Category Referendum and Health

16 October 2024

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

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

The change Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people need is possible now. So why won’t govts act?

Pat Turner, NACCHO CEO and Coalition of Peaks lead convenor writes:

The idea that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should have a say in decisions that significantly affect our lives is not a radical one. It is a simple principle of democracy. This idea spurred the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and I, like most Aboriginal people, was deeply saddened when one of its core tenants – a Voice to Parliament – was voted down one year ago.

But the same idea – a powerful vision of self-determination – underpins another national approach to change the way governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families and communities.

Most people have heard of Closing the Gap. In 2008, the Commonwealth government adopted a community-led campaign to close the gap in life expectancy for our people. The 2008 Closing the Gap national strategy – agreed to by federal, state and territory governments – set targets to improve life outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. To close gaps in life expectancy, in health outcomes, in education, and many more.

The Coalition of Peaks, as we are known, has grown to represent more than 80 peak bodies, representing more than 800 organisations controlled by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We gain authority from our extensive membership base of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations, with generations of action to advance the interests of, and deliver services to, our people.

It is important to recognise that the Coalition of Peaks is not the Voice envisaged in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. We are the Aboriginal health services looking after remote communities that mainstream services do not reach. We are the early childhood services which, because of our community connections and cultural understanding, have increased enrolment rates such that almost all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the nation are now attending pre-school.

This is the kind of change that is possible. Now, it is time for the rubber to hit the road and for governments to make good on their promises, in full. I am sorry to say that this is not happening fast enough.

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap is not a substitute for a constitutionally enshrined Voice, or any other elements of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The goal, however, is the same – for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have power and agency over their lives.

A first-of-its-kind national agreement is in place. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations big and small, from all over the country, are at the table and sharing decisions with government on policies and programs impacting our people.

If governments are looking for “what’s next“, it starts with keeping the promises for reform made in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

To read the article in full, go here.

Image source: Coalition of Peaks.

New grants open for culturally safe cancer research

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cancer treatment is getting a significant funding injection with a new grant scheme and $9.6 million investment by the federal government. On Wednesday, the government announced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and the research sector will conduct innovative, First Nations-led cancer research through the Partnerships for Cancer Research program.

Delivered by Cancer Australia in collaboration with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), up to 12 community-based grants will be awarded to projects up to three years, valued between $800,000 to $2.5 million. The grants will fund community-based research projects in three areas: prevention and early detection, access to cancer care, and patient experiences and outcomes from diagnosis through to survivorship.

Adjunct Professor Jacinta Elston, current advisor for Cancer Australia and Deputy Chair of the Breast Cancer Network of Australia said last year’s $197 million in federal government funding to improve cancer outcomes via NACCHO was important— particularly for mob in rural, remote communities.

“So, we know that the system is being strengthened in the community-controlled sector context for that group,” she said.

“But what we also need still is a focus of strengthening cancer care for Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people in more urban settings.”

Grant applications are open now and will close on Wednesday, 12 February 2025.

Read more here.

Cancer Australia advisor and deputy chair of the Breast Cancer Network of Australia, Adjunct Professor Jacinta Elston.

Central Australian Aboriginal Congress: lowering age of criminal responsibility is a step backwards “we can’t risk taking”

Central Australian Aboriginal Congress has urged the NT government to reconsider its plans to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 12 years to 10 years.

Donna Ah Chee, Congress chief executive that children aged between 10 and 12 years old do not yet have the capacity to be fully responsible for their actions.

“At this young age, children’s brains are still developing. Locking up children while their brains are still forming crucial pathways is damaging to the developing brain, and these children are more likely to go on to re-offend in the future,” she said.

Ms Ah Chee acknowledged community concerns about crime, and noted there is a range of evidence-based solutions that the Congress’ Aboriginal Board of Directors have put forward over many years, including: secure, therapeutic care that focusses on rehabilitation; a greater focus on prevention and diversion; and strengthening families to take responsibility for their children.

To read the National Indigenous Times article in full, go here.

Donna Ah Chee. Image: SBS.

Eye health ‘game-changer’ for Griffith Aboriginal Medical Service

Eye care for patients at the Griffith Aboriginal Medical Service (GAMS) has been boosted with the handover of a digital retina camera. The item was donated to GAMS by both Griffith and Turramurra Rotary Clubs. It will be used to capture images of both the front and back of the eye to detect cataracts and other issues.

“The three leading causes for blindness in Aboriginal communities are refractive error, cataracts and diabetes,” Rotary branches and associate professor of ophthalmology Geoffrey Painter said.

“GAMS is the only bulk-billing outlet in the district and people rely on wonderful healthcare.”

To read the full article, go here.

Digital retina camera handover at GAMS. Picture by Allan Wilson.

Waminda’s Blak Cede Gunyah Café awarded grant

Nowra’s Blak Cede Gunyah Café has been awarded a $50,000 Inclusive Employment Grant by the Westpac Group Foundation. The café, delivered by Waminda (South Coast Health and Wellbeing Aboriginal Corporation), will receive the grant over the next two years.

Kristine Falzon, Waminda’s chief executive leader said the money would support existing service delivery and enhance business modelling for the future. Ms Falzon said Blak Cede was part of Waminda’s ongoing initiatives to challenge and disrupt practices, beliefs and barriers that discriminated and marginalised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.

“Blak Cede is unique in its entirety as it is culturally centred and is committed to keeping our community healthy through culture,” she said.

“We provide employment opportunities for local Koori people to lead self-determined lives by providing culturally safe employment and educational pathways.

“We cultivate traditional foods from our Kareela Ngura community garden to produce high-quality products for our café and online store,” Ms Falzon said.

“This is achieved by privileging Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing, showcasing Aboriginal ownership and rights to traditional bush foods and medicines.”

Read more here.

Blak Cede Gunyah Café is committed to keeping the community healthy through culture. Picture supplied by Smiling Sun.

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.

National Carers Week – 13-19 October

13-19 October marks National Carers Week. Carers are people who provide unpaid care and support to family members and friends who have a disability, mental health condition, chronic condition, terminal illness, an alcohol or other drug issue or who are frail aged. Anyone can become a carer, at any time.

National Carers Week is an opportunity to raise community awareness among all Australians about the diversity of carers and their caring roles.

South Australian West Coast ACCHO Network posted on social media:

“…Carers in our region play a vital role in supporting the health and well-being of their loved ones, often traveling long distances, and overcoming unique challenges to provide care. Your commitment strengthens Aboriginal families, culture, and community, and we acknowledge the incredible impact you have on Mobs collective well-being.

“To all the carers, we see you, we thank you, and we celebrate you for your tireless work. Your dedication to looking after Mob makes a world of difference. ”

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service Brisbane posted on social media:

“Shoutout to all the deadly carers!

“This National Carers Week, we want to acknowledge and celebrate the incredible carers in our communities who support their family and friends with love and dedication.

“Your compassion, strength and commitment does not go unnoticed. You uplift our mob in so many ways and we thank you for all that you do.”

To learn more about National Carers Week, go here.

Image source: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service Brisbane

ACCHO Governance Workshops

Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025. 

