Category Racism and Aboriginal Health

Nov 27 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Fight to shift dial on CTG has not ended

feature tile image: young ATSI boy clutching chest, looking up to camera with big smile; text 'Fight to Close the Gap has not ended despite Voice referendum result'

The image in the feature tile is from page 10 of the Barhava Report Indi Kindi Impact Report August 2020, available here.

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

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

Fight to shift dial on CTG has not ended

Victoria’s Minister for Treaty and First Peoples and key delegates in the state have declared the fight to shift the dial on positive outcomes has not ended despite October’s unsuccessful Voice referendum, with key goals in place before the end of the current government’s term. The Joint Council for Closing the Gap (CTG) held their first meeting following the result in Naarm (Melbourne) last Thursday (23 November 2023). State ministers responsible for Indigenous affairs, federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney, and Coalition of Peaks, local government and First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria representatives attended the gathering. Recently re-appointed Minister for Treaty and First Peoples Natalia Hutchins said her government “remains steadfast in our commitment in progressing voice, truth and treaty with our First Peoples”.

Co-chair of Ngaweeyan Maar-oo (Voice of the People) – the Koori Caucus of Victoria’s Partnership Forum towards Closing the Gap, Lisa Briggs, said the journey towards better outcomes is “gaining momentum” despite being “challenging work”. Victoria’s implementation plan towards CTG has four priority areas; Formal partnerships and shared decision-making; Building the community-controlled sector; Transforming government organisations; and Shared access to data and information at a regional level.

“The priority reforms are intended to drive the structural changes needed to see meaningful improvements,” Ms Briggs said. First People’s Assembly co-chair Ngurra Murray said the assembly wants input on policy, and to see decision making in community. “We believe decisions about Aboriginal people should be made by Aboriginal people. Not just because it’s morally right, but it delivers better outcomes,” Ms Murray said. “My message to government is if you want to close the gaps, then give everyone an equal opportunity to implement our solutions. She said while “we can’t change history”, there is a need to address ongoing impacts of colonisation negatively affecting First Nations people.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Closing the Gap Joint Council meet for first time post-referendum in full click here.

Victoria's Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, Natalia Hutchins at podium

Victoria’s Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, Natalia Hutchins. Photo: Natalie Hutchins MP Facebook. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Flinders Uni empowers future health professionals

A group of 12 Indigenous students are celebrating a huge milestone on the path to becoming a doctor after successfully completing the 2023 Indigenous Entry Stream (IES) at Flinders University. Five students in NT and seven in SA have completed the program which provides Indigenous people with an alternative route to pursue a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree.

Now in its 11th year, Flinders University offers this program to potential students wishing to study medicine who do not have a valid GAMSAT score. Arrernte woman and Program Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pathways in Medicine, College of Medicine and Public Health, Kath Martin is pleased to report that the IES has just seen their biggest intake since the programs inception.

“This is the biggest intake we’ve had (12). Previously we’ve got about 5 or 6 in total,” she said. “The IES is about preparing them for what’s required of them when they come into the medial program where they get a taste of what they’ll be studying like Anatomy and science.” IES participants get acquainted with cultural, academic, and social support staff and available programs for potential progression into medicine studies.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Flinders University is empowering future Indigenous health professionals in full click here.

looking at replicas of body parts: Sophie L'Estrange (IES participant) with Jason Baird & Jahdai Vigona (Flinders staff)

Sophie L’Estrange (IES participant) with Jason Baird & Jahdai Vigona (Flinders staff). Photo: Flinders University. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

$1.7m for Indigenous health research

Millions of dollars have been invested in five Hunter research projects through federal government health and medical funding. Two projects led by University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute researchers received $1.7m through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Indigenous Health Research scheme.

Professor Kirsty Pringle received $726,149 as part of The Gomeroi Gaaynggal Breastfeeding Study, a community-led program to support breastfeeding Indigenous families and Associate professor Michelle Kennedy was awarded $999,186 for Koori Quit Pack, support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to quit smoking.

To view the Newcastle Herald article Millions of dollars for Newcastle research teams in full click here. You can also access the Gomeroi Gaaynggal Study website here.

mum holding toddler & ATSI dad holding young girl standing in a paddock

Image source: Gomeroi Gaaynggal Study website.

New adult COVID-19, flu, shingles vax plan needed

Governments should create a new national plan to make adult vaccination as robust as childhood vaccines, as rates lag across dangerous diseases and misinformation increases, according to a new report. A Grattan Institute report published today has found Australia “urgently needs a policy reset” with data showing rates of adult vaccination against COVID-19, flu, shingles and pneumococcal disease are far too low.

Beyond childhood, adults are recommended to get the influenza vaccine every year, the shingles vaccine at 65 and the pneumococcal vaccine, which protects against a bacteria which can cause pneumonia, bloodstream infection and meningitis, at 70. Indigenous Australians and adults with medical risks are recommended to get these vaccines earlier. However, the report – titled A fair shot: How to close the vaccination gap – has found fewer than half of all Australians in their 70s are vaccinated for shingles, and only one in five are vaccinated for pneumococcal disease.

The report also highlights that rates of COVID-19 vaccination have “plunged”, with two and a half million people over the age of 65 not up-to-date with their vaccinations at the start of winter 2023 – two million more than a year earlier. The report found certain sectors of the population were more likely to miss out, including people who are not proficient in English, Indigenous, living in rural areas and poorer Australians. “Recent vaccination for the poorest people is nearly 40% lower than it is for the richest people, and the poorest people are nearly 20% less likely to be vaccinated against flu,” the report said. It also found people who didn’t speak English at home were only half as likely to get recommended COVID-19 vaccinations, while Indigenous people were a third less likely.

To view The Guardian article Australia needs new adult vaccination plan for Covid, flu and shingles, report warns in full click here.

woman from AHCWA receives COVID-19 vaccination

A woman receives the COVID-19 vaccine. Photo: Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services. Image source: The Guardian.

Nathan is proud of his old man for reaching out

Nathan Appo understands the importance of knowing when to reach out for help. The Brisbane resident and prominent Voice campaigner has worked in Indigenous health for years and watched his father struggle with depression and anxiety. “I’m really proud of my old man for eventually saying, “I need to go and see a doctor and get help”. “To see where he is now and how he looks after his health and how he reaches out for help when he needs it is really empowering.”

And Appo, a Mamu man from Innisfail with connections to Goreng Goreng and Bundjalung Country, recently did the same after spending more than a year campaigning for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. “I knew how I would feel if the vote didn’t get up, so I booked to see a counsellor straight away,” he says. In the lead-up to the referendum, he door-knocked Brisbane suburbs, hosted town halls, led Yes marches and handed out flyers at polling booths. While he never lost hope, by the campaign’s end his efforts on the frontline had taken a toll on his mental health.

“When I was polling, I had people racially abusing me, people try to fight me,” Appo says. “The discrimination and racism and the attacks on my identity and culture, the slander, it all really affected me, and I think it will have an effect on me for a long time.” But weeks after the referendum result, Appo was back on the campaign trail, this time as an ambassador for Movember. “The work doesn’t stop,” he says. Appo has grown his moustache to raise awareness for men’s health issues, including men’s suicide, for the past eight years.

To view The Age article ‘I’m really proud of my old man for saying he needed to get help’ in full click here.

Nathan Appo with arm around his dad's shoulders

Nathan Appo (right) is growing his moustache for the eighth year in a row to raise awareness around men’s health issues, inspired in part by his father’s mental health struggles. Image source: The Age.

Value of lived experience in creating change

Award winning founder of Yindamara Mens Healing Group, More Cultural Rehabs, Less Jails and co-founder of Brothers 4 Recovery Drug and Alcohol Awareness, Proud Wiradjuri man Jeffery Amatto, is an example of how recognising the value of lived experience can create the change our country needs. Mr Amatto, an advocate and presenter, has travelled more than 350,000 kms delivering workshops across Australia sharing his inspiring journey of grit, strength and resilience to uplift and give hope to others who are experiencing struggles similar to what he survived.

Bringing knowledge and passion to his work, Mr Amatto has a lived experience of incarceration, addiction and growing up black in the regional town of Wellington, New South Wales which he fondly refers to as god’s country. He currently resides on Darkinjung Country, a place he feels privileged to call home, because that is where his healing happened at a cultural rehab centre – The Glen.

As a child Mr Amatto was exposed to the negative impacts of intergenerational trauma including poverty, alcoholism and gambling, yet he still reflects on his childhood with positive memories of growing up and the strong relationship he had with his mum, nan and pop, and culture. “As a kid growing up, back home I loved it, I loved being back on country. It was a normal thing to go down to the river swimming and playing at the park or fishing,” he said. “We didn’t have the material things, but what we had was the three most important things for us as Indigenous people which was love, culture and respect.” Whilst there were good times growing up, once alcohol and gambling had started infiltrating his home life by age of five, his memories start to change.

To view the National Indigenous Times article More Cultural Rehabs, Less Jails founder Jeffrey Amatto on culture and lived experience in full click here.

Jeffery Amatto with white body paint & male ATSI youth with white body paint on beach

Mr Amatto sharing knowledge with the next generations. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Nov 22 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Stan Grant calls out media for fuelling disinformation

Stan Grant calls out media for fuelling disinformation

The image in the feature tile is from NACCHO: Stan Grant calls out media for fuelling disinformation at CONVERGE First National Media National Conference in Canberra 21 November 2023.

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.

Stan Grant calls out media for fuelling disinformation

Academic and former ABC journalist and presenter Stan Grant has decried mainstream Australian media as ‘part of the problem’ in the spread of disinformation. Speaking yesterday (Tuesday 21 November 2023) at CONVERGE, the annual conference of First Nations Media Australia, the Wiradjuri man called out some of the accepted principles of his former profession. “We should not hide behind the lies of objectivity and neutrality,” he told attendees in Canberra.

He also criticised the treatment of Indigenous journalists during the referendum, who he said were hounded for truth-telling. “We were accused of being divisive and our claims were trivialised.” Grant contrasted this with the reception to the claim that colonisation had benefited Aboriginal people, which he said had been welcomed. Formerly the host of the ABC’s Q&A program, Grant stepped back from the role earlier this year, following the firestorm over his comments during the King’s coronation. He described unrelenting pressure from media outlets over his references to the negative effects of colonisation, and a lack of support from ABC management, as the motivation behind his departure.

