Category referendum

Sep 21 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Constitutional Reform important for the improvement of health outcomes for Indigenous Australians

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.

Constitutional Reform important for the improvement of health outcomes for Indigenous Australians

Australian Constitutional Reform important for the improvement of health outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

Pat Turner CEO of NACCHO states, “A Voice and recognition of Indigenous Australians is critical if there is going to be long term sustainable improvements to health outcomes for our peoples. Currently programs and policies are at the whim of whoever the Minister is and the senior executives of Government Departments.”

“During COVID we were fortunate that our voices were listened to by the then Minister and Dr Brendan Murphy, Secretary of the Department of Health. There were no deaths of our peoples from COVID in the first 18 months and vaccinations and antivirals were allocated taking into account the level of burden of disease is 2.3 times that of other Australians.

“More recently, Minister Butler has supported our submission to address cancer in our communities.  While the mortality rates have been declining for non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for at least two decades, there has been an uptrend in cancer mortality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

The situation is far worse in regional, remote and very remote areas. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are less likely to be diagnosed with localised disease and are less likely to receive treatment than other Australians. The discrepancy in five-year survival rate between major cities and remote areas is particularly stark for certain cancers, including lung cancer (12 per cent compared with 6 per cent) and head and neck cancer (47 per cent compared with 31 per cent).

Pat Turner goes on to say, “The state of Indigenous health in this country is appalling and is the main reason governments have not listened to our advice and have not taken action on the statistics before them and certainly have not provided the funds required. Our study shows there is a conservative $4.4 billion gap in health funding between what is spent on non-Indigenous Australians. That’s $5,000 for each Aboriginal person per year.”

“Having worked in Government as a senior executive for decades I strongly believe having a Voice written into the Australian Constitution together with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap is the best way to improve living conditions and health outcomes for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”

Donnella Mills, Chair of NACCHO, “The NACCHO board agrees with the Voice and Recognition being written into the Australian Constitution and I am proud to have been part of developing the Uluru Statement.  There is no doubt Australia is a divided country.  In Cairns where I live and other places nationally there are hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease, and we are 55 times more likely to die of the disease as youth than other Australians. We have had two deaths from tuberculosis in the last year, babies dying from congenital syphilis and trachoma.  These are diseases of poverty and diseases seen in Third World countries and haven’t existed in non-Indigenous Australian population in decades. They are diseases that result from overcrowded and poor housing, lack of clean water and limited health care funding.”

“Most of our people were rounded up and placed in artificial environments and mixing the different language groups with their movements restricted with Acts of Parliament. Look at Palm Island as an example or Mapoon. It is now time to make us equal through Recognition and a Voice to Parliament and the Executive in the Australian Constitution.

Find the media release here. 

Supporting our community: online Social and Emotional Wellbeing Resources during the Voice referendum 

The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet have launched a portal that brings together a collection of resources aimed at supporting and reducing social and emotional harms to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the period prior and post the Voice referendum https://healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/learn/special-topics/voice-referendum-social-emotional-wellbeing-resources/

The wellbeing resources have been made freely available on the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet website for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, organisations and Community, including new Pause, Breathe, Connect wellbeing resources developed by The Healing Foundation. Building Connection, Strength, Resilience is at the heart of these resources, which comprise, factsheets, support websites, apps, posters, videos and other critical tools.

The launch comes as the negative impacts of the debate increasingly affect the social, emotional and mental health wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

NACCHO Chief Executive Officer Pat Turner said, “We are witnessing first-hand the adverse consequences of this debate within our communities, manifesting as heightened psychological distress, an increased demand for assistance, and a rise in the utilisation of social and emotional wellbeing and mental health services. The resources we’ve developed are not the answer but are critical tools to help keep our Community safe and well”.

The Healing Foundation Acting Chief Executive Officer Shannan Dobson said, “These resources have tools and tips on managing stress for self, family and community and managing increased misinformation. As well as managing challenging conversations and ways to stay safe. While these resources are for the current heightened racism, they are useful tools for our mob for general wellbeing.”

HealthInfoNet Director Professor Neil Drew said, “We are proud to partner with NACCHO to provide support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people during this nation defining referendum.  National debates of this kind can involve difficult and challenging conversations and it is important that we care for ourselves and others during and after the referendum campaign”.

For support, please contact an Aboriginal community-controlled health organisation (ACCHO) near you. To find an ACCHO in your area click here. If you are feeling stressed, not sleeping well or have increased anxiety and depression you can seek help from:

Read the media release here. 

First Nations residential rehabilitation facility on Ngunnawal Country

Canberra’s first dedicated residential rehabilitation facility for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is a step closer to reality with the development application for a revamped $49 million health precinct now open for community feedback. Winnunga Nimmityjah will run the new 24-bed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residential rehab facility.

CEO Julie Tongs described the service as a “real game changer” for the region.

“We need to keep people out of prisons. We need to stop sending our mob interstate for residential rehab because they do really, really well when they go away, but then it’s not very long once they come back that they fall into the same old patterns,” she said.

“With our own residential rehab here, we can then integrate people back into their families and back into the community so that they have the strategies and can fall back on us if they need support.”

Read the full article here.

Concept render of the new Watson health precinct. Image source: ACT Government.

60-day prescriptions webinar

As of 1 September 2023, nearly 100 common medicines listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) will have the option of a 60-day prescription. This means many patients living with an ongoing health condition can now receive twice the medication for the cost of a single prescription. On Tuesday 26 September, pharmacists are invited to a webinar to discuss the 60-day prescriptions of selected PBS medicines.

The webinar will take place between 2.30pm and 3.30pm AEST. Find more details here.

Preventative dental training grants

The Victorian Government has announced a second round of training grants for Aboriginal health practitioners to take part in preventative dental training. The grants are now open for practitioners wanting to become accredited in the application of fluoride varnish, a preventative dental treatment that helps reduce the risk of tooth decay.

Participating ACCHOs can apply for grants of up to $45,000 – with a total of $650,000 allocated. Acting Minister for Health, as well as Minister for Mental Health and Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, Gabrielle Williams, announced the new grants on Friday.

“We know that poor oral health can contribute to longer term health issues making the upskilling of our Aboriginal health practitioners to deliver preventative dental care so important,” she said.

The latest funding follows an initial round of the initiative earlier in the year, which saw eight Aboriginal health practitioners become accredited. These included the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Cooperative, Mallee District Aboriginal Services; with locations in Mildura, Swan Hill and Kerang, and Njernda Aboriginal Corporation in Echuca.

Expressions of Interest for the second round of the program are now open until Wednesday 27 September.

Read the full National Indigenous Times articles here.

Image source: Unsplash.

Picture books celebrate maternal and child health milestones.

Mallee District Aboriginal Services has partnered with Mildura Rural City Council to source culturally relevant and age-appropriate books for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. The Maternal and Child Health service nurses will distribute the books when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families bring their babies and children to a key age and stage milestone visits. Free MCH visits are recommended at ten important milestones from birth until a child starts school.

Mallee District Aboriginal Services CEO, Darlene Thomas said the organisation was proud to donate children’s books that celebrate Aboriginal culture.