Registrations are now open for:

  • Broome: 24-25 October

The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:  

  • Delegation of powers 
  • Finance for Boards
  • Governance documents
  • Managing conflicts of interest 
  • Managing risk  
  • Principles of good governance  
  • Structure and role of boards and sub-committees 

To register, go here.

For more information, please contact NACCHO using this email link.

11 October 2024

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

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

Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia calls for wellbeing and suicide prevention to be addressed “beyond the health system”

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

Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia, the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention, says Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing must be addressed beyond the health system.

In a statement issued Thursday the group noted that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people “should have every opportunity to live happy and fulfilling lives… Instead, too many of our families are struggling with mental health challenges, continuing grief and trauma, and suicide”.

Rachel Fishlock Gayaa Dhwui chief executive said the organisation’s Declaration Implementation Plan and the NATSISPS provide positive ways for government and community to work together, “ensuring our people can get the support they need, where they seek it”.

The Gayaa Dhuwi Declaration Implementation Plan focuses on a “best of both worlds” approach to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health, social and emotional wellbeing, and suicide prevention, promoting an appropriate balance of clinical and culturally informed mental health system responses.

To read more, go here.

Image source: Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia.

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.

Dignity for Elders within independent living community

A new independent living community for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders has opened in Ballarat. The facility was a joint project between Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BADAC), and the State Government, alongside input from Elders.

The living community is designed to provide a culturally safe space for Elders aged 50 years and over to live. There will be room for 16 Elders to live on site in eight self-contained one or two-bedroom units as well as a central hall for shared meals, managers’ quarters, medical treatment rooms and a vegetable garden.

Melissa Bray BADAC Community Home Support Program and NDIS manager said in the context of the Stolen Generation, it is important to provide Elders with a comfortable place to live.

“We found a need that a lot of our Elders were isolated, living on their own and being part of the Stolen Generation a lot of our Elders do not have families there to look after them and support them,” she said.

“That’s what’s important about the community that we have here today, it is to be able to support our Elders and be able to break that social isolation.”

Read more here.

Celebrating: Member for Eureka Michaela Settle unveiled a plaque outside the living community along with First Nations elders and members of BADAC. Photos: MIRIAM LITWIN.

Professor of genomics followed family path into medicine

Professor Alex Brown’s research into Indigenous genomics has been recognised with a fellowship with the Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering. Initially practising as a medical doctor, the Yuin man has had a career in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health spanning 25 years.

Professor Brown’s focus on empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, identifying and overcoming health disparities, and addressing chronic disease in vulnerable communities led him to public health and research and the field of genomics.

“There’s a whole bunch of work around understanding what’s unique about Indigenous people’s genetic story, given we’ve been here for 65,000 years plus in Australia,” he said.

“That gives us a better way of understanding how people grow and develop in place, on Country for a long period of time, in a very stable, long-standing nexus between healthy people and healthy country.”

But to understand the genetic story of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Professor Brown said communities had to be empowered to make their own decisions and their rights and interests protected.

To read NITV article, go here.

Medical doctor and genomics researcher Professor Alex Brown has been awarded a fellowship with the Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering. Credit: Ben McPherson/PR IMAGE.

New rural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led bladder health campaign launched in NSW

The first rural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led campaign focusing on the often sensitive topic of bladder control issues, such as incontinence, is urging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to ‘have a yarn about our bladder’.

Hunter New England Local Health District alongside Narrabri, Armidale and Uralla Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders are sharing the important message ‘Speak up, there is no shame, and help is available’ through targeted new resources which focus on bladder health and treatment options.

Angela Knox, Aboriginal Health Practitioner and Narrabri Project Lead, Hunter New England Local Health District said Elders provide a vital understanding of how messaging on this sensitive topic is best communicated to the community, including in Men’s and Women’s business.

“This is the first initiative addressing this topic with an Aboriginal cultural lens, and we are excited that the work has been community-led. This is reflected by the artwork and language used in the resources and we hope these can be shared and adapted across NSW.”

To learn more, go here.

‘Have a yarn about our bladder’ launch. Image source: NBN News.

One Year On: Reflections from Yes

Join The Uluru Statement from the Heart this Sunday October 13, for a special online event. To mark the anniversary of the Voice Referendum the webinar will reflect and celebrate the efforts of our community.

On Sunday October 13, 7pm AEDT the webinar will feature Yes Campaigners and Uluru Dialogue figures as they share their favourite images from the Yes campaign and their personal reflections on these powerful moments.

Join Pat Anderson AO, Jill Gallagher, Professor Megan Davis, Sally Scales, Bridget Cama, Allira Davis,Dr Fiona Rowe Minniss and Geoff Scott as they reflect on the hard-fought Yes campaign. Moderated by Lucy Davis from Mob23, this photographic journey will capture the spirit of the campaign as we regroup and look ahead to what’s next.

To learn more, go here.

Image source: The Uluru Statement.

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.

ACCHO Governance Workshops

Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025. 

Registrations are now open for:

  • Broome: 24-25 October

The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:  

  • Delegation of powers 
  • Finance for Boards
  • Governance documents
  • Managing conflicts of interest 
  • Managing risk  
  • Principles of good governance  
  • Structure and role of boards and sub-committees 

To register, go here.

For more information, please contact NACCHO using this email link.

14 February 2024

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.

NOT Valentine’s Day without National Condom Day

It’s not Valentine’s Day without National Condom Day!

So, let’s celebrate safe sex and healthy relationships.

Today NACCHO recognises the tireless efforts of all those in the sector who:

  • promote the use of condoms as the most effective way of helping prevent STIs
  • elevate the importance of consent in healthy, safe relationships
  • encourage regular STI testing among everyone who is sexually active.

We see your work and celebrate your commitment to shame-free, positive, respectful sexual health education and services. Thank you!

If you’d like support, or have a great story to tell about something that has worked in your community, please reach out to NACCHO’s Sexual Health Team using this email link.

We promise to send shirts and other goodies to everyone who reaches out to us!

You can find out more information about National Condom Day 2024 here.

NACCHO generated tile envelope with card coming out with text 'Happy Valentine's (crossed out) National Condom Day

PM’s CTG Speech on anniversary of National Apology

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivered his Closing the Gap speech at Parliament House yesterday, saying “the Apology [to the Stolen Generations] was the very first order of business of the Rudd Labor Government. There are many moments I am proud of as a parliamentarian, but that extraordinary day 16 years ago remains my proudest. And amid the catharsis it made possible, it set in place the annual report card that is Closing the Gap.”

“It is important to reflect on the Apology, and the courage and grace of the survivors who made it possible. As Prime Minister Rudd implored us that day: Let us turn this page together … and write this new chapter in our nation’s story together. Anniversaries matter deeply. But what will shape the future is the actions we take now. Sixteen years after the Apology, only 11 out of 19 socio-economic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are improving. Just four are on track to meet their targets.”

“What should give us pause is that outcomes have worsened for four critical targets – children’s early development, rates of children in out-of-home care, rates of adult imprisonment, and tragically suicide. We can take some heart from the fact that in some areas that are off target, they are not uniformly so. Early childhood development, adult incarceration rates and out-of-home care aren’t on track at a national level, but have shown improvement in some regions and jurisdictions. That’s a positive, albeit a slender one. The Productivity Commission has made it clear that the old ways are not working. Decades of insisting that Government knows best, has made things worse. We must find a better way – and we must do it together.”

