Tag Archives: Dr Pat Dudgeon

Aug 3 2013

Ten great reasons why you should not miss the NACCHO Aboriginal health summit In Adelaide

5.Healthy Futures Great

Inaugural Aboriginal health summit: why Aboriginal community control works

The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) will hold their first ever National Aboriginal Primary Health Care Summit in Adelaide later this month.

NACCHO Primary Health Care Summit

20th-22nd August 2013

Adelaide Convention Centre

The inaugural summit, which goes for three days, will bring health service professionals from around the country together to discuss national, state and local best practice in health management, and focus on three key themes: primary health care, governance, and workforce.

10 great reasons why you should not miss the NACCHO summit In Adelaide

  1. Inspiring speakers
  2. Opportunities to meet old friends and make new ones
  3. Practical take-home ideas
  4. Entertainment
  5. Resources to equip you
  6. What about ‘Three streams of break-out sessions each day’
  7. Social events
  8. Opportunities to partner with other organisations and people from inside and beyond the ACCH sector
  9. Delicious food (health of course)
  10. and Aboriginal community control according to Justin Mohamed

For more information and to register visit http://www.naccho.org.au

NACCHO Chair, Justin Mohamed (pictured above left with Megan Davis and Deputy Matthew Cooke)  said the Health Summit was a great opportunity to showcase the incredible contribution Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations are making in their communities.

“We have concrete evidence that Aboriginal health in Aboriginal hands is what is really making the difference in achieving health outcomes for our people,” Mr Mohamed said.

“We are seeing big improvements in child birth weights, maternal health and management of chronic diseases like diabetes, highlighted recently in a report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Healthy for Life Report Card.

“The Aboriginal community controlled health model has been working well for 40 years, and it is important that we get together to share best practice and discuss issues and areas where we can make improvements.

“Over the three days, summit participants will hear from Aboriginal leaders who are making a real difference in their communities.

“Our culturally appropriate health providers with majority Aboriginal governance are not only providing comprehensive primary health care to just under half of Australia’s total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, but are one of the largest employers of Aboriginal people as well.

“There is still a long way to go to Close the Gap and to build a healthy future for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations are part of this picture and achieving targets to deliver better health outcomes.

NACCHO Primary Health Care Summit

20th-22nd August 2013

Adelaide Convention Centre

For more information and to register visit http://www.naccho.org.au

 

 Media contact: Colin Cowell 0401 331 251, Anaya Latter 0432 121 636

Related articles
Jun 25 2013

NACCHO news: Aboriginal Families Study: a population-based study keeping community and policy goals in mind

“This paper describes the development of a statewide study in South Australia that aims to invite approximately 300 women giving birth to an Aboriginal baby to talk about their experiences of using services during pregnancy, labour and birth, and the first 4–12 months after having a baby

We are delighted to confirm that the final versions of your manuscript have been published on the International Journal for Equity in Health website, “

Mary Buckskin, CEO , Aboriginal Health Council of SA (pictured above)

Title: Aboriginal Families Study: a population-based study keeping community and policy goals in mind right from the start

DOWNLOAD the STUDY HERE

Authors: Buckskin  Mary, Ah Kit  Jackie, Glover  Karen, Mitchell  Amanda, Miller  Roxanne, Weetra  Donna, Wiebe  Jan, Yelland S Jane, Newbury  Jonathan, Robinson  Jeffrey, Brown J Stephanie,

Journal: International Journal for Equity in Health

The study has been developed by researchers based at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the University of Adelaide, in partnership with the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia Inc.

Abstract

Background: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are between two to five times more likely to die in childbirth than non-Aboriginal women, and two to three times more likely to have a low birthweight infant.

Babies with a low birthweight are more likely to have chronic health problems in adult life.

Currently, there is limited research evidence regarding effective interventions to inform new initiatives to strengthen antenatal care for Aboriginal families.

Method/Design:

The Aboriginal Families Study is a cross sectional population-based study investigating the views and experiences of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women having an Aboriginal baby in the state of South Australia over a 2-year period.

The primary aims are to compare the experiences and views of women attending standard models of antenatal care with those accessing care via Aboriginal Family Birthing Program services which include Aboriginal Maternal Infant Care (AMIC) Workers as members of the clinical team; to assess factors associated with early and continuing engagement with antenatal care; and to use the information to inform strengthening of services for Aboriginal families.

Women living in urban, regional and remote areas of South Australia have been invited to take part in the study by completing a structured interview or, if preferred, a self-administered questionnaire, when their baby is between 4–12 months old.