“We know that reading aloud to children and sharing stories is critical in developing literacy skills and strengthening family relationships. Engaging our children with culturally relevant stories is a powerful way that we can promote reading, connection, and curiosity from an early age,” Ms Thomas said.

Read more here.

Image source: The 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.

Sep 7 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Creating supportive communities for alcohol-free pregnancies

The image in the feature tile is from the FASD Awareness Month and Red Shoes Rock Campaign launch at Parliament House.

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.

Creating supportive communities for alcohol-free pregnancies

On Tuesday 7 September NACCHO, Fare Australia, NOFASD, FASD Hub, and lived experience advocates were joined by Health Minister Mark Butler, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney, and other parliamentarians and their staff for the launch of FASD Awareness Month at Parliament House. The event provided an opportunity for attendees to learn more about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and the importance of creating supportive communities for alcohol-free pregnancies. Attendees wore red in support of the Red Shoes Rock Campaign which encourages Australians to wear red shoes or socks throughout September, to spark conversations and create an understanding about this largely invisible and preventable disability.

NACCHO Executive Director, Monica Barolits-McCabe spoke at the event, highlighting the significant impact of the Strong Born Campaign, which includes strength-based communications resources, culturally appropriate health information for women and families, and educational materials for the ACCHO workforce.

“The campaign also supports opportunities to bring communities together to create safe places to yarn about the impacts of alcohol and pregnancy… led by the ACCHO sector.”

“As challenging as some of these conversations are, unless we’re having them in an intelligent and culturally safe way, we are never going to make a dent in this issue,” Ms Barolits-McCabe said.

Also speaking at the launch, Minister Butler said, “We know this is important work and we know, given this is a wholly preventable disability, that this is something we can tick off.”

As part of Red Shoes Rock, more than 50 landmarks across Australia will be lit up red and community events will be held throughout the month.

NACCHO Executive Director, Monica Barolits-McCabe at the FASD Awareness Month launch.

Protecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ knowledges

Pakana woman and Vice-President, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander of the Public Health Association of Australia, Dr Alana Gall says amid a global focus on the importance of traditional medicines, stronger protections are needed for Indigenous knowledges in Australia. While the use of natural products as a basis for pharmaceuticals is somewhat well known, a lesser-known fact is around the exploitation of First Nations traditional medicine knowledge in Australia. For example, the commercial production of a drug made from Duboisia myoporides (commonly known as corkwood), a hybrid of Australian native shrubs used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as a sedative and painkiller, is now the backbone of a lucrative multi-million-dollar industry in Australia.

Are First Nations knowledges acknowledged as the basis for this? Do First Nations peoples gain any benefit from sharing their knowledge?

Speaking at a virtual dialogue with Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and a group of WHO senior officials about Indigenous traditional medicines from a global perspective, Dr Gall highlighted:

  • The urgent need for the protection of Indigenous knowledges through appropriate legislation.
  • The importance of including respectful approaches to the integration of Indigenous traditional medicines into each country’s health policies.
  • The need for the WHO to hold a regular forum that brings Indigenous voices together globally on these issues.

Read the full Croakey Health Media article here.

Dr Alana Gall, pictured at first World Health Organization Traditional Medicine Global Summit held in India. Dr Michael Kyeremateng (L) and Professor Professor Jon Wardle (R). Image source: Croakey Health Media.

I Pledge to Champion a Respectful Referendum

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health advocates have launched the Respectful Referendum Pledge, a set of principles to encourage respectful conversations in the lead-up to the referendum. Developed by the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association (AIPA), Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA), Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia, and the Black Dog Institute the principles aim to reduce social and emotional harm to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the period prior and post-referendum.

Advocates have warned the government the referendum would have negative impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ mental health. Early evidence has shown the racial tone of the debate has had a negative impact on the mental health of First Nations people. Gamilaroi/Gomeroi man and Director of First Nations Partnership and Strategy at the Black Dog Institute, Dr Clinton Schultz said the impacts are already showing.

“We know the tonality of the debate has a significant effect on mental health impacts. The more divisive the debate, the greater the impact; the more respectful and inclusive, the lesser the impact,” he said.

The Respectful Referendum Pledge asks politicians to:

  • Listen to First Nations people
  • Elevate First Nations voices
  • Provide a safe space for First Nations advocates
  • Build common ground through shared goals
  • Set the standard for respectful debate
  • Use culturally appropriate language
  • Build trust through action

Read the full NITV article here. You can also view Referendum Resilience resources here.

Respectful Referendum Pledge.

Blood cancer booklets

For Blood Cancer Awareness Month (September) a descendant of the Muruwari people, Matthew Doyle will unite with the Leukemia Foundation as a voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Matthew lost both of his twin sons, Shawn and Jeremy to blood cancer at the ages of one and two years old. On losing his boys, Matthew says, “There’s not a day that goes past that I don’t think about my children. I think it’s important that people tell their stories.”

Matthew hopes that by joining forces with the Leukemia Foundation as the national ambassador for First Nations people, that he can raise much-needed awareness of blood cancer and the support available to this impacted by the disease. Matthew has designed information booklets written specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander blood cancer patients and harness a rich storytelling culture to help them better understand their diagnosis and what to expect from blood cancer treatment.

“I want to encourage fellow Indigenous Australians experiencing the devastation of blood cancer, to reach out to the Leukemia Foundation to access their support and services,” Mr Doyle said.

“I want people to know that they are not alone. The Leukemia Foundation has a range of resources to help them and their loved ones through this dark time.”

Read more here and find the First Nations blood cancer booklets here.

Page from the Leukemia Foundation First Nations blood cancer booklet.

Let’s Yarn about Sleep

The Let’s Yarn About Sleep (LYAS) program, led by the University of Queensland, combined Western science with Indigenous cultural teachings to improve sleep health in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The aim of the program is to give kids the tools and knowledge about the spiritual, mental, and physical importance of sleep and encourage them to put it into practice. First to graduate from the LYAS, John aged 14 said it had a life-changing impact.

“I chuck my phone on the desk on the other side of the room.

“I’ve started passing my grades at school and getting Bs and As and it’s pretty good,” he said.

Waanyi Garawa Gangalidda woman Karen Chong, who is Australia’s first qualified Indigenous sleep coach, has been educating program participants in Mount Isa. She said empowering young people with tools such as an actigraphy device worn on the wrist to track sleeping and waking routines and easy tips and tricks on how to get a good night’s sleep had resulted in high engagement in the program.

“Sleep is important for Aboriginal people because it is a time when we connect with our Dreaming, with our ancestors, and when we draw inspiration and creativity for the expression of our culture,” Ms Chong said.

Read the full ABC article here.

Sleep coach Waanyi Garawa Gangalidda woman Karen Chong. Image Source: ABC News.

COVID-19 vax competition offering HUGE prizes

6 ACCHOs and 15 creative people can win return flights, accommodation, and tickets for up to 3 ACCHO staff members to attend the NACCHO’s Members’ Conference in Perth this October.