You can view Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Closing the Gap speech delivered at Parliament House, Canberra yesterday in full here.

blue sky, Australian flag, part of Aboriginal flag

Photo: Lukas Cosh/AAP Photos. Image source: Daily Liberal.

Well Behind on CTG – why Voice was needed

Another year, and another Closing the Gap report comes before the parliament and the Australian people. This year, however, the scene is somewhat different. The 2024 Closing the Gap report is the first since Australians resoundingly rejected the proposal to enshrine a First Nations Voice to Parliament in the Constitution.

That proposal would have given Indigenous peoples across this country a much greater say in the decisions that affect us, and given us more control over our own affairs and in our own communities. But it failed at the ballot box. Every jurisdiction (bar the ACT) voted “no” to putting this idea into our Constitution, ensuring its longevity and stability, and allowing our input into our affairs to become mainstream.

With that in mind, it’s unsurprising that in this year’s Closing the Gap report, the government outlines that just four of the 19 targets are on track to be bridged. Yes, four out of 19. That’s a little more than one in five. Not only that, but four measures have got worse. Government is continuing to fail our communities. And we all had a chance to fix it.

The government has announced some welcome measures, including creating a National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People – a long overdue initiative. It’s also committed to building remote training hubs and improving community wifi services for around 20 remote communities. Small measures, but they don’t address the structural nature of our powerlessness.

You can view The Conversation article The government is well behind on Closing the Gap. This is why we needed a Voice to Parliament in full here.

at podium PM Anthony Albanese & Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney looking to the left

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese &and Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney. Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP. Image source: The Conversation.

Creation of National Commissioner for Kids

Early childhood campaigners have welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement of the creation of a National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People.

Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive By Five campaign said Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, including Thrive By Five partner SNAICC, had been advocating for this for years. “We congratulate SNAICC and their partners on their tireless advocacy in this space and look forward to continuing to work alongside them and governments to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families can access affordable, culturally-appropriate early years education,” said Minderoo Foundation’s Jay Weatherill.

“The Commissioner will listen to and advocate for children and young people to ensure they grow up safe and connected to their family and cultural identity.” SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle said the Commissioner will be a champion for Indigenous children, young people and families and will hold governments to account. “They will help turn the tide of our children being over-represented in out of home care and youth detention,” Ms Liddle said.

“They will be able to investigate and make strong recommendations on issues that affect our children, ensuring their safety and rights are upheld. “This significant commitment to our children should have bi-partisan support nationally and in all states and territories. Our children deserve this.” Mr Weatherill said while increasing the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in early childhood education is one of the few Closing The Gap targets on track, more improvement was needed.

You can view the Minderoo Foundation media release New Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children the Culmination of Years of Advocacy by Indigenous Orgs in full here.

7 ATSI kids on road in Aurukun

Local children play stick ball on a street in Aurukun, in far North Queensland. Photo: Jono Searle, AAP Image; Image source: Canberra City News 14 February 2024.

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Forum

The Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing (OMHW), Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services (Winnunga) and Thirrili Limited are holding a community forum for the ACT and regions’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This will be an opportunity to come together to talk about issues regarding Indigenous mental illness and suicide.

Presentations will be made by Winnunga Nimmityjah, Thirrili and Wesley Lifeforce.

The Honorable Emma Davidson MLA, Minister for Mental Health will open the forum and Brendan Moyle, Director, ACT Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs will facilitate.

WHEN: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, Friday 15 March 2024

WHERE: The Terrace, EPIC, Flemington Rd, Mitchell, ACT

Please register your attendance via email to either OMHW here or Winnunga here by close of business Friday 8 March 2024.

You can view the flyer for the forum here.

banner with painted rock from the Centre of Best Prac in ATIS Suicide Prevention

Image source: The Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention 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.

ATSIHN key dates banner, top of rectangle navy line, second line yellow, ochre ATSI dot art, 3rd line text in navy blue 'Key Dates' - white background

Key Date Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Each year in Australia around 1,815 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In most cases the cancer will be diagnosed at an advanced stage, where it is very difficult to treat. That is why every Australian needs to know more about ovarian cancer and its early symptoms.

Ovarian Cancer Australia’s priorities during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month are to:

Educate. Only 31% of Australians know that ovarian cancer has the poorest survival rate of any female cancer in Australia. This devastating disease suffers from a lack of awareness and progress, we will continue to spread evidence based information every Australian should know about this disease.

Advocate on behalf of those impacted by ovarian cancer for more research funding, better laws and policies, greater access to affordable treatment options and ultimately better outcomes for all those affected.

Elevate the voices of women impacted by this disease by sharing their stories, their real life experiences and getting these stories in front of as many eyes and ears as possible.

And of course none of this can be done without raising funds to ultimately change the future.

You can find out more about Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month on the Ovarian Cancer Australia website here.

tile text 'February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month'; teal ribbon

Image source: Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health (CEH) Australia. Image source: CEH Australia Twitter post 6 February 2024.

4 December 2024

feature tile: image of Pat Turner hands folded in front of her; text 'Pat Turner AM, NACCHO CEO and Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks reflects on the year that’s been'

The image in the feature tile is of Pat Turner AM, NACCHO CEO and Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks as it appeared in an article Australian Financial Review Magazine reveals Australia’s ten most culturally powerful people, published by 9 News on 1 October 2020.

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.

NACCHO CEO’s annual wrap-up

On an episode of Speaking Out broadcast on ABC Listen Radio last Friday (1 December 2023) Larissa Behrendt spoke with Pat Turner AM, NACCHO CEO and Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks on her thoughts on the year that’s been and where to from here.

Larissa Behrendt: It’s been a year of highs and lows in Indigenous affairs. Aunty Pat Turner has worked to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for over half a century, she says despite the referendum result, the focus should remain on creating better outcomes for First Nations people.

It’s become a tradition on Speaking Out to end the year by asking one of our most revered Elders about her thoughts on the year that’s been. Aunty Pat’s year in review gives us a chance to delve into the big issues from someone who’s been in the middle of it.

Aunty Pat welcome back once again. This has been quite a year so it’s a real privilege to have your insights since you’ve been right in the thick of many of the things we’re going to analyse. The most significant moment in Indigenous affairs this past year has no doubt been the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. You were deeply involved in the design of it, how do you explain the referendum results Aunty Pat?

Pat Turner: I don’t really think it’s right that Aboriginal people are asked to explain it, or to say what went wrong because really, we only make up 3% of the population and somehow it assumes that, you know by me explaining it, that we were at fault and that it was our responsibility to educate all the Australians and all the people who have to vote to convince them about why we should have a constitutionally protected voice and I think there are a lot of others who are responsible for that.

But what I do know is so many of our people are now grieving and struggling to understand their place in our own country and that’s really bad. But in this grief, as I said previously, it is important that our young people really know that they are so loved, and that they should be so proud of their Aboriginal identity. I know I hug my grannies a little tighter in the last few weeks and we all must continue to do that.

You can read more of the interview here.

collage - Speaking Out tile; ABC Radio logo; portrait of Larrissa Behrendt

Larrisa Behrendt, host of ABC Radio Speaking Out.