After a decades-long career as a journalist, the events shook his faith in his chosen profession. “The media took truth and yindyamarra and turned it into hate,” he said. “It remains a hostile environment [for those who want to tell the truth] … it has put poison in the bloodstream of society.”

To read the SBS NITV article ‘Poison in the bloodstream’: Stan Grant calls out the media for fuelling disinformation in full click here.

Australia’s first racism register for First Nations

Wiradjuri man Shane Bell was hoping to further his music career when he started a tertiary course but was shocked by the racism he experienced from other adults in the classroom. “It started out with one racist, and at the end of semester, there were three,” Mr Bell said. The bullying started with comments about his wardrobe before escalating in threats of violence. Ultimately, the racism reached boiling point and Mr Bell struck one of the perpetrators. “I was suspended for 30 days and nothing happened to the bullies,” he said. The institution suspended Mr Bell, but he says they acknowledged he was provoked. Reflecting, Mr Bell felt he couldn’t trust the official complaint process. He was relieved, however, to hear about Australia’s first racism register for First Nations people: Call It Out. 500 individuals registered with the online platform – run by researchers at the University of Technology Sydney’s (UTS) Jumbunna Institute – from the 12 months up to March this year.

Nearly four in 10 people reported a high level of violent and aggressive racism. Almost a quarter said the racism was ongoing. Women were more likely to be victims, but perpetrators were relatively evenly spread between genders. Professor of Criminology at UTS, Chris Cunneen said racism has detrimental effects on people’s health, and physical violence adds to that risk. Other reported locations for racist incidents were health and education settings but workplaces were a major concern.

“The worst types of effects that were noted on the register were people quitting their job. Obviously the economic one (impact), but also the emotional and psychological effect of workplace racism. It was one that was more frequently reported by Aboriginal women than Aboriginal men so there was a gendered dimension to that as well,” Professor Cunneen said.  The period under review in this Report concluded in March 2023 — more than six months prior to the Referendum on a Voice to Parliament … researchers are expecting a spike in the next report Call It Out researchers are hoping the information will be used to inform anti racism campaigns, educate the wider community, help investment in this space and inform law reform.

To read the ABC News article ‘Elderly Indigenous woman pepper sprayed, knocked to the ground’: Submissions to Australia’s first racism register for First Nations in full click here.

A new report found almost four in 10 First Nations people have experienced high levels of violent and aggressive racism. Almost a quarter said the racism was ongoing. Image source: ABC News Graphics/UTS.

A new report found almost four in 10 First Nations people have experienced high levels of violent and aggressive racism. Almost a quarter said the racism was ongoing. Image source: ABC News Graphics/UTS.

Indigenous knowledge has value in medical education

PhD candidate Dr Paul Saunders is a proud Biripi man. His family hails from the Taree area in the mid-north coast of NSW. Dr Saunders says he has always had a strong connection to community and is proud of the fact that the work he does is based on community need, working with local Aboriginal medical services to determine the most needed research directions. Dr Saunders said that when he was in clinical practice, it became clear to him that what was really required couldn’t be fulfilled while working as a practitioner. The poor statistics in terms of Indigenous health care, patient experiences and outcomes, he says, are what motivated him to move into the research space – to effect change at a system and policy level.

Doctors, Dr Saunders said, must be able to practice in a way that aligns with Indigenous community expectations. His PhD is looking at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inter-cultural capabilities of non-Indigenous students within the medical program and exploring what this might look like across the east coast of Australia, where there’s great diversity across different communities.

According to Dr Saunders, there also needs to be a generational change within the medical workforce rather than piecemeal change. He says his PhD will contribute to informing medical students of how to work appropriately with Aboriginal communities within the medical care setting, “We must create the capabilities required before medical practitioners enter a clinical setting to minimise the harm for Indigenous patients. Primary medical education is a good starting point to ensure that medical students, who are our future doctors, are able to practice culturally responsive work which then impacts positively on cultural safety as we know it.”

To read The University of Melbourne Pursuit article Australia need to value Indigenous knowledge in medical education in full click here.

Dr Paul Saunders says medical education still fails to fully recognise or appreciate Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing. Image source: The University of Melbourne, Pursuit.

Dr Paul Saunders says medical education still fails to fully recognise or appreciate Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing. Image source: The University of Melbourne, Pursuit.

New Goldfields health hub, a gamechanger

Curtin University’s new Goldfields health hub designed to support students to live, study and work in regional WA and ensure communities get the care they need, was officially launched in Kalgoorlie yesterday (Tuesday 21 November 2023). The Goldfields University Department of Rural Health (GUDRH) will work closely with healthcare providers including the WA Country Health Service (WACHS) and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Western Operations) to deliver world-class education, placements, research, and local careers for the future health workforce. Funding for the GUDRH is provided by the Department of Health and Aged Care under the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) Program.

Launched at Curtin’s Kalgoorlie campus by The Hon Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health; Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, the GUDRH will provide clinical training opportunities, help to retain healthcare professionals in the region and ultimately support the provision of accessible and high-quality health care in the Goldfields. “This University Department of Rural Health will play a critical role in improving health outcomes in the Goldfields region, as well as offering social and economic benefits,” Assistant Minister McBride said. “Everyone has a right to quality health care, no matter where they live. Giving health care students outside the major cities a chance to remain close to home and study in the communities they know and understand is important to improving health care in rural and regional areas.”

Curtin’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, Professor Paul Brunton said the Kalgoorlie-based GUDRH builds on the University’s existing medical education and training presence in the region. “Curtin believes every Australian deserves the best healthcare, no matter where they live. This hub will offer our health workers of the future the opportunity to learn their skills in the regions where they will deliver them,” Professor Brunton said.

To view the Curtin University article Gamechanger health hub officially opens in the Goldfields in full click here.

L-R: Rick Wilson MP, Member for O'Connor, Curtin University Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof Helen McCutcheon, Ali Kent MLA, Member for Kalgoorlie, GUDRH Advisory Council member Victor Smith, the Hon Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health; Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Curtin University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, Prof Paul Brunton and City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Mayor Glenn Wilson. Photo: Remote Digital Imagery. Image source: Curtin University.

L-R: Rick Wilson MP, Member for O’Connor, Curtin University Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof Helen McCutcheon, Ali Kent MLA, Member for Kalgoorlie, GUDRH Advisory Council member Victor Smith, the Hon Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health; Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Curtin University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, Prof Paul Brunton and City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Mayor Glenn Wilson. Photo: Remote Digital Imagery. Image source: Curtin University.

Grants guide people away from criminal justice system

A new series of grants worth $9m for community-based programs aimed at preventing people from coming into contact with the criminal justice system was announced yesterday (Tuesday 21 November 2023), with multiple Indigenous organisations set to receive support. Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF) – a philanthropic organisation which aims to break cycles of disadvantage in Australian by investing in partnerships for potential – in partnership with the Australian Communities Foundation (ACF) and Thirriwirri, announced the funding for 11 organisations as part of the Just Futures Open Grant Round.

PRF Head of Justice and Safety, Dominique Bigras, said the grants were to support the work of small-scale operations whilst simultaneously building towards long-term change. “Evidence shows that community-led initiatives are key to addressing the drivers of contact with the justice system, working at the grassroots level to play a critical role in breaking cycles of incarceration,” she said. Just Futures grants is aimed at supporting early-stage and small-scale programmes and is focussed heavily on community-led initiatives. Of these 11 grantees, six are First Nations-led and three are Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD)-led.

This falls in line with the propositions put forward by many Indigenous voices – including the Yoorrook Justice Commission and Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) – that initiatives aimed at helping First Nations people should be placed in the hands of Indigenous-led organisations. Ms Bigras said the grants would “grow the impact of community-led prevention and post-release programs, with a focus on young people, especially First Nations and CALD youth, systems change and advancing alternatives to custody.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article Indigenous organisations receive Paul Ramsay Foundation grants to guide individuals away from the criminal justice system in full click here.

The YSAS/Bunjilwarra Koori Youth Alcohol and Drug Healing Service will build two new studio units with the PRF funding. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

The YSAS/Bunjilwarra Koori Youth Alcohol and Drug Healing Service will build two new studio units with the PRF funding. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Earbus to continue delivering ear health services

Ear infections occur among Aboriginal children at a significantly higher rate than non-Indigenous children and can have a serious, adverse effect on the ability to learn. While Australia’s overall population has one of the lowest rates of chronic ear disease in the world, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has a special listing for Australia’s Indigenous people alongside its list of the five countries with the highest rates of middle-ear disease.

A unique program that tackles ear health for Aboriginal and at-risk children will run locally for at least another three years in WA’s South West, delivering much needed car. Alcoa Foundation, the aluminium producer’s global charity, will provide Earbus Foundation of WA with $450,000 over three years, allowing Earbus to continue delivering ear health services in Kwinana, Peel and the Upper South West regions.

Earbus Foundation was established in 2012 to deliver world class ear care in regional and remote communities. It now services more than 100 sites across WA, deploying inter-disciplinary clinical teams and helping thousands of children who would otherwise not receive a service. The “one stop shop” mobile clinic goes where the kids are, travelling to schools, daycares, kindergarten,  and early learning centres. The service is free to communities, removing cost and accessibility as barriers to Aboriginal and other at-risk children receiving the care they need. Earbus has conducted ear assessments for about 1,350 children across 33 schools, day care centres and early learning centres. That has included 3,046 ear screens, 1,647 hearing tests and 844 health checks. Over the past three years, rates of middle ear disease in the areas served by the Alcoa Earbus Program have been reduced and rates of hearing loss have dropped from 11.6% to 4.7%.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Alcoa backs Earbus’ vital ongoing work with Indigenous children in full click here.

Alcoa Foundation Launch - Child Hearing Test. Image: Earbus.

Alcoa Foundation Launch – Child Hearing Test. Image: Earbus.

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.

 

Nov 6 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: CTG is possible with proper use of information

feature tile image ATSI mum holding baby; text 'Closing the Gap can only be achieved if service gaps are identified and filled'

The image in the feature tile is from the Strong Mothers, Strong Families webpage of the Carbal Medical Services webpage.