Enter the COVID-19 Vaccination promotion competition by submitting a deadly video advertisement/promotion that represents the theme: Getting a COVID-19 vaccination is looking after yourself, for your chance to win! Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

  • Relevance to the theme: Getting a COIVD-19vaccination is looking after yourself
  • Composition
  • Creativity
  • Originality
  • Appropriateness for the target age group: Category 1 – kids 5–12 years (in the ACCHO community), Category 2 – teens and adults 13–49 years (in the ACCHO community), Category 3 – older adults 50+ (in the ACCHO community).

There are 3 amazing prizes up for grabs:

Category 1

  • First Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prizeincludes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

Category 2

  • First Prizeincludes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prizeincludes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

Category 3

  • First Prizeincludes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 3 staff members
  • Second Prize includes return flights, accommodation, and tickets to NACCHO’s 2023 Conference in Perth for 2 staff members

This is an opportunity for you to really show who and what your community is like, and the best ways to communicate with them.

We encourage teams to be creative with the theme. Is the best way to get your mob interested, through humour? Being strong and serious? Telling a story? Addressing negative stereotypes?

Be open to the possibilities of what ‘self-care’ looks like. Self-care could be 30-year-olds discussing the importance of getting the vaccination; or 70-year-olds spinning around the basketball courts because they’re fit and healthy and vaccinated; or tie your promotion to building community strength and vitality.

The more original and community-oriented, the better.

You can access a competition Entry Form here.

The Terms and Conditions for the competition are available 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.

Key Date – Women’s Health Week

The theme for this year’s Women’s Health Week (4-8 September) is ‘Grow your knowledge.’ It is all about supporting women to make informed decisions about their health with information that is easy to understand.

Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service Aboriginal Corporation held a Women’s Health Expo to celebrate, with stalls to encourage discussions and education around Women’s health.

On Facebook, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service Brisbane said, “This week, encourage your sisters, mothers, aunties, daughters, and friends to priorities their health and well-being by booking in for a health check.

“Through regular health checks you can identify and prevent chronic health issues early.”

Learn more about Women’s Health Week here.

Aug 24 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Funding to address FASD in Central Australia

The image in the feature tile is from NACCHO’s Strong Born Campaign.

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

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

Funding to address FASD in Central Australia

The federal government has announced that $18.4 million of the $250 million plan for A Better, Safer Future for Central Australia will go towards helping children with neurodevelopment issues. Central Australian Aboriginal Congress chief executive, Donna Ah-Chee said the funding would help identify children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), ADHA and autism.

“Congress has known for a long time that if we get the start of life right, we can change a child’s entire life story.

“We started this critical work in 2018 and now, with these much-needed additional resources, we can make sure that many more Aboriginal children and young people across central Australia can get the assessment and help they need to get on to a more healthy development pathway,” Ms Ah-Chee said.

The funding will see additional staff recruited for the Child and Youth Assessment and Treatment Services (CYATS) program, including two clinical neuropsychologists, an occupational therapist, speech pathologists, a clinical case co-ordinator and an Aboriginal family support worker.

NT Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said expanding the assessment services will mean hundreds of children will be able to receive a FASD diagnosis and early intervention, “FASD is often referred to as an invisible disability but as far as many families and communities are concerned, it’s a very visible part of life with a profound impact on children and their families.”

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here and see NACCHO’s Strong Born FASD Campaign here.

NACCHO Strong Born Campaign social media tile.

Goondir Health Services and UQ improving oral health

The University of Queensland’s Dental Clinic in Dalby has been operating for a decade. The student-led clinic is a partnership with Goondir Health Services and sees more than 800 rural patients attend each year. Wulli Wulli man, Gavin Saltner said having access to the clinic was important, with cost and travel time a barrier for some Western Downs residents accessing dental treatment.

“It’s made a lot of a difference to me.

“Knowing that I could come along to these clinics and get a check-up… they can fit you in wherever they can,” he said.

The clinic’s treatment room sits within Goondir Health Service’s building, allowing for easy referrals to other services. The ACCHOs executive, Shubham Weling said it provides cross influence between other areas of healthcare and the model of care is and should continue to be replicated across the country.

“We’re opening a clinic in Chinchilla as well and we want to advocate for this model out there,” Mr Weling said.

Read the full ABC News article here.

UQ Dental Clinic. Image source: ABC News.

New GP clinic to South Hedland

South Hedland in Western Australia will once again have a GP clinic with Indigenous-owned provider Marlu Health opening a practice to fill the void left by the closure of Sonic Healthcare. 

The practice will offer a variety of medical services including:

  • GP Services;
  • Occupational health, Pre-Employment Medicals, Fitness for Work and Injury Management Services;
  • Psychology and Mental Health Services through Hedland’s only psychologist Caroline Rodgers;
  • Employee Assistance Programs; and
  • Pathology collection services supported by Australian Clinical Labs, with saliva testing to replace urine testing for drug and alcohol screening.

Director of Medical and Health Services, Dr Lincoln Luk, said Marlu Health had a commitment to traditional owner values and giving back to the community.

“We are looking forward to providing a range of services to the Hedland community, and it was important for us to establish our clinic in South Hedland. We have not previously been a GP provider and were not looking to do so, but we saw the need in Hedland and felt that it was our civic responsibility to help,” Dr Luk said.

You can read the article on the Town of Port Headland website here. 

Sonic Health Plus.

“We cannot continue to have spaces that are void of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s leadership, voices, ideas, and solutions”

Co-chairs of the National Close the Gap Campaign, Karl Briscoe and June Oscar said if we as a nation are committed to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equity and equality, and to closing the gap, then we must also be committed to “listening to and hearing the leadership and advice that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples share with us.”

If successful, the Voice, through constitutional recognition, will allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elected representatives to make representations to the Executive and to Parliament. Mr Briscoe and Ms Oscar wrote, “key to this structural reform is that it provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with a constitutionally enshrined voice, a permanent seat at the table, and a genuine opportunity to provide advice on matters that directly affect our lives.”

“We cannot keep doing more of the same. Large-scale structural reform is necessary if we ever hope to close the gap.

“We cannot continue to have spaces that are void of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s leadership, voices, ideas, and solutions. To do so will only entrench inequality further,” they said.

Read the full article here.

Image source: Close the Gap Campaign Instagram.

Lessons in heat resilience

When you arrive in Tennant Creek, 1000km south of Darwin, what hits you first is the absence of smells. Usually, the air is permeated with the cooking of kangaroo but now it is barely there.

In the last heatwave, dead kangaroos were found at the bottom of watering holes previously thought to have never dried up. Some locals believed kangaroos could never fall victim to thirst, that they would always find a place to drink. It wasn’t true.

Warumungu Elder Norman Frank Jupurrurla doesn’t need to consult records. He says his experience with the area over his lifetime tells him one thing for certain: it’s getting hotter. The decline of kangaroo populations, and the resulting impact on human food sources, is just one sign.

Dr Simon Quilty, of the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University, is direct when describing the impact climate change is having on the area: “It is an ecological disaster.”