Discussion: Having a baby is an important life event in all families and in all cultures. How supported women feel during pregnancy, how women and families are welcomed by services, how safe they feel coming in to hospitals to give birth, and what happens to families during a hospital stay and in the early months after the birth of a new baby are important social determinants of maternal, newborn and child health outcomes.

The Aboriginal Families Study builds on consultation with Aboriginal communities across South Australia. The project has been implemented with guidance from an Aboriginal Advisory Group keeping community and policy goals in mind right from the start. The results of the study will provide a unique resource to inform quality improvement and strengthening of services for Aboriginal families.

Keywords: Antenatal care, Health inequalities, Indigenous health, Maternal health, Participatory research, Perinatal health outcomes.

Introduction

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are between two to five times more likely to die in childbirth than non-Indigenous women, and two to three times more likely to have a low birthweight infant [1].

Babies with a low birth weight are more likely to die in infancy [2], more likely to be admitted to neonatal intensive care [3], and may be more likely to have serious health problems (e.g. cardiovascular disease, diabetes) in adult life [4]. Recent data suggest that in some Australian states, including South Australia, the proportion of low birth weight babies born to Aboriginal mothers may be increasing [5,6].

The Australian Government has set agreed targets for closing the gap in Indigenous disadvantage outlined by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in the National Indigenous Reform Agenda [7].

Under the terms of this agreement, federal, state and territory governments have committed to closing the gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians within a generation, and halving the gap in mortality rates for Aboriginal children under five within a decade.

Key performance indicators for the National Indigenous Reform Agenda include: an increase in the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers receiving antenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy (≤13 weeks’ gestation) and in the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers attending five or more antenatal visits; and a reduction in the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants with a low birthweight (<2,500 grams).

New funding made available under the COAG National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Early Childhood Development has facilitated a range of new programs and initiatives to strengthen antenatal care and child and maternal health services for Aboriginal families in all Australian states and territories [8].

Currently there is a dearth of research evidence regarding effective intervention strategies to inform these initiatives [9-12].

Most of the available evidence comes from small-scale local evaluation studies, predominantly undertaken in regional and remote locations [13-20]. The roll out of COAG funding under the National Partnership Agreement has in effect created an Australia wide ‘natural experiment’ in seeking to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children. It is vital that lessons learned fromthe range of programs being developed and implemented with COAG funding are captured by concurrent evaluation at a state and territory level.

However, there is still no complete national perinatal data for Aboriginal mothers and babies. State and territory based perinatal data collections vary in their capacity to ascertain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status of mothers and infants, and steps have only recently been taken to include information regarding status of the infant in the minimum data set for most state jurisdictions [21].

This paper describes the development of a statewide study in South Australia that aims to invite approximately 300 women giving birth to an Aboriginal baby to talk about their experiences of using services during pregnancy, labour and birth, and the first 4–12 months after having a baby.

The study has been developed by researchers based at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and the University of Adelaide, in partnership with the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia Inc. (AHCSA). The project arose in the context of planning for a population-based postal survey of recent mothers in South Australia and Victoria.

In 2006, the researchers planning this survey approached the AHCSA about working in partnership on a project to provide avenues for Aboriginal women’s voices to be included in the research. At our initial meeting we discussed the idea of seeking funding to facilitate consultations with Aboriginal community organisations and communities in South Australia as a way to seek input into development of the research. The Aboriginal Families Study is the name given to the project that grew out of these discussions. South Australia where the project is based is one of six Australian states, and covers a geographic area four times the size of the UK.

Often when researchers approach Aboriginal community organisations and/or communities, they already havea fairly well developed research question and study protocol in mind. We did not. This paper charts the social history of the project, and outlines the steps we took to get from our initial discussions in 2006 to the stage of developing the study protocol, governance arrangements, and procedures for carrying out the study.

These include: obtaining ‘in principle’ support from the Board of Management of the AHCSA for the conduct of consultations with Aboriginal communities about the project; development of a project agreement between MCRI and the AHCSA; establishment of an Aboriginal Advisory Group to guide the consultations, and subsequently, the development of the study protocol, and conduct of the research; statewide consultations with  Aboriginal communities, policy makers and service providers preceding development of the study design and methods; a lengthy pilot study phase that tested different versions of the study questionnaire and recruitment procedures; obtaining ethics approval from a variety of institutional ethics committees; development of a Research Agreement covering governance arrangements for the research phase of the study signed by all partner organisations and study investigators; appointment and training of the fieldwork team; through to recruitment and interviewing of women in urban, regional and remote areas of South Australia.

