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Tag Archives: Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service
NACCHO Aboriginal Health #ACCHO Xmas Final Edition 2018 Deadly Good News stories : Featuring many award winners #VIC @VACCHO_org @VAHS1972 #NSW #RedfernAMS @awabakalltd #QLD @IUIH_ @DeadlyChoices @Wuchopperen #NT @DanilaDilba ACT @WinnungaACCHO #WA @TheAHCWA #TAS
Picture above staff Santa Xmas Party at Wuchopperen ACCHO Cairns
1.1 National : 1.1 National : Our CEO Pat Turner launches AIHW 4th Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and is interviewed by Speaking Out
1.2 National : Pat Turner Scholarship winners announced
1.3 National : NACCHO launches all AGM speaker and sponsor interview on NACCHO TV
2.1 NSW : Redfern AMS wins Dreamtime Community Organisation of the Year 2018
2.2 Awabakal ACCHO Newcastle spreads the Christmas cheer with hamper deliveries
3.1 VIC : Deadly news! VAHS ACCHO very own Deadly Dan just won the 2018 Victorian Health award in Tobacco Prevention.
4.2 QLD : Wuchopperen ACCHO Expands Exercise Program Into Local Schools
5. SA: The South Australian Government is committed to improving the opportunities and services available to Aboriginal South Australians.
6. WA : The WA Aboriginal Tobacco Control Strategic Leadership Team received the Bob Elphick Medal from the Australian Council on Smoking and Health (ACOSH
7. NT Danila Dilba Health Service Darwin wins Stan Grant Indigenous Employment Award recognises excellence in Indigenous employment initiatives and programs in the workplace.
8. ACT : Winnunga ACCHO Newsletter launched
9. TAS : Tasmania Aboriginal Centre Training For Success end of program celebrations. Congratulations to all involved
How to submit a NACCHO Affiliate or Members Good News Story ?
Email to Colin Cowell NACCHO Media
Mobile 0401 331 251
Closing date for next edition 23 January
Wednesday by 4.30 pm for publication 24 January Thursday /Friday
1.1 National : Our CEO Pat Turner launches AIHW 4th Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and is interviewed by Speaking Out
Last week, the AIHW celebrated the launch of our 4th Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This important occasion began with a Welcome to Country from Ngunnawal Elder Ms Violet Sheridan, followed by CEO Patricia Turner’s story and thoughts on reconciliation.
Listen to 18 minute interview with ABC Speaking Out
Ten years on from the introduction of the Close The Gap strategy, the push for a community-led partnership in policy development is as strong as ever.
But what are the prospects of gaining a seat at the government’s table?
Aunty Pat Turner has had a long and distinguished career in Indigenous Affairs, and in 1990, was awarded the Order of Australia for her service to the sector.
She is currently the CEO of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), and shares her thoughts on the highs and lows of 2018.
1.2 National : Pat Turner Scholarship winners announced
The Pat Turner Scholarship Program provides full pay scholarships for Australian Public Service employees to complete full time post-graduate study at the Australian National University or Charles Darwin University.
The scholarship program contributes to the improvement of Australian public policy by scholars researching complex topics of national significance and by building the leadership capabilities of Indigenous APS employees through targeted leadership training and networking opportunities.
The scholarship program is only available to Indigenous staff employed in participating APS agencies.
NACCHO CEO Patricia Turner, AM is the daughter of an Arrente man and a Gurdanji woman and was raised in Alice Springs.
Pat’s career as a public servant included many great achievements. She was the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and the Deputy CEO of ATSIC at its inception. She was also responsible for setting up the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation when working in the Dept of Prime Minister & Cabinet.
After winning the Monash Chair of Australian Studies, Georgetown University she moved to Washington DC as Professor of Australian Studies. She was the inaugural CEO of NITV, and was appointed NACCHO Chief Executive Officer in April 2016.
Pat has actively promoted self-determination and social justice for Aboriginal people throughout her career.
1.3 National : NACCHO launches all AGM speaker and sponsor interview on NACCHO TV
2.1 NSW : Redfern AMS wins Dreamtime Community Organisation of the Year 2018
Awarded to a community not-for-profit organisation in recognition of their contribution to their local community or region in one or more of the following: leadership, advocacy, capacity building, partnerships, and wellbeing.
The Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer and staff, would like to take this opportunity to thank the wider community for their continuous support over our 46 years of service delivery.
We endeavour to continue to reduce the health inequalities faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by empowering our community to make more informed decisions that will result in better health outcomes.
2.2 Awabakal ACCHO Newcastle spreads the Christmas cheer with hamper deliveries
The Christmas spirit is in the air at Awabakal Ltd as the organisation gets ready to surprise the Newcastle community with a surprise Christmas hamper delivery run this week.
Awabakal’s Board of Directors are excited to be partnering with Newcastle’s Telstra Business team, the Newcastle Knights and the Australian Defence Force to deliver 360 Christmas hampers to Awabakal’s community groups and individuals in need of support, including women, men and members of Mums and Bubs groups, Awabakal Preschool parents, and their aged care group and Elders.
Acting Chief Executive Officer of Awabakal, Toni Johnston has praised the community spirit of Telstra, Newcastle Knights and Australian Defence Force, saying the hamper run wouldn’t have been possible without their support.
“Our partners Telstra, Newcastle Knights and Australian Defence Force see the benefits of contributing to such a wonderful community initiative,” said Toni. “Telstra has been on board for three years and their staff volunteer their time to assist in the delivery of hampers. The Newcastle Knights and Australian Defence Force have kindly joined us for the first time and it’s great to see such great role models lend a helping hand during the festive season.”
“It takes a lot of different resources to pull together such a wonderful community initiative. We would like to thank our Board of Directors, corporate partners, volunteers and staff, Toll Group for couriering the hampers, Foodbank for supplying the hampers and of course our valued community members who access our services,” said Toni.
The hamper delivery will run throughout this week from Awabakal’s Head Office in Wickham, with Telstra, several Newcastle Knights players, and indigenous members of the Australian Defence Force assisting in delivering the hampers to the community.
3.1 VIC : Deadly news! VAHS ACCHO very own Deadly Dan just won the 2018 Victorian Health award in Tobacco Prevention.
Deadly Dan is a smoke free superhero. His motto is “You smoke you choke!” and he flies around country teaching the mob about the importance of making healthy choices and staying smoke free.
Deadly Dan includes a suite of expanding, culturally relevant, age-appropriate, teaching and learning resources including two editions of a beautiful illustrated children’s book (Deadly Dan at the League), a film and a growing base of lesson plans for schools. The latter two are readily accessible on the VAHS website.
Deadly Dan also has a costume and possum skin cloak which are equally important artefacts of this project, allowing for accessibility and interaction between children, families and community with this culturally respected and respectful superhero.
Deadly Dan at the League reflects on four important practices of effective health promotion education:
• excellent quality, culturally appropriate, evidence-based, ‘entertainment-education’ as the pivotal methodology relevant to young children and their families
• interrogates and affirms the power of both positive education and peer relationships as a critical influence in children and young people’s behaviour ( the Deadly Dan at the League film is especially strong on highlighting both aspects) https://www.vahs.org.au/deadly-dan/
• affirming self-determination including the active participation of community members as experts in the development of all resources (e.g. Aunty Diane Kerr and Jacqueline Morris in the design and creation of Deadly Dan’s Possum Skin Cloak 2017 ; and children of Bubub Wilam for Early Learning and Yappera Children’s Services and families for critical input into the development of the Deadly Dan at the League story book; and local Aboriginal children, young people and community members as actors and co-collaborators in the Deadly Dan film)
• collaborating with a diverse range of organisational partners, for broader communication and promotion of all Deadly Dan resources ( e.g.Darebin Schools’ and Early Years Services Professional Development of Deadly Dan at the League, held at the Aborigines Advancement League, 2018 in collaboration with Darebin City Council)
Developed as an early childhood Aboriginal health promotion tool, Deadly Dan at the League also allows teaching and learning of non-Aboriginal children about place-based Aboriginal history and culture.
Deadly Dan at the League strongly mirrors the principles and strategies of both Korin Korin Balit-Djak Aboriginal health, wellbeing and safety plan 2017–2027 and Marrung – The Aboriginal Education Plan 2016-2026.
3.2 VIC : VACCHO Ditching the sugary drinks! A Victorian Aboriginal sugary drinks ad is kicking goals.
First evaluation results from the Aboriginal Rethink Sugary Drink campaign show that these important health messages are resonating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The evaluation published in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia highlights that the over half of people who saw the Aboriginal Rethink Sugary Drink ad cut down on their sugary drink intake and also agreed it had an important message for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.
The Aboriginal campaign, developed by the Rethink Sugary Drink alliance, stresses how much sugar is loaded into sugary drinks and the health risks associated with regular consumption. The ad was seen to be more believable, to be more relevant and to have an important message for the Aboriginal community compared to the LiveLighter advertisement.
Louise Lyons, Director of the Public Health and Research Unit, Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), said the evaluation results demonstrate the cut through and value of having ads directed primarily at an Aboriginal audience. “Because this ad was developed in consultation with local Aboriginal people, it delivers a relevant and culturally appropriate message to our communities – sugary drinks are not good for our health and to go for water instead”.
Launched online in 2015 and broadcast on NITV in the same year, the Victorian-made ad is hitting the mark with Victorian Aboriginal communities and other Aboriginal communities around Australia.
Online surveys completed by 150 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander adults from around Australia showed that 60% of participants who had seen the ad reported that they drank less sugary drinks.
A key message of the ad is that there are 16 teaspoons of sugar in a regular 600mL bottle of soft drink. Almost two-thirds (64%) of survey respondents who had seen the ad previously were able to correctly identify the sugar content of regular soft drink, compared with less than half (49%) those who had not seen it previously.
Check out the latest campaign from Rethink Sugary Drink featuring Victorian Aboriginal community members sharing how cutting back on sugary drinks helped their health and wellbeing here!
4. 1 QLD : Institute for Urban Indigenous Health named joint winner in Indigenous Governance Awards
The quality of Indigenous governance was on show at a gala event in Melbourne last month
The Indigenous Governance Awards ‘identify, celebrate and promote effective Indigenous governance, which is about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people making and implementing decisions about their communities, lives and futures.’
After a rigorous judging process the winners of the 2 awards were selected from amongst 9 finalists.
In Category A, for incorporated organisations, the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (Windsor, QLD) and Nyamba Buru Yawuru (Broome, WA) were named joint winners.
The Warlpiri Education and Training Trust (Alice Springs, NT) won the Category B award for non-incorporated organisations. The Alekarenge Community Development Working Group (Ali Curung, NT) was highly commended in this category.
Professor Mick Dodson, the Indigenous Governance Awards Chair, commented on the calibre of finalists.
‘In the 14 years I’ve been involved with the Awards, I’ve seen the quality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance practiced by the applicants rise and rise,’ Professor Dodson said.
‘This year, again, I can say that the finalists are the best we’ve ever had.’
The awards highlight success in leadership, good management, partnerships and brave, creative thinking.
South East Queensland is home to 38 per cent of Queensland’s and 11 per cent of Australia’s Indigenous people. The region has the largest and fastest growing Indigenous population in the nation and the biggest health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
In 2009, only a fraction of this population were accessing community controlled comprehensive primary health care.
The imperative to address these challenges shaped the blueprint for a ground-breaking new regional community governance architecture and the formation of a regional backbone organisation – the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH).
Critically, this contemporary regional model was underpinned by strong cultural foundations and goes back to traditional ways of being, doing and belonging, when for thousands of years, Aboriginal tribes and nations across South East Queensland came together to achieve shared and cross-territorial goals.
Through strengthened community self-determination, an entrepreneurial business model, and pioneering a brand new regional health ‘ecosystem’, IUIH has now been able to make the biggest single health impact of any Indigenous organisation in Australia, in the shortest time period, and with a national best practice standard of care.
In just nine years, the numbers of Indigenous clients accessing comprehensive and culturally safe care in South East Queensland has increased by 340 per cent (from 8000 to 35,000); annual health checks have increased by 4100 per cent (from 500 to 21,000); and, progress against Closing the Gap targets is being made faster than predicted trajectories.
Further challenges lie ahead. In response to even more rapid Indigenous population growth – expected to reach 130,000 in South East Queensland by 2031
IUIH is now exploring further transformative models which, if realised, have the potential to double its existing client population.