He is the lead author of a new article in The Lancet, analysing heat-mortality rates in the NT. The study, which involved Associate Professor Aparna Lal, of the ANU, and Jupurrurla, also found that despite high rates of chronic illness, socioeconomic and housing inequity, and far less access to air-conditioned spaces, Aboriginal people living in the NT were no more likely to die from the heat than the local non-Indigenous population.

Quilty says this discrepancy appears to be cultural. He says it is “a story of how Aboriginal culture and knowledge of environment has enabled extraordinary resilience to extreme weather”.

You can read the article online in The Saturday Paper here. 

Expression of interest AMC Member Council

The Australian Medical Council (AMC) is seeking expressions of interest for the position of a Member of Council who is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person with experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health issues.

Members need to commit to at least three full days per year to prepare for and attend the General Meeting (May/June) and Annual General Meeting (November). Members have the opportunity to collaborate with Council Members drawn from the medical profession, medical and health standards bodies, medical education and training, health consumers and community members.

To nominate for the position, complete and return the Expression of Interest Form along with your CV by Monday 2 October 2023.

Image source: AMC 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.

Aug 22 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: The Voice Edition

The image in the feature tile is the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

The Voice Edition is to acknowledge the significance of the upcoming referendum and what might be achieved through a collective Voice enshrined in the constitution. It is also to acknowledge the tension and challenges being experienced by our community.

Today’s edition is a curated list of top resources that may be useful in your individual and collective referendum journey.

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.

What would a Voice do? And what happens if the referendum passes?

The Voice will give independent advice to the Parliament and Government.

  • A Voice to Parliament will be a permanent body to make representations to the Australian Parliament and the Executive Government on legislation and policy of significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
  • It will further the self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by giving them a greater say on matters that affect them.

The Voice will be chosen by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people based on the wishes of local communities.

  • Members would serve on the Voice for a fixed period of time, to ensure regular accountability to their communities.
  • Members of the Voice would be Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Members would be chosen from each of the states, territories, and the Torres Strait Islands.
  • Members of the Voice would be expected to connect with – and reflect the wishes of their communities.

The Voice will be accountable and transparent.

  • The Voice would be subject to standard governance and reporting requirements to ensure transparency and accountability.
  • Voice members would fall within the scope of the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
  • Voice members would be able to be sanctioned or removed for serious misconduct.

The Voice will work alongside existing organisations and traditional structures.

  • The Voice would respect the work of existing organisations.
  • The Voice would be able to make representations about improving programs and services, but it would not manage money or deliver services.
  • The Voice will not have a veto power.

What happens if the referendum passes?

  • After the referendum, there will be a process with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, the Parliament and the broader public to settle the Voice design.
  • Legislation to establish the Voice will then go through standard parliamentary process to ensure adequate scrutiny by elected representatives in both houses of Parliament.

Read more here.

Australian Government Voice to Parliament factsheet.

Frequently asked questions answered by the Uluru Statement from the Heart

What is the Uluru Statement from the Heart and how is it linked to the Voice?

The Uluru Statement from the Heart is the culmination of 13 Regional Dialogues with First Nations people which arrived at a consensus about what constitutional recognition should look like. The Statement is an invitation from First Nations people to all Australians. One of its key features is to ask Australians to support meaningful constitutional recognition through providing a First Nations Voice.

Why do we need to change the Constitution? Why can’t it be an ordinary act of Parliament?

Since 1967 federal governments have required a mechanism like a voice to support its work in the Indigenous policy space. The government needs to know who to talk to on issues that affect First National people. Each of the five previous mechanisms which have been set up by parliamentary processes for this purpose have been abolished by successive governments cancelling programs, policies, and investment with the stroke of a pen. This chopping and changing according to election cycles has contributed to the ongoing disadvantage experienced by many First Nations people. If the Voice was enshrined in the Constitution, it could not be abolished without significant public scrutiny, giving the government of the day a strong incentive to work with First Nations people and ensure their advice and input is heard.

Why is the Voice needed when there are already First Nations members of Parliament?

First Nations members of parliament are elected to represent their electorates – this is the fundamental basis of our representative democracy. They speak for their constituents and represent the political party under which they are elected. Those who participated in the Regional Dialogues do not want to join political parties, they do not want to be politicians. They devote their lives to improving outcomes in their communities and they want a say in matters that impact them.

Read more here and the full Uluru Statement from the Heart here.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart

How to report false and misleading information about the Voice

RMIT University has established a FactLab which aims to ensure the historic Voice referendum is not derailed by false and misleading information.

RMIT has signed an MOU with SBS who, along with the public, commercial and community media across Australia, join the online CrossCheck hub. CrossCheck pre-emptively identifies false claims, provides prebunks, give daily alerts and reports to its media hub so journalists can better inform their audiences.

A key initiative is the creation of a tipline for the public to report information they have doubts about. Members of the public can email factlab.tipline@rmit.edu.au to report possible false and misleading information they see in social media feeds, are sent in chat apps, or receive in letter boxes.

Find out more here. You can also read 7 common confusions about Voice to Parliament and racial equality in Australia, explained here.

Image source: RMIT University.

Are your electoral roll details up to date?

Are you enrolled to vote?

To vote in referendums, like the Voice to Parliament, or any federal election, you need to be enrolled in the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).

If you’re not enrolled, go here to find out what you need to do: https://www.aec.gov.au/enrol/.

You will need identification documents which can include a driver’s license, Australian passport number, Medicare care number, Australia citizenship number, or have someone who is enrolled confirm your identity.

If you are already on the electoral roll for federal elections, you DO NOT need to enrol again to vote in a referendum. You DO need to have your details, i.e., your current address, accurate and up to date ahead of the referendum.

You can check your details, including where you’re enrolled to vote on the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website. It’s important to have the details of your current address accurate and up to date ahead of the referendum.

You can also fill in physical forms which are available online or from an AEC office and return them to the AEC office.

Image Source: ABC Perth.

6 ways to look after yourself and mob during the Voice referendum debate

13-Yarn and Anti-Discrimination NSW collaborated to produce a ‘referendum resilience resource’ called 6 ways to look after yourself and mob during the Voice referendum debate:

  1. Create safe boundaries

You don’t need to be an expert on the Voice. Encourage people to visit voice.gov.au to get the facts.

  1. Use your voice

You can report race discrimination or racial vilification to the Australian Human Rights Commission.

  1. Look out for others

Have a yarn with someone who might be struggling.

  1. Get outdoors

Get some fresh air. Go for a walk. Go on Country.

  1. Mute the noise

You don’t have to watch every ad or read every news story. Remember you can mute, unfollow, or hide social media posts.

  1. Reach out

If you are feeling worried or no good, connect with family and community. Or phone 13 YARN on tel:139276 (24 hours/7 days) and talk with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter.

You can also see your local ACCHO, AMS, GP, or social and emotional wellbeing service for mental health support. See below for more services and support.

Read the referendum resilience resource here.

6 ways to look after yourself and mob during the Voice referendum debate poster

Self-determination in action.

What is self-determination?