Kids experiencing fewer hearing problems

Indigenous children are experiencing fewer ear and hearing problems, though rates are still excessive and preventable. New data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has revealed the proportion of Indigenous children under 14 with an ear or hearing problem declined from 11% in 2001 to 6.9%  in 2019. “Hearing problems in children can affect speech, language, thinking skills and behavioural development,” said AIHW spokesperson Jo Baker said. “First Nations people and in particular children, experience high rates of ear and hearing problems, which can have profound impacts on overall health and quality of life.”

While the decrease is promising, the research found three in 10 Indigenous children still experienced hearing loss in 2019, jumping to four in 10 in remote areas. In the broader community, 43% of Indigenous people aged 7 and over had measured hearing loss. The report found social and economic disadvantage to be contributing to greater rates of untreated acute and chronic ear infections among Indigenous people.

University of Newcastle ear, nose and throat surgeon Kelvin Kong said most ear disease and hearing loss affecting Indigenous people is preventable. “Access to culturally safe ear and hearing health specialist services is crucial for First Nations people to seek and receive timely diagnosis and treatment,” Professor Kong said. He said middle ear infections are the main cause of hearing loss among children and young people, and early detection is vital for appropriate treatment.

To view The Telegraph article Indigenous children experiencing fewer hearing problems in full click here.
young ATSI child have ear examination

Image source: The Telegraph.

Reform delay causes dental decay

A Senate committee has investigated why so many Australians are missing out on dental care and made 35 recommendations for reform. By far the most sweeping is the call for universal coverage for essential dental care.  The Senate committee report follows more than a dozen national inquiries and reports into dental care since 1998, many with similar findings.

Dental care was left out of Medicare from the start, and half a century later, Australia still funds oral health very differently to how we fund care for the rest of the body, with patients paying most of the cost themselves. People on lower incomes were much more likely to miss out. People living in the poorest areas are around three times as likely to wait more than two years between visits to the dentist, compared to people in the wealthiest areas. One in four report delaying care.

Even if you can afford to see a dentist, you might not be able to get in. Census data shows there is one dentist for every 400 to 500 people in inner-city parts of most capital cities. But in Blacktown North in outer Sydney, there is only one dentist for every 5,100 people. Regional areas fare even worse. There is only one for every 10,300 people in the northeast of Ballarat, Vic. In some remote areas, there are no working dentists at all. The consequences of missing dental care are serious. Around 80,000 hospital visits a year are for preventable dental conditions. Oral health problems are also linked to a range of chronic diseases affecting the rest of the body too, and may cause damage to the brain.

Compared to five years ago, more of us have untreated dental decay, are concerned about the appearance of our teeth, avoid food due to dental problems, and have toothaches. Despite all this, government spending on dental health has been falling. In the ten years to 2020-21, the federal government’s share of spending on dental services – excluding premium rebates – fell from 12% to 5%, while the states’ share fell from 10% to 9%.

To view The Conversation article Reform delay causes dental decay. It’s time for a national deal to fund dental care in full click here.

gloved dentist's hands holding equipment

Photo: Press Association. Image source: SBS NITV.

Growing calls for on-Country dialysis

Yindjibarndi Elder Tootsie Daniel sits patiently underneath a tree in the front yard of her home in Roebourne, 1,500 kms north of Perth in WA’s Pilbara. She’s waiting for a lift to a kidney dialysis centre, three hours away. It’s a laborious ritual she is meant to go through three times a week. “I’ve had problems getting people to take me to Port Hedland to do dialysis,” she says.”I remember the first week when I came back [from Perth] I missed dialysis for five weeks … it was so unbearable for me. “I was getting worried and upset … because my body was feeling it.”

Three hours down the highway in Port Hedland, Yamatji woman Elizabeth Barry has been on the waitlist for dialysis for more than a year. “Sometimes you do have anxiety because of that, because you know that you just got to take what you can get,” she says. “If we don’t get dialysis we are dead. It is as simple as that … I’ll take whatever days you give me.”

Recent figures from the WA Country Health Service showed the average wait time for dialysis in Port Hedland was 423 days, double last year’s figures. Locals say ballooning wait times result in a growing number of Indigenous people leaving their communities to access treatment in Perth. “There’s lots of other people: my people, my family in Perth that want to come back home,” Ms Daniel says. “Being in Perth is somewhere else. I’m not familiar with, no family, no friends to come visit. “I miss seeing my family and I’m going to miss my community … it made me feel homesick.”

To view the ABC News article Growing calls for on-country kidney dialysis in North West WA, as wait times grow to more than a year in full click here.

WA dialysis ATSI patient Lucy May Bulley

Yinggarda woman Lucy May Bulley says someone had to die before she could get a dialysis placement in Carnarvon. Photo: Xander Sapsworth-Collis. Image source: ABC News.

Babies born to type 2 diabetes mums at risk

Babies of mothers who have type 2 diabetes in pregnancy are being born with congenital defects including holes in the heart and malformed kidneys, frontline clinicians reveal as the nationwide diabetes battle extends into a new front. Endocrinologists at public hospitals have highlighted the trend as the numbers of pregnant women with youth-onset type 2 diabetes grows, with as many as 15% of babies born to these mothers having some form of congenital malformation.

The number of people with type 2 diabetes, a condition in which patients become insulin resistant and develop dangerously high blood sugar levels, has tripled in the past 30 years. One in 10 deaths is attributable to diabetes currently, and a minor or major amputation is performed every two days in Australian hospitals as a result of diabetes complications. The condition is also the leading cause of premature blindness and causes heart attack, strokes and nerve problems. There is no national data on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in pregnancy, but the numbers of such women is growing as the age of diagnosis of the condition – previously a disease of middle age – gets younger and younger.”

According to Darwin endocrinologist Matthew Hare, who wrote his PhD on the topic at the Menzies School of Health Research, Aboriginal women in Central Australia have the highest rates of type 2 diabetes in pregnancy ever reported globally. Research led by Dr Hare found that there had been a 10-fold increase in the rate of type 2 diabetes among pregnant Aboriginal women in just 30 years, and the condition now affected almost one in 10 Aboriginal women in Central Australia. Alarmingly, one in 10 Aboriginal women with type 2 diabetes in pregnancy developed end-stage kidney disease requiring dialysis within 12 years of follow-up after the pregnancy. These women were almost 30 times more likely to develop end-stage kidney disease compared to women without any diabetes in pregnancy.

The above was extracted from an article Babies of diabetic mums born with birth defects: doctors published earlier today in The Australian.

ATSI mother kissing newborn baby

Image source: Australian Institute of Health & Welfare.

Vax burn-out leaves 1,000s vulnerable

Every year, vaccines save thousands of lives and prevent countless sick days, yet millions of older Australians at high risk of serious illness are not getting their recommended shots and for some that may mean death. According to a new report A fair shot: How to close the vaccination gap, by the Grattan Institute, the pandemic has left many of us suffering vaccine burn-out – sick of vaccination, confused about which jabs we need, misled by misinformation, or complacent about the risks of not being vaccinated.