4.2 QLD : Wuchopperen ACCHO Expands Exercise Program Into Local Schools
Wuchopperen Health Service Limited’s successful exercise program has expanded with a new partnership engaging two Cairns primary schools to tackle unhealthy lifestyles and obesity rates in children.
The Wuchopperen team will visit Cairns West and Balaclava Primary Schools every week to work with over 60 children in year five on exercise sessions and making healthy life choices.
Exercise Physiologist at Wuchopperen, Myles Hardy says the program is tackling unhealthy lifestyle factors and making long term change for children in our community.
“There is so much research out there which shows obesity and unhealthy lifestyles in childhood carry over into adulthood, resulting in an increase in the risk of developing chronic disease, and reducing overall life expectancy,” says Myles.
In Queensland alone, 27 per cent of children are overweight or obese and according to research from 2013, around 30 per cent of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children were overweight or obese.
“We want to work with young people to establish healthy habits in the younger years. Our program will focus on exercise, but will also have other members of the Wuchopperen team working with the kids in the program on mental health, nutrition and overall healthy lifestyle factors,” says Myles.
The program is now in its second week and will run until the end of the school term.
Wuchopperen also works with our Elders in the community to increase exercise and improve social and physical health outcomes, with a total of 976 sessions provided to both men’s and women’s groups in the last financial year.
“You’re never too young or too old to make change and start living a healthier life. We see people come through Wuchopperen who have never exercised before and start training in their 60s. It is really inspiring see people take their health in their own hands at any age, but the sooner we can get people focused on living a healthy life, the easier it is to implement life-long health habits,” says Myles.
Before starting any new exercise regime, Wuchopperen recommends consulting with a healthcare professional.
5. SA: The South Australian Government is committed to improving the opportunities and services available to Aboriginal South Australians.
To achieve this ambition, the government has developed the Aboriginal Affairs Action Plan that outlines a series of initiatives and actions for completion by agencies during 2019-20.
These actions fall within three objectives:
Creating opportunities for Aboriginal jobs and businesses
Improving the quality and the delivery of services to Aboriginal South Australians
Building strong and capable Aboriginal communities
To learn more about each objective and the actions within it, download the South Australian Government Aboriginal Affairs Action Plan 2019-2020 (PDF, 12434.23 KB).
Once available, progress updates will be published on this page
6. WA : The WA Aboriginal Tobacco Control Strategic Leadership Team received the Bob Elphick Medal from the Australian Council on Smoking and Health (ACOSH)
Members of the WA Aboriginal Tobacco Control Strategic Leadership Team from BRAMS, AHCWA, Wirraka Maya, GRAMS and QALT with staff members from ACOSH and the Hon. Roger Cook MLA
The WA Aboriginal Tobacco Control Strategic Leadership Team received the Bob Elphick Medal from the Australian Council on Smoking and Health (ACOSH), in recognition of a distinguished contribution to tobacco control in Western Australia.
Here are a few photos from the award ceremony.
Staff members from Wirraka Maya with their Bob Elphick medal
Acceptance speech from Tricia Pearce , Tackling Indigenous Smoking Coordinator from AHCWA.
7. NT Danila Dilba Health Service Darwin wins Stan Grant Indigenous Employment Award recognises excellence in Indigenous employment initiatives and programs in the workplace.
The Stan Grant Indigenous Employment Award recognises excellence in Indigenous employment initiatives and programs in the workplace. This year’s award was won by Danila Dilba Health Service! In a Recruitment Marketing Magazine exclusive, we interviewed their CEO Olga Havnen and HR Manager Sulal Mathai who shared how their employer branding efforts have made an impact.
Danila Dilba Health Service is an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation providing culturally-appropriate, comprehensive primary health care and community services to Biluru (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) people in the Yilli Rreung (greater Darwin) region of the Northern Territory.
Last year, the organisation launched their career pathways project as part of their HR strategy to promote Indigenous staffing across all levels in their organisation, including leadership positions. The project has been a huge success, with Indigenous employees now comprising 50 per cent of their overall workforce and 65 per cent of their executive leadership team
As Danila Dilba’s CEO, Olga Havnen explains, “our aim is to maintain our status as an employer of choice, both to attract talented employees and increase the professionalism and capability of employees at every level of the organisation. Our vision is to ensure continuing leadership by a well-qualified, skilled Indigenous management team.”
Danila Dilba offers traineeships, leadership opportunities, mentoring for emerging leaders, and has introduced new positions for safety and community liaison officers who engage with clients in their clinics. All their new positions are opportunities to bring more Indigenous employees on board.
Danila Dilba’s Indigenous Emerging Leadership program enables their Indigenous employees to put forward expressions of interest to receive formal mentoring opportunities through external pathways. This facilitates leadership pathways for these employees and eases their transition into these positions.
They also have a program called the Australian Nurse Family Partnership Program (ANSPP), a new home visiting social support service for Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander mothers and babies.
“The program is part of eight different Australian organisations, including Danila Dilba,” said Hiring Manager Sulal Mathai. “We are the only location where all our team members are Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander women. This makes a difference because they bring cultural appropriateness and understanding when visiting homes, which is a special outcome for the program.”
To promote all these great initiatives, they conducted an employer branding project with external specialists from Employment Office. Their employer branding project was amplified through digital initiatives, such as restructuring and updating their careers website, and showcasing their employees in various roles through written and video content.
“The project helped Danila Dilba strengthen our employer brand and market our unique employee value proposition across Australia. Along with the branding project we revamped our website and careers pages which helped us attract quality applicants to join Danila Dilba in 2018 across all levels of our organisation.”
Mathai measured their return on investment through analysing key metrics, such as visits to their careers website (which increased by 60%!). They also managed to fill 80% of their advertised opportunities, which was also a significant increase for them.
“Our employer branding initiatives have been very successful in ensuring we receive our fair share of quality talent. It’s helped us in both recruitment and retention. We’ve retained a greater number of employees as we’ve opened more leadership positions.”
Conducting an employer branding through external specialists enabled Danila Dilba to see the bigger picture and connect the dots.
“This made a big difference. We used to do things in a silo, and Employment Office’s Employer Branding specialists provided a unified approach. They were able to produce feature stories of our people and their successful career pathways, and use consistent wording to showcase our organisation, increasing the quality of our recruitment process and content.”
Mathai also implemented social media campaigns to showcase their employee profile story videos.
“Now, when we advertise, we don’t need to rely on recruitment partners. We received a large number of quality responses!”
“Employer Branding Specialists took a comprehensive approach that helped us to understand and amplify our brand, and the also conducted a talent competitor analysis of what similar organisations were doing with their employer brand. This helped us to ensure we are presenting a unique employer offering that was one step ahead of other primary healthcare providers in our state. We knew what our industry was doing and we could take a step forward to brand ourselves with more strength.
Winning the 2018 AHRI Stan Grant Indigenous Employment Award
As a community-focused Indigenous organisation, Danila Dilba’s goal was to promote Indigenous employment and career pathways across their whole organisation at all levels.
“We wanted to demonstrate our high-standard for employment,” said Mathai. “We applied for AHRI’s Stan Grant Indigenous Employment Award, one of Australia’s most prestigious awards for excellence in Indigenous employment initiatives in the workplace, to see how our practices stood in comparison to the rest of Australia. Through winning the award, we’re so pleased to demonstrate how we do well in this sector!”
“In Darwin, we cater to the community. But that doesn’t mean we want to limit our practices. We want to have world-class processes and practices, and continue to enhance the reputation and credibility of our organisation. Winning the award affirmed our knowledge that our HR and business practices should be recognised and celebrated. It’s proven the success of our Indigenous employment and career pathways.”
8. ACT : Winnunga ACCHO Newsletter launched
Download Newsletter Winnunga AHCS Newsletter November 2018
9. TAS : Tasmania Aboriginal Centre Training For Success end of program celebrations. Congratulations to all involved
NACCHO Aboriginal Health #refreshtheCTGRefresh 2 of 2 : Download the #COAG 9 page statement on the #ClosingTheGap refresh
” One of the lessons governments have learned over the last ten years is that effective programs and services need to be designed, developed and implemented in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
We must place collaboration, transparency, and accountability at the centre of the way we do business with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia. Working in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is fundamental to Closing the Gap.
All governments remain committed to engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and other stakeholders to finalise and implement the Closing the Gap Refresh “
From the COAG Statement
1.Download CTG COAG 6 Page Statement
2.Download CTG COAG 3 Page Draft Targets Outcomes
3. Download COAG Communique Dec 12
“ Where we actually let Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians lead the discussion, determine the outcome, own the outcome,”
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, said the partnership provided a meaningful opportunity, the “likes of which we’ve not seen before”. From The Guardian
“We can’t close the gap unless we do this in partnership with Aboriginal people,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“I think the wording of what we’re doing so far on Closing the Gap is good but we have to talk funding at some stage.”
The Northern Territory chief minister, Michael Gunner, said on Wednesday it was a vital partnership and initiative could not afford to “go off the rails again”.
“ COAG’s commitment to a genuine formal partnership approach between the government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the Closing the Gap strategy is a welcome step in the right direction
This is something that we’ve long campaigned for – because involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in decisions that affect their lives will lead to far better outcomes.
We as a sector are looking forward to working with the Prime Minister and COAG to negotiate and agree the refreshed framework, targets and action plans which will be finalised through the committee by mid-2019.
NACCHO Chief Executive Officer Pat Turner AM see NACCHO Press Release HERE
In December 2016, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to refresh the Closing the Gap agenda ahead of the tenth anniversary of the agreement and four of the seven targets expiring in 2018.
In June 2017, COAG agreed to a strengths-based approach and to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were at the heart of the development and implementation of the next phase of Closing the Gap.
In 2018, a Special Gathering of prominent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians presented COAG with a statement setting out priorities for a new Closing the Gap agenda. The statement called for the next phase of Closing the Gap to be guided by the principles of empowerment and self-determination and deliver a community-led, strengths-based strategy that enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to move beyond surviving to thriving.
Since the Special Gathering identified priorities, all governments have worked together to develop a set of outcomes and measures for inclusion in the Closing the Gap Refresh. COAG has now agreed draft targets for further consultation to ensure they align with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities’ priorities and ambition as a basis for developing action plans.
PARTNERSHIPS WITH ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AUSTRALIA
COAG recognises that in order to effect real change, governments must work collaboratively and in genuine, formal partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as they are the essential agents of change.
This formal partnership must be based on mutual respect between parties and an acceptance that direct engagement and negotiation will be the preferred pathway to productive and effective agreements. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples must play an integral part in the making of the decisions that affect their lives – this is critical to closing the gap.
COAG will ensure that the design and implementation of the next phase of Closing the Gap is a true partnership. Governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will share ownership of and responsibility for a jointly agreed framework and targets and ongoing monitoring of the Closing the Gap agenda.
The refreshed Closing the Gap agenda recognises and builds on the strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
CLOSING THE GAP – A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Closing the Gap requires us to raise our sights from a focus on problems and deficits, to actively supporting and realising the full participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the social and economic life of the nation. COAG recognises there is a need for a cohesive national agenda focussed on important priorities for enabling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, children and communities to thrive.
COAG has listened to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and stakeholders. COAG has heard there is a need to focus on the long term and on future generations, to strengthen prevention and early intervention initiatives that help build strong families and communities, and to prioritise the most important events over the course of a person’s life and the surrounding environment.
COAG acknowledges Closing the Gap builds on the foundation of existing policies and commitments within the Commonwealth and each state and territory. Closing the Gap does not replace these policies, but provides a people and community centred approach to accelerate outcomes.
COMMUNITY PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS
The Special Gathering Statement to COAG in February 2018 recommended the priority areas for the next phase of Closing the Gap:
Families, children and youth
Housing
Justice, including youth justice
Health
Economic development
Culture and language
Education
Healing
Eliminating racism and systemic discrimination.
All priority areas are important and interconnected, and COAG is committed to achieving positive progress in all areas.
The Commonwealth, states and territories have consulted widely on these priorities. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, peak bodies, service providers, technical experts and members of the public had the opportunity to provide their views on the future of Closing the Gap.
In considering where to set targets, there was a focus on the priority areas that lend themselves to the design of specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound targets. This focus on evidence and data enables COAG to effectively track progress over time.
CROSS SYSTEM PRIORITIES
Governments must deepen their relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This means understanding what matters to communities and continuing to build capability for genuine collaboration and partnership, acknowledging the differing priorities and challenges in different places across urban, regional and remote Australia.