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.

CTG is possible with proper use of information

Ian Ring AO, a Professor in tropical health and medicine at James Cook University says if there was general agreement about anything in the recent Voice referendum, it was that progress in Closing the Gap (CTG) has been unacceptable. Given this, Professor Ring said you would have thought, the key question asked by all might be “Why has progress been so slow – and what needs to be done to turn that around?” According to Professor Ring there are steps that could be taken right now to put the targets for life expectancy and child mortality “on track”. They are not unaffordable, do not require new knowledge and have been sought by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for a very long time. But they would require governments to heed the voice of Indigenous people, strengthen Indigenous leadership and conduct a root-and-branch overhaul and upskilling of key government agencies – and make proper use of information that has long been available to it.

Professor Ring points to child mortality as an example. He explains that most childhood deaths occur very early in life and are driven by birthweight, and that healthy birthweight is much more likely in those who start to access antenatal services early in pregnancy and receive adequate care for a range of health conditions and effective health promotion strategies for nutrition, smoking and other important factors. The Strong Mothers, Strong Babies, Strong Culture program, first developed by Aboriginal women and health workers in the early 1990s and was followed by various adaptations of this approach has led to improvements in the birthweight distribution and a reduction in perinatal mortality.

In 2014 the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) said “Evidence shows that models of care tailored specifically for Indigenous women result in quantifiable improvements in antenatal care attendance, pre-term births, birth outcomes, perinatal mortality, and breastfeeding practice. These models include culturally appropriate and safe care as well as continuity of care, collaboration between midwives and Indigenous health workers, and involvement of family members such as grandmothers.” Professor Ring says that given this information, it might have been expected that the Commonwealth would conduct a service inventory of existing ACCHO services for mothers and babies, identified service gaps and then developed a forward plan to fill the service gaps across Australia. Sadly, that has not been the case and there has been no significant change in the Indigenous low birthweight rate between 2013–2019, and between 2010–2019 there was no significant change in the Indigenous child and infant mortality rates.

Major changes to improve ACT justice system

The ACT Government has formally announced several major changes to key laws in a bid to improve current performance and trajectory in the justice system, including increasing the age of criminal responsibility from 10 years of age to 14 years by the year 2025.  By raising the age of criminal responsibility the ACT Government is hoping to divert youth away from the criminal justice system and ensure they receive the therapeutic rehabilitative support needed to address the underlying cause of their behaviour. Attorney General Shane Rattenbury said “children in our community, especially those engaging in harmful behaviour, need our care and attention, not to be locked away in prison. Barbara Causon, the current Advocate, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People in the ACT, said First Nations’ children “are currently over-represented in the juvenile justice system and this important reform, along with carefully considered, culturally informed, alternative service responses aims to address this concerning issue”.

“The importance of involving our local Aboriginal community in the development and implementation of an alternative service response will go a long way to addressing the significant over-representation of our children in the juvenile justice system and have the potential to improve lifelong outcomes for our First Nations children and young people,” she said.

First Nations leader, Bundjalung man and Joe Hedger said “the issues of over-representation are interconnected, part of a web of poverty, limited access to education, healthcare, housing and cycles of disadvantage. By collaborating closely with First Nations people and organisations, the ACT Government can unlock the tremendous expertise and insights they bring to the table. This not only addresses immediate challenges but sets the stage for holistic reform in areas like education, healthcare, employment, housing and mental health, ensuring a brighter future for all.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article ACT leading the way with historic changes to justice system in full click here.

Joe Hedgers (left) with Alicia Payne, Aunty Violet Sheridan, Noah Allan, Paula McGrady and Katy Gallagher at Parliament House

Joe Hedgers (left) with Alicia Payne, Aunty Violet Sheridan, Noah Allan, Paula McGrady and Katy Gallagher at Parliament House. Photo: Jess Whaler. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Top End life expectancy research wins award

NT Health research looking at the life expectancy of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in the NT has won the 2022 Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) Award for Excellence in Medical Research. The research conducted by Dr Yuejen Zhao, Shu Qin Li, Dr Tom Wilson, and Professor Paul Burgess, found that life expectancy for Indigenous people in the NT improved markedly from 1999 to 2018, with fewer lives lost to cancer, injuries and chronic disease.

The MJA Editor-in-Chief, Professor Virginia Barbour said “Their important research has helped contribute to the growing Australian academic literature about Indigenous health and wellbeing. We know that more needs to be done to improve the health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, so the MJA really encourages more research into this area. It is also vital that the research community recognises the importance of research into the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

Co-author Professor Paul Burgess, the Senior Director of Health Statistics and Informatics at NT Health, said the team were honoured to receive the award. “We are delighted and humbled to accept the MJA award for Excellence in Medical Research,” Professor Burgess said on behalf of the team. “As public health officials, we generally eschew the limelight — outside the occasional pandemic! However, we think the true recognition for this work belongs to the many Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people who have volunteered or worked tirelessly over the past 20 years to improve health outcomes across the NT.”

You can read the research in the Medical Journal of Australia here and the InSight+ article Indigenous research wins MJA Award for Excellence in Medical Research in full here.

Aboriginal man's hand being held by health worker in hospital

Image source: The Medical Journal of Australia.

Important others see racism called out

A GP has been banned from registering as a doctor for a year in Australia because of discriminatory behaviour toward an Indigenous doctor he accused of being a “fake Aboriginal” akin to “like a watered down bottle of Grange”. The medical board describedthe decision as a “landmark outcome” as it is the first case to make reference to changes in the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) national law introduced last year to include a definition of cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal’s findings, the Canberra-based GP’s name was suppressed but the Indigenous doctor, Yuggera, Warangoo and Wiradjuri man associate professor Kristopher Rallah-Baker, made the unusual request that his name be published. “It was important for me that this outcome wasn’t faceless, for people to see they won’t be brought down if they complain about racism,” Rallah-Baker said. “Racism in the healthcare system contributes to patient harm and premature death.”

The nation’s first Indigenous eye surgeon knows the consequences of racism all too well. He was inspired to become a doctor to stem the cycle that saw his grandmother orphaned at 12. “My nanna lost her own mother from pneumonia after refusing to see the white doctors for medical assistance. She was a member of the stolen generation.” While still at the University of Newcastle medical school Rallah-Baker became one of the founding members of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association,, developed and managed the Indigenous Health Unit in the Logan-Beaudesert Health Service District, as well as developing the Deadly Ears Indigenous Hearing Health Program for Queensland, which has now been adopted as the National Indigenous Hearing Health Program by the federal government.

To view The Guardian article Doctor banned for 12 months after sending racist email to Australia’s first Indigenous eye surgeon in full click here.

Australia's first ATSI eye surgeon Ophthalmologist Kristopher Rallah-Baker in scrubs in theatre

Ophthalmologist Kristopher Rallah-Baker received an offensive email from a GP. That doctor has now been reprimanded over misconduct. Photo: Michael Amendolia. Image source: The Guardian.

Suicide prevention, postvention support

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

The suicide rate among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is more than double that of the Australian population overall, a terrible legacy of the dispossession and trauma wrought by colonisation. But those supporting Aboriginal people in the Illawarra say First Nations people have a lot of strengths to focus on as work continues to drive down the tragic toll. Suicide rates were especially high among males, and suicide was the leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Kim Reid works with Thirrili, a postvention service that supports Indigenous people and communities after a suicide or traumatic death. Mr Reid said he believed the high suicide rates were the result of generational trauma stemming from colonisation, leading to lower socio-economic status, lower employment rates and poorer health. Racism also takes its toll.

Sharlene Cruickshank, Aboriginal mental health clinical lead with the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, works with a team of Aboriginal clinicians and mental health workers who ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the region are supported in a culturally safe and sensitive way. “We need to make sure that people feel safe, they trust the service, they trust the people around them, they feel comfortable,” Ms Cruickshank, a Wandi Wandandian, Wodi Wodi and Jerrinja woman, said.

To view the Illawarra Mercury article Suicide prevention, postvention support for Aboriginal community in full click here.

Kim Reid from Thirrili and Sharlene Cruickshank from the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District

Kim Reid from Thirrili and Sharlene Cruickshank from the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District. Photos: Ainslie.Co. Images source: Illawarra Mercury.

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

13YARN – 13 92 76, 13yarn.org.au

Lifeline – 13 11 14, lifeline.org.au

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

MensLine – 1300 789 978

Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800

Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467

Healing power of art for doctors and patients

Medicine cannot cure all diseases, but one simple yet powerful tool – art – can help patients and doctors alike. It is well known that art is good for patients. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,” as stated by the 1947 Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO uses art in health promotion and communication. In 2019, the WHO tested the effect of arts in advancing specific health goals, including improving mental health, suicide and blindness prevention, and maternal health. The WHO’s Regional Office for Europe is conducting research on the effect of art in health, in its Behavioural and Cultural Insights Program. Art also helps communicate health messages across different cultures and helps with emergency preparedness.

Indigenous artwork displayed in hospitals is one means to aid a culturally safe environment for Indigenous patients. It is also a reminder to non-Indigenous people in the hospital, to mentally acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land that the hospital lies on. Engaging in art is instrumental in the wellbeing and healing of Indigenous patients. For many Indigenous people, art is not a commodity but rather as “something akin to a family member”. Engaging in and displaying art, when treating Indigenous patients, could be a valuable part of the management plan. However, it remains widely unadopted. The incorporation of Indigenous artwork into staff uniforms of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Queensland, which they report has helped improve engagement of Indigenous people in their mental health programs.

Art as a method of healing is still viewed as an accessory tool, rather than a primary tool, in the doctor’s toolbox. This likely stems from a multitude of factors: a lack of education of doctors and medical students in the importance of art for patients and themselves, a lack of time in a busy hospital system for the doctor to remember and use available hospital art services, perhaps a feeling that art is not as important as current clinical practice backed with research, a lack of funding for art services in hospitals, and a lack of research studying the effect of art on the physical and mental health of patients. There are likely many other reasons why today, there are still hospitals in Australia without an arts service for its patients or an Arts in Medicine program for its doctors.