Self-determination is an ongoing process of ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are able to make decisions about matters that affect their lives. Essential to the exercise of self-determination is choice, participation, and control.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) confirms that Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination under international law. This means Australia is obliged to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a say about their social, political, cultural, and economic needs.

Mainstream health services have consistently failed to effectively engage Aboriginal people and communities. ACCHOs have been established and proven to deliver holistic, comprehensive, and culturally safe primary healthcare services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. ACCHOs provide flexible and responsive services to address the socio-economic determinants of health that are specific to their region. They support the social, emotional, physical, and cultural wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, families, and communities, far beyond the mainstream definitions of ‘health.’

ACCHOs demonstrate that community-control over services, activities and programs is essential to self-determination.

Read more here. For the Australian Human Rights Commission full Voice Referendum Resource Kit go here.

NACCHO members map.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Aug 16 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: VACCHO CEO recognised with university’s highest honour

The image in the feature tile is of VACCHO CEO, Jill Gallagher AO.

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.

VACCHO CEO recognised with university’s highest honour

Gunditjmara woman and VACCHO CEO, Jill Gallagher AO has been conferred an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Melbourne. Ms Gallagher has been VACCHO’s CEO since 2003 and has been influential in raising awareness of health issues and improving access to dedicated services, including the establishment of the Koori Maternity Service and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ageing and Aged Care Council.

As well as being an advocate for self-determination outcomes for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Ms Gallagher has led consultations with community for the development of the first piece of Treaty Legislation in Australia, now an Act of the Victorian Parliament. She was honoured alongside disability advocate, Keran Howe OAM and marine science and conservation expert, Professor Emma Johnston AM.

University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Professor Duncan Maskell congratulated the three recipients of the University’s highest honour.

“Honorary doctorates recognise the outstanding contributions and distinguished community service of people like Ms Gallagher, Ms Howe and Professor Johnston.

“In different ways, they have made major and lasting impressions on society, and it is very fitting that the University recognises them in this way,” Professor Maskell said.

Read more here.

Jill Gallagher AO, Keran Howe OAM, Professor Emma Johnston AM. Image source: The University of Melbourne.

Health Minister visits AHCSA

On Tuesday 15 August, Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler visited the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia (AHCSA). The minister spoke about the influence the Voice to Parliament would have on closing the health gap; He said health is a key policy area where the Voice would deliver better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“…for years and years now, the community, the Parliament, health ministers of both political persuasions, have been confronted time and time again, the appalling statistics of the yawning hap in health outcomes and life expectancy between First Nations Australians and non-Indigenous Australians.

“The truth is, we need a new approach, and the Voice allows us to turn a new page as a government and as a parliament in listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people about solutions that will actually shift the dial,” said Minister Butler.

AHCSA and the health minister also discussed the challenge of vaping for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The health minister said it is a challenge right across the country, however, community-controlled health organisations are in discussions with government on how to best address adolescent vaping.

“There’s a program delivered out of this building by AHCSA as well, but it is now having to come to grips with the very new recent challenges of vaping. We’ve been talking about how best to do that,” said Minister Butler.  

Read the full doorstop transcript here.

AHCSA staff member. Image source: AHCSA Facebook.

CAHS celebrates 15 years

Coonamble Aboriginal Health Service (CAHS) celebrated 15 years of operation on Friday 11 August. More than 200 community members, as well as special guest speakers including Stan Grant came together at the Coonamble Bowling Club to mark the milestone. In a “strong” and “emotional” speech, Stan Grant paid tribute to the Elders and the founding members of the ACCHO for their dedication to improving health outcomes for Coonamble and the wider community.

CAHS CEO, Phil Naden said a highlight of the celebration was sitting down and yarning with mob and hearing about the legacy of such a wonderful organisation.

“I’m privileged to be the CEO of this wonderful organisation and I’m also privileged to know so many beautiful people,” he said.

Read more here.

Image source: Coonamble Aboriginal Health Service Facebook.

Combining curriculum with culture

A new way of learning which combines curriculum with culture is seeing high-school students once at risk of dropping out now excelling. The Wiradjuri-made school program Ngurang-gu Yalbilinya (NgY) is helping schoolboys connect to their identity and increasing school engagement by intertwining curriculum with cultural lessons. In the classroom they are taught the usual school subjects like maths and English, while also learning Wiradjuri language, traditional wood carving, ceremonial song and dance, and painting.

14-year-old student, Steven said before the program he struggled in school, “I was getting in a lot of fights and sometimes I would get a suspension warning or two. I’d be wagging.

“The teachers here really helped me… through the tough times,” he said.

Since the program began more than two years ago, attendance rates have almost doubled from 44% to 94%. Teacher Tim Bennett, said a key to its success is the wrap-around support students can access, which goes beyond the classroom. Teachers work closely with local ACCOs to ensure the students and their families receive the support they need, that includes the Orange Aboriginal Medical Centre providing regular health checks and encouraging healthy eating.

“It’s not just an academic need, if the child or the family suffered trauma that could also affect the student engaging in mainstream classes. So, we have to address that as well,” said Mr Bennett.

Read the full NITV article here.

Students of the Ngurang-gu Yalbilinya education program. Image source: NITV.

Input on National Housing and Homelessness Plan

The Federal Government has begun consultations for the new National Housing and Homelessness Plan. Community organisations are among those Housing and Homelessness Minister, Julie Collins wants to hear from for input on the national plan’s issue paper. Croakey Health Media said given the critical connection between housing and health, health organisations should be encouraged to submit their feedback.

The Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association recently said, “having access to safe and affordable housing is a key social determinant of health, with many Australians currently facing poorer health outcomes as a consequence of the standard of their living conditions.”

Homelessness Australia and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies are calling for a separate and self-determined First Nations National Housing and Homelessness Plan, to address the unique issues relating to the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in homelessness.

Public consultations on the plan will be conducted via face-to-face community events in each State and Territory from Monday 28 August and submissions close Friday 22 September.

Read the full Croakey Health Media article Federal Government seeks input on long-awaited National Housing and Homelessness Plan here.

“It’s important to count the milestones”

Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation CEO, Richard Weston says we are seeing improvements in areas of the health of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Broken Hill region. In the interview with 2WEB – Outback Radio Mr Weston said while the region is a long way behind the rest of the state and the country and there’s “a lot more work to be done,” it’s important to count the milestones.

Mr Weston said they have seen some improvements in early childhood health and development, “which is really important for those future generations.”

“We [also] have very good programs for supporting people with chronic diseases… and also for preventing and intervening early in chronic diseases,” Mr Weston said.

Listen to the full radio interview here.

Image source: Intereach.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Aug 15 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Elder Care Support: Community-led pathways to care

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.

Elder Care Support: Community-led pathways to care

NACCHO’s Elder Care Support Program will work with the sector to ensure older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as well as their families, receive the necessary assistance in understanding, navigating, and accessing the aged care services they are entitled to. The program has been made possible by a three-year Commonwealth funded initiative and aims to increase workforce capability and capacity in community-controlled aged care support and empower the sector to coordinate place-based aged care needs.