All Australian governments are committed to working cooperatively in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and their communities, to positively transform life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
COAG recognises that progress reports over the past decade confirm that closing the gap in remote Australia requires particular focus, recognising the rich cultural strengths as well as the need for targeted approaches to address disadvantage in these areas.
COAG acknowledges that culture is fundamental to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ strength and identity. COAG further acknowledges the impacts of historical wrongs and trauma faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and families.
All Australian governments recognise the need to address intergenerational change, racism, discrimination and social inclusion (including in relation to disability, gender and LGBTIQ+), healing and trauma, and the promotion of culture and language for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. These will be taken into account as cross system priorities for all policy areas of the Closing the Gap agenda. Cross system priorities require action across multiple targets.
REFRESHED TARGETS
The Commonwealth, states and territories share accountability for the refreshed Closing the Gap agenda and are jointly accountable outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. COAG commits to working together to improve outcomes in every priority area of the Closing the Gap Refresh.
The refreshed Closing the Gap agenda will commit to targets that all governments will be accountable to the community for achieving. This approach reflects the roles and responsibilities as set out by the National Indigenous Reform Agreement (NIRA), and specified in respective National Agreements, National Partnerships and other relevant bilateral agreements.
While overall accountability for the framework is shared, different levels of government will have lead responsibility for specific targets. The lead jurisdiction is the level of government responsible for monitoring reports against progress and initiating further action if that target is not on track, including through relevant COAG bodies.
The refreshed framework recognises that one level of government may have a greater role in policy and program delivery in relation to a particular target while another level of government may play a greater role in funding, legislative or regulatory functions. Meeting specific targets will require the collaborative efforts of the Commonwealth, states and territories, regardless of which level of government has lead responsibility. Commonwealth, state and territory actions for each target will be set out in jurisdictional action plans, and may vary between jurisdictions. COAG acknowledges that all priority areas have interdependent social, economic and health determinants that impact the achievement of outcomes and targets.
Through a co-design approach, jurisdictional action plans will be developed in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, setting out the progress that needs to be made nationally and in each jurisdiction for the targets to be met. Action plans will clearly specify what actions each level of government is accountable for, inform jurisdictional trajectories for each target and establish how all levels of government will work together and with communities, organisations and other stakeholders to achieve the targets. Starting points, past trends and local circumstances differ, so jurisdictions’ trajectories will vary and may have different end-points.
COAG recognises that promoting opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to be involved in business activities contributes to economic and social outcomes for families and communities, and has committed to publishing jurisdiction specific procurement policies, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment and business outcomes annually.
PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY
Closing the Gap is a whole-of-government agenda for the Commonwealth and each state and territory. To provide direct accountability to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the Australian public as a whole, each jurisdiction will report publicly each year on its Closing the Gap strategy. The Prime Minister will make an annual statement to parliament.
Governments will engage with the community to develop a meaningful framework for transparently tracking and reporting progress with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders.
INDEPENDENT REVIEW
The Productivity Commission’s Indigenous Commissioner will conduct an independent review of progress nationally and in each jurisdiction every three years. All governments will provide input into the Productivity Commission’s review, taking into account differences between urban, regional and remote areas.
The Closing the Gap targets may be subject to refinement, where appropriate, through the review of the NIRA and periodic Productivity Commission reviews.
WHERE WE ARE GOING FROM HERE
A new formal partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, through their representatives, will be established by the end of February 2019.
Building on the work undertaken to date, working through this new partnership, the Commonwealth, and states and territories, will by mid 2019:
finalise all draft targets;
review the NIRA; and
work with the Productivity Commission’s Indigenous Commissioner to develop an independent, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led approach to the three-yearly comprehensive evaluation and review of progress nationally and in each jurisdiction.
One of the lessons governments have learned over the last ten years is that effective programs and services need to be designed, developed and implemented in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We must place collaboration, transparency, and accountability at the centre of the way we do business with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia. Working in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is fundamental to Closing the Gap.
All governments are committed to broadening and deepening their partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities over the lifetime of the refreshed agenda. This includes strengthening mechanisms to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have an integral role in decision making and accountability processes at the national, regional and local levels, building on existing arrangements and directions within different jurisdictions.
To guide the development of Commonwealth, state and territory action plans by mid-2019, COAG has endorsed a set of Implementation Principles informed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities:
Shared Decision-Making – Implementation of the Closing the Gap framework, and the policy actions that fall out of it, must be undertaken in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Governments and communities should build their capability to work in collaboration and form strong, genuine partnerships in which
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can be an integral part of the decisions that affect their communities.
Place-based Responses and Regional Decision Making – Programs and investments should be culturally responsive and tailored to place. Each community and region has its own unique history and circumstances. Community members, Elders and regional governance structures are critical partners and an essential source of knowledge and authority on the needs, opportunities, priorities and aspirations of their communities.
Evidence, Evaluation and Accountability – All policies and programs should be developed on evidence-based principles, be rigorously evaluated, and have clear accountabilities based on acknowledged roles and responsibilities. Governments and communities should have a shared understanding of evidence, evaluation and accountability.
Targeted investment – Government investments should contribute to achieving the Closing the Gap targets through strategic prioritisation of efforts based on rigorous evaluation and input from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, especially as it relates to policy formation, outcomes and service commissioning.
Integrated Systems – There should be collaboration between and within Governments, communities and other stakeholders in a given place to effectively coordinate efforts, supported by improvements in transparency and accountability.
WHERE WE HAVE COME FROM – TEN YEARS OF CLOSING THE GAP
In 2008, COAG agreed to the NIRA to implement the Closing the Gap agenda. In signing the agreement, governments acknowledged that a concerted national effort was needed to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage in key areas.
At the time, Closing the Gap was the most ambitious commitment ever made by governments to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. However, the agreement was negotiated with little to no input from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and without an adequate understanding of the mechanisms and timeframes needed to deliver lasting change. It also perpetuated a deficit-based view that framed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy as a series of responses to disadvantage and inequality, and under-emphasised the strength and agency of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
While some progress has been made to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with respect to life expectancy, child mortality, educational achievement, employment and early childhood education, only three of the seven current targets were on track at the agreement’s ten-year anniversary in 2018. There is a shared view among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the broader Australian community and Australian governments that we must do better.
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Public engagement on the Refresh has been led by the Commonwealth at the national level, and by states and territories at the local and regional levels.
COAG Public Discussion Paper and Consultation Website:
In December 2017 the COAG public discussion paper and Closing the Gap Refresh consultation website were launched, with the website open for feedback and submissions from the public until the end of April
- Feedback from the website, including over 170 major submissions, was collated and used to inform the technical workshop process and COAG’s consideration of target areas for the next phase of the agenda.
Special Gathering of Prominent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians:
In February 2018, COAG leaders agreed that the priority areas identified in the statement of the Special Gathering would form the basis for remaining community consultations on the Refresh. The Special Gathering priority areas were tested in the national roundtables and other engagement processes led by the Commonwealth from February 2018 and have been strongly supported by stakeholders.
Consultations: The Commonwealth held 18 national roundtables in state capitals and regional centres across the country, ending with a national peaks workshop in Canberra in April. Roundtables sought feedback from participants on the priorities identified in the Special Gathering statement. Over 1,000 people were directly engaged through the meetings and roundtables hosted by the Commonwealth in this first phase of public engagement.
In May and June 2018 the Commonwealth hosted a series of technical workshops to develop potential targets and indicators for the refreshed agenda. The workshops brought together academics, business and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community experts and data custodians with Commonwealth and state officials in a co-design process structured around the Special Gathering priority areas. The first technical workshop in May was attended by officials from all jurisdictions and over 70 subject matter experts, including representatives from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and communities, academics and practitioners. A similar number attended the second technical workshop in June, which had a stronger emphasis on data issues and technical design.
A second series of national roundtables were conducted to test the analysis arising from the initial consultations, submissions and technical workshops. This phase of consultation sought to return to stakeholders who had previously been engaged in the process or lodged submissions to the public consultation website, including members of the Redfern Alliance, national peak bodies, national service providers, and other individuals and organisations. The outcomes of this phase of consultations were fed into discussions between governments in the lead up to the COAG meeting in December 2018.
States and territories held consultations over the same period to ensure views from across the country were heard and incorporated into the Refresh.
All governments remain committed to engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and other stakeholders to finalise and implement the Closing the Gap Refresh
NACCHO Aboriginal Health #SocialDeterminants #refreshtheCTGRefresh @KenWyattMP announces 4 year$18.6 million evaluation into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary healthcare : Designed for faster progress in #Closingthegap in health equality.
” A top priority has been placed on ensuring local communities that are involved in receiving and providing primary healthcare have a strong voice throughout the process,’
Federal Minister for Indigenous Health Ken Wyatt
From Dr Evelyn Lewin RACGP NewsGP
A four-year $18.6 million evaluation into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary healthcare aims to produce sustained improvements in service delivery and health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
A main focus of the Federal Government program will be considering how Commonwealth investment in the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP) links with the broader health system.
This is designed to help improve healthcare access and drive faster progress in closing the gap in health equality.
With $3.6 billion being invested in the IAHP across four years (2018–19 to 2021–22), this evaluation will help maximise the value and impact of health funding and guide program design.
The evaluation also aims to learn how well the primary healthcare system is working for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, demonstrate the difference the IAHP makes, and inform efforts to accelerate improvement in health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The evaluation will establish up to 20 location-based studies to collect information from various Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services around the country.
‘The project is another important step in assessing the impact on First Peoples’ health from the provision of effective, high-quality, culturally appropriate healthcare,’ Minister Wyatt said.
According to a report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW), The health and welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: 2015, 3% of the Australian population (just over 760,000 people) are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The report states that one in four (24%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 15 and over assessed their health as ‘fair or poor’ in 2012–13, making them 2.1 times as likely as non-Indigenous Australians to report such results.
The AIHW report also noted that 39% of the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous Australians health outcomes can be explained by social determinants
NACCHO Aboriginal Health #SocialDeterminants and #ClimateChange : How the @Walgett_AMS community members and market garden are at risk from high sodium in water in drought-stricken NSW town
“Unfortunately in our community and particularly Aboriginal people, they have a high incidence of chronic disease,
I believe we are going to have an increase in chronic disease here, particularly from the water consumption,
In my life here in Walgett for 40 odd years, it’s the first time I’ve never drank straight from the tap.
I just worry for people who have to drink straight from the tap.”
Chief Executive of the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service, Christine Corby, said high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes were common health issues:
” The Australian guidelines do state that medical practitioners who are concerned about people with hypertension should advise that people drink water with no more than 20 milligrams of sodium per litre. The Walgett drinking water is about 15 times that amount … so we need to be thinking about action to address that ”
Salt of the earth see Part 2 below
” It’s part of good health, it’s part of healthy living, it’s part of prevention and treatment of chronic disease.
For now, the garden has an exemption from the town’s level-5 water restrictions, I’m not sure how long that would last. And even with the exemption, the bore water on offer may not be suitable for gardens.
The research that we’ve received from the University of New South Wales has indicated the long-term effects, the quality of the plants, they will deteriorate, the nutrients will be reduced so it doesn’t work,
“In the long term we can’t sustain the garden.”
The Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service runs a community garden which provides fresh produce for its chronic-disease clients.
Christine Corby said the garden was crucial to these people
The Garden was featured recently in our #refreshtheCTGrefresh campaign
Part 1 : Walgett has always been a river town, perched near the junction of the Barwon and the Namoi rivers.
But with the drought biting hard, the water from those rivers isn’t making it to this northern New South Wales town.
With nothing to pump from the local weir, Walgett is the latest town forced to go underground for water.
It is now on an emergency supply of bore water, and many locals are worried it is damaging their health.
Dharriwaa Elder, Thomas Morgan, said the water was no good for drinking.
“Too much salt in it,” he said. “The kids, my grandkids, they’re starting to spit it out, they don’t like it.”
Elder Rick Townsend lives near the water treatment plant.
“I get the smell of it every morning and it’s the foulest smell,” he said.
“I don’t drink it, not at all. I drink the water at the hospital, tank water. Or I’ll buy the water in the supermarkets.”
Dharriwaa Elders Clem Dodd, Thomas Morgan, Rick Townsend and Richard Lake are concerned that the town’s emergency bore water isn’t healthy for people to drink.
Another local, Chantelle Kennedy, said most people were avoiding the tap water. “Most of us go to IGA and buy packs of 24 bottles for $20. It’s dear,” she said.
“A lot of people have been buying fizzy drinks because of the water. Some of them come out and buy hot drinks, which is cheaper than buying water.”