To view the InSight+ article The healing power of art for doctors and their patients 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.

Nov 3 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Australia’s first national cancer plan a reality

feature tile image of ATSI cancer survivor Jacinta Elston; text 'Improving outcomes for ATSI people a priority of Australia's first National Cancer Plan'

The image in the feature tile of cancer survivor Jacinta Elston appeared in an ABC News article Australia’s first national cancer plan aims to improve outcomes for Indigenous and regional Australians, available here, published yesterday, Thursday 2 November 2023. Image: Blacklock Media.

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.

Australia’s first national cancer plan a reality

Improving outcomes for Australians with the poorest cancer experiences, especially First Nations people, will be a priority for the nation’s first cancer plan. Cancer Australia CEO Professor Dorothy Keefe launched the landmark Australian Cancer Plan this week in a plenary address to the 50th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) in Melbourne. The plan has been developed by Cancer Australia, in consultation with the states and territories, First Nations communities, clinicians, researchers, people with lived experience of cancer and support organisations.

The plan covers all cancer types, across the whole cancer journey, from prevention and early detection to treatment, recovery, and end of life care. A key priority of the plan is improving outcomes for groups with the poorest cancer experiences, with a particular focus on First Nations people. Achieving equity for First Nations people was an urgent priority, Professor Keefe said. First Nations people are 14% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and 45% more likely to die from cancer than non-Indigenous people.

Professor Keefe said she and everyone at Cancer Australia were “very excited” to see the plan come to fruition. “This is the first time Australia has ever had national cancer control plan,” she said. “And this one was created by the entire sector working together. The patients, the advocates, the researchers, traditions, the government’s it’s just great.” The plan sets out two and five-year goals for achieving these strategic objectives, and a 10-year ambition. The strategic objectives include:

  • Maximising cancer prevention and early detection
  • Enhanced consumer experience
  • World-class health systems for optimal care
  • Strong and dynamic foundations
  • Workforce to transform the delivery of cancer care
  • Achieving equity in cancer outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

To view the Medical Republic article Australia’s first national cancer plan a reality in full click here.

Major step towards new WA ACCHO

The Fitzroy Valley Health and Wellbeing Project Working Group has taken the next step in its mission to establish a community controlled health service with the recent incorporation of Barrala Health Service Aboriginal Corporation. The aim of the Fitzroy Valley Health and Wellbeing Project, established in 2021, is to establish a dedicated Aboriginal community controlled health service to deliver comprehensive primary healthcare services in Fitzroy Crossing.

With the the entity now incorporated, Barrala has begun work on a detailed business plan for the establishment of the health service which will include staffing, service design, specialist services, infrastructure and capital works. The service’s design will be tailored to meet the specific needs of the Fitzroy Crossing community.

Barrala will partner with stakeholders including the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS), the Aboriginal Health Council of WA (AHCWA), NACCHO, the WA Country Health Service and the WA and Commonwealth Governments.

To view the Broome Advertiser article Fitzroy Valley Health and Wellbeing Project takes major step towards community controlled health service in full click here.

Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service treasurer Chris Bin Kali and Barrala Health Service co-chairs Delvene Green and Joe Ross

Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service treasurer Chris Bin Kali and Barrala Health Service co-chairs Delvene Green and Joe Ross. Image source: Broome Advertiser.

Political misinformation regulation required

The recent open letter to the PM and parliamentarians broke the week-long silence from Indigenous leaders after the country rejected the proposed First Nations Voice to Parliament. The letter emphasised the damage caused by the “lies in political advertising and communication” prevalent in the recent campaign. The immediate consequences of these campaign messages have been profoundly damaging, with Indigenous-led mental health helpline 13 YARN receiving a 108% increase of Indigenous people reporting racism, abuse and trauma.

The federal government has proposed to introduce legislation to address the risks of political misinformation as a way of addressing three crucial factors: 1) Fake news and information spreads faster than real news, and is very hard to stop once it gets going. Misinformation can be posted on social media and reach a large audience before the information can be taken down. It’s easier to ensure politicians and political actors are prevented from saying it in the first place. 2) The public is often largely unaware when information is incorrect, and don’t necessarily have the skill or engagement to verify facts for themselves. 3) Belief in misinformation continues even after correction, a factor known as the continued influence effect.

Relying solely on the media, the public and rival political candidates to correct false statements is like expecting rain to extinguish a bush fire without any intervention from emergency services. While rain might sometimes help douse the flames, it’s inconsistent and unreliable. Similarly, while media and public scrutiny can occasionally correct misinformation, it’s not a guaranteed or systematic solution. Political misinformation spread online is like thousands of small fires simultaneously being lit.

To view The Conversation article Regulating political misinformation isn’t easy, but it’s necessary to protect democracy in full click here.

snapshot of AAP FactCheck post text 'This claim in false. Experts say results at the electorate level are not an indication of how Indigenous people voted'

Image: AAP FactCheck Twitter post. Image source: The Conversation.

Funding boost for three health projects

Three Indigenous health projects led by teams at the University of Sydney will share in over $3.2m as part of an initiative by the Australian Government to help find new ways to reduce chronic disease, improve mental health, help people quit smoking and increase resilience in kids. The projects are focused on involving First Nations people from their inception, and listening to the lived experience of the communities and peoples involved at every stage.Professor Robyn Ward, Executive Dean and Pro Vice-Chancellor Medicine and Health, congratulated the recipients, noting the impact that Indigenous-led and community informed projects can have on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Professor Ward said the projects listed below, “have the potential to address areas of critical need for Indigenous Australians. We welcome the support from the Australian Government to support our researchers and communities. Working together is the best way to make a difference for mental health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

  • Connecting our Way – aims to build confidence in children in emotional regulation, mindfulness, and managing emotions at high-risk times
  • Creating Mental Health Safe Spaces in Pharmacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Consumers: Educating the primary care workforce in Mental Health First Aid (The MH-SPACE Trial) – aims to address the disproportionate lack of adequate mental health support available to First Nations Australians by upskilling the frontline, primary care workforce, namely community pharmacists – who are highly accessible and trusted healthcare professionals
  • Social Wellbeing Program – aims to develop a culturally-based social and emotional wellbeing program for young First Nations people in prison, to better deal with the underlying causes of unsocial behaviours, such as intergenerational trauma

To view The University of Sydney article Indigenous health projects get funding boost in full click here.

close up photo of grass tree plant, superimposed with white dot & line Aboriginal lines

Image source: The University of Sydney.

Input invite: PSA palliative care training program

In recent months the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has been successful in its application for a grant under the National Palliative Care Projects grant program. Over the next 2 years the PSA’s aim is to develop a palliative care foundation training program for Australian pharmacists. This training program is not intended to prepare pharmacists to specialise in palliative care, but rather to broadly upskill and equip Australian pharmacists with the foundation knowledge, skills and compassion needed to provide palliative care support to patients through quality use of medicines. The course, once developed, will be available free of charge to all pharmacists nationally by means of online self-directed learning.

The PSA is keen to ensure that the palliative care needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait people and communities are considered throughout the training course, and brought to the attention of pharmacists and are seeking input from individual health professionals and also from carers and consumers, via 2 separate online surveys. The input will be carefully considered as the PSA develop the key learning objectives and overarching module structure of the program.

You can find more information on the National Palliative Care Projects grant program here.

The health professionals survey is available here, and the carers and consumers survey is available here.

The closing date for all input is Friday 17 November 2023 at 5pm AEDT.

ATSI hand being cradled by health worker

Image source: PSA Returning to Spirit webpage.

Helping improve health outcomes in the bush

Australia’s leading organic global meat producer, Hewitt has committed $750,000 to support the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) sections in Qld, SA and NT, and NSW, delivering critical health and wellbeing care to remote Indigenous and farming communities.  The RFDS is vital in turning the tide to help improve health outcomes for people living in rural and remote areas. Around 230,000 occasions of care are delivered each year between Qld, SA and the NT, and the South Eastern Sections. Around 28% of the Australian population live in rural and remote areas, with data revealing people in these communities often experience poorer health outcomes when compared to city dwellers, due to less access to primary health care services. 

For Indigenous communities, which make up around 32% of those living in rural and remote Australia, life expectancy is lower and there is a higher prevalence of modifiable risk factors that could lead to serious health issues such as kidney, urinary tract or coronary heart disease, injury or suicide. The five-year partnership between Hewitt and the RFDS aims to improve the physical and mental health and well-being of people in rural, regional, and remote areas of Australia by ensuring vital medicine, health technology and medical/mental health advice is delivered. 

RFDS (Queensland Section) CEO Meredith Staib said the Hewitt collaboration will go towards providing important front-line services to people in rural and remote communities, “Our aim is to provide the finest care to the furthest corner and we’re grateful for the generous support of Hewitt over such a significant amount of time. “ We’re continuing to work hard to provide positive and equitable health outcomes across Australia and this is only possible with the support of Australia’s rural sector.”

To view the Third Sector article Helping improve medical and mental health outcomes in the bush in full click here.

RFDS plane in outback, patient on stretcher being carried 4 adults to the plane

Image source: Third Sector.

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.

Oct 6 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: What the impact of the Voice could be

feature tile: Dr Louis Peachey standing with forest background; text: 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctor explains what the impact of the Voice could be'

The image in the feature tile is of Dr Louis Peachey from the Personal Stories webpage of the National Rural Health Alliance website.

We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torre

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.s Strait Islander health sector, broadly.

What the impact of the Voice could be

When Dr Louis Peachey, who belongs to the Girrimay and Djirribal people of the Djirribaligan language group of Far North Qld, graduated from the University of Newcastle he was one of only four Indigenous doctors in Australia. When asked “Oh, Louis, what was your secret?” Dr Peachey says he was just lucky, he just managed to not get blown up by the warfare of racism. He said the truth is, there’s nothing special that he did. While he has a bunch of cousins who he says “have made a good fist of their lives” with trades and university degrees, there’s a massive bunch of them who are still stuck in that world of poverty.

There are people like me out there who can give you an opinion as to what would be an appropriate way to do things, but even we don’t get listened to. We are the people who some in the No campaign refer to as “elites”. If you do survive the horror that happens to you at school, and manage to find yourself at a university and get a good education, you can now be de-legitimised by being referred to as an “elite”. The difference, of course, between Indigenous elites and non-Indigenous elites is that 99% of the Indigenous elites are one relationship away from poverty.