COVID-19 is less dangerous than it was at the peak of the pandemic, but is still killing thousands of Australians a year – since pandemic measures ended in October 2022, more than 5,000 Australians have died from COVID-19, making it a leading cause of death. COVID-19 vaccination rates have plunged. “Year after year, the same groups miss out. If you don’t speak English at home, you are only half as likely to get recommended COVID-19 vaccinations,” the report says, “and if you are Indigenous, you are a third less likely.” According to the report Australia urgently needs a policy reset to save lives and take pressure off hospitals.

The Grattan Institute wants to see a new National Vaccination Agreement between the federal government and the states, to set ambitious targets and forge a plan to drive up vaccination. Pharmacists and GPs should get more help to reach more people, including cultural groups that are missing out, and people living in aged care homes, Aboriginal health organisations should get more money to boost vaccination rates among Indigenous people and pandemic programs to reach communities with the lowest vaccination rates – including homeless people and some cultural groups – should be sustained and strengthened.

To view The Senior article Vaccine burn-out leaves thousands vulnerable says the Grattan Institute
in full click here.

Tharawal Elder Uncle Ivan Wellington receiving vaccination at Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation

Tharawal Elder Uncle Ivan Wellington receiving a COVID-19 vaccination at Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation. Image source: The Guardian.

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.

28 November 2023

The image in the feature tile is from Shutterstock.

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.

Majority of voters think First Nations people should have a voice, despite referendum outcome

Almost nine-in-10 voters, 87%, think Aboriginal and Torres Strait Isander people should have a voice or say over matters that affect them, despite the defeat of the proposed Voice to Parliament. That’s one of the key findings from the largest and most comprehensive survey on the October 2023 referendum on the possible constitutional change, led by The Australian National University (ANU).

The survey, which has been tracking more than 4,200 voters and their views on the proposed Voice to Parliament since January 2023, also found three-quarters, 76%, of ‘no’ voters also think Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders deserve a voice when it came to key policies and political decisions.
Professor Nicholas Biddle, study co-author said the survey findings also showed most voters were supportive of some form of constitutional recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“Our findings show that there is widespread support for a broad definition of constitutional recognition,” Professor Biddle said.

“Almost five times as many Australians, 61.7%, said they would definitely or probably would have voted ‘yes’ if there was a referendum on recognition compared to those who said that they would probably or definitely would have voted ‘no’ – 12.5%.”

In addition, 79.4% of Australians think that the Federal Government should help improve reconciliation, while 80.5% think that Australia should ‘undertake formal truth-telling processes to acknowledge the reality of Australia’s shared history.’

“So, this raises serious questions about why the proposed referendum failed and saw more than 60% of voters, and all states and territories, except the ACT, categorically reject it,” Professor Biddle said.

“Our findings suggest it is not such much the premise of recognition but the model that was being presented to voters at the referendum, among other key factors.”

Learn more about the ANU study here.

Image source: ChameleonsEye/shutterstock.com

Indemnity insurance restored for midwives delivering labour care at home

The Albanese Government has restored the ability of midwives to deliver care to women who labour in their home before a planned birth in hospital, after the former government left a gap in professional indemnity insurance for those services. After extensive engagement from the Albanese Government, the medical indemnity insurer MIGA will now amend its policies to cover these services for endorsed midwives with individual insurance. The Government will support these changes by providing an indemnity to MIGA so that the Government will pay 100% of any eligible and approved claims made in respect of these intrapartum, outside of hospital services for a midwife with an individual policy with MIGA.

Mark Butler, Health and Aged Care Minister said that the government “recognises that midwifery continuity of care is incredibly important and has the best outcomes for women and babies and we will continue to work to make sure that it is accessible and supported.”

Endorsed midwives with existing individual policies which cover intrapartum care in hospital with MIGA will not need to do anything and this new out of hospital cover will be automatically added to their policy. Endorsed midwives who do not have an individual policy with MIGA will need to apply to MIGA for a policy, via the MIGA website. The Albanese Government was made aware of the gap in insurance coverage left by the former government on 17 October this year. Cover will be available retrospectively for this service dated from 17 October 2023, irrespective of whether the endorsed midwife already holds a policy with MIGA or now applies for one.

Read more here.

Image source: National Indigenous Times.

New homes to reduce overcrowding in remote NT

The remote NT community of Wadeye face severe overcrowding. Trying to change that, young men are picking up the tools to help build new homes. Among those employed on the $18.5 million government remote housing contract is Wesley Miler, who recently completed a certificate in carpentry, which he undertook locally. The 16 new homes are being built by the Thamarrurr Development Corporation for a new sub-division in the community. They’re additional to 125 homes that were in varying states of damage following rioting in the community in 2022, which were all repaired by May this year to a tune of $10.5 million.

It is not uncommon in the remote NT for more than 15 people to be forced to live together in a three-bedroom home with one toilet, which evidence shows can be badly detrimental to health. Among those counting themselves lucky to have secured one of the new homes in Wadeye is John Kingston Luckan, Lirrga man and Aboriginal interpreter.

“I don’t know for how many years I was struggling to get a new house,” Mr Luckan said.

“I had to stay with my brother-in-law and my sister and the family, a bit overcrowded.”

Now, Mr Luckan is pleased to see young residents “working together” on the new builds.

“All these young fellas that I see working out here, they good, they’re trying to get some skills, learn something different for themselves that can change their lives,” Mr Luckan said.

Read the full ABC News article here.

Image source: ABC News: Matt Garrick.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge in environmental management

Over three days from 14 November, the third annual conference for the Healthy Environments and Lives (HEAL) Network, “Collective Action for Health, Environment and Climate”, analysed and discussed the leading health, climate and environmental challenges facing Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, and the world. Around the world, Indigenous peoples have been using fire for generations, in cultural and land management practices. Wildfires have a disproportionate and destructive impact on Indigenous communities. This is as true in Australia as it is internationally. A pronounced theme during the #HEAL2023 conference was the need to integrate and capitalise on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge in co-design for research and implementation, in building resilience and in environmental management mechanisms.

The Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research at Charles Darwin has been working with Indigenous land managers, conservation, research and government organisations in northern Australia to find more effective ways to manage wildfires. This collaboration has led to a new approach to reducing bushfire risk, blending modern scientific knowledge with traditional Indigenous land management practices. The Indigenous Knowledge Institute at the University of Melbourne has also outlined how combining traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fire management techniques with new technologies can improve environmental outcomes and reduce bushfire risk.

Read the full Croakey Health Media article here.

Image source: Unsplash.

Calls for Safe Night Space to stay open until permanent location is found

Peak homelessness bodies, family violence specialists and sexual assault services joined forces in a new and urgent call for the City of Perth to delay the closure of its Safe Night Space service – at least until after the Christmas season. Family violence is the leading cause of homelessness among women and most women turning to Safe Night Space for help are not only without a safe place to spend the night but have also experienced violence and abuse – either on the streets, or in the home from which they’ve escaped. The service is due to close this week – on 30 November – and the City of Perth has so far resisted calls to allow Safe Night Space the use of its East Perth location for another two years. The service has secured operating funding from the WA government but, despite a relentless search, has not been able to secure an alternate location.

Kath Snell, Shelter WA chief executive said the latest ‘By-Name’ list data for October this year show there are a record number of women who are experiencing chronic homelessness (either sleeping rough or temporarily sheltered).