Part 2 : Salt of the earth
The bore water is from the Great Artesian Basin, and tests have shown the sodium levels in the water exceeded Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
Associate Professor Jacqui Webster, from the George Institute for Global Health, said the sodium levels were concerning.
“The sodium levels in the Walgett water supply are at 300 milligrams per litre and the Australian drinking water guidelines are 180 milligrams per litre, so that’s substantially higher,” she said.
Dr Webster said the guidelines for sodium in drinking water were based on taste rather than health.
But she said high sodium levels did pose serious health risks, particularly for people with underlying health problems.
“The Australian guidelines do state that medical practitioners who are concerned about people with hypertension should advise that people drink water with no more than 20 milligrams of sodium per litre,” she said.
“The Walgett drinking water is about 15 times that amount … so we need to be thinking about action to address that.”
Dr Webster said those who avoided salty drinking water by drinking alternatives such as soft drinks were solving one problem and creating another.
“If they are drinking the water it’s potentially a problem but if they are substituting it with other things that is also a cause for concern,” she said.
“Indigenous communities are suffering from greater incidences of diabetes, obesity and hypertension,” she said.
“In general people get a disproportionate amount of salt from processed foods in communities where there is limited access to fresh foods, so compounding that with sodium from the water supply is a problem, and it’s something we need to be looking into.”
Part 3 Community veggie garden under threat
The Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service runs a community garden which provides fresh produce for its chronic-disease clients.
Christine Corby said the garden was crucial to these people.
“It’s part of good health, it’s part of healthy living, it’s part of prevention and treatment of chronic disease,” she said.
For now, the garden has an exemption from the town’s level-5 water restrictions, but Ms Corby said she was not sure how long that would last. And even with the exemption, the bore water on offer may not be suitable for gardens.
“The research that we’ve received from the University of New South Wales has indicated the long-term effects, the quality of the plants, they will deteriorate, the nutrients will be reduced so it doesn’t work,” she said.
“In the long term we can’t sustain the garden.”
‘It’s going to keep everyone alive’
Walgett’s mayor, Manuel Martinez, said the shire commissioned the town bore to provide water security in the event of shortages just like this one.
“Two years ago, we had the foresight to sink a bore. We’re drought-proofing our whole shire,” Cr Martinez said.
“This is Australia. We’re in a drought and until the drought breaks, that’s the only water supply we’ve got.”
“It’s going to keep everyone alive, and that’s what we’re here to do,” he said.
“The sodium level is a bit high, higher than normal, higher than preferred, but it’s within the guidelines and it’s the same level it is with other bores.
“I’ve lived in Lightning Ridge for the last 32 years with only bore water. Most of outback Queensland is on the Artesian Basin.”
Cr Martinez said that as soon as there was water in the rivers again, Walgett would be back on river water — or at least on a mixture of river and bore water.
He said the bore water was a short-term emergency supply.
“I’m not doubting what they say, long-term effects of anything can be harmful, especially sodium or salt in the water system,” he said.
Part 4 The upstream imbalance
Many residents in Walgett believe it is not just the drought that is to blame for the dry rivers.
They say the waterways have not being managed properly and that too much water is being taken out upstream.
Chairman of the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service, Bill Kennedy, said it was hard when people saw so much water in the rivers not far up the road.
“We’ve lived through droughts before but there was always some water, and some running water,” he said.
“I guess progress has changed all that with irrigators, farming, and especially cotton further up the river.
“I was driving to Tamworth, Newcastle last week and there’s water in the rivers further up at Gunnedah, Narrabri, Wee Waa.
”
The mayor agreed, and said it was frustrating to see so much water upstream in both rivers.
“Even in this present time now you’ll see irrigators spraying all their crops,” Cr Martinez said.
“You’ve got a town with no water supply and you go 30kms up the road and irrigators are pumping”
Cr Martinez said the last two water releases from Lake Keepit were supposed to flow down as far as Walgett but they never made it.
“It’s beyond council’s control … we can only apply to push, to get another release, and try and get water to make it down to us.”
He said there was another water release from Lake Keepit on its way and hopefully this one will make it all the way to Walgett.
Spirits at low ebb
Many people in this community were deeply saddened by the state of the two rivers here.
Elder Rick Townsend says it was the worst dry spell anyone could remember.
“It’s a pretty bad state of affairs,” he said.
“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen it in all my life that I’ve lived here.”
For countless generations, the rivers have been a place to meet, fish and swim. But locals said at the moment that was simply not possible.
“There’s no fish or anything in the river any more,” says another Elder, Thomas Morgan.
“People used to come down here and fish every day, catch heaps of fish and crayfish. [They would] come with their kids and spend a good day here with them and be happy, and now they can’t do that.”
PHOTO: Dharriwaa Elders Group chairperson Clem Dodd. (ABC Western Plains: Jessie Davies )
For Clem Dodd, a spokesman for the Dharriwaa Elders Group, the implications for the community were dire.
“This place will be a ghost town before long,” he said.
“If there’s no water, everything’s going to die. There’ll be nothing here for people — they’ll all be moving out.”
NACCHO Aboriginal Health and #Obesity : #refreshtheCTGrefresh : Download the Select Committee into the #Obesity Epidemic in Australia 22 recommendations : With feedback from @ACDPAlliance @janemartinopc
” The Federal Government must impose a tax on sugary drinks, mandate Health Star Ratings and ban junk food ads on TV until 9 pm if it wants to drive down Australia’s obesity rates, a Senate committee has concluded.
The Select Committee into the Obesity Epidemic, comprising senators from all major parties and chaired by Greens leader Richard Di Natale, has tabled a far-reaching report with 22 recommendations.”
See SMH Article Part 1 below
Download PDF copy of report
Extract from Report Programs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
The committee heard that Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) run effective programs aimed at preventing and addressing the high prevalence of obesity in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Ms Pat Turner, Chief Executive Officer of National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), gave the example of the Deadly Choices program, which is about organised sports and activities for young people.
She explained that to participate in the program, prospective participants need to have a health check covered by Medicare, which is an opportunity to assess their current state of health and map out a treatment plan if necessary.
However, NACCHO is of the view that ACCHOs need to be better resourced to promote healthy nutrition and physical activity.
Access to healthy and fresh foods in remote Australia
Ms Turner also pointed out that ‘the supply of fresh foods to remote communities and regional communities is a constant problem’.
From NACCHO Submission Read here
Recommendation 21 see all Recommendations Part 2
The committee recommends the proposed National Obesity Taskforce is funded to develop and oversee culturally appropriate prevention and intervention programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Recommendation 22
The committee recommends the Commonwealth develop additional initiatives and incentives aimed at increasing access, affordability and consumption of fresh foods in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
“Unhealthy weight is a major risk factor for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Preventing obesity in children is particularly important, as it is difficult to reverse weight gain once established,”
Chair of the Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance Sharon McGowan said limiting unhealthy food marketing would reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy food and its subsequent consumption.See in full Part 3
“Obesity in this country has reached epidemic proportions, but it is not a problem without a solution. Today’s report demonstrates a willingness from representatives across all political parties to investigate the systemic causes of obesity and develop a way forward.”
A key recommendation from the Inquiry’s report is the introduction of a tax on sugary drinks; something the OPC has led calls for, and which has been supported by around 40 public health, community and academic groups in the Tipping the Scales report.
Jane Martin, Executive Manager of the Obesity Policy Coalition, said that when two thirds of Australians are overweight or obese, the Inquiry’s comprehensive report provides an acknowledgement of the scale of the problem and a blueprint for tackling it .See part 4 Below for full press release
Part 1 SMH Article
About 63 per cent of Australian adults are overweight or obese.
In a move that will likely delight health groups and enrage the food and beverage industries, it has recommended the government slap a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), saying this would reduce sugar consumption, improve public health and push manufacturers to reformulate their products.
“The World Health Organisation has recommended governments tax sugary drinks and, at present, over 30 jurisdictions across the world have introduced a SSB tax as part of their effort and commitment toward preventing and controlling the rise of obesity,” the report said.
While health groups, such as Cancer Council, have demanded a 20 per cent levy, the committee suggested the government find the best fiscal model to achieve a price increase of at least 20 per cent.
“The impacts of sugary drinks are borne most by those on low income and they will also reap the most benefits from measures that change the behaviour of manufacturers,” it said.
About 63 per cent of Australian adults and 27 per cent of children aged 5 to 17 are overweight or obese, which increases the risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
At the heart of the report is the recognition of the need for a National Obesity Taskforce, comprising government, health, industry and community representatives, which would sit within the Department of Health and be responsible for a National Obesity Strategy as well as a National Childhood Obesity Strategy.
“Australia does not have an overarching strategy to combat obesity,” it said.
“Many of the policy areas required to identify the causes, impacts and potential solutions to the obesity problem span every level of government.”
The committee has also urged the government to mandate the Health Star Rating (HSR) system, which is undergoing a five-year review, by 2020.
The voluntary front-of-pack labelling system has come under fire for producing questionable, confusing ratings – such as four stars for Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain – and becoming a “marketing tool”.
“Making it mandatory will drive food companies to reformulate more of their products in order to achieve higher HSR ratings,” the report said.
“The committee also believes that, once the HSR is made mandatory, the HSR calculator could be regularly adjusted to make it harder to achieve a five star rating.”
Pointing to a conflict-of-interest, it has recommended the HSR’s Technical Advisory Group expel members representing the industry.
“Representatives of the food and beverage industry sectors may be consulted for technical advice but [should] no longer sit on the HSR Calculator Technical Advisory Group,” it said.
The government has also been asked to consider introducing legislation to restrict junk food ads on free-to-air television until 9pm.
The group said existing voluntary codes were inadequate and also suggested that all junk food ads in all forms of media should display the product’s HSR.
The committee is made up of seven senators – two Liberals, two Labor, one each from the Greens and One Nation and independent Tim Storer.
The Liberals wrote dissenting statements, saying a taskforce was unnecessary, HSR should remain voluntary, there shouldn’t be a sugar tax, and current advertising regulations were enough.
“No witnesses who appeared before the inquiry could point to any jurisdiction in the world where the introduction of a sugar tax led to a fall in obesity rates,” they said.
Labor senators also said there was no need for a sugar tax because there isn’t enough evidence.
“Labor senators are particularly concerned that an Australian SSB would likely be regressive, meaning that it would impact lower-income households disproportionately,” they said.
Committee chair, Dr Di Natale said: “We need the full suite of options recommended by the committee if we’re serious about making Australians happier, healthier, and more active.”
Part 2 ALL 22 Recommendations
Recommendation 1
The committee recommends that Commonwealth funding for overweight and obesity prevention efforts and treatment programs should be contingent on the appropriate use of language to avoid stigma and blame in all aspects of public health campaigns, program design and delivery.
Recommendation 2
The committee recommends that the Commonwealth Department of Health work with organisations responsible for training medical and allied health professionals to incorporate modules specifically aimed at increasing the understanding and awareness of stigma and blame in medical, psychological and public health interventions of overweight and obesity.
Recommendation 3
The committee recommends the establishment of a National Obesity Taskforce, comprising representatives across all knowledge sectors from federal, state, and local government, and alongside stakeholders from the NGO, private sectors and community members. The Taskforce should sit within the Commonwealth Department of Health and be responsible for all aspects of government policy direction, implementation and the management of funding
Recommendation 3.1
The committee recommends that the newly established National Obesity Taskforce develop a National Obesity Strategy, in consultation with all key stakeholders across government, the NGO and private sectors.
Recommendation 3.2
The committee recommends that the Australian Dietary Guidelines are updated every five years.
Recommendation 6
The committee recommends the Minister for Rural Health promote to the Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation the adoption of the following changes to the current Health Star Rating system:
- The Health Star Rating Calculator be modified to address inconsistencies in the calculation of ratings in relation to:
- foods high in sugar, sodium and saturated fat;
- the current treatment of added sugar;
- the current treatment of fruit juices;
- the current treatment of unprocessed fruit and vegetables; and
- the ‘as prepared’ rules.
- Representatives of the food and beverage industry sectors may be consulted for technical advice but no longer sit on the HSR Calculator Technical Advisory Group.
- The Health Star Rating system be made mandatory by 2020.
Recommendation 7
The committee recommends Food Standards Australia New Zealand undertake a review of voluntary front-of-pack labelling schemes to ensure they are fit-forpurpose and adequately represent the nutritional value of foods and beverages.
Recommendation 8
The committee recommends the Minister for Rural Health promote to the Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation the adoption of mandatory labelling of added sugar on packaged foods and drinks.