Dr Peachey if governments could just come and have a chat with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, “we might be able to direct you. That’s what we’re asking for with the Voice. We know we’ve got problems in our community and we’ve got some ideas.” Dr Peachey said “the Voice is a modest change. It’s something very simple that we’re asking, you know. Former chief justices of the High Court have all told us this is a simple thing.” According to Dr Peachey, most Australians, if they were just able to understand what was actually being asked, would see that it’s a tiny risk for a potential big gain.

To view the ABC News article Louis Peachey was one of Australia’s first Indigenous doctors. He doesn’t know how he survived the horror of racism at school in full click here.

RAAF supports ACCHO to provide dental services

Air Force personnel will support the Derby Aboriginal Health Service (DAHS) during October 2023 to provide dental services in a part of WA where access to timely dental treatment can be challenging. The exercise, known as Exercise Kummundoo, will give Air Force personnel the opportunity to engage directly with Indigenous Australians on their ancestral lands, while honing their dentistry skills under different conditions to operating in a base environment.

Officer in charge of the exercise, Flight Lieutenant Maryam Ferooz, said she felt honoured to lead the exercise. “My team are driven by a sense of purpose, and delivering dental care, as well as oral health training and advice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote Australia is a real privilege,” Flight Lieutenant Ferooz said.

“This collaborative endeavour is a testament to the strong ties between Defence and Indigenous communities, demonstrating the importance of working together to address critical health needs. The team will also run community sessions to help highlight the importance of good oral health and healthy lifestyle choices, and provide defence career information.” Exercise Kummundoo is being held throughout October in collaboration with NACCHO, and Derby Aboriginal Health Service.

You can read the RAAF media release Airforce supports dental services in Derby in full here.

You can also read a related article A Dentistry graduate in the Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF) published on the Griffith University website, about RAAF Dental Officer Flight Lieutenant Max Moody’s work on Exercise Kummundoo leading a diverse team of RAAF personnel in working closely with Indigenous communities around Broome, in full here.

RAAF Dental Officer with young ATSI boy

RAAF Dental Officer Flight Lieutenant Max Moody. Image source: Griffith University website.

Aunty Pat Anderson addresses Qld ACCHO sector

Alyawarre woman, Aunty Pat Anderson AO, a co-architect of the Uluru Dialogues, has emphasised that a ‘yes’ vote in the Voice referendum has the potential to significantly improve the future health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Yesterday, Thursday 5 October 2023, she addressed the ACCHO sector in Brisbane. “It’s been a long journey to equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and today, Australia stands on the precipice of momentous change,” she said.

ACCHO is a primary health care service initiated and operated by the local Aboriginal community.”We can become a fairer and more just society; a society where there is health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” Aunty Pat said. “A society where Aboriginal children can get a healthy start in life and achieve their full health potential. Health could be a big winner if Australia votes ‘yes’. It means we will be able to get down and deal with the big health issues, like Australia having some of the world’s highest recorded rates of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.”

Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) Chairman Matthew Cooke said the Voice aligns with their philosophy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination in healthcare. As the leading body representing ACCHOs in Queensland, they acknowledged the ongoing efforts needed to fulfill the government’s promise of Closing the Gap. “We believe a Voice is critical if there is going to be long-term sustainable gains in health outcomes for our peoples,” he said. “Accessible and equitable comprehensive primary health care is a basic human right for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.”

The above has been extracted from an article  Uluru Dialogue’s architect meets with health sector in Meanjin published in the National Indigenous Times yesterday, Thursday 5 October 2023.

Cleveland Fagan, Adrian Carson, Aunty Pat Anderson AO, Matthew Cooke, Kava Watson, Joshua Hollingsworth with QIAHC signage in background

Cleveland Fagan, Adrian Carson, Aunty Pat Anderson AO, Matthew Cooke, Kava Watson, Joshua Hollingsworth. Photo: Joseph Guenzler. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Suicide rates increase after extreme drought

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

The impact on mental health of weather extremes such as drought is a growing concern due to climate change. Rural communities feel the impact of drought much more than urban residents. New research from the University of Adelaide has looked at the link between drought and suicide rates in one of Australia’s biggest farming areas, the Murray-Darling Basin. The research findings were alarming, for instance, one more month of extreme drought in the previous 12 months was strongly associated with a 32% increase in monthly suicide rates.

Climate change is predicted to bring more heat and longer, more extreme droughts. More effective approaches will be needed to prevent suicides in affected regions. Droughts induce post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. Hotter temperatures can also reduce levels of the brain chemical serotonin. This has negative effects on the  central nervous system and moods. In Australia, suicide is a leading cause of death – especially for people aged 18-44. And the suicide rate in remote areas is almost double that of major cities.

Some of the key findings of the research were:

  • in males and younger age groups, suicide rates are more strongly associated with extreme drought and higher temperatures
  • a higher proportion of First Nations people in a local area was also associated with higher suicide rates
  • an increase in average annual household income moderated the relationship between higher temperature and suicide
  • the association between moderate drought and suicide rates is significant but the effect was small. As the drought becomes extreme, suicide rates increase significantly.

To read The Conversation article Suicide rates increased after extreme drought in the Murray-Darling Basin – we have to do better as climate change intensifies in full click here.

IDarling River downstream of Menindee ran dry for years after the July 2016 drought

The Darling River downstream of Menindee ran dry for years after the July 2016 drought. Photo: Isabel Dayman, ABC News.If this article brought up anything for you or someone you love, please reach out to, call or visit the online resources listed below for support:

13YARN – 13 92 76, 13yarn.org.au

Lifeline – 13 11 14, lifeline.org.au

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

MensLine – 1300 789 978

Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800

Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467

When you listen you get better results – it’s that simple

In an Opinion Piece published in The Daily Advertiser yesterday, the Hon Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister Rural and Regional Health said: “When you listen, you get better results. It’s that simple. It is what health professionals do every day, in the pharmacy dispensary, in the clinic treatment room, at the bedside. It’s what I did as a hospital pharmacist in a regional hospital for nearly a decade. If we don’t ask, and we don’t properly listen, how can we possibly understand the situation?”

“Here in the Riverina an innovative program is boosting the rates of breastfeeding among Indigenous women. The project is led by Aboriginal people and improving infant health. Breastfeeding for the first few months of a child’s life is recommended to give infants the best start in life: it supports early child development, reduces the risk of illness and death in the early years and reduces the risk of unhealthy weight in childhood and later life.”

“Breastfeeding among First Nations women is consistently lower than the rest of the Australian population. The project is developing lactation training designed by First Nations women for First Nations women. It is fostering an environment where mothers feel safe and understood. The project is a small-scale but meaningful example of the kind of progress that listening can make towards closing the gap. It is the same kind of listening that can come from a Voice to Parliament. Imagine what we could achieve on a national scale if we had the advice of a Voice to get better value for money, improve health care and save lives.”

To view the opinion piece When you listen, you get better results – it’s that simple in full click here.

You can also read a related article Government will keep doing ‘really bad job’ at Indigenous disadvantage without Voice: Leeser published earlier today by Crikey here.

RivMed acting mental health team leader Marnie Lenehan and senior drug and alcohol worker Kenneth Neale with Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Emma McBride

RivMed acting mental health team leader Marnie Lenehan and senior drug and alcohol worker Kenneth Neale with Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Emma McBride on Wednesday this week. Photo: Les Smith. Image source: The Daily Advertiser.

More needed to protect women and children

A leading Indigenous human rights and anti-violence expert has called for more effort from the WA government and police to protect Aboriginal women and children. At the Senate Inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children hearings held in Perth this week Dr Hannah McGalde told Senator Paul Scarr and Dorinda Cox: “We know that many children, Aboriginal children, are being removed because of violence to women, their mothers.”

“The punitive approach that’s been adopted particularly in WA, has resulted in large numbers of Aboriginal children being removed and experiencing often lack of cultural safety in their placements,” she said. Dr McGlade said many Indigenous women are reluctant to reach out to police out of fear they will be discriminated against or not taken seriously when reporting charges made against them.

Dr McGlade noted the apology  made by WA police several years ago, and said there was a ceremony during NAIDOC Week but alleged no actions were followed through. “Actions can be window dressing if not followed through with appropriate commitment or if the committee is established,” she said. “Then they should really be having a firm commitment to human rights training, addressing racism in all aspects. Including how it impacts Indigenous women and girls, who are often treated as offenders rather than victims, that’s a form of racial profiling.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article WA government and police are failing Indigenous women and children, Senate inquiry hears in full click here.

Dr Hannah McGlade portrait shot

Dr Hannah McGlade is an Associate Professor at the Curtin University. Photo: IndigenousX website. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Sector Jobs

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

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

 

Oct 4 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Many ongoing negative impacts of colonialism

feature tile: statue of Queen Victoria with Aboriginal flag; text: ' Intergenerational impact of Stolen Generations, a consequence of colonialism'

The image in the feature tile appeared in Steve Larkin’s article Saying colonisation had no negative effects on First Nations people is dangerous denialism published in The Guardian on 22 September 2023.

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

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

Many ongoing negative impacts from colonisation

Fiona Stanley, Colleen Hayward and Steve Zubrick have recently written about the intergenerational impact of stolen generations, saying “We would like to contest very strongly the comments by Jacynta Nampijinpa Price that there are no longer any negative impacts from Australia being colonised. One of the most powerful and damaging interventions which was part of colonisation, was the forced removal of children and families from their parents and country. It has been generally accepted for many years that forced separation and forced removals had devastating consequences in terms of social and culturation dislocation, which have impacted on the health and wellbeing of subsequent generations. This was clearly shown in the Bringing them Home Report, (published by the Human Rights Commission in 1997) with story after story of people then recalling the trauma of separation. It is thought that since colonisation, the official and government sanctioned removals, since late 1800s to 1970, affected over 100,000 children. Separation took three forms: putting children into government institutions, fostering children with white families, and white families adopting them. The stories in the Bringing them Home Report were full of the trauma, abuse and cultural genocide of these children and their children.”