“The City of Perth has done an amazing job for over two years by providing the space and support for the Safe Night Space pilot. Every indicator and evaluation shows it was an overwhelming success – we’re saying this is the time to build on that success and keep the doors open until a more permanent location is found,” she said.

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here.

Image source: Mamamia.

New mental health service for Whittlesea

A new service that supports older Victorians to access mental health and wellbeing treatment is available in Whittlesea, with a hub expected to be established in 2024. Mental health organisation Neami National, in partnership with Victorian Aboriginal Health services, Drummond Street Services, and Uniting Vic Tas, has a team of peer support workers and clinicians working together to operate Whittlesea Mental Health and Wellbeing Local. While there are plans to open a physical space next year, the service currently offers outreach support and Telehealth, with staff able to meet people at their homes, in the community or remotely, for between six to 12 months.

Alana Istanto, lived experience service manager said the operating hours – which extend to after 5pm on weekdays, including Saturdays and public holidays – were crucial.

“Someone might just need to have a chat, there might be something going on for them and they speak to one of our peer workers, have a cuppa, and then we may not see them again – and that’s fine,” she said.

“Someone may come in and need some more robust support, so we can then look at maybe allocating more of an ongoing workflow.”

Ms Istanto said she hoped to bridge some of the barriers between travel and accessing mental health support in Whittlesea through the service. The service collaborates with Drummond Street Services and Victorian Aboriginal Health Services, who allocate lived experience workers and family practitioners to support people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, LGBTQIA+SB and/or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

Learn 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.

27 November 2023

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.

13 November 2023

feature tile: portrait image of Sen McCarthy; text 'Senator McCarthy urges mob to get back to “business” after the disappointment of the Voice to Parliament referendum'

The image in the feature tile is of Senator Malarndirri McCarthy from an ABC RN Breakfast broadcast Malarndirri McCarthy on the Voice: ‘I think we could have been better’ published by ABC Listen on 17 October 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.

Those who’ve gone before never gave up

Speaking at the 11th annual Aboriginal Economic Development Forum in Darwin on Friday 10 November 2023, NT Labor Senator McCarthy said the deep hurt and devastation felt by so many who supported the Yes vote was evident, straight after the October 14 referendum. “We are such a resilient people, as First Nations people,” she said. “…resilience really is the key to moving forward. After the referendum, it’s also now about accepting and respecting that decision, which is a really difficult thing for people to do.”

The proud Yanyuwa Garrawa woman from Borroloola, in the NT, said whatever the outcome of the referendum, First Nations people continued to be incarcerated at rates way too high and experience poor rates of domestic violence and unemployment. The Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians and Indigenous Health said the First Nations economic sector had a critical role to play in making changes to the broader Australian community.

In concluding her speech, Senator McCarthy said the most important issue post the referendum was improving the lives of First Nations people in Australia. “I do look at the example of those who’ve gone before us and the struggles and I where I come from,” she said. “When in 1976, we were the first to go for land of this area with we didn’t succeed. But it was difficult to give evidence in a former courthouse where their families had been jailed. I remember watching the Elders sitting there, speaking largely in language, but not really understanding what that Westminster System of law was all about. But we never gave up. And there’s always hope for a better future for all of us, for First Nations people.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article Malarndirri McCarthy tells AEDF now is the time for Indigenous people to show respect and resilience in full click here.

Senator Malarndirr McCarthy who spoke at the Aboriginal Economic Development Forum in Darwin on 10.11.23 with a a group of 4 ATSI women & young child

Speaking at the Aboriginal Economic Development Forum in Darwin on Friday, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy (back, centre) urged First Nations people to get back to “business” following the referendum’s defeat. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

What to say and do after suicide

April Burgoyne is not a counsellor but knows she has a key role to play in helping tackle Ballarat’s suicide rate, one of the highest in Australia. Ms Burgoyne, who is the Cultural Care Connect network coordinator for Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BDAC) was among more than 30 representatives from different health and welfare organisations who recently attended a forum, led by StandBy Support After Suicide and Wellways. Data shows that those bereaved by suicide are at a higher risk of suicide amid ongoing ripple effects. Forum participants shared learnings and advice on what to do and say in the wake of lives lost to suicide.

“It’s good to connect and share cultural understandings to help up-skill other service organisations and to help up-skill our community in return,” Ms Burgoyne said. The BADAC program stems from a NACCHO move in post and prevention crisis support for Indigenous communities. Ms Burgoyne said this was focused on Aboriginal circle elements for social and emotional well-being support, including connections to ancestor spirit, culture, community and Country and kinship.

At the same time, it is also vital to work closely with other community organisations. StandBy Support After Suicide’s western Victoria program Coordinator Kristy Steenhuis, said one of the biggest barriers in her work has been awareness, “A lot of people have never heard of our service, that if someone’s bereaved, we’re someone to call.”  For Ms Burgoyne, there is still much work to do in developing what BADAC can offer. She said a long-term goal was after-hours crisis support. While BADAC has crisis support in business hours, Ms Burgoyne said a lot of clients reported needing to go to the hospital emergency department and have the traumatic experience of having to re-tell their stories without a warm hand-over. She also hoped to develop healing workshops with other health organisations to promote cultural awareness.

The above is an extract from an article What to say and do after suicide: welfare leaders face the question published in The Courier on 12 November 2023. You can access the StandBy – Support After Suicide website here.

StandBy Support After Suicide's western Victoria program coordinator Kristy Steenhuis giving a presentation at BADAC

StandBy Support After Suicide’s western Victoria program coordinator Kristy Steenhuis says there were “rich conversations” in a postvention awareness forum for community health leaders at Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative. Photo: Kate Healy. Image source: The Courier.

Cancer plans focus on those with worst outcomes

Although cancer care has improved dramatically in Australia over the past few decades, two new cancer plans, announced in the past fortnight, one launched by the Australian Government and the other developed by the peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, NACCHO, aim to improve the cancer experiences of population groups who have the worst cancer outcomes. The plans hope to prevent Australians most at risk from “falling through the cracks”.

The Australian Cancer Plan, available here, was developed by the Australian Government’s cancer control agency Cancer Australia. Cancer Australia CEO, Professor Dorothy Keefe, said the plan sets out improvements and actions that can be made to improve Australia’s cancer control system, “This isn’t a plan to replace the state and territory plans. This is a plan to embrace them all, so that we can actually do the things together that are better done together and enable the jurisdictions to continue doing the great work that they do. The plan focuses on improving experiences and outcomes for priority population groups and improving outcomes for people with low survival rates.

Separately, a new cancer plan, available here, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has been developed by NACCHO. The plan, which was codesigned with the Aboriginal health sector, aims to change cancer experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. “Consultations highlighted the need to focus on structural reform including sustainable funding, increasing accessibility of services and ensuring mainstream cancer centres are culturally safe and responsive,” NACCHO said. The plan acknowledges the goals of the broader Australian Cancer Plan in improving Aboriginal health outcomes. “By working together, these two plans will achieve better outcomes for more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their families and Communities at a faster pace,” said Dr Dawn Casey, NACCHO Deputy CEO.

To view the InSight+ article New cancer plans focus on Aboriginal health and priority populations in full click here.

Cover of ATSI Cancer Plan document

Image source: NACCHO website.