Recommendation 9
The committee recommends that the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Health Council work with the Department of Health to develop a nutritional information label for fast food menus with the goal of achieving national consistency and making it mandatory in all jurisdictions.
Recommendation 10
The committee recommends the Australian Government introduce a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, with the objectives of reducing consumption, improving public health and accelerating the reformulation of products.
Recommendation 11
The committee recommends that, as part of the 2019 annual review of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice, Free TV Australia introduce restrictions on discretionary food and drink advertising on free-to-air television until 9.00pm.
Recommendation 12
The committee recommends that the Australian Government consider introducing legislation to restrict discretionary food and drink advertising on free-toair television until 9.00pm if these restrictions are not voluntary introduced by Free TV Australia by 2020.
Recommendation 13
The committee recommends the Australian Government make mandatory the display of the Health Star Rating for food and beverage products advertised on all forms of media.
Recommendation 14
The committee recommends the proposed National Obesity Taskforce is funded to develop and oversee the implementation of a range of National Education Campaigns with different sectors of the Australian community. Educational campaigns will be context dependent and aimed at supporting individuals, families and communities to build on cultural practices and improve nutrition literacy and behaviours around diet, physical activity and well-being.
Recommendation 15
The committee recommends that the National Obesity Taskforce, when established, form a sub-committee directly responsible for the development and management of a National Childhood Obesity Strategy.
Recommendation 16
The committee recommends the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) consider adding obesity to the list of medical conditions eligible for the Chronic Disease Management scheme.
Recommendation 17
The committee recommends the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and other college of professional bodies educate their members about the benefits of bariatric surgical interventions for some patients.
Recommendation 18
The committee recommends the proposed National Obesity Taskforce commission evaluations informed by multiple methods of past and current multistrategy prevention programs with the view of designing future programs.
Recommendation 19
The committee recommends the proposed National Obesity Taskforce is funded to develop and oversee the implementation of multi-strategy, community based prevention programs in partnership with communities.
Recommendation 20
The committee recommends the proposed National Obesity Taskforce develop a National Physical Activity Strategy.
Recommendation 21
The committee recommends the proposed National Obesity Taskforce is funded to develop and oversee culturally appropriate prevention and intervention programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Recommendation 22
The committee recommends the Commonwealth develop additional initiatives and incentives aimed at increasing access, affordability and consumption of fresh foods in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
Part 3 Protect our children chronic disease groups support calls to restrict junk food advertising
Junk food advertising to children urgently needs to be better regulated.
That’s a recommendation from the Senate report on obesity, released last night, and a message that the Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance strongly supports.
Chair of the Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance Sharon McGowan said limiting unhealthy food marketing would reduce children’s exposure to unhealthy food and its subsequent consumption.
“Unhealthy weight is a major risk factor for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Preventing obesity in children is particularly important, as it is difficult to reverse weight gain once established,” Ms McGowan said.
Ms McGowan said one in four children are already overweight or obese, and more likely to grow into adults who are overweight or obese with greater risk of chronic disease.
“While there are multiple factors influencing unhealthy weight gain, this is not an excuse for inaction,” she said. “Food companies are spending big money targeting our kids, unhealthy food advertising fills our television screens, our smartphones and digital media channels.
“Currently, self-regulation by industry is limited and there are almost no restrictions for advertising unhealthy foods online – this has to stop.
“We need to act now to stem this tide of obesity and preventable chronic disease, or we risk being the first generation to leave our children with a shorter life expectancy than our own.”
The Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance also welcomed the Report’s recommendations for the establishment of a National Obesity Taskforce, improvements to the Health Star Rating food labelling system, development a National Physical Activity Strategy and introduction of a sugary drinks levy.
“We support the recent Government commitment to develop a national approach to obesity and urge the government to incorporate the recommendations from the Senate report for a well-rounded approach to tackle obesity in Australia,” Ms McGowan said.
Part 4
Sugary drink levy among 22 recommendations
The Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) has welcomed a Senate Inquiry report into the Obesity Epidemic in Australia as an important step toward saving Australians from a lifetime of chronic disease and even premature death.
Jane Martin, Executive Manager of the Obesity Policy Coalition, said that when two thirds of Australians are overweight or obese, the Inquiry’s comprehensive report provides an acknowledgement of the scale of the problem and a blueprint for tackling it.
“Obesity in this country has reached epidemic proportions, but it is not a problem without a solution. Today’s report demonstrates a willingness from representatives across all political parties to investigate the systemic causes of obesity and develop a way forward.”
A key recommendation from the Inquiry’s report is the introduction of a tax on sugary drinks; something the OPC has led calls for, and which has been supported by around 40 public health, community and academic groups in the Tipping the Scales report.
“Sugar is a problem in our diets and sugary drinks are the largest contributor of added sugar for Australians. Consumption of these beverages is associated with chronic health conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some cancers and tooth decay,” Ms Martin said.
“We have been calling for a 20% health levy on sugary drinks for a number of years, but Australia continues to lag behind 45 other jurisdictions around the world that have introduced levies. When sugary drinks are often cheaper than water, it’s time to take action.”
The report also calls for a review of the current rules around junk food advertising to children.
Ms Martin insisted any review should prioritise an end to the advertising industry’s selfregulated codes.
“We know industry marketing is having a negative effect; it directly impacts what children eat and what they pester their parents for. It’s wallpaper in their lives, bombarding them during their favourite TV shows, infiltrating their social media feeds and plastering their sports grounds and uniforms when they play sport,” Ms Martin said.
“With more than one in four Australian children overweight or obese, it’s time for the Government to acknowledge that leaving food and beverage companies to make their own sham rules allows them to continue to prioritise profits over kids’ health.”
While the Inquiry’s report calls for a National Obesity Strategy, a commitment announced by the COAG Health Ministers earlier this year, Ms Martin stressed that this must be developed independently, without the involvement of the ultra-processed food industry, which has already hampered progress to date.
“The OPC, along with 40 leading community and public health groups, have set out clear actions on how best to tackle obesity in our consensus report, Tipping the Scales. These actions came through strongly from many of the groups who participated in the inquiry and we are pleased to see them reflected in the recommendations.
“The evidence is clear on what works to prevent and reduce obesity, but for real impact we need leadership from policy makers. We need to stop placing the blame on individuals. The Federal and State governments must now work together to push those levers under their control to stem the tide of obesity.”
The senate inquiry report contains 22 recommendations which address the causes, control of obesity, including:
- The establishment of a National Obesity Taskforce, with a view to develop a National Obesity Strategy
- Introduction of a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages
- The Health Star Rating system be made mandatory by 2020
- Adoption of mandatory labelling of added sugar
- Restrictions on discretionary food and drink advertising on free-to-air television until 9pm
- Implementation of a National Education Campaign aimed at improving nutrition literacy and behaviours around diet and physical activity
- Form a sub-committee from the National Obesity Taskforce around the development and management of a National Childhood Obesity Strategy
BACKGROUND:
On 10 May 2018, the Senate voted to establish an inquiry to examine the impacts of Australia’s obesity epidemic.
The Select Committee into the obesity epidemic was established on 16 May 2018 to look at the causes of rising levels of obese and overweight people in Australia and how the issue affects children. It also considered the economic burden of the health concern and the effectiveness of existing programs to improve diets and tackle childhood obesity. The inquiry has received 145 submissions and has published its full report today.
The Committee held public hearings from public health, industry and community groups. The OPC provided a submission and Jane Martin gave evidence at one of these sessions.
NACCHO Aboriginal Health and #SocialDeterminants #refreshtheCTGRefresh @TonyAbbottMHR Statement to parliament with 6 key recommendations on remote school attendance and performance
” Why don’t the objective outcomes for Aboriginal Australians match those of everyone else – and what can be done to close this gap?
Amidst all our glittering successes as a nation, this is the one question that’s haunted us, almost since the very first Australia Day; and it always will, until it’s fixed.”
The Hon Tony Abbott MP address to Parliament 6 December
Download a copy of Improving education outcomes for Indigenous children
Back when prime minister, I used to observe, that to live in Australia is to have won the lottery of life – and that’s true – unless you happen to be, one-of-those whose ancestors had been here for tens of thousands of years.
That’s the Australian paradox. Vast numbers of people from around the world would literally risk death to be here, yet the first Australians often live in the conditions that people come to Australia to escape. We are the very best of countries; except for the people who were here first.
And this gnaws away, a standing reproach to idealists and patriots of all stripes. As long as many Aboriginal people have third world lives, and are on average poorer, sicker, and worse housed by-a-vast-margin than the rest of us, we can indeed be – as we boast – the most successful immigrant society on earth; except, ahem, for those who have been here the longest.
You can appreciate my reservations, then, when the Prime Minister asked me to be his “special envoy” on indigenous affairs. How could a backbench MP make a-difference-in-six-months to a problem that had been intractable for two hundred years? Yet perhaps someone who’s been wrestling with this for a quarter century, and may have spent more time in remote Australia than any other MP, except the few who actually live there – but isn’t dealing with every lobby and vested interest as the PM, the minister and the relevant local member invariably are – can bring fresh eyes to an old problem and perhaps distinguish the wood from the trees.
Amidst all the generally depressing indicators on indigenous Australia, this one stands out. Indigenous people who finish school and who complete a degree have much the same employment outcomes and life expectancies as other comparable Australians. And it stands to reason…that to have a decent life, you’ve got to have a job; and to have a job, you’ve got to have a reasonable education. As prime minister for indigenous affairs this, always, was my mantra: get the kids to school, get the adults to work, and make communities safe.
So the Prime Minister and I soon agreed: that as special envoy, my task was to promote better remote school attendance and performance because this is our biggest challenge.
Around the country, school attendance is about 93 per cent. That’s 93 per cent of all enrolled students, on average, are there on any given day. But for Aboriginal kids, school attendance is just 83 per cent. In very remote schools – where the pupils are mostly indigenous – attendance is only 75 per cent, and only 36 per cent of remote students are at school at-least-90-per-cent-of-the-time, which is what educators think is needed for schooling to be effective. Not surprisingly, in remote schools, only 60 per cent of pupils are meeting the national minimum standards for reading.
Now, it’s not lack of money that’s to blame. On average, spending on remote students is at least 50 per cent higher than in metropolitan schools. A key factor is the high turnover of teachers, who are often very inexperienced to start with. In the Northern Territory’s remote schools, for instance, most teachers have less than five years’ experience and the average length of stay in any one school is less than two years.
Of course, every teacher in every school is making a difference. Even a transient teacher in a poorly-attended school is better than leaving Aboriginal people without the means of becoming successful citizens in their own country. And even attending a struggling school is better than missing out on an education. Our challenge as a government, as a parliament, as a nation, is to-do-more-to-ensure that kids in remote schools are getting the best possible education, because it’s only once we’re doing our job that we can expect parents to do theirs and send their children to school.
Posing this simple question – how do we get every child to go to school every day – prompted one teacher, an elder, who’d been at Galiwinku School since the 1970s, to sigh that she’d been asked the same question for 40 years…. And pretty obviously, that’s because after-all-that-time the answer still eludes us.
And yes, if there were more local jobs and a stronger local economy; if housing wasn’t as overcrowded; if family trauma weren’t as prevalent, and sorry business so frequent; if the sly grogging and all night parties stopped; if there were more indigenous teachers and other successful role models; if pupils didn’t have hearing problems or foetal alcohol syndrome; and maybe if indigenous recognition had taken place; and land claims had been finalised….it might be easier.
In their own way, these all feed into the issue; but if we wait for everything to be addressed, little will ever be achieved. There are all sorts of reasons why a particular child might not be at school on any one day but there’s really nothing that can justify (as opposed, sometimes, to explain) the chronic non-attendance of so many remote indigenous children.
After this latest round of visits and discussions, I can readily understand the despondency people in this field sometimes wrestle with; but there are more grounds for optimism and less reason to be resigned-to-failure than ever before. Yes, some of the federal government’s remote school attendance teams are a glorified bus service; but others are deeply embedded in the school and in the community and can explain almost every absence. Yes, too many remote schools still have very high staff and principal turnover; but there are also hundreds of dedicated remote teachers who have made their work a calling or a mission, rather than just a job or even a career.
Yes, there’ve been plenty of policy flip-flops over-the-years as new governments and new ministers try to reinvent the wheel; but in most states and territories there are now ten-year strategies in place with a stress on staff continuity, on closely monitoring each pupil’s progress and movement, on back-to-basics teaching, on community involvement, and on getting mothers and their new babies straight into the school environment: strategies that have outlived changes of government and minister.