Jun 18 2013

NACCHO SEWB News: NACCHO CEO appointed to new Aboriginal Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Advisory Group

Lisa Final

Pictured above NACCHO CEO Ms Lisa Briggs appointed to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Advisory Group.

Please note: Official Goverment release is included below

NACCHO as a member The Close the Gap Campaign today welcomed a significant mental health milestone:  the establishment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Advisory Group.

The new ministerial advisory body, co-chaired by Dr Tom Calma AO and Professor Pat Dudgeon, is the first of its kind in Australia.

The other members of the new Group are (alphabetically): Mr Tom Brideson, Ms Lisa Briggs, Mr Ashley Couzens, Ms Adele Cox, Ms Katherine Hams, Ms Victoria Hovane, Professor Ernest Hunter, Mr Rod Little, Associate Professor Peter O’Mara, Mr Charles Passi, Ms Valda Shannon and Dr Marshall Watson.

It will provide expert advice to government on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and suicide prevention.

Close the Gap co-chair and Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Gooda, said the group will help drive reform in mental health and suicide prevention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“Improving mental health and suicide prevention is fundamental to improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health overall, and to closing the health and life expectancy gap with other Australians,” Mr Gooda said.

Mr Gooda said the advisory body would help ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people benefit from national mental health reforms and the significant investment in mental health in recent years.

He said the advisory body would also improve strategic responses to suicide and mental health by enabling partnerships between government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experts in social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and suicide prevention.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are experiencing mental health problems at almost double the rate of other Australians.

“Addressing difficult and entrenched challenges like this mental health gap requires long term and sustained commitment and a truly bipartisan approach.

“It is particularly important as we move into a Federal election that closing the gap remains a national project that is supported and sustained beyond electoral cycles,” Mr Gooda said.

 Commonwealth Coat of Arms

THE HON MARK BUTLER MP ,THE HON WARREN SNOWDON MP, JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

NEW HIGH-LEVEL GROUP ADVISE ON TACKLING INDIGENOUS SUICIDE

A new expert group has been set up to advise the Federal Government on improving mental health and suicide prevention programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Advisory Group will be chaired by two eminent Aboriginal experts in the field, Prof Pat Dudgeon, recognised as Australia’s first Indigenous psychologist, and human rights campaigner Dr Tom Calma AO, the new chancellor of the University of Canberra.

The new Group will advise on practical and strategic ways to improve Indigenous mental health and social and emotional wellbeing.

The Group met for the first time in Canberra today to discuss its priorities, including implementation of the recently released National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy.

Also on the agenda for the inaugural meeting are the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan and the renewed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing Framework.

Professor Dudgeon is from the Bardi people of the Kimberley and is known for her passionate work in psychology and Indigenous issues, including her leadership in higher education.  Currently she is a research fellow and an associate professor at the University of Western Australia.

Dr Calma is an elder of the Kungarakan tribal group and a member of the Iwaidja tribal group in the Northern Territory. He was appointed National Coordinator of Tackling Indigenous Smoking three years ago.

Previously, he was Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission from 2004 to 2010 and served as Race Discrimination Commissioner from 2004 until 2009.

The other members of the new Group are (alphabetically): Mr Tom Brideson, Ms Lisa Briggs, Mr Ashley Couzens, Ms Adele Cox, Ms Katherine Hams, Ms Victoria Hovane, Professor Ernest Hunter, Mr Rod Little, Associate Professor Peter O’Mara, Mr Charles Passi, Ms Valda Shannon and Dr Marshall Watson.

The Federal Labor Government’s commitment to reducing high levels of suicide within Indigenous communities was highlighted by its development and recent release of Australia’s first National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy.

The Strategy is supported by $17.8 million over four years in new funding to reduce the incidence of suicidal and self-harming behaviour among Indigenous people.

This builds on the Labor Government’s broad strategic investment in suicide prevention, as outlined in the Taking Action to Tackle Suicide package and the National Suicide Prevention Program which, together, include $304.2 million in vital programs and services across Australia.

Funding already allocated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs under these two national suicide programs, includes:

  • $4.6 million for community-led suicide prevention initiatives.
  • $150,000 for enhanced psychological services for Indigenous communities in the Kimberley Region, through the Access to Allied Psychological Services program.
  • $6 million for targeted suicide prevention interventions.

Media contact: Tim O’Halloran (Butler) – 0409 059 617/Marcus Butler (Snowdon) – 0417 917 796

Jun 5 2013

NACCHO State of Origin health news: But what’s your State of Mind?