Djäkamirr – caretaker of pregnancy and birth

Labor MLA Lisa O’Malley is backing the screening of a documentary which she hopes will lead to more culturally-appropriate birthing experiences for Indigenous women  Filmed over two years on the ancestral home grounds of Yolnu First Nations people in NE Arnhem Land, Djäkamirr: Caretaker of Pregnancy and Birth follows sisters Lawurrpa and Sarah as they journey through ancestral time, country and culture, working with the community to pilot the training of Djäkamirr (maternity caretakers).

The screening is being organised by maternity consumer representative Kylie Ekin, WA Country Health Service regional Aboriginal health consultant Janinne Gliddon, WA Country Health Service midwife Maddison Bell and Birth Tribe Midwifery founder Melissa Lynch. Ms Ekin said the documentary was a rare insight into Indigenous birthing culture and the importance of incorporating ancestral wisdom in contemporary maternity care.

“We must now implement Birthing on Country in WA and ensure continuity of midwifery-led care models are accessible for all Aboriginal women,” Ms Ekin said. Ms O’Malley said the documentary opened up an important conversation. 

To view the Fremantle Herald Interactive article Rebirthing in full click here.

poster for the film Djakamirr - caretaker of pregnancy & birth; image of Yolngu sisters Lawurrpa and Sarah

Yongu sisters Lawurrpa and Sarah on the film poster. Image source: Fremantle Herald Interactive.

Camp Jungai hosts historic ‘Gathering of Mob’

Taungurung Country hosted an historic ‘gathering of Mob’ over the weekend, which saw more than 300 people from across Victoria come together to share stories, yarn and heal. Held at Camp Jungai in central Victoria, a place of cultural significance for Indigenous Victorians that comes from the Wurundjeri language meaning “place of many possums”, 60,000 years of Aboriginal culture was brought together in a gathering of Elders, youth, and leaders from clans across the state.

The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) helped organise the weekend, with VACCHO CEO, Gunditjmara woman Aunty Jill Gallagher, saying the gatherings and events were vitally important for all Indigenous communities. “It’s crucial. Not only because of the disappointment that we’re dealing with because of the referendum, but it’s crucial that we stay strong together,” Aunty Jill said. “The Gunditjmara mobs can come down and hear Taungurung stories, and we can all dance our different culture dances. We’re just all together. That is how we keep our culture both strong, and alive.”

All the attendees helped deliver the message that First Nations communities were as strong as ever and would not falter. Gunditjmara, Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri man Jessie Williams said the importance of a gathering of Mob was the facilitation and continual connection for various communities throughout the state. “Making sure that our relationships are strong within our own community and being able to return to that on Country, while practising culture, it’s invaluable,” he said.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Camp Jungai hosts a historic ‘Gathering of Mob’ in full click here.

Koori Youth Will Shake Spears dance group and their back-up dancers

The Koori Youth Will Shake Spears dance group and their invaluable back-up dancers Photo: Dechlan Brennan. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Teens get a head start in careers in health

More than 30 Riverina high school students are set to embark on their healthcare careers through a school-based traineeship with Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD). As a part of the program, the Year 10 students will go on to complete a qualification in nursing, allied health or health administration. The program can be included as one subject for their High School Certificate and contribute to an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank.

MLHD education and trainee support officer Laura Strano said the program offered students a supported pathway from school to work and further study options, “Our school-based traineeship program aims to help grow the rural health workforce, with a ‘grow your own’ model at the heart of its inception. The program focuses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student engagement and employment in health careers, with a holistic and supportive approach to completing the program and beyond. The program provides students with income while they are studying. Over the two-year traineeship, they complete a minimum of 100 days of paid, on-the-job training in their chosen area, one day a week during school term and the rest during the school holidays.”

Wagga Wagga High School student Darnee Doherty says she knows plenty of nurses around her and has always heard “good things” about the profession. “I was a late submission, but I’m glad I decided to get the application in on time,” Darnee said. “I’ve been given a great opportunity. Not many of my friends are doing anything else like this, but they all support me and have my back. I’m hoping for a healthcare career. I’m excited for it. I want to jump right in and get started and working already.” Darnee is set to start her midwifery training and hopes to stay in the region for her work. “I wouldn’t want to go too far away. If I can stay, that will be good,” Darnee said.

To view the Region Riverina article Local teens get a head start in their careers in health in full click here.

school students learning about CPR at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital

Students learn about CPR at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital. Photo: Shri Gayathirie Rajen. Image source: Region Riverina.

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.

3 November 2023

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.

1 November 2023

Feature tile image of Face of Pat Tuner; text '“There’s been a huge focus on the Voice. But now that’s done and dusted, we have to move on with closing the gap.” Pat Turner AM'

The image in the feature tile is of Pat Turner AM from an article Pharmacy move ‘too risky for Indigenous’ published in The Australian on Friday 3 February 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.

“We have to move on with CTG”

The first story of the ABC News 7.30 Report last night (Tuesday 31 October 2023) looked at the fall out of the Voice referendum. ABC Indigenous Affairs Editor Bridget Brennan said the stunning defeat of the Voice referendum leaves a policy vacuum and has heightened existing trauma in communities across the country, “Many Aboriginal families still live in abject poverty and there is no national representative group that can advise government. Indigenous leaders say that the status quo cannot continue.”

NACCHO CEO and Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks (which is made up of dozens of the major Indigenous organisations across Australia), Pat Turner AM is concerned the referendum has taken focus off policies needed to close the gap, “There’s been a huge focus on the Voice. But now that’s done and dusted, you know we have to move on with closing the gap. I’ve met with every cabinet in Australia, accept the Albanese cabinet which I’m hoping to do before we meet again in national cabinet.”

“I think that the government needs to show its confidence in Aboriginal Australia and the efforts that we’ve made, especially in closing the gap now. I’m sick to death of process, I’m sick to death of red tape, I want the rubber to hit the road and the money to get in at community level.”

You can listen to the ABC News 7:30 Report here, with Pat Turner speaking from 9:22 minutes.

ABC &:30 Report tile text 'Referendum Rejected' Tuesday 31.10.23

Image source: ABC News, 7.30 Report.

Voice rejection feels deeply personal

On Wurundjeri country, in a meeting room in Collingwood, black, red and yellow helium balloons still hang from the roof — remnants of a referendum party that ended in heartbreak. For Jill Gallagher, a Gunditjmara leader and longtime advocate for Aboriginal rights, the rejection of a Voice for her people still feels deeply personal and “disheartening”.

On October 14, dozens gathered at VACCHO, as the referendum results rolled in on the television. The atmosphere quickly became “dismal”, says Gallagher. “There were a lot of tears. It was devastating for me personally as an Aboriginal woman who’s 67 years old. I’m thinking, where to now?” “Where to now” is a universal question being asked in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the country in the wake of the failed Voice referendum.

For Gallagher, who has seen her fair share of heartbreaks and setbacks in Aboriginal politics, the repudiation of constitutional change is a moment for soul-searching. As a vocal Yes campaigner in Victoria, she says she was exposed to a “nasty” campaign — hate mail, racism and misinformation swirling on social media. But she is also outspoken on the failures in the Yes camp to launch a successful campaign to educate Australians on what a Voice could have achieved. “We left our run late … we needed to start doing work [earlier in the year]. How many of our citizens out there fully understood what this Voice was? Not a lot.”