In other words, there’s finally broad agreement on what needs to be done – at least for schools – and a collective official determination to see-it-through for the long term, rather than be blown-off-course by each you-beaut-new-idea.
In all the remote schools that I’ve just visited, culture is respected – and in many of them teaching is bi-lingual, at least in the early years – while teachers still strive to enable proud indigenous people to flourish in the wider world, not just the community they’re born into.
Many fret that progress is stalled or even in reverse – because the world only changes for the better, person-by-person, school-by-school, and community-by-community; and, at this level, there can often be two steps back for every step forward. But while little ever improves as fast as we’d like, it was gratifying to see that the Opal fuel, I introduced as health minister, has all-but-eliminated petrol sniffing in remote Australia. And the larger communities of the APY Lands, with just one exception, now have what-they-all-lacked-a-decade-ago, the permanent police presence that I’d tried to achieve as the relevant federal minister. The Lands are still off-limits-without-a-permit to most Australians, but at least Pukatja now has a roadhouse!
And at least some remote community leaders haven’t shirked the “tough love” conversation that’s needed with their own people; and have accepted restrictions on how welfare can be spent, with the debit card in Kununurra, Ceduna and Kalgoorlie; and the Family Responsibilities Commission in many of the communities of Cape York.
On my recent swing through remote schools, all classrooms – every one of them – were free of the defeated teachers, the structure-less lessons and the distracted pupils that were all-too-prevalent some years back on my stints as a stand-in teacher’s aide; even if actual attendance rates still left much to be desired.
In all the bigger schools, there’s now the Clontarf “no-class-no-footy” programme for the boys and, increasingly, a comparable Girls Academy too. Who would have thought that Kununurra, Coen and Hope Vale schools would have concert bands that any school could be proud of! In Coober Pedy, I helped to wrap books as gifts for the children who regularly attended school; and in Aurukun, handed out satchels to the students going on excursion to the Gold Coast as a reward being at school all the time.
I’m much-more-confident-than-I-expected-to-be that, left to their own devices, the states and territories will manage steady if patchy progress towards better attendance and better performance. But what will be hard to overcome, I suspect, is communities’ propensity to find excuses for kids’ absences; and school systems’ reluctance to tailor-make credentials and incentives for remote teachers. This is where the federal government could come in: to back strong local indigenous leadership ready to make more effort to get their kids to school; and to back state and territory governments ready for further innovation to improve their remote schools.
While all states and territories provide incentives and special benefits for remote teachers, sometimes these work against long-term retention. In one state, for instance, the incentives cease once a teacher has been in a particular school for five years. In others, a remote teaching stint means preferential access to more sought-after placements, so teachers invariably leave after doing the bare minimum to qualify.
There should be special literacy and numeracy training (as well as cultural training) before teachers go to remote schools, where English is often a second or third language. And there should be substantially higher pay in recognition of these extra professional challenges. And because it can take so long to gain families’ trust, there should be substantial retention bonuses to keep teachers in particular remote locations.
We need to attract and retain better teachers to remote schools. And we need to empower remote community leadership that’s ready to take more responsibility for what happens there. The objective, is not to dictate to the states their decisions about teacher pay and staffing but to work with them so that whatever they do is more effective. It’s not to impose new rules on remote communities but to work in partnership with local leaders who want change for the better.
Where local leaders are prepared to accept measures that should create a better environment for school attendance, like the debit card or the Family Responsibilities Commission, the government should be ready to offer extra economic opportunity or better amenities. If local communities have a project, and would like federal government support, and are prepared to accept that with rights come responsibilities, they should make contact to explore what we might all do better.
For instance, at Borroloola, when I wanted to talk school attendance, locals only wanted to talk housing. And I well and truly got their point, once I’d seen the near-shanties that people were living in; and new houses, I’m pleased to say, are now on their way. On future visits, no one should have poor housing as an on-going reason for kids missing school; because if government wants communities to lift their game, we have to be ready to lift ours too.
As the national government, we should be prepared to make it easier for state and territory action to attract and retain better teachers; and we should reinforce the self-evident maxim that every kid should go to school every day: not by taking away the states’ and territories’ responsibility for managing schools; and not by imposing a “punishment agenda” but by making good policy and strong local leadership more effective. After all, good government – certainly good, sensible small-c conservative government – means a clear objective, plus reasonable, do-able means of moving towards it.
As envoy, my job is to make recommendations rather than decisions: recommendations with a good chance of success because they’re consistent with the government’s values and its policy direction.
6 Major Recommendations
First, the government should work with the states and territories (whose responsibility it is to pay teachers) to increase substantially the salary supplements and the retention bonuses (if any) currently paid to teachers working in very remote areas.
Second, and this is just a federal responsibility, the government should waive the HECS debt of teachers who, after two years’ experience in other schools, teach in a very remote school and stay for four years.
Third, communities ready to consider the debit card or arrangements akin to it, in order to boost local pupils’ capacity to attend school, should have fast-tracked Indigenous Advancement Strategy projects as a reciprocity measure – a form of mutual obligation, if you like, between government and communities.
Fourth, the Remote School Attendance Strategy should be funded for a further four years, but with some refinements to obtain more local school “buy-in” and better community “intelligence”, and to encourage engagement with local housing authorities and police, where needed.
Fifth, the Good-to-Great-Schools programme, that’s reintroduced phonics and disciplined learning to quite a few remote schools, should be funded for another year to enable further evaluation and emulation.
And sixth, the government should match the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation’s private and philanthropic funding on an on-going basis. Officialdom never likes selective schemes that send people to elite schools, but this one is undoubtedly working to lift people’s horizons, to open people’s hearts and to create an indigenous middle class with the kinds of networks that people in this parliament, for instance, can invariably take for granted.
These recommendations will now be considered through the government’s usual policy making processes and I look forward to ministers’ announcements in due course; and, in some cases, before Christmas.
In every state and territory, it’s compulsory for school age children to be enrolled and not to miss school without a good excuse. For a host of understandable reasons: such as schools’ reluctance to be policemen, the disruption that unwilling students can create in class, the difficulty of holding parents responsible for teenagers’ behaviour, and the cost to family budgets, these truancy laws are rarely enforced, even though there should be direct consequences for bad behaviour – not just the long-term cost to society of people who can’t readily prosper in the modern world.
Most jurisdictions are once-more ready to impose fines on consistently delinquent parents and guardians but fines are often ineffective when gaol is the only mechanism for making people pay. Hence my final recommendation is that all debts-to-government, including on-the-spot fines – and not just those to the Commonwealth – should be deductible from welfare payments.
Finally, I thank the Prime Minister for the opportunity he’s given me. I thank the Ministers for Indigenous Affairs and for Education (who’ve magnanimously put up with an intruder on their patch); and the Prime Minister and Cabinet staff I’ve been working with (in Canberra and in the regional networks) for the past three months. I thank the Northern Territory, South Australian and Western Australian education ministers and their officials, and Queensland officials for their discussions and for facilitating community visits. And I thank the schools and communities of Warruwi, Galiwinku, Nhulunbuy, Yirrkala, Borroloola, Koonibba, Yalata, Coober Pedy, Pukatja, Broome, Kununurra, Coen, Aurukun, Hope Vale, Palm Island and Cherbourg for making me welcome.
However long my public life lasts; in government, or out of it; in the parliament, or out of it; I intend to persevere in this cause. Some missions, once accepted, can never really cease. Of course, the future for Aboriginal people lies much more in their own hands than in mine; but getting more of them to school, and making their schooling more useful, is a duty that government must not shirk. An ex-PM has just one unique trait, and that’s a very big megaphone, that I will continue to use, to see this done. This is my first statement to parliament on remote school attendance and performance…but it certainly won’t be my last word on this absolutely vital subject.
NACCHO Aboriginal Childrens Health #PesterPower and #Nutrition # Obesity #Sugar : Our Biggest food and beverage companies slammed at Fame and Shame Awards : Our mob need to make @DeadlyChoices #healthyfoods
“ When around 40 per cent of the energy in the average Australian child’s diet comes from junk food, it’s time for the Government to stop leaving industry to make its own sham rules,”
This type of unhealthy food marketing is undermining efforts by parents, schools and communities to encourage healthy habits.
We know marketing works; it directly impacts what children eat and what they pester their parents for.”
Jane Martin, executive manager of the Obesity Policy Coalition, said the industry had no shame and would always put profits ahead of children.
Smoke and Mirrors award: Nestle for “Add more milk” Milo campaign
Digital Ninja: McDonald’s for its “Happy Land” app
Pester Power: Coles Little Shop
Foul Sport: PepsiCo for its Gatorade “The Game is Never Over” campaign
Parents’ Choice Award for Food: Former MasterChef contestant Alice Zaslavsky’s the “Phenomenom” campaign
Nestle has taken out the gong for a “misleading children’s campaign” at an annual awards event exposing the worst of junk food marketing.
Stealing the crown from last year’s “winner” Kellogg’s, the world’s largest food and beverage company took out the Smoke and Mirrors category at the 14th national Parents’ Voice Fame and Shame Awards in Victoria today.
Nestle was pulled up for its campaign calling on children to “add more to milk” with MILO, failing to mention it contained 9g of added sugar.
Nestlé nutritionist Megan Nader told news.com.au Milo does contain some sugar, “although some is naturally occurring and it is not all added.”
“Its main role is to support kids’ meeting dairy and nutrient intakes by adding extra calcium, protein, iron and vitamin D to a glass of milk,” she said.
And, despite its huge popularity, it was the Coles Little Shop campaign that claimed the Pester Power award for featuring products that appeal to children such as Nutella, Tim Tam and Oak chocolate milk.
Nicole French, a parent member of Parents’ Voice, said that the level of pestering the Little Shop campaign encouraged in children was almost unprecedented.
“Through play with these products, our children learn unhealthy habits that may last a lifetime,” Ms French said.
Nestle was shamed for its ‘Add more milk’ campaign at the national Parents’ Voice Fame and Shame Awards.
Coles’ Little Shop campaign got the Pester Power award.
But Coles said it was “blown away with customer engagement and feedback to Little Shop”.
“They told us it made them excited to shop and it appealed to customers of all ages. Whether they were collecting for themselves, their family members, neighbours or work colleagues, “Little Shop brought people together and they had a lot of fun with it,” the spokeswoman said.
“We saw schools using them as teaching aids, they were being used as fun accessories, and we’re even hearing that customers will be using them as elves on shelves this Christmas.”
McDonald’s also copped flak at the awards that aim to promote a healthy lifestyle for children. The “Happy Land” app received the Digital Ninja award for being the digital media campaign “most obviously targeting children and driving unhealthy participation in the brand”.
Parents’ Voice campaigns manager Alice Pryor slammed the campaigns for not “contributing to healthier futures for our kids”.
In the drinks category, Gatorade copped the The Foul Sport award for its “The Game is Never Over” campaign featuring AFL’s Scott Pendlebury.
“Parents are fed up with sports drinks such as Gatorade marketing to kids via their sporting heroes,” Ms French said, explaining “nine teaspoons (36g) of added sugar per 600ml bottle — Gatorade is more likely to lead to weight gain than sporting prowess.”
McDonald’s Happyland app copped the Digital Ninja award.
Already, more than 70 per cent of Aussie children are not meeting the national physical activity recommendation — and junk food marketing isn’t helping, experts claim.
PepsiCo got the Foul Sport award for its Gatorade “The Game is Never Over” campaign
Parents’ Voice also commended those encouraging a healthier lifestyle.
Former MasterChef contestant Alice Zaslavsky was awarded the Parents’ Choice Award for Food, for her “The Phenomenom” campaign featuring springboard videos and interactive lessons for children.
The Parents’ Choice Award for Physical Activity went to VicHealth for the “This Girl Can” campaign for inspiring women and girls to embrace a variety of physical activities to get them moving every day.
“We continue to be shocked by the amount of junk food and drink ads aimed at children. 1 in 4 Australian kids are above a healthy weight. This targeting of Australian kids must end,” Ms Pryor said.
News.com.au has contacted McDonald’s and PepsiCo for comment.
NACCHO Aboriginal Health #Jobalerts as at 4 December #refreshtheCTGRefresh : This week features #VIC Rumbalara ACCHO #NSW South Coast AMS #NT Sunrise ACCHO @MiwatjHealth @CAACongress #QLD @Wuchopperen @Deadlychoices @ATSICHSBris @IUIH_ @Apunipima
This weeks #ACCHO #Jobalerts
Please note : This is last Job Alert for 2018 ,we will resume this service Wednesday 23 January 2019
Before completing a job application please check with the ACCHO that the job is still open
1.1 Job/s of the week
1.2 National Aboriginal Health Scholarships
AMA Indigenous Medical $10,000 Scholarship 2019 Applications close 31 January 2019.