The Elder Care Support program aims to:

  • Support older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to understand and engage with the aged care system, to receive greater local support.
  • Reduce barriers across the aged care journey to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accessing aged care services, achieving, or exceeding parity with non-Indigenous people at a while of system program level.
  • Increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people receiving care on Country.
  • Increase clinical and non-clinical employment and career opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in aged care.
  • Increase real time intelligence on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s needs and experience in aged care.

If you want to support Elders in community through connecting them with the care they need, talk to your local ACCHO to join the Elder Care Support team.

Find out more here.

Implementation of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program

Mark your calendars for the National Lung Cancer Screening Program webinar taking place on Thursday 31 August. Joint hosted by NACCHO Deputy CEO, Dr Dawn Casey, the Department of Health and Aged Care, and Cancer Australia, the purpose of the webinar is to provide an update on the planning of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program and discuss opportunities for stakeholder engagement.

In May, Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler announced Government investment of $263.8 million from 2023-24 to implement the program, for commencement by July 2025. The program aims to maximise prevention and early detection of lung cancer.

Webinar details:

Date: Thursday, 31 August 2023

Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm (AEST)

Access link: Click here.

Password: pAPfPEhg384.

*Please allow 5 minutes to join the webinar. Questions can be submitted during the session.

Find more information on the National Lung Cancer Screening Program here.

Image source: Unsplash.

What happens in a sobering up centre?

When someone has a problem with alcohol, the first step is to reduce immediate harm because it can sometimes be a slow process to change longstanding drinking behaviours. Earlier this month the VIC government announced it’s establishing a permanent sobering up centre, following in the footsteps of WA, NT, SA, and QLD. It follows the state’s decriminalisation of public drunkenness, where instead of making an arrest or processing a fine, police will take people to a sobering up centre, if there is one in the area.

Public drunkenness laws disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and homeless people. Sobering up centres are a more effective and less harmful response to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people found intoxicated in public places than a police cell, as it understands alcohol and other drug problems as a health issue.

Sobering up centers are safe places where people who are too intoxicated to look after themselves can go to recover, with health professionals including Aboriginal health workers on site who can provide care if someone is sick or injured. They also provide food, showers, clean clothes, beds, access to help and support, including referrals to withdrawal and rehabilitation services and on-site counselling.

Read the full The Conversation article here.

Image source: Unsplash.

Voice to Parliament resources

The referendum to constitutionally enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament is critically important for health and wellbeing.

Croakey Health Media has compiled a valuable list of articles and resources surrounding the Voice to Parliament:

The Uluru Statement from the Heart

The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an invitation to the Australian people from First Nations Australians. It asks Australians to walk together to build a better future by establishing a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution, and the establishment of a Makarrata Commission for the purpose of treaty making and truth-telling.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart

Australian Electoral Commission’s Yes/No pamphlet – fact checked by RMIT/ABC

The Yes and No cases for the Voice to Parliament, drafted by parliamentarians from each side of the debate, have been published on the Australian Electoral Commission website and are being mailed out to Australian households. The ABC News article contains fact check’s analysis of claims made in the No campaign and the Yes campaign.

Australian Electoral Commission Factsheet on Disinformation

During the referendum you may come across information that isn’t supported by evidence, is missing context or is even deliberately misleading. To be well informed, be a critical thinker when consuming information and think about whether the information is accurate and truthful.

Australian Electoral Commission Factsheet on Disinformation.

 

Pat Turner on “the most important vote of our collective lifetimes”

The referendum for a constitutionally enshrined Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament is the most important vote of our collective lifetimes, according to NACCHO CEO, Pat Turner.

“I am dismayed at how the debate on the Voice has been hijacked by all sorts of nonsense and misinformation.

“We have a simple truth here. Believe it or not, Aboriginal people know what’s best for Aboriginal people. All we want is a say in our own affairs, not a veto, not an advantage over others. We want a fair go. And a Voice will help us get it,” Ms Turner said.

You can read Ms Turner’s speech The significance of the Voice in Closing the Gap speech in full on NACCHO’s website here.

Read the full list of articles and resources on the Voice to Parliament on the Croakey Health Media website here.

Community-controlled organisations team up for Homelessness Week

Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service came together with other Aboriginal organisations to provide vital services and information for Homelessness Week (Monday 7 August to Sunday 13 August). Staff from the ACCHO provided holistic health checks and vaccinations, attendees were also able to access shower facilities, free haircuts and shaves, and were provided with resources from Kimberley Community Legal Services.

Housing support worker, Paula Clayton said the day allowed those attending to have fun and hopes people can be more understanding of the homeless community.

“It can happen to any of us, it doesn’t matter where you come from, especially in this social and economic situation with housing.

“[It’s] about celebrating our clients and letting them have a fun day to do some activities and see all the services provided,” she said.

Read the full The West Australian article Centacare Kimberley and Aboriginal Family Legal Services host Homelessness Week even in Broome here.

Tegan Kissane and Debbie Ryder. Image by: Katya Minns. Image Source: The West Australian.

AI in Eye Care

The AI in Eye Care (with Indigenous Perspectives) Conference will take place on Yawuru Country (Broome, WA) on Tuesday 24 October and Wednesday 25 October. The aim of the conference is to bring together experts in the field to discuss the advances in AI and its impact on eye care and diagnosis. Intended for ophthalmologists, optometrists, and orthoptists, the event will also include a session open to non-eye care professionals including Aboriginal health workers.

A key focus of the conference will be a workshop, where visiting experts will discuss and examine the principles and ethical implications of AI diagnostic tools in eye care. Topics that will be covered include privacy and patient data, equality of access and results, transparency in the development and application of algorithms.

Read more here.

Image source: Flinders University.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Aug 10 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: What will the Voice mean for our children?

The image in the feature tile is by SNAICC for National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day.

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.

What will the Voice mean for our children?

SNAICC CEO, Catherine Liddle has put into perspective what the Voice will mean for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and closing the gap. She said findings from the Productivity Commission’s latest two reports on closing the gap highlight how far we still have to go, with education impacting all aspects of life. She said when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have access to high-quality early learning, they are set up for lifelong success; they benefit from significantly improved health outcomes and are less likely to come in contact with child protection and youth justice systems.

Ms Liddle said an advisory body, with informed perspectives from communities, would help ensure that barriers preventing improvement in educational and life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were removed.

“It would help shed light on the underinvestment in children’s early years. A Voice would help secure the future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

“We need to hear and heed their voices.”

Read the full article here.

Image source: SNAICC.

Doctors say the Top End is on the frontline of the climate crisis

Earlier this week, more than one hundred parents and doctors from the NT travelled to the Capital to demand the federal government stop fracking in the Beetaloo Basin and withdraw its $1.5 billion subsidy for the Middle Arm project on Darwin Harbour. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also protested against the Santos’ Barossa gas project off the coast off the coast of the Tiwi Islands.

One protester said, “First Nations communities and campaigners in the Northern Territory are fighting on all fronts.”

NT pediatrician Dr Louise Woodward said the delegation of parents, health professionals, and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) were raising the alarm about the impacts of gas developments on the climate.