“We also were involved in the only large quantitative study of the Stolen Generations, the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS) done out of the now Telethon Kids Institute (TKI) which was published in several reports and papers in 2005/6. The study was a state-wide survey of one in six Aboriginal families to ascertain their social, emotional, health, educational and wellbeing status to enable the best preventive strategies to be implemented to address the high rates of poor outcomes in these families. Using many Aboriginal interviewers and researchers, the team contacted over 2,000 families with over 6,000 children aged between 0-18 years, across all areas of WA (metropolitan, rural and remote). A very high response rate reflected the trust that these families had in our team to listen to their stories of their lives. Carers and schoolteachers were also interviewed as well as the children who were old enough.”

“We would like to present two major aspects of the findings which address Price’s assertions. One relates to the extent of removals and the second to the inter-generational impact. Between 40-60% of families reported being forcibly removed from family or homeland across all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) regions. It varied from nearly 60% in Broome to 32% in Geraldton, with rates higher than Geraldton for all other regions. We felt this truly could be described as “Stolen Generations” although many outspoken government leaders of the day disputed this description.”

“We were expecting and found clear evidence of the negative impact of a history of being stolen on subsequent generations. Those with a history of removals were nearly twice as likely to be arrested or charged with an offence, 1.6 times more likely to abuse alcohol and have house-hold problems from that, more than twice as likely to indulge in harmful gambling and reported far fewer social supports, as those who did not report that history. Children whose parents had been forcibly removed also were two and a half times more likely to be at high risk of clinically significant social and emotional behavioural difficulties, than those who did not have that history. The impact was higher in those families whose mothers/grandmothers had been removed than in those whose mothers/grandmothers were not removed.

“Whilst there are numerous studies in most colonised Indigenous populations globally, this is the most comprehensive quantitative and trustworthy study to prove these intergenerational impacts. The study concluded that “the nature of the recent debate about the actual number of Aboriginal families experiencing forced separations has displaced the reality that these experiences occurred at all and the extent to which these past experiences continue to impact on the lives of the current generations of Aboriginal families. A more open-hearted acknowledgement of the extent of the suffering and disadvantage which past policies of separation inflicted on Aboriginal Australians, would in our view, significantly further the process through which these concerns are eventually resolved”.

It is mischievous and hurtful to deny the impacts of colonisation on today’s population.  If non-Indigenous people had endured the genocide and marginalisation which has been forced on our First Nations, we would also be showing similar effects of historical colonisation.

You can view a transcript of the above statement here and a short Healing Foundation animation below explaining intergenerational trauma.

Suicide prevention recommendations ignored

A new report has found that coroners around Australia are frustrated their potentially life-saving recommendations to prevent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide are being routinely ignored by the government. The research by the Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention (CBPATSISP) examined state and territory coroner’s courts’ responsiveness to First Nations families who had lost a loved one to suicide.

It involved interviews with coroners, their staff and Indigenous people with lived experience, who called for greater accountability on the implementation of recommendations from inquests and other inquiries. The report also found the current coronial system was alienating for many First Nations people and coroners wanted more cultural training to improve the experience for Indigenous people going through it.

Vicki McKenna, manager of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience Centre with the Black Dog Institute, described the coronial process as “another later of grief” for most Indigenous families. There’s a lot of hurt that comes with that, because families feel like feel like they’re dismissed,” the Yawuru and Bunuba Jarndu woman said. Many lived experience interviewees pointed to systemic issues such as lack of cultural understanding, communication, and financial support. “Because of the language that is used and in the way that these reports are written, it leaves our families still struggling to understand,” Ms McKenna said.

To read the ABC News article Coroners frustrated recommendations on Indigenous suicide ignored by government, report shows in full click here.

Vicki McKenna, manager of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience Centre holding the Black Dog Institute, co-authored the report

Vicki McKenna, manager of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience Centre with the Black Dog Institute, co-authored the report. Photo: Daryna Zadvirna, ABC News.

MBS support needed to address foot health disadvantage

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, especially those living in remote areas, are missing out on crucial care and suffering painful delays in seeing specialist surgeons, according to the Australasian College of Podiatric (ACPS) Surgeons. To address the disadvantage ACPS is calling for better access to the Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS) to enable them to assist patients suffering acute pain and reduced quality of life.

Podiatric Surgeons are specialist doctors who are trained only to operate on feet and ankles, yet there is currently no Medicare Benefits Scheme item number for podiatric surgery or associated services, including anaesthetics and pathology. The ACPS says there is a large bank of evidence suggesting up to 70% of affected patients have untreated foot pain, which has a debilitating effect on their quality of life.

ACPS President Dr Rob Hermann said untreated foot pain has a significant impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, especially those living outside of capital cities. “Most of us take for granted, the ability to go about our daily lives free of pain and unrestricted,” he said. “But due to the lack of funding and access, that’s just not the case for thousands of patients. Issues concerning foot health can have drastic impacts on quality of life. Along with increased pain for patients and higher risk of complications, delayed care could lead to more costly future treatment and long-term debilitation.” The ACPS said the high cost of healthcare faced by podiatric patients can be prohibitive to low-income and at-risks groups, and the consequences life-altering.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Podiatric surgeons urge Medicare Benefits Scheme support to address Indigenous foot health disadvantage in full click here.

ACPS President Dr Rob Herman

ACPS President Dr Rob Herman. Photo: Adelaide Foot & Ankle. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Older people at forefront of framework

The Indigo 4Ms project was designed to support the development of a new model of healthcare that is sensitive to the needs of older people and stimulates discussion on long-term policy responses to support age-friendly environments. Led by Beechworth Health Service, the initiative was funded by the Federal Government and developed by experts and healthcare professionals who work with older people, as well as community members with experience using health and aged care services.

The scarcity of health prevention activities that specifically target the common age-related difficulties of hearing, seeing, moving and remembering, which have the greatest impact on an older person’s physical and mental capabilities, were the catalyst for developing two tools: one for the older generation to use as a conversational guide with healthcare providers, and a second for healthcare professionals to guide conversations with older people. “These tools will lead to more informed discussions between health services and the communities they serve,” Dr Winterton said. “It will also ensure both sides are speaking the same language. We’re hopeful this will lead to more timely care for older people and support them to access the whole spectrum of healthcare they may need.”

Beechworth Health Service CEO, Dr Mark Ashcroft, said agencies are looking forward to putting the tools into action. “We’re incredibly enthusiastic about the partnership nature of work to come as implementation of the Indigo 4Ms tools are rolled out,” Dr Ashcroft said. Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service is one of 8 partner agencies involved in the project.

To read the La Trobe University article Older People at Forefront of Framework in full click here.

ATSI female Elder in dressing gown with female care support worker

Image source: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ageing and Aged Care Council (NATSIAACC) website.

Smileyscopes to help reduce injection fear

Letting a child receive an injection can sometimes be difficult and distressing for everyone. And it can be even tougher for staff at the Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service who have to make children with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) receive painful injections once a month for five to sometimes 10 years. If the children don’t receive the injections they risk heart failure.

Now visiting GP Dr Ryan Holmes and his colleague Dr Sonia Henry have teamed up to try and make the big needles less painful for the children. They have created a GoFundMe page to raise money for virtual reality headsets called Smileyscopes to help reduce the fear and stress during the monthly injections.

“The injections are big and painful,” Dr Holmes said. “It’s hard to get kids to have a small flu needle at the best of times, let alone tell them you’ve got to come have a humongous injection to your bottom once a month for the next five years. That’s where the Smileyscope can be very helpful. It’s a virtual reality headset and they can be programmed for all sorts of things, so the children could be in space or under the sea. So they have a really good time with it and it makes the whole process a lot easier because the kids are distracted, they’re having fun.”

To view the Harvey-Waroona Report article Visiting doctors raise money for VR headsets for child patients at Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service in full click here.

Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service's outreach clinic van

Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service’s (OVAHS) outreach clinic. Image source: OVAHS website.

Racism and the 2023 Voice referendum

A recent article written by Ian Anderson, Yin Paradies, Marcia Langton, Ray Lovett, and Tom Calma suggest that  the higher levels of racism being experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples during the referendum process itself is partly because the referendum process taps into a deep well of historical racism that originated on the Australian frontier when Indigenous peoples “were violently dispossessed from their lands by the British”.

This history has shaped the 2023 referendum and an increasingly divisive campaign between those advocating a Yes and a No position. Since the referendum was announced, there has been a substantial rise in threats, abuse, vilification, and hate speech against Indigenous peoples, both in person and online. The Australian e-Safety Commission reported in late May, 2023, that there had been more than a 10% rise in the proportion of complaints made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples about online cyber abuse, threats, and harassment. Furthermore, the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria has gone from blocking two people a day for racist abuse on social media to blocking about 50 people, citing the national debate on an Indigenous Voice as the reason for this escalation. The Voice referendum process creates a substantial cultural load for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Indigenous peoples are being asked, and expected, to engage in conversations around this topic and, often, are then challenged to defend their position. To address these stressors, the Australian Government has allocated AU$10m to NACCHO to support the mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people during the campaign.

To mitigate risk to mental health and wellbeing, there needs to be respectful discourse that counters the misinformation that is emerging about the Voice and Indigenous aspirations. This discourse requires all forms of media to commit to controls that prevent racial abuse. Public information campaigns, such as that of the Australian Election Commission, are also needed. It will also require services and supports for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people during the referendum process and after the outcome is announced.

To view The Lancet article Racism and the 2023 Australian constitutional referendum in full click here.

Voice to Parliament rally with one of crowd holding sign 'Voice to Parliament' written on sign of Aboriginal flag

Photo: William West, AAP via Getty Images. Image source: The Lancet.

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.

Oct 3 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: “There will be relief one way or another, but… you can never un-ring a bell” – The mental health impact of the Voice to Parliament

The image in the feature tile is from ABC News.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It’s absolutely exhausting to be honest.”

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

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

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

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

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

If you are feeling stressed, not sleeping well, or have increased anxiety and depression you can seek immediate help, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from:

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

NACCHO executive director, Monica Barolits McCabe.

Inquiry into Diabetes

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

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

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

Read the full submission, with all recommendations here.