2.Queensland
2.1 Apunipima ACCHO Cape York
2.2 IUIH ACCHO Deadly Choices Brisbane and throughout Queensland
2.3 ATSICHS ACCHO Brisbane
3.NT Jobs Alice Spring ,Darwin East Arnhem Land and Katherine
3.1Congress ACCHO Alice Spring
3.2 Miwatj Health ACCHO Arnhem Land
3.3 Wurli ACCHO Katherine
3.4 Sunrise ACCHO Katherine
4. South Australia
4.1 Nunkuwarrin Yunti of South Australia Inc
5. Western Australia
5.1 Derbarl Yerrigan Health Services Inc
5.2 Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS)
6.Victoria
6.1 Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS)
6.2 Mallee District Aboriginal Services Mildura Swan Hill Etc
6.3 : Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-Operative 2 POSITIONS VACANT
7.New South Wales
7.1 AHMRC Sydney and Rural
8. Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre ACCHO
9.Canberra ACT Winnunga ACCHO
10. Other : Stakeholders Indigenous Health
Over 302 ACCHO clinics See all websites by state territory
NACCHO Affiliate , Member , Government Department or stakeholders
If you have a job vacancy in Indigenous Health
Email to Colin Cowell NACCHO Media
Tuesday by 4.30 pm Tuesday 22 January for publication each Wednesday 23 January 2019
1.1 Jobs of the week
General Manager Clinics and Services : Danila Dilba ACCHO Darwin
This position is responsible for leading the design, development and delivery of quality, culturally sensitive, comprehensive primary health care clinical services at DDHS Health Clinics and contribute to DHSS whole of services aimed at improving the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents.
For further information please contact Sarah Giles on 0429 022 272 or email sarah.giles@ddhs.org.au
APPLICATIONS CLOSE: 10 DECEMBER 2018 (5pm)
All applicants must apply via the online portal (link below) ensuring they address the Selection Criteria and include current resume/CV.
All Employees must hold a current Drivers Licence, be willing to undergo a Police Check and be able to obtain Ochre card clearance.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are strongly encouraged to apply
Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative ACCHO Shepparton Victoria : Family Partnership Worker – Australian Nurse Family Partnership Program (ANFPP)
Full time position – 38 hours per week
We advertise this position as an Identified Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander position only in line with ‘special measures’ under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 Section 12 example 1.
This role exist to support women pregnant with an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander baby and their families using a therapeutic, partnership approach. The program supports voluntary clients to improve their personal health and wellbeing, environmental health, increase their self- efficacy and improve the health and development of their children.
Further information on the Australian Nurse Family Partnership Program (ANFPP) can be found of the following website: http://www.anfpp.com.au
Minimum qualifications required to be considered for this position include: Minimum Cert III in Community Service or equivalent would be highly advantageous.
Salary Packaging is a benefit available for Part or Full Time Employees
Your application will need to include a copy of your Victorian Employee Working with Children Check and a police check obtained within the last 2 months. For consideration for an interview, you must obtain a Position Description from Marieta on (03) 5820 6405 or email: marieta.martin@raclimited.com.au or download the Position Description from www.rumbalara.org.au/vacancies and address the Key Selection Criteria, include a current resume, copies of qualifications and a cover letter.
Applications close at 4pm on Wednesday, 19th December 2018 and are to be addressed to:
Human Resources Dept.
Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-Operative PO Box 614 Mooroopna Vic 3629
Justice, AOD and Family Violence Programs and Services now have the following vacancies based at the High Street, Shepparton office
Senior Alcohol and Other Drugs Worker (Counsellor)
Full time position – 38 hours per week
As part of a multi-disciplinary team, you will have a strong understanding of the complexities of AOD and / or mental health and the various service systems that clients interface with as well as the advocacy required in these systems. More importantly, you must be able to demonstrate a knowledge of alcohol and other drug issues impacting on Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.
You will provide intensive case management and wrap-around services aimed to minimise substance related harm and / or the impacts of trauma engendered mental health issues by maximising the client’s strengths, self-reliance, self-care and participation.
As well, your responsibilities will include, but not be limited to: competently and confidently initiating, supporting and/or coordinating best practice treatment and care models that enhance healthy lifestyle choices and the client’s physical as well as mental health and wellbeing; high quality, comprehensive needs assessments, treatment and support services to clients and their families including family inclusive practices and comorbid principles; high risk assessments and holistic responses between identified partner agencies through case discussion aimed to enhance treatment outcomes.
Minimum qualifications required to be considered for the AOD positions are: Tertiary qualification in AOD, Mental Health, Counselling, Social Work or a related discipline.
The usual mandatory terms and organisational conditions apply to this vacancy including holding a valid Victorian Employee Working with Children Check and a police check obtained within the last 2 months.
For consideration for an interview, you must obtain a Position Description from Marieta on (03) 5820 6405 or email: marieta.martin@raclimited.com.au and address the Key Selection Criteria. Include a current resume, copies of qualifications and a cover letter.
Applications should be addressed to Human Resources, Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative Ltd., Wyndham Street, Shepparton and must be received by HR no later than 4pm on Wednesday 12 December 2018
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community are encouraged to apply
Dietitian Sunrise ACCHO Katherine NT
- Are you a Dietitian looking for a new opportunity to grow and develop your skills? Join this reputable Aboriginal Health Service!
- Attractive remuneration package circa $61,777 to $98,396 plus generous allowances and salary sacrifice options!
- Amazing work/life balance, giving you the chance to explore the wondrous Australian outback!
About the Opportunity
Sunrise Health Service now has a rewarding opportunity for a Dietitian to join their dedicated, multidisciplinary team. This role is being offered on a full-time basis and is located in Katherine, NT.
Reporting to the Dietitian/Nutritionist Cluster Leader your primary responsibility will be to provide public health nutrition and dietetic services and will contribute to the planning, implementation and evaluation of programs that will improve nutritional status for members of the community.
Key responsibilities include:
- Liaising with health centre staff and clients to support processes for targeted interventions, including group sessions and activities;
- Working with the Population Health Team to implement and evaluate community nutrition programs;
- Acting as the primary source of specific nutrition knowledge and contributing to the professional development of others in the area of nutrition;
- Developing and implementing activities that aim to improve nutritional status across the region; and
- Ensuring that all reporting requirements are well planned, coordinated and submitted.
About You
Sunrise Health Service is seeking an individual with strong knowledge and understanding of remote and/or Aboriginal communities are essential, while previous experience living and working in a remote and/or Aboriginal community would be an advantage.
The successful candidate must be degree qualified in Human Nutrition and Dietetics and hold (or be eligible to hold) an Accredited Practising Dietitian status. Previous experience working as a practising dietitian will be ideal.
You must have an understanding of the principles of primary health care in a remote and multidisciplinary environment. Excellent communications skills are a must, including well developed cross-cultural interpersonal abilities and the ability to practice in a sensitive and culturally safe manner; you will understand and adhere to the principles of Aboriginal community control of health services.
The successful candidate should be prepared to undertake considerable travel into remote communities surrounding Katherine, as such an unrestricted drivers licence will be essential.
To be considered, you must be willing to undergo a Police Check and Working with Children Check prior to commencing employment.
About the Benefits
This is a rewarding role that offers you the opportunity to advance your career as part of a highly respected organisation. In addition, you will receive ongoing professional training opportunities to ensure your future career excels.
Your dedication will be rewarded with an attractive remuneration package circa $61,777 – $98,396 (commensurate with qualifications and experience) plus a range of benefits including:
- 6 weeks leave per year;
- Up to 10 days study leave;
- Salary packaging options; and
- Travel allowances.
Additionally, working at Sunrise Health Service and living in the Katherine region has lifestyle benefits that are unique to the Northern Territory. With Australia’s most stunning landscapes on your doorstep and an incredible outdoor lifestyle on offer, the Northern Territory is the place to be to make the most of life’s adventures.
About the Organisation
Sunrise Health Service Aboriginal Corporation’s main purpose is to improve the health and wellbeing of the people in the region east of Katherine in the Northern Territory using a holistic approach that includes a high standard of medical care, the promotion of social justice and the overcoming of the sickness that affects so many people in the region. This is done through the organisation’s health clinics and health education, mixing together traditional Indigenous culture and the best of mainstream medicine.
Sunrise Health Service Aboriginal Corporation works in partnership with Northern Territory PHN (NT PHN), who provide support services to health professionals and organisation across the Northern Territory. NT PHN offers support and assistance to eligible nurses and allied health professionals who are relocating them to the NT for the purposes of employment.
Most importantly, the Sunrise approach involves community people taking part in controlling their own health. Everything from financial management and governance, staff selection and service delivery priorities are directed by the organisation’s Aboriginal Board and Community Health Committees. The organisation proudly boast ISO 9001 and AGPAL accreditation.
Sunrise provides a fulfilling and stimulating work environment in a diverse range of areas for those seeking a career in Indigenous Health.
Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to directly impact the provision of Aboriginal primary health care services
Preservation Caseworker x 4 Full Time based in Nowra, Goulburn and Far South Coast
Applications Close 14 December 2018
PURPOSE OF THE POSITION
The Preservation Caseworker is required to work as part of a responsive and dedicated Preservation team who are responsible for providing case management and support to achieve outcomes for families with children and young people who are at risk of entering Out of Home Care (OOHC).
The Caseworker will provide intensive support services to vulnerable children, young people, and their families in order to identify and/or reduce risks, allowing families to maintain the care of their child/children.
The Caseworker will work with and support families in order to prevent children and young people entering statutory OOHC by planning and implementing strategies to build their parenting capacity to provide safe and nurturing environments free from risk of harm.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience
Essential
* Tertiary qualifications in Social Work, Welfare, Community Services or related fields, or willingness to obtain tertiary qualifications in the above fields.
* Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the issues affecting Aboriginal communities, families and children specifically in to Aboriginal children and young people who are at risk of entering statutory OOHC.
* Experience working within a case management model and/or OOHC.
* Highly developed analytical case work skills.
* Demonstrated capacity to work autonomously in developing and managing detailed, effective family action plans for multiple families simultaneously.
* Demonstrated ability to be adaptable to changing circumstances and organisational requirements, and contribute to the needs of an expanding organisation.
* Proficient computer literacy and the ability to use basic computer programs and all Microsoft Office applications.
* Clear Working with Children Check and National Police History Check.
* Current Drivers Licence.
Desirable
* *Aboriginality.
* Demonstrated knowledge of relevant legislation, NSW Child Safe Standard for Permanent Care and the Family Community Services Permanency Support Program.
* Demonstrated Knowledge, experience and training in family preservation and restoration.
PERSONAL QUALITIES AND ATTRIBUTES
* Highly developed organisational skills and the ability to manage time effectively and efficiently, including the ability to prioritise competing demands.
* High level of interpersonal skills, ability to communicate effectively with demonstrated ability to apply these across a culturally diverse caseload.
* Highly developed written and verbal communication skills.
* Effective conflict resolutions skills, negotiation, mediation and decision making skills.
For a full Position Description and an Application form, please email hr@southcoastams.org.au
Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health & Community Services LTD.
Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health & Community Services is a community controlled health service providing holistic health care to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of the ACT and surrounding areas. The Service manages approximately 30 programs through various funding agreements and employs more than 70 staff offering salary sacrifice pursuant to tax department regulations and organisational policy.
Child and Adolescent Psychologist
The role of the Child and Adolescent Psychologist is to enhance the clinical services offered at Winnunga AHCS through working in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team in the delivery of psychology services to young clients and their families. This includes work on an individual basis to provide high level clinical consultations and therapeutic support to children, adolescents and their families to address mental health and wellbeing needs.
We are seeking an experienced Child and Adolescent Psychologist to work within our Clinical and Social Health Team. The successful applicant will have registration as a psychologist with AHPRA, eligible for a Medicare provider number have sound clinical assessment and treatment skills and competency in evidence-based psychological treatments. Experience in trauma informed practice and experience working with and understanding and commitment to the philosophy and practice of an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service and the ability to work sensitively and effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Previous experience working in mental health and a demonstrated ability to work in a multidisciplinary team is desirable.
A current driver’s licence is essential.