“Northern Australia is on the frontline of the climate crisis, it’s getting hotter in the Top End, we have more heat stress days every year and many of our families do not have appropriate housing or money to pay for power to escape the heat.

“Our hospitals and clinics do not have the resources to manage the needs of our communities as it is – what is going to happen as the climate crisis progresses?” she said.

Read the full ABC News article here.

Image source: ABC News.

ACCHO’s helping improve children hearing health

The Hearing Assessment Program – Early Ears (HAPEE) aims to improve the ear and hearing health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. In 2022-23, the program provided over 14,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with free clinical assessments of their ear and hearing health, finding around 49% had undiagnosed ear disease, and 26% had undiagnosed hearing loss. In an evaluation of the program by Winangali, parents and health workers said it has been successful in identifying problems early and improving understanding of ear health.

Minister for the NDIS, Bill Shorten said, “these results would not be possible without the strong support of local community-controlled health services.”

Health Minister, Mark Butler said the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children being identified with ear disease, preventable ear disease and hearing loss is not reducing.

“This is why the Government is partnering with the First Nations community-controlled sector, Hearing Australia and hearing health program funding and transition service delivery to the community-controlled sector, in line experts to streamline with Priority Reform Two under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

“This work will be guided by a national strategy to reduce preventable ear disease and hearing loss among First Nations children currently being developed by NACCHO.”

Read more here.

Image source: Unsplash.

Birthing on Country activity for National Science Week

South Coast Women’s Health and Welfare Aboriginal Corporation (Waminda) will hold an activity focused on Birthing on Country at the University of Wollongong’s Shoalhaven campus Saturday 12 August. It will include midwives and interactive mannequins to measure foetal heart rates. Participants will also have their health monitored with interactive medicine displays including blood pressure measurement and ultrasound viewing of muscles.

Waminda says Birthing on Country “is a continuation of thousands of years of knowledge and practice, which provides holistic maternal, child and family health care that embeds cultural integrity and safety during pregnancy, labour, birth and postnatal care.

“Birthing on Country is about our women from community lead by our Elders and Aunties, to take back control for our Minga’s (mums) to birth healthy beautiful Gudjaga’s in a safe space that is centred around culture and then throughout the continuation of Minga’s and Gudjaga’s life cycle.”

The science showcase is part of National Science Week and will include other activities including robotics and astronomy.

Read the full Milton Ulladulla Times article here.  

Image source: South Coast Women’s Health and Welfare Aboriginal Corporation.

Garma Festival an opportunity to talk about health on East Arnhem Land

With the Garma Festival finished for another year, Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation chief executive and proud Kamilaroi man, Steve Rossingh wants to remind people of what remains once visitors return home, and the festivities are over. He said coronary heart disease, type two diabetes, renal failure, and suicide continue to end lives, and East Arnhem Land presents the highest rates of preventable deaths out of the whole nation.

“The health of Yolŋu people across all of East Arnhem Land is probably the worst of all Australians. Some of the health statistics are what you would see in what are considered to be third world countries,” he said.

As well as acknowledging social determinants of health including environment, overcrowding, education, and the long-lasting impacts of racism, Mr Rossingh said properly coordinated and resourced community-controlled health organisations are the best was for address the crisis in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

“One thing that governments can do is really support the community-controlled sector, not just in terms of providing funding, but adapting their service responses in a way that Aboriginal community-controlled services are respected, and that our methodologies are able to be applied.

“…We know if we apply them, the outcomes are going to be better.”

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here.

Garma Festival. Photo by: Peter Eve.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Aug 8 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: World Congress on RHD

 

The image in the feature tile is from the Echo in ACCHOs Program workshop in June 2023.

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

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

World Congress on RHD

Yesterday, 7 August, on the National Day of Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Health Practitioners, NACCHO Deputy CEO, Dr Dawn Casey addressed the Acute Rhematic Fever (ARF) and Rhematic Heart Disease (RHD) research community ahead of the World Congress on Rheumatic Heart Disease. In her remarks, she reminded the research community that investing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and practitioners, is an essential part of the community-controlled sector’s response to ARF and RHD.

“We have stellar Aboriginal Health Workers and Practitioners leading the discussion, sharing solutions, and identifying common issues.

“This community of practice is a joy to watch,” said Dr Casey.

Read the full keynote address to the Australian pre-World Congress on RHD meeting here.

Dr Dawn Casey Speaking at the Australian pre-meeting for the World Congress on RHD.

Lorraine Anderson Speaking at the Australian pre-meeting for the World Congress on RHD

Why the Voice is a health issue

NACCHOs response to the pandemic has been recognised as an “extraordinary success story.” In the ABC Health Report, University of Western Australia’s Professor Fiona Stanley said it’s an example of what happens when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a voice.

“The Aboriginal Network of Health and other services worked across Australia to prevent the pandemic from having such a devastating effect on Aboriginal people as it did on other First Nations people everywhere else,” said Stanley.

“… All they need is to have that voice,” she said.

CEO of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, Donna Ah Chee said the need for the Voice is about establishing genuine, substantive, and continued representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the policy-making process.

“We know…from our own experience that if you give us a voice, we will make a positive change,” she said.

On the NT Aboriginal Health Forum Mrs Chee said, “It really laid the groundwork for many of our health improvements in the Northern Territory that we’ve seen since.

“We’ve seen in the Northern Territory life expectancy for Aboriginal men improved by 9 years from 1999 to 2018,” she said.

Listen to the ABC Health Report here.

Homes for the future

Local communities, doctors, architects, and tradespeople have teamed up to address the remote housing crisis in the NT. The project, titled Wilya Janta, translates to standing strong, and aims to create culturally safe and climate-appropriate housing for remote Aboriginal communities. Residents in remote public housing currently access electricity through a prepaid system which means power is automatically disconnected when credit runs out. Hoping to change that, Warumunga Elder Norman Frank Jupurrurla and NT doctor Simon Quilty first envisioned Wilya Janta more than three years ago.

“We’ve been talking about better houses for my people for a long time now.

“Houses that are made better for my climate, for my culture, and for my children,” Mr Jupurrurla said.

Wilya Janta designs include solar panels and improved insulation, with a desire to create housing that will not only accommodate the extremes of climate change but help reduce costs for residents.

The project is already taking shape with the process of securing land tenure and housing design currently under way. The next step is to secure funding.

Read more here.

Government house accommodating 13 residents. Photo source: Wilya Janta.

Understanding Dementia

A new study will use yarning circles to examine the direct impact and awareness of dementia, sources of strength, and barriers to care from the perspective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in urban and remote communities. The PhD research Community, Country, and Cognition: A multi-jurisdictional assessment of dementia in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples by Monash University’s Dr Antonia Clarke aims to enhance culturally safe clinical practice, education, and community-led dementia care.

“As a researcher, my goal is to contribute to our understanding of the early identification of factors that promote healthy brain ageing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the development of culturally responsive and community-led prevention and risk reduction programs,” Dr Clarke said.

Read more here.

Image source: Unsplash.

Honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and health practitioners

Yesterday, on the National Day of Recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Health Practitioners, ACCHOs took to social media to acknowledge the dedication of their staff to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

SWAMS Senior Aboriginal Health Professional, Salena Linforth-Milham reflected on her 16-year journey with the ACCHO, “I have been a receptionist, Health Information Officer and now a Registered Nurse. My passion has always been to help my people and my community our way,” she said.

In 2021, Ms Linforth-Milham became involved in an Aboriginal Brain Study, led by SWAMS and Derbarl Yerrigan. The study has been testing whether we can improve brain health by improving heart health.

“We hope the study findings will help us develop effective programs that can reduce rates of dementia in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” she said.

SWAMS Senior Aboriginal Health Professional Salena Linforth-Milham. Image source: SWAMS Facebook.

NACCHO would like to thank all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and health practitioners for the wonderful work you do. Below are social media posts from ACCHOs to celebrate the day.

 

Sector Jobs

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

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

Aug 3 2023

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

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

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

Have your say on diabetes in Australia

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

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

Written submissions closing on Thursday 31 August.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Calls to ignore scare campaign over 60-day prescribing reforms

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

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

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

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

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

Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara youth speak up for each other

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

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

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

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

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

Read more here.

Image source: NPY Women’s Council.

Making decisions about a child in care

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

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

Learn more here.

Who can say OK in WA resource

Deadly start to providing culturally safe care

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

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

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

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

Read more here.

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

Sector Jobs

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

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

Jul 18 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: QLD ACCHOs to see infrastructure improvements

The image in the feature tile is from Mamu Health Services website.

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.

QLD ACCHOs to see infrastructure improvements

Wuchopperen Health Service, which provides social and emotional wellbeing support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities will receive infrastructure upgrades as part of a nationwide $120m investment announced in December 2022, towards bettering infrastructure and facilities across the ACCHO sector. The ACCHO will use the $1.5m grant for “badly needed” upgrades to its air-conditioning and ventilation systems.

Wuchopperen Health Service chair and NACCHO chair, Donnella Mills acknowledged the mental health needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and praised the funding allocation, “Being the year of the referendum, allocation will go across ACCHOs to make sure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are feeling additional pressures [and] trauma, during what is a very big year for us and our community, can receive that additional support locally,” she said.

Mamu Health Service is another QLD ACCHO receiving the infrastructure grant, which will see a new primary care clinic in Innisfail, with an expansion of capacity to deliver GP clinics, consultation, waiting rooms, and staff spaces.

The above was taken from an article Townsville Bulletin article Infrastructure upgrades and a brand new clinic as part of funding towards First Nations healthcare published in the Townsville Bulletin yesterday, Monday 17 July 2023.

Wuchopperan Health Service Executive Director of Primary Health Care Ben Jesser, CEO Dania Ahwang, Chair Donnella Mills. Image by: Brendan Radke. Image source: Townsville Bulletin.

Benefits of genomics medicine

A new national network designed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will bring the benefits of genomics medicine to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with an aim to improve life expectancy which is currently 10 years less than the general population. Lead of The Australian Alliance for Indigenous Genomics (ALIGN), Professor Alex Brown says “80% of this life expectancy gap is due to chronic diseases.”

“Australia is on the cusp of a new era in personalised medicine that will bring deeper insights into common diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer,” he says.

In a nation-wide effort, a team from Telethon Kids Institute Adelaide will oversee the scientific and operational coordination of the alliance teams. Canberra researchers will lead a team to identify and understand the genomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to better deliver precision health care to them, and NSW researchers will use genomic medicine to identify new and personalised treatments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Charles Perkins Centre Academic Director, NSW Professor Stephen Simpson said, “delivering precision medicine solutions tailored to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities required working with communities to integrate new understanding from genomics with the many other health, social, cultural and environmental factors that contribute to health and wellbeing.”

Meanwhile, a Brisbane team will explore health service and system needs that support genomic medicine to determine which treatments are best suited to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, a Victorian team of scientists will use genomic medicine to better understand and treat immune-related disorders, and a Perth team will use advances in genomic medicine to continue and strengthen their work to unlock better health outcomes for those suffering from rare diseases.

Read more here.

Professor Alex Brown. Image Source: Australian National University.

“Easy Read” National Anti-Racism Framework

The Australian Human Rights Commission has released additional “easy read” community guides to better support understanding of the National Anti-Racism Framework Scoping Report 2022. The framework follows long-standing calls for action to address systemic racism in Australia. The community guide outlines the principles, themes identified in the initial scoping phase, and information on several support services and reporting tools available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other negatively racialised communities across the country.

The new Easy Read Guide includes a series of graphics and simplified text which summarises the key messages in the framework. This includes, why the framework was created, what would the framework do, what has been done so far, what was said by the community, key principles, themes, and what’s next. The latest version also includes translations of seven languages: Arabic, Burmese, Farsi, Samoan, Simplified Chinese, Swahili, and Vietnamese.

The easy read version of the community guide is available here. There is also an amplification kit, including a suite of digital and social media content for organisations that wish to raise awareness, available here.

Amplification kit social media tile.

Walgett homelessness tops state

New Homelessness NSW data has revealed Walgett has the worst rates of homelessness in the state. Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (WAMS) CEO Christine Corby said the ACCHO was fighting a losing battle to care for the community’s health amid the high rates of homelessness, and all levels of government need to step up to tackle the housing shortage.

“Homelessness brings despair… If we don’t fix the cause of this despair then we are contributing to the greater mental health issues for our community requiring holistic care responses from WAMS and the community sector that we are barley resourced to provide,” said Ms Corby.

It comes as the town’s only men’s shelter was demolished more than a year ago to make way for domestic violence units. NSW Homelessness Minister Rose Jackson said the government planned to move the men’s shelter to the current women’s shelter on completion of the new build, however, construction has been halted due to market supply issues and “significant price increases in the construction industry.”

The Dharriwaa Elders Group is backing the push for more joint government investment in Walgett housing. Community trouble-shooter Kim Sullivan said there were 22 clients with complex needs who had been homeless for many years or housed temporarily in motels.

“I work with the homeless of Walgett every day and I find it hard to understand why Australian governments have ignored their need for safe places to stay,” she said.

Read the full ABC article Walgett Aboriginal Elders demand housing help 18 months after men’s homeless shelter demolished here.

Christine Corby. Photo: Kenji Sato. Image Source: ABC News.

The Voice pamphlets published and soon to land in letterboxes

The Yes and No camps in the Voice to Parliament referendum have signed off on their official pamphlets, and every household will get one as well as the referendum question itself: A proposed law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this alteration?

It will also include further information on the vote. However, the pamphlets sent out are not fact-checked and Australians are warned to look out for misinformation. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) says its role is purely as a “post-box” and it will distribute each pamphlet exactly as they’re submitted. Australians are encouraged to use the ‘Stop and Consider’ fact sheet as a guide.

The AEC published both pamphlets online on Tuesday morning before more than 12 million physical pamphlets are printed out and mailed. The AEC says that process will begin “in the coming weeks” and it must happen no later than two weeks before the referendum.

Read the full SBS News article here.

Parliament House. Image Source: Unsplash.

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.