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

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

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

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

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

Some recommendations include to:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read the full ABC News article here.

Image source: ABC News: Lee Robinson.

Water treatment upgrades for Mowanjum

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

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

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

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

Read more here.

Sector Jobs

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

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

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 18 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Dr king sees colonisation’s impact every day

feature tile image of Dr Jason King against tree trunk; text '“I see and feel every day the impact of colonisation.” Yued Noongar man Dr Jason King'

The image in the feature tile is of Dr Jason King, a Yued Noongar man who says the impact of colonisalism is far-reaching. The image appears in the article First Nations health professionals ‘deeply saddened’ following Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s colonisation claims published by ABC News on Saturday 16 September 2023.

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

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

Dr King sees colonisation’s impact every day

First Nations health professionals and those living with chronic health issues say they are “disappointed” and “deeply saddened” following Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s claims First Nations Australians are not living with ongoing negative impacts of colonisation. On Thursday last week (14 September 2023), the shadow minister for Indigenous Australians, gave an address to the National Press Club. When asked if she felt there were any ongoing, negative impacts of colonisation on Indigenous Australians, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price responded, “No, there’s no ongoing negative impacts of colonisation.”

Yued Noongar man Dr Jason King, who is the director of Clinical Services at the Gurriny Yealamucka Health Services Aboriginal Corporation in Yarrabah, far north QLD disagrees, “In my day-to-day job and through my lived experience I see and feel every day the impact of colonisation.” Dr King said he was “deeply saddened and disappointed” to hear an Aboriginal politician with a high profile making statements that, he says, “blatantly deny the existence, history, lived experience of so many Australians”.

“The community I work for sits no more than an hour out of Cairns and yet there’s 4,000 people there that live in 350 houses,” Dr King said. “We have a Rheumatic Heart Disease rate, a medical condition which has been eliminated from the broader Australian population to a larger extent, that is 100 times the average in this country.” Dr King linked Yarrabah’s high rates of diabetes, heart disease, and suicides to “policies of the past and the future”, rather than the choices of Yarrabah residents.

To view the ABC News article First Nations health professionals ‘deeply saddened’ following Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s colonisation claims in full click here.

Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney with creek in background

Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney described Jacinta Price’s comments as “offensive”. Photo: ABC News.

Cathy Freeman: a ‘Just One Breath’ ambassador

Seven million Australians, the equivalent to one in four of us, have a chronic respiratory disease. Sporting hero Cathy Freeman discovered she had asthma at age 18 and she says it has worsened since. Cathy was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma, triggered by vigorous physical exertion and prescribed preventative puffers and Ventolin. Even after Cathy won the 400m gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics she was breathing quite heavily, trying to gulp in as much air as possible. Then, over a decade ago, Cathy was diagnosed with full blown asthma.

It was only a few years ago that Cathy said she finally came to terms with her condition, “Up until then, I just didn’t want to admit I had asthma. As a former professional athlete it didn’t sit well with me, and I was only able to fully accept the condition earlier this year.” Cathy said that when she was asked by Lung Foundation Australia to become an ambassador for their ‘Just One Breath’ initiative, she didn’t hesitate. The campaign aims to inspire conversations about lung health and Cathy said she is passionate about helping others because she sees herself in other people.

To cope with her lung disease Cathy strengthens her lungs through exercise, healthy living and avoiding asthma triggers. Cathy also makes sure she gets plenty of rest and keeps up her water intake. Cathy said people commonly think of lung disease as a smoker’s disease, however lung disease doesn’t discriminate – it affects the young, old, male, female, smokers, former-smokers, and non-smokers. Indigenous people die of lung disease at a rate three times higher than non-Indigenous Australians.

You can check how healthy your lungs are by taking the Lung Foundation’s interactive Lung Health Checklist here and view The Carousel article Lung Disease: Cathy Freeman Reveals Her Secret Battle in full click here.

Cathy Freeman in jeans & white t-shirt standing in white empty room with blue circle with words 'just one breath'

Cathy Freeman. Image source: The Carousel.

Bed bugs, a potentially serious public health issue

Norman Frank Jupurrurla, a Warumungu Elder and traditional owner is living in public housing that’s been stripped bare after bed bugs ripped through his three bedroom home. The contents of his house are at the local tip. It’s the second time in six months that bed bugs have spread throughout his home in Village Camp, a community living area on the outskirts of Tennant Creek. The parasitic insects feed on the blood of humans and animals and have wrongly been associated with poor hygiene. “It’s like hell, mate,” Mr Frank said. “You will be scratching and itching all night and you won’t be able to sleep because of the bugs.”

Dr Simon Quilty, who has lived and worked as a specialist physician in remote NT for most of the past two decades, personally contacted several people in the NT Health Department to sound the alarm. “It’s just astounding that the department doesn’t see the need for early identification of a potentially serious public health, infectious disease,” he said. “Mr Frank has very serious health issues, he’s immunocompromised and the bed bugs can cause sores that eventually can become infected. For people that have chronic disease, bed bugs pose a real threat to their health — more importantly, it’s their psychological wellbeing.”

Dr Quilty has been collaborating with Mr Frank to develop culturally safe, and climate appropriate housing for Aboriginal communities through their organisation, Wilya Janta. Together they hope to solve some of the complex public housing issues places like Tennant Creek face. “Different agencies like housing and health need to be truly collaborative,” Dr Quilty said. “To solve complex problems, the community needs to be in the driving seat and needs easy ways to be heard.”

To view the ABC News article ‘It beggars belief’: Bed bug outbreaks highlight Tennant Creek public housing issues in full click here.

Norman Frank at front of Tennant Creek House with small child

Norman Frank, Tennant Creek, NT. Image source: SBS News

Nurse practitioners can help address workforce shortages

The persistent challenges arising from nationwide shortages of general practitioners in regional, rural and remote Australia are well known. Recent calls for new approaches incorporating effective team-based care and improved coordination combined with funding models specific to rural health care reflect demands for a shift from business as usual. More recently, the Australian Government has turned its attention to strategies to improve availability and access to primary health care (PHC). One of the many strategies includes a debt waiver for Higher Education Loans for doctors and nurse practitioners who meet the eligibility criteria and will work in rural, remote or very remote areas. Nurse practitioners are not a replacement for doctors but can be an important part of the solution.

The nurse practitioner role was first introduced in Australian more than 20 years ago with an intention that nurse practitioners would support the delivery of PHC in rural and remote Australia; however, uptake in primary health care has been slow. The 2022 workforce data report that 69% of nurse practitioners are in metropolitan areas, while in 2019 the Australian Department of Health reported that only 4.4% of all nurse practitioners worked in general practice nursing.

One factor integral to success was both community and medical practitioner acceptance of the nurse practitioner role. Where collaborative arrangements across services are in place, the nurse practitioner is able to work across hospital, residential aged care and general practice, resulting in improved continuity of care. Reports continue to describe uncertainty about the role of the nurse practitioner combined with limited understanding of the scope of practice of the role.

To view the InSight Plus article How nurse practitioners can help address rural health workforce shortages in full click here.

Australia's first Aboriginal Nurse Practitioner Lesley Salem

Australia’s first Aboriginal Nurse Practitioner was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia in 2022 for her significant service to nursing and Indigenous health. Image source: The Northern Daily Leader.

AI revolutionising diabetes treatment

Artificial intelligence (AI) has begun revolutionising the way people with diabetes receive life-saving medicines. Speaking at a parliamentary inquiry into diabetes, endocrinologist Associate Professor Roger Chen said AI had been developed that enabled continuous glucose monitors to interact with insulin pumps. A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is a wearable device that tracks blood glucose (sugar) every few minutes, throughout the day and night. The readings are relayed in real time to a device that can be read by the patient, caregiver or healthcare provider, even remotely.

A/Proff Chen told a public hearing in Canberra last Friday (15 September 2023) “that from an emotional, face-to-face at the coal face and also from a publication and research perspective that this really has revolutionised type 1 diabetes, it has changed people’s lives and management.” Diabetes Australia says only around 24% of people living with type 1 diabetes are currently able to access the technology. The number of Australians living with diabetes has more than doubled since 2000 to reach more than 1.5m, and the country is on track to reach 3.1m by 2050.

The disease disproportionately affects people in Indigenous communities, and the inquiry heard from one health expert calling for a fresh approach to tackle the problem, led by First Nations people. “The impact of diabetes in Indigenous communities cannot be overstated with around one in 10 adults living with diabetes,” said NACCHO’s senior medical adviser Dr Jason Agostino. Dr Agostino, who practises as a GP in Yarrabah, far north Queensland, and whose son has type 1 diabetes, said there is a high degree of overlap between diabetes, cardiovascular disease and renal disease, “This leads to early heart attacks, people ending up with kidney failure on dialysis, to blindness and amputations. In Yarrabah I suspect every family has been affected by the loss of someone early to the consequences of diabetes.”

You can view the HealthTimes article AI is revolutionishing diabetes treatment, inquiry told in full here.
DailyDose app being displayed on a smartphone and the related diabetes tools with which it works: a glucose sensor transmitter and a smart insulin pen

DailyDose app being displayed on a smartphone and the related diabetes tools with which it works: a glucose sensor transmitter and a smart insulin pen. Photo: Christine Torres Hicks. Image source: OHSU website.

Restoring Smiles of Yarrabah Shire

Monthly shuttle buses from Yarrabah to the James Cook University (JCU) Dental Clinic started last week as part of a new initiative bringing free dental care to the community after claims that only 100 of the 4,000 residents have seen a dentist all year. JCU’s initiative ‘Restoring the Smiles of Yarrabah Shire’ will provide free basic treatments for all Queensland Government issued concession card holders in Yarrabah, running monthly shuttle buses until May 2024.

JCU’s Professor John Abbott is leading the project and said JCU Dentistry staff and students visited Yarrabah for three days in early September to run education workshops, promote health and provide free dental examinations. “Senior dentistry students will be providing a range of dental treatments, under the supervision of experienced clinicians,” Professor Abbott said. He said the project has been made possible by grants from the Australian Dental Health Foundation and the Mars Wrigley Foundation and is being run in partnership with the Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service Aboriginal Corporation.