To view the ABC News article Inside the delays and disagreements that doomed the Yes campaign ahead of the Voice referendum in full click here.

VACCHO CEO Jill Gallagher with t-shirt 'You're the Voice' & colleagues at a Vote Yes gathering

VACCHO CEO Jill Gallagher, centre, and colleagues supporting the Voice. Photo: VACCHO. Image source: Croakey Health Media.

APA committed to better health outcomes

The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) had acknowledged the recent Voice to Parliament referendum outcome and reaffirmed its commitment to reconciliation and improved health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. While the referendum did not yield the desired result, the APA remains hopeful that all Australians share the aspiration to bridge divisions and create a brighter future.

This referendum was not our sole opportunity for healing and the APA is committed to truth telling, cultural bravery and improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. First Nations peoples face significantly higher health disparities, including psychological distress and suicide rates. Racism and exclusion are clear contributors to these disparities.

The APA advocates for evidence-based, community-led approaches to health for First Nations peoples. Despite our differences, fairness and respect must unite us. We must address the unacceptable gap in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The stark disparity in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is indefensible. We believe that Australians, regardless of their backgrounds, would unite in agreement that this gap must be closed.

To read the Australian Physiotherapy Association media release APA’s response to Voice referendum outcome in full click here.

art developed for APA's RAP by proud Gameroi man; text ' APA Position Statement: Voice to Parliament'

Image source: Physio Australia Instagram post 30 March 2023.

Professor Sandra Eades’ blueprint to CTG

Renowned Australian researcher Professor Sandra Eades has celebrated the contribution 50 years of Aboriginal Community Controlled Primary Care Services has made to Indigenous health, but warned there is still more to be done – and at an earlier stage – to further improve outcomes. Speaking to more than 1,000 clinicians during her keynote address at the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) World Conference last week, she referenced her own 40-plus-year experience at the Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service in Perth, where she began as a work experience student before working her way up to the board.

A Noongar woman from SW Australia, Professor Eades noted that Aboriginal Community Controlled Primary Care Services now provide more than three million episodes of care annually to more than 400,000 people, and used it as an example of what First Nations-led care can achieve. “In the spirit of self-determination and having control over their own futures, the first of these clinics were established,” she said.

Ongoing research collaborations through her role as a head epidemiologist at Melbourne University’s School of Population and Global Health have also exposed lingering areas for improvement. Some of this research has focused on Aboriginal Community Controlled Primary Care Services, which Professor Eades noted offer numerous benefits, including improved patient engagement with specialist clinics and increased cervical screening uptake. They are also effective at diagnosing and treating infectious diseases such as syphilis and hepatitis C with high rates of cure.

To view the RACGP newsGP article Professor Sandra Eades’ blueprint to Close the Gap in full click here.

Noongar woman Professor Sandra Eades

Noongar woman Professor Sandra Eades. Photo: Don Lindsay. Image source: The West Australian.

Australia is NOT an egalitarian society

Many Australians have access to quality housing, health care, education and employment options. Many of us can afford to spend discretionary income on entertainment, travel, exercise, food and even art. We take an active role in our democracy. But that is not the complete story of Australia. Nowhere in our constitution does it say all Australians are equal. The word egalitarianism is not mentioned. There is no Australian Bill of Rights empowering us all to equally claim our freedoms. Those of us who have worked in the corrections system know freedom and justice in Australia often has a price tag.

When we talk about Australia being the place of the fair go, an egalitarian place where we all have a chance to succeed, we downplay both the advantages of wealth and the disadvantages of poverty. Australia is a wealthy nation, but our wealth is not distributed equally. The Australian tax system favours those who invest over those who work for a living. In practice this means our capacity to make money depends partly on whether we already have access to money. Not only are poorer Australians more likely to stay poor, they will also live shorter lives.

There is a “dramatic difference in preventable deaths between the top and bottom 20% of income earners, with poorer Australians living up to 6.4 fewer years than the wealthiest Australians. And the gap appears to be widening. Poorer Australians are more likely to be affected negatively by economic shocks and climate change. Having suitable housing, being able to afford an electric vehicle or rooftop solar, and paying for expensive insurance cover are all measures wealthier people can put in place to reduce the costs or direct effects of climate change. Most of these options are beyond the reach of those in the bottom 20% of income earners. Cost-of-living increases disproportionately affect the bottom 20% of income earners. They spend much more of their income on necessary food, energy, transport and housing.

To view the Institute of Community Directors Australia article It’s time to call it out – Australia is not an egalitarian society in full click here.

Veronica Lulu in wheelchair outside inaccessible house, Mulan - edge Great Sandy Desert

57-year old Veronica Lulu, remote Aboriginal community of Mulan, WA. Photo: Aaron Fernandes. Image source NITV.

Blue trees to counter more than blues

Air Force personnel in Derby, WA worked with local communities to highlight mental health through art recently. As Air Force Safety Month draws to a close, personnel recognised that mental health is integral to ensuring the overall safety and effectiveness of the service and the communities it serves. Personnel from across Australia yarned with traditional owners and school students about mental health and painted a tree blue as part of the Blue Tree Project.

The Blue Tree Project seeks to change the way people speak about mental health, by sparking difficult conversations and encouraging people to speak up when battling mental health concerns. By spreading the paint and yarning, aviators and Aboriginal health workers committed to help break down stigma attached to mental health. Group Captain Glen Storrar, Officer Commanding the Health Services Wing, said “Maintaining good mental health supports our overall physical health, our ability to deal with the daily challenges of service life and our readiness to operate in potentially uncertain environments. We all have a role to play in looking after our fellow aviators and to encourage them to seek help if and when they need it.”

At a special event focused on mental health, Air Force personnel learned that remote communities and Indigenous Australians grapple with distinctive mental health challenges. The Department of Health considers mental health is responsible for 10 per cent of the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Australians can experience a higher incidence of mental health conditions, substance abuse and suicide. While reported prevalence of mental illness in rural and remote Australia is similar to that of major cities, access to mental health services is substantially more limited than in major cities and rates of self-harm increase with remoteness.

More information is available on the Blue Tree Project here. To view the Australian Government Defence article Blue trees to counter more than blues in full click here.

An Air Force aviator and Derby community members paint a tree in support of the Blue Tree Project

An Air Force aviator and Derby community members paint a tree in support of the Blue Tree Project. Image source: Australian Government Defence 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.

30 October 2023

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

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

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

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

It’s a wrap – 2023 NACCHO Members’ Conference

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

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

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

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

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

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

NACCHO 2023 Members' Conference Smoking Ceremony

2023 NACCHO Members’ Conference Day 1.

Helping mob live healthy and prevent cancer

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

The toolkit features:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Our work continues as it has always done”

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

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

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

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

stacks of Indigenous VTP ballot papers

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

Dedication, empathy and leadership

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

Duel winners of the Standing Strong Together Award were:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vaping resources for young mob

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

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

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

Concerns on handling of public drunkenness

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

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

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

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

location of Melbourne's sobering-up centre in Collingwood

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

Sector Jobs

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

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