always had a penchant for the environment, but he began observing the prowess of butterflies in particular on bushwalks in 2020. “They know that they’re powerful and that they can get away or let you get close,” Tyberius said. “Sometimes they approach you and I look at it as boldness or pluckiness, self-confidence, and I think there’s something about that, which reminds me of the kind of pride that I have to have in order to insulate and deflect hatred.” Asked what kind of hatred, he says: “Discrimination on the front of both my Indigenous and LGBTI identities.”

The PRIDE exhibition is part of the state-wide Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art and focuses mostly on the multi-disciplinary work of Melbourne-based Ngarigo cross-disciplinary visual artist, Peter Waples-Crowe. One of the exhibition’s curators Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna and Italian writer Dominic Guerrera said the collection is about: “The colours of survival, the attitude of punk and a deep love of community – Blak and queer, we have always been here.”

Although PRIDE prioritises the political and urgent work of Peter, a queer Indigenous artist infusing over two decades of experience as a community health worker and his personal story as an adopted child, it also includes a mentorship component. Three local emerging Aboriginal Australian artists – comprising Arrente ceramicist and APY Gallery artist Alfred Lowe; Gugada and Wirangu mixed-medium artist Jayda Wilson; and Tyberius – have all been mentored by Peter. They will exhibit these pieces as part of the exhibition.

To view the CityMag article From caterpillar to butterfly: (Trans)formation with Tyberius Larking in full click here.

Mirning artist trans man Tyberius Larking

Mirning artist and trans man Tyberius Larking. Photo: Jonathan van der Knaap. Courtesy Adelaide Contemporary Experimental. Image source: CityMag.

New WellMob resource sheets for workers

The WellMob team have developed some new mental health and wellbeing resources for workers. WellMob’s aim is to make using culturally responsive online resources easier for time poor workers and to support the wellbeing of mob.

The resource sheets for workers, available here, cover a range of topics including: anxiety; cultural identity; depression; drugs and smoking; alcohol; gender identity; parenting; sleep; suicide prevention and support; understanding and healing from trauma; understanding social and emotional wellbeing; and understanding and healing from trauma.

You can access a flyer providing an overview of these resource sheets, with embedded links to each one, here.

collage WellMob Healing Our Way & Short cuts to top resources - WellMob Resource Sheets for workforce

60-day prescriptions webinar for primary care

You are invited to join us for a webinar on 60-day prescriptions for selected PBS medicines. The webinar from 3–4pm (AEDT) on Tuesday 1 August 2023 is for primary care and will discuss the upcoming policy change, with time for Q & A’s.

When you’re ready to join, please use this link.

Password: Cwa9mgyFP43 (29296493 from phones and video systems).

If you’re unable to view this webinar live, you can view it on-demand using this link, within a few hours of the live stream ending.

Speakers will include a representative from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and Department of Health and Aged Care staff:

  • Penny Shakespeare – Deputy Secretary
  • Adriana Platona – First Assistant Secretary, Technology Assessment and Access Division
  • David Laffan – Assistant Secretary, Pharmacy Branch
DHAC tile text '60-day Prescriptions - session for primary care'

Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care tile.

Push back against new powers to detain kids

A coalition of over 40 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, health, legal, social, community services and youth advocacy organisations from across Victoria have called on Premier Daniel Andrews and Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes to commit to ruling out any new powers for police over children, once the age of criminal responsibility is raised. The calls respond to recent comments from Victoria Police Commissioner Shane Patton seeking power to arrest and detain children as young as 10, after the reforms are implemented.

In an open letter, the coalition calls for the Victorian Government to invest in a model of care for children which ensures they have the critical supports they need. This model must be designed in close collaboration with Aboriginal communities, advocates for children in the care system and other overrepresented communities. The letter also urges the Victorian Government to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 without exceptions.

In May 2023, Victoria Police Commissioner Patton appeared before the Yoorrook Justice Commission and acknowledged that policing of Aboriginal people today is still influenced by systemic and structural racism. Aboriginal young people are almost six times more likely to be processed by police as alleged offenders than non-Aboriginal young people. Any new police powers would disproportionately affect Aboriginal children and families.

Criminalising children is never the answer to behaviours resulting from complex, unmet needs. Evidence shows that any engagement with the criminal legal system, including first contact with police, can be highly distressing and cause harm to a young child. In a crisis, children need first responders who are skilled in health, youth support and other critical services.

To view the Human Rights Law Centre article Experts push back against Victoria Police’s grab for new powers to detain children in full click here.

child's palm raised in stop motion

Image source: The Conversation article Ten-year-olds do not belong in detentions. Why Australia must raise the age of criminal responsibility published on 23 July 2020.

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 – World Hepatitis Day – 28 July 2023

Today, 28 July, marks World Hepatitis Day 2023, an important opportunity to give visibility to, and raise awareness of viral hepatitis. It also serves to drive better outcomes for people affected by viral hepatitis. World Hepatitis Day is one of only eight official health days declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The theme set for this year is “Hepatitis Can’t Wait”.

If Australian targets are to be achieved, there must be a continuing urgency to redouble efforts to eliminate hepatitis as a global public health threat. Health advocates warn that many people living with viral hepatitis are unaware of their condition or remain unengaged in care. They may not realise their risk of liver disease and liver cancer. Fortunately, after many years of steady decline in testing, and treatment, of hepatitis B and hepatitis C – particularly during COVID – we are seeing an increase in demand for these services. “Public awareness is key. Understanding more about hepatitis B and hepatitis C and sharing this information could save lives and prevent people from developing serious liver disease or cancer,” said Hepatitis NSW CEO Steven Drew.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are disproportionately affected by both hepatitis B and hepatitis C, with prevalence rates above the general community rate. Today Hepatitis NSW has launched a new hepatitis B resource, Yarnin’ About Hep B (a companion to their very popular Yarnin’ About Hep C), available here. The resource has been developed through collaboration with Aboriginal health workers, community members and clinicians.

To view The National Tribune article No excuses on World Hepatitis Day, hepatitis can’t wait in full click here.

tile World Hepatitis Day 2023; image liver & stethoscope

Jul 5 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Celebrating the contribution of our health professionals

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

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

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

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

Celebrating the contribution of our health professionals

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

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

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

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

Why the Voice is critical to mob’s health

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

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

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

Aboriginal flag flying with Australian Parliament House in background

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

Breaking down digital health barriers

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

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

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

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

RACGP welcomes boost for rural pharmacies

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

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

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

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

pharmacist's hands holding medicine boxes

Image source: newsGP.

Improving literacy, numeracy and digital skills

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

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

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

3 young Aboriginal kids with a book in classroom

Image source: Indigenous Literacy Foundation website.

Eye sector unites for equitable eye health outcomes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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