• Now you can get medicines for less or free through the Closing the Gap PBS Program
• MBS Webinar – Changes Under the Better Access Initiative from 1 November 2025
• Get ready to sing, sparkle, and celebrate at the 2025 NACCHO Members’ Conference Karaoke Night!
• Australian Society of Ophthalmologists urges government to close the Indigenous eye health gap
• ABC New Breakfast shines spotlight on Notre Dame’s Kimberly Centre for Remote Medical Training
• Sector Jobs

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

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

Now you can get medicines for less or free through the Closing the Gap PBS Program

The Closing the Gap (CTG) PBS Program helps Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and families access the medicines they need, wherever they live in Australia.

Once you’re registered, the price of most PBS medicines is reduced, and in some cases, they are even free. Registration is a one-time, for-life process. Yarn with your clinic, pharmacist or Aboriginal Health Practitioner to check your status and get registered.

Learn more here.

MBS Webinar – Changes Under the Better Access Initiative from 1 November 2025

ACCHOs, learn about upcoming changes under the Better Access Initiative from 1 November 2025.

Webinar: Wednesday 29 October | 10:30AM – 11:30AM AEDT

Register here.

From 1 November 2025, changes will be made to the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (Better Access) initiative. This includes the removal of some Mental Health treatment items and access to the Mental Health Treatment Plan through the patients mymedicare practice or their usual medical practitioner.

To help ACCHOs understand the program changes, we invite you to attend a Webinar hosted by NACCHO in collaboration with the Department of Health, where we will provide further details and answer your questions about these changes and how it will affect your patients.

We encourage all ACCHOs to attend so that you are better prepared for the changes with the removal of item numbers under the Better Access program. The webinar will specifically focus on ACCHOs and we are encouraging services to submit questions in advance relevant to your organisation.

Get ready to sing, sparkle, and celebrate at the 2025 NACCHO Members’ Conference Karaoke Night!

The 2025 NACCHO Members’ Conference Karaoke Night will take place on Wednesday, 10 December, the final night of the Members’ Conference.

This year’s theme is ‘Mardi Gras’ and is all about celebrating inclusion, pride, and the strength of our NACCHO family. It’s a night to express yourself, connect with others, and have a deadly time doing it.

Bring your pride, your people, your best moves, and your loudest vocals for a night that celebrates who we are together.

Prizes for Best Performance and Best Dressed, so bring your A-game (and maybe a little glitter).

Register now.

Australian Society of Ophthalmologists urges government to close the Indigenous eye health gap

The Australian Society of Ophthalmologists has called on the federal government to urgently address the widening gap in eye health, as new figures reveal First Nations people are still three times more likely to experience vision impairment and six times more likely to suffer moderate vision loss than other Australians.

Released ahead of World Sight Day, the Australian Eye and Ear Health Survey – prepared by the Centre for Vision Research, Westmead Institute for Medical Research on behalf of the AEEHS Consortium – reveals that despite measurable progress, eye health outcomes for First Nations peoples continue to lag far behind the national average, particularly in remote and regional communities where access to ophthalmic care is limited.

Read more here.

Images taken throughout an outreach trip to the Northern Territory. (Image: IRIS)

ABC New Breakfast shines spotlight on Notre Dame’s Kimberly Centre for Remote Medical Training

Last week, ABC News Breakfast brought national attention to a powerful, community-driven solution to Western Australia’s regional healthcare crisis, broadcasting live from The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Broome Campus.

Broadcasting from the dedicated teaching lab of the Kimberley Centre for Remote Medical Training (KCRMT), ABC journalist Emma Rebellato spoke with staff and students from the Doctor of Medicine program about how this innovative initiative is addressing the critical shortage of doctors in regional, rural, and remote WA.

The KCRMT launched in January 2025 and is WA’s first fully regionally based medical school and one of the most remote full medical programs in the world. It was established to train doctors in the region, for the region—embedding students in local communities from day one and offering a unique, hands-on learning experience that fosters long-term commitment to rural practice.

Alyssa Monte, who previously worked with the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services on an Indigenous smoking program, said she fell in love with the region and plans to stay long-term.

“It’s been amazing to be part of something so meaningful. I’ve seen firsthand the challenges in accessing healthcare here and I want to be part of the solution,” she said.

Read more here.

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

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

Email us your story with some images to: NACCHOCommunicationsandMedia@naccho.org.au
and we will feature it in the news.