A copy of the position descriptions and selection criterias may be obtained by calling Roseanne Longford on 02 62846259 or email to Roseanne.Longford@winnunga.org.au Applications should be addressed and mailed to Julie Tongs, CEO, Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service 63 Boolimba Cres Narrabundah ACT 2604 or by email to Roseanne.Longford@winnunga.org.au
WORKING WITH VULNERALBLE PEOPLE CHECK (WWVPC)
All people employed at Winnunga are required to provide their WWVPC registration, or to carry out a WWVPC pursuant to the Working With Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act
1.2 National Aboriginal Health Scholarships
AMA Indigenous Medical $10,000 Scholarship 2019 Applications close 31 January 2019.
This Scholarship is open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are currently studying medicine at an Australian university.
For the purposes of this Scholarship, an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person is someone who is of Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent, who identifies as an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person and is accepted as such by the community in which he or she lives or has lived.
Applicants will be asked to provide a letter from an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community organisation supporting their claim.
The Scholarship commences no earlier than the second year of the recipient’s medical degree. To receive the Scholarship, the recipient must be enrolled at an Australian medical school at the time of application, and have successfully completed the first year of a medical degree.
However, students who are in their first year of medicine are eligible to submit an application for their second year. Results for the first year will be sought before any award is made.
In awarding the Scholarship, preference will be given to applicants who do not already hold any other scholarship or bursary.
The Scholarship will be awarded on the recommendation of a selection panel drawn from the AMA’s Taskforce on Indigenous Health. Selection of the Scholarship recipient will be based on:
- satisfactory academic performance judged on results achieved;
- reports from referees familiar with applicant’s work and suitability for a career in medicine; and
- a statement provided by the applicant describing his or her aspirations, purpose in studying medicine, and the uses to which he or she hopes to put his or her medical training.
Each applicant will be asked to provide a curriculum vitae (maximum two pages) including employment history, the contact details of two referees, and formal proof of full-time enrolment in a medical course for the 2019 academic year.
The Scholarship will be awarded for a full course of study, subject to review at the end of each year. The Scholarship may be withheld or terminated if a Scholarship holder’s performance in any semester is unsatisfactory. The final decision to withhold or terminate a Scholarship is at the discretion of the AMA..
The value of the Scholarship in 2019 will be $10,000 per annum, paid in a lump sum.
Please note that it is the responsibility of applicants to seek advice from Centrelink on how the Scholarship payment may affect ABSTUDY or any other government payment.
Applications close 31 January 2019.
The Indigenous Peoples’ Medical Scholarship Trust Fund was established in 1994 with a contribution from the Australian Government. In 2016, the Trust Fund became The AMA Indigenous Medical Scholarship Foundation. The Foundation is administered by AMA Pty Ltd.
The Australian Medical Association would like to acknowledge the contributions of the following donors: Reuben Pelerman Benevolent Foundation; the late Beryl Jamieson’s wishes for donations towards the Indigenous Medical Scholarship; Deakin University; The Anna Wearne Fund and B B & A Miller, sub-funds of the Australian Communities Foundation.
Wuchopperen Health Service ACCHO CAIRNS
Wuchopperen Health Service Limited has been providing primary health care services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for over 35 years. Our workforce has a range of professional, clinical, allied health, social emotional wellbeing and administration positions.
- We have two sites in Cairns and a growing number of supplementary services and partnerships.
- We have a diverse workforce of over 200 employees
- 70 percent of our team identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
Our team is dedicated to the Wuchopperen vision: Improving the Quality of Life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. If you would like to make a difference, and improve the health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, please apply today.
Expressions of Interest
We invite Expressions of Interest from:
- Aboriginal Health Workers
- Clinical Psychologists
- Dietitians
- Diabetes Educators
- Exercise Physiologists
- Medical Officers (FAACGP / FACCRM)
- Registered Nurses
- Midwives
- Optometrists
- Podiatrists
- Speech Pathologists
In accordance with Wuchopperen’s privacy processes, we will keep your EOI on file for three months.
Current Vacancies
Chief Financial Officer
‘Keeping Our Generations Growing Strong’ Wuchopperen is a Community Controlled Aboriginal Health Organisation providing holistic health care services
There are 2 JOBS AT Apunipima Cairns and Cape York
The links to job vacancies are on website
www.apunipima.org.au/work-for-us
2.2 There are 12 JOBS AT IUIH Brisbane and throughout Queensland
JOBS AT IUIH check the closing dates as some have closed
+ Credentialed Diabetes Educator (Ongoing, Part Time position based in Windsor)+ General Practitioner Regional Reliever (Ongoing, Full Time position based in Brisbane)+ Physiotherapist (Ongoing, Full Time position based in Brisbane)+ Connect Care Coordinator (Fixed Term, Full Time position based in Windsor)+ Project Officer IIAMPC (Ongoing, Full Time position based in Strathpine)+ Optometry Scholarship+ Regional Relieving Receptionist (Ongoing, Full Time position based in Brisbane)+ Regional ENT Coordinator (Fixed Term, Full Time position based in Windsor)+ Family Wellbeing Worker (Fixed Term, Full Time position based in Brisbane North)+ Speech Pathologist – Gidgee Healing
2.3 There are 18 jobs at ATSICHS Brisbane
As part of our commitment to providing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community of Brisbane with a comprehensive range of primary health care, youth, child safety, mental health, dental and aged care services, we employ approximately 150 people across our locations at Woolloongabba, Woodridge, Northgate, Acacia Ridge, Browns Plains, Eagleby and East Brisbane.
The roles at ATSICHS are diverse and include, but are not limited to the following:
- Aboriginal Health Workers
- Registered Nurses
- Transport Drivers
- Medical Receptionists
- Administrative and Management roles
- Medical professionals
- Dentists and Dental Assistants
- Allied Health Staff
- Support Workers
NT Jobs Alice Spring ,Darwin East Arnhem Land and Katherine
3.1 There are 8 JOBS at Congress Alice Springs including
3.2 There are 19 JOBS at Miwatj Health Arnhem Land
3.3 JOBS at Wurli Katherine
3.4 Sunrise ACCHO Katherine
4. South Australia
4.1 Nunkuwarrin Yunti of South Australia Inc
Nunkuwarrin Yunti places a strong focus on a client centred approach to the delivery of services and a collaborative working culture to achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients. View our current vacancies here.
5. Western Australia
5.1 Derbarl Yerrigan Health Services Inc
Derbarl Yerrigan Health Services Inc. is passionate about creating a strong and dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander workforce. We are committed to providing mentorship and training to our team members to enhance their skills for them to be able to create career pathways and opportunities in life.
On occasions we may have vacancies for the positions listed below:
- Medical Receptionists – casual pool
- Transport Drivers – casual pool
- General Hands – casual pool, rotating shifts
- Aboriginal Health Workers (Cert IV in Primary Health) –casual pool
*These positions are based in one or all of our sites – East Perth, Midland, Maddington, Mirrabooka or Bayswater.
To apply for a position with us, you will need to provide the following documents:
- Detailed CV
- WA National Police Clearance – no older than 6 months
- WA Driver’s License – full license
- Contact details of 2 work related referees
- Copies of all relevant certificates and qualifications
We may also accept Expression of Interests for other medical related positions which form part of our services. However please note, due to the volume on interests we may not be able to respond to all applications and apologise for that in advance.
All complete applications must be submitted to our HR department or emailed to HR
Also in accordance with updated privacy legislation acts, please download, complete and return this Permission to Retain Resume form
Attn: Human Resources
Derbarl Yerrigan Health Services Inc.
156 Wittenoom Street
East Perth WA 6004
+61 (8) 9421 3888
5.2 Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS)
Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS)
https://kamsc-iframe.applynow.net.au/
6.Victoria
6.1 Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS)
Thank you for your interest in working at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS)
If you would like to lodge an expression of interest or to apply for any of our jobs advertised at VAHS we have two types of applications for you to consider.
Expression of interest
Submit an expression of interest for a position that may become available to: employment@vahs.org.au
This should include a covering letter outlining your job interest(s), an up to date resume and two current employment referees
Your details will remain on file for a period of 12 months. Resumes on file are referred to from time to time as positions arise with VAHS and you may be contacted if another job matches your skills, experience and/or qualifications. Expressions of interest are destroyed in a confidential manner after 12 months.
Applying for a Current Vacancy
Unless the advertisement specifies otherwise, please follow the directions below when applying
Your application/cover letter should include:
- Current name, address and contact details
- A brief discussion on why you feel you would be the appropriate candidate for the position
- Response to the key selection criteria should be included – discussing how you meet these
Your Resume should include:
- Current name, address and contact details
- Summary of your career showing how you have progressed to where you are today. Most recent employment should be first. For each job that you have been employed in state the Job Title, the Employer, dates of employment, your duties and responsibilities and a brief summary of your achievements in the role
- Education, include TAFE or University studies completed and the dates. Give details of any subjects studies that you believe give you skills relevant to the position applied for
- References, where possible, please include 2 employment-related references and one personal character reference. Employment references must not be from colleagues, but from supervisors or managers that had direct responsibility of your position.
Ensure that any referees on your resume are aware of this and permission should be granted.
How to apply:
Send your application, response to the key selection criteria and your resume to:
All applications must be received by the due date unless the previous extension is granted.
When applying for vacant positions at VAHS, it is important to know the successful applicants are chosen on merit and suitability for the role.
VAHS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and are committed to ensuring that staff selection procedures are fair to all applicants regardless of their sex, race, marital status, sexual orientation, religious political affiliations, disability, or any other matter covered by the Equal Opportunity Act
You will be assessed based on a variety of criteria:
- Your application, which includes your application letter which address the key selection criteria and your resume
- Verification of education and qualifications
- An interview (if you are shortlisted for an interview)
- Discussions with your referees (if you are shortlisted for an interview)
-
You must have the right to live and work in Australia
- Employment is conditional upon the receipt of:
- A current Working with Children Check
- A current National Police Check
- Any licenses, certificates and insurances
6.2 Mallee District Aboriginal Services Mildura Swan Hill Etc
6.3 : Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-Operative 2 POSITIONS VACANT
.
http://www.rumbalara.org.au/vacancies
7.New South Wales
7.1 AHMRC Sydney and Rural
Check website for current Opportunities
NACCHO Aboriginal Health Workforce #refreshtheCTGRefresh : @IAHA_National and @HealthInfoNet Launch at #IAHA_Forum18 the first film in a series titled ‘Leading in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander allied health
“Sharing the films with our communities, stakeholders and our International guests will showcase the commitment our workforce has in addressing racism in the health and education sectors, valuing and respecting the critical role that allied health graduates and students can play
The purpose of the video project was to capture stories and vital information from allied health students and graduates on their successes, challenges and career development enablers.”
IAHA CEO, Donna Murray pictured below at launch with HealthInfoNet Director, Professor Neil Drew
Last Friday Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) and the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet (HealthInfoNet) released the first of a series of films (funded by BHP) showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander allied health professionals.
The films are focused on promoting allied health workforce development including allied health careers, support available and needed for success with individuals sharing their experiences from a cultural and professional perspective who are contributing to an inter-professional leadership approach to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Watch HERE
The first film titled ‘Leading in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander allied health’ was launched at the International Indigenous Allied Health Forum in Sydney – the first event of its kind hosted by IAHA.
The Forum is hosting many First Nations visitors, welcomed from North America, Canada, the Pacific, and New Zealand. The film demonstrates the importance of investing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the allied health workforce and how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates and students are leading in the sector
Ms Murray said “These stories will be key resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and communities considering a health career and for employers looking to improve their cultural safety and responsiveness in ensuring high quality services and workforce development strategies, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”.
“IAHA has had a long standing partnership with HealthInfoNet, who have been a significant leaders in sharing and supporting Indigenous Health research and policy and are vital partners in transforming systems” said Ms Murray.
HealthInfoNet Director, Professor Neil Drew, said “We were delighted to work with IAHA, to meet inspiring people who are shaping their journeys in different ways and different professions, but who will actually deliver the improvements in health that have been talked about for so long. We’re proud to be delivering resources to support them and increase their impact in and for communities.
We’ve been developing a strong in-house film capability. The team co-created the films with IAHA and we are delighted the first in the series has been shared today, with an Australian and international audience”.
The rest of the series will be released throughout 2019 and will be available on the IAHA website https://iaha.com.au/ and the IAHA YouTube channel and the HealthInfoNet site https://healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/learn/health-facts/multimedia-knowledge-exchange-products/
NACCHO Promotion Watch NACCHO TV