“The oral health Queensland Government statistics show that only 100 members of the community have received treatment since January at the Yarrabah clinic, with another 100 persons on a waiting list for non-urgent treatments,” Professor Abbott said. “Delayed treatments have caused this already undeserved ‘at-risk’ community to have poorer health outcomes, increased incidence of dental cavities, tooth loss or hospitalisations.

The above story is an extract from an article JCU will start free monthly shuttle buses from Yarrabah to offer basic dental care published in the Herald Sun earlier today.

Kayleen Jackson from Yarrabah being attended by 4th year dentistry student Olivia Gables at JCU Dental Clinic

Kayleen Jackson from Yarrabah being attended by 4th year dentistry student Olivia Gables at the JCU Dental Clinic. Image source: Herald Sun.

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

Dementia Action Week is a major leadership, awareness and advocacy campaign led by Dementia Australia as the peak body for people living with dementia, their families and carers. Dementia Action Week 2023 is from 18–24 September, which includes World Alzheimer’s Day on Thursday 21 September.

Around two-thirds of people with dementia live in the community. A lack of knowledge and understanding of dementia may lead to people living with dementia experiencing stigma and discrimination in the community.

Dementia Australia research shows 81% of those with a loved one living with dementia felt that people in shops, cafes and restaurants treated people with dementia differently. That’s why this Dementia Action Week, Dementia Australia is encouraging everyone to take a few simple actions to create a dementia-friendly future for all Australians, a future that is better for everyone in the community.

You can find out more information about Dementia Action Week 2023 on the Dementia Australia website here. You can also watch the below video You’re Not Alone: Discussing 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 12 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Calls to integrate pharmacists within ACCHOs

Feature tile: Pharmacist Kylie van Rooijen (R) with RN Neil Dunning, discussing how to use a MediSachet roll, Port Lincoln AHS; text 'Calls to integrate PHARMACISTS WITHIN ACCHOs to fight chronic disease'

The image in the feature tile is of GP pharmacist Kylie van Rooijen (R) with RN Neil Dunning, at the Port Lincoln Aboriginal Health Service, discussing how to use a MediSachet roll. The image appeared in the article Why this Aboriginal health service values its GP pharmacist published in the Australian Pharmacist on 2 June 2021.

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

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

Calls to integrate pharmacists within ACCHOs

The Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) submission to the recent House of Representatives Inquiry into Diabetes centers on the impact of social, environmental, and health system factors that create additional challenges for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in preventing the illness and its associated complications. QAIHC’s Public Health Physician Associate  Professor Sophia Couzos said diabetes can be a complex condition for patients to manage and it can be difficult for patients to adhere to treatment, especially medications. “And medications can’t work if patients don’t take them,” she said.

A/Prof. Couzos played a pivotal role as the lead researcher in the Integrating Pharmacists within Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to Improve Chronic Disease Management (IPAC Project). This nationwide trial aimed to integrate non-dispensing pharmacists into the clinical teams of 18 ACCHOs in QLD, NT, and Victoria.

This comprehensive approach led to improvements in diabetes management, a reduction in cardiovascular disease risk factors, a decrease in medication errors, and enhanced medication understanding, ultimately resulting in improved medication adherence among the patients. QAIHC CEO Cleveland Fagan said pharmacists working in ACCHOs made a significant difference, “There were improvements in diabetes, blood pressure, and kidney function, more medicine reviews by doctors, far fewer medication prescribing errors, more patients took their medicines as they needed to, and patients felt healthier as a result.”

The Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC), an independent body established by the Australian government, supports the value of the IPAC Project. In June this year MSAC advised funding to expand the integration of non-dispensing pharmacists into ACCHOs more widely, reflecting the positive impact observed in the project’s outcomes.

To read the National Indigenous Times article Call to integrate pharmacists within Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to fight chronic disease in full click here. You can also watch a short video below on the benefits of an ACCHO Pharmacist.

VtP and Indigenous LGBTIQA+SB research

In the latest episode of the podcast Well, Well, Well educator and researcher Professor Braden Hill talked about his extensive work on Indigenous LGBTIQA+SB health, student equity and access, and his recent advocacy videos about the Voice to Parliament (VtP) Referendum.

Professor Braden Hill is a Nyungar Wardandi man from the SW of WA and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Equity and Indigenous portfolio Edith Cowan University, and is the Head of Kurongkurl Katitjin, ECU’s Centre for Indigenous Australian Education and Research. Braden has significant experience in Aboriginal education, and leading equity work in universities, and has lead significant research about LGBTIQA+SB Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, most recently being involved in the Walkern Katatdjin report about mental health for Indigenous LGBTIQA+ youth.

To listen to the Joy 94.9 Radio Well Well Well podcast episode Braden Hill on the Voice to Parliament and Indigenous LGBTIQA+SB research click here. You can view a video of Prof Hill talking about his work below.

Tjuntjuntjara calls for better TB screening

Authorities in one of Australia’s most remote communities are calling for help to screen its residents for tuberculosis, after a 19-year-old woman who spent time there died from the contagious disease in Kalgoorlie. Paupiyala Tjarutja Aboriginal Corporation CEO Jon Lark said the young woman died in November last year was a transient resident of Tjuntjuntjara.

Mr Lark said she spent a lot of time in the remote community, where she had many close contacts, but also travelled to Kalgoorlie and the APY Lands in SA. Mr Lark said the WA government had known about the woman’s death since the end of January. But more than six months later, screening of the woman’s contacts in Tjuntjuntjara is yet to be completed.

103 cases of tuberculosis have been recorded in WA this year, with at least two cases involving Indigenous people, according to Department of Health data last updated on 9 September. Mr Lark said he wanted WA Health staff to travel to Tjuntjuntjara to conduct community-wide screening, to help to determine whether tuberculosis was spreading locally. “It’s so disappointing to be so far removed, so far forgotten, so far from everything and having such limited resources for our health service to be able to deal with a situation like this,” he said.=

To read the ABC News article Tjuntjuntjara community calls for better tuberculosis screening after woman’s death in full click here.

map of Australia with pin for Tjuntjuntjara WA

Tjuntjuntjara is one of Australia’s most remote communities. Photo: Sharon Gordon, ABC News.

Black Comedy star on body image

Australian actress and comedian Nakkiah Lui can remember when she realised her relationship with food was wrong. “I had started getting comments about my weight and being bullied for being fat,” she said. “It’s been a huge defining part of my life, because food was always the enemy.”

The Black Comedy star knows the importance of understanding body image, saying, “When it comes to the discussion of food and body image, the more intersectional we can be in discourses around these the better. We need lots of different perspectives around things like food and especially body image, because for a long time they’ve both been used as ways to include and exclude people,” Lui says. “Our idea of what a beautiful person looks like, what an acceptable body looks like and what a ‘healthy’ body looks like has very much been defined by race, sex and gender.”

The radio host noted that adding an Indigenous lens to discussions of body image may allow people understand the true extent of its impact. “I think when you start adding in conversations around Indigeneity to that, then you’re going to be talking about things like colonisation, like white supremacy, and you’re going to start unpicking things that get to usually go invisible,” she says.

To view the 9Honey article ‘Food was the enemy’: Australia actress Nakkiah Lui’s body image admission in full click here.

portrait image of Nakkiah Lui, host and co-producer of podcast First Eat with Nakkiah Lui

Nakkiah Lui, host and co-producer of podcast First Eat with Nakkiah Lui, which explores First Nations’ food cultures in Australia and abroad. Image source: The Guardian.

Broome home to Australia’s worst prison

In the heart of picture-postcard Broome stands WA’s oldest operating prison, a crumbling vestige of the state’s earlier colonial days. Last month the WA Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services (OICS) released a damning report denouncing the prison as “dilapidated” and “poorly maintained” to the point of being a health and safety hazard with foul-smelling, open drains, persistent mould, water damage, and garden crates used as furniture. Disturbingly, the report found an underlying, unacceptably racist element to the conditions.

It said, “With 80% of the [prison] population Aboriginal, the sub-standard services and conditions would not have been acceptable in a metropolitan prison where Aboriginal people were in the minority.” Since 2001, the WA inspector of prisons has published no fewer than seven reports declaring the prison unfit for its purpose in terms varying from “decrepit” to “inhumane.” Yet hundreds of people spend time in Broome prison each year, with devastating consequences for their physical and mental health.

This situation compounds an already serious mental health crisis in WA prisons. A 2020 study of men who entered the prison system in WA found that over 50% of Aboriginal prisoners had experienced the death of a close family member in the previous 12 months, increasing the risk of depression, self-harm, and suicide.

To read The West Australian article Kriti Sharma and Daniela Gavshon: Picture-postcard Broome is home to Australia’s ‘worst prison’ in full click here.

collage 3 images Broome prison exterior, kitchen, storeroom

In the heart of picture-postcard Broome stands Western Australia’s oldest operating prison, a crumbling vestige of the state’s earlier colonial days. Image source: The West Australian.

Outlet to craft has mental health benefits

Aunty Cheryl Norris can be found most days sitting behind a table at a craft store in SA’s Riverland. Her hands weave tiny beads onto even thinner threads, crafting jewellery to be worn across wrists and ears. “I was like a prisoner at home,” the Indigenous Erawirung woman says. “But now I can come down here to the shop every day. “I’m out and about, I’m seeing people, I’m doing things here.

Joining her at the table, strewn with wool, is Marian Reeves and Darren Ellis. The couple runs the store, nestled in the streets of Berri, having moved from Victoria after their Shepparton rental was devasted by flooding. “We weren’t sure whether we wanted to reopen the shop,” Ms Reeves said.

“But with Cheryl nagging us saying that the community here needs something, we decided to reopen.” The couple had offered a similar space in Shepparton, and knew it could provide a spot for people from the community to craft or even just have a chat.

Ms Reeves said some of the people who came into the shop didn’t have a project, but they just wanted to sit. “It makes us feel good because we’ve made somebody else happy,” she said.

To view the ABC News article Riverland community space provides outlet to craft, along with mental health benefits in full click here.

Aunty Cheryl Norris beading at craft group

Aunty Cheryl Norris says having a place to craft offers her ways to socialise and get out of the house. Photo: Sophie Holder, ABC Riverland.

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.