05

The NSW Government has joined forces with the NRL and a number of Australia’s leading mental health providers during this year’s State of Origin series to encourage people to help break down the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

NSW Minister for Mental Health, Kevin Humphries, said the ‘What’s Your State of Mind’ campaign will see past and present NRL and Origin greats Mal Meninga, Jonathan Thurston, Paul Gallen, Mitchell Pearce, Greg Inglis, Roy Asotasi and Andrew Ryan urge people to take responsibility for their own mental health and encourage people to look out for one another.

J Mal

“The campaign has also brought together mental health service providers including beyondblue, Kids Helpline, headspace, SANE Australia, Lifeline, Black Dog Institute and MensLine Australia to encourage all Australians to take the time to improve their understanding of mental illness,” Mr Humphries said.

VIEW BEYONDBLUE ABORIGINAL HELP SITE

“By having some of our best known sport stars at one of the biggest events on the Australian sporting calendar promoting mental health, this campaign is a hugely important step towards building resilience and encouraging people to support one another.

“I would encourage all Australians to take the time during this year’s State of Origin campaign to find out more about mental illness and the impact it has on those who live with it, and on the broader community.”

The campaign will include a dedicated mental health awareness website and training for a number of NRL ambassadors to promote the campaign’s message in schools and the community.

NRL Chief Executive, Dave Smith, said aligning the campaign with one of the showpieces of the Rugby League season highlighted the NRL’s commitment to combating the stigma that currently sees far too many people not seeking help when they need it.

“Mental illness does not discriminate and even in a game as tough as Rugby League we are faced with mental health challenges. Our Rugby League family of players, officials, volunteers and supporters should know that it’s okay to talk to someone if you don’t feel right,” Mr Smith said.

“Having the courage to talk about how you are feeling ensures you will have the support of others and at the same time you could be giving someone else the confidence to talk about how they feel.”

For more information please visit

http://www.nrlstateofmind.com.au

.

MEDIA: Jeremy Scott – 0467 741 200

May 29 2013

NACCHO social policy news:Indigenous Australians a quarter of Australia’s prisoner population. It’s a social policy disaster.But could there be solution!

Prison

Firstly though, politicians and the public alike need to understand and admit that the current policy ethos, and its reliance of incarceration, is a failure, both socially and economically.

Australia spends $2.6 billion a year incarcerating adults

But could there  be  solution!

We invite our members to make comment see below

Reproduced from the DRUM : Paul Simpson and Michael Doyle

The continual rise in incarceration rates of Indigenous Australians represents nothing short of social policy disaster.

jail

If reducing the numbers of those in prison is to be achieved, then we need to end the reliance on incarceration and invest more into new thinking and rigorous research on non-incarceration alternatives.

Marking 20 years of monitoring since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the Australian Institute of Criminology finally released its ‘deaths in custody‘ report last Friday and the figures reaffirm the increasing over-representation of Indigenous persons in custody.

In 20 years rates have gone from one Indigenous person in seven incarcerated to one in four.

Indigenous persons make up 26 per cent of the prisoner population yet only constitute 2.5 per cent of the Australian population.

The over-representation of Indigenous persons in Western Australian prisons is the highest of any Indigenous group in the OECD.

Addressing Indigenous over-representation in custody requires new thinking and tested approaches to the offender population.

Firstly though, politicians and the public alike need to understand and admit that the current policy ethos, and its reliance of incarceration, is a failure, both socially and economically.

Australia spends $2.6 billion a year incarcerating adults. Punitive penal policies cost Australia big time.

imagesCAI7UQTL

While happy to scrutinise the effectiveness and efficiencies of all other sectors and services, political authorities seem quite content to overlook the billions poured into the prison system.

The return on this ‘investment’ amounts to very little. It simply does not prevent re-offending.

Longitudinal studies show that two-in-five people are re-imprisoned within two-to-five years of release.

Those who advocate for new thinking beyond the current social policy failures have hailed Justice Reinvestment (JR) as one new approach.

Justice Reinvestment was introduced to the US in 2003 by the Open Society Institute and has subsequently been adopted in eleven US states.

It involves identifying geographic areas from where significant numbers of the incarcerated population emanate and investing in services in these areas.

Importantly, at the policy level JR aims to divert funds that would be spent on criminal justice matters (primarily incarceration) back into local communities to fund services that are said to address the underlying causes of crime, thus preventing people from engaging with the criminal justice system.

Detention under this model is seen as a last resort – for only the most dangerous and serious offenders.

The goal is to shift the culture away from imprisonment and to restoration within the community through restorative health, social welfare services, education-employment programs and programs to prevent offending.

The effectiveness of JR was reported on at the First National Summit on JR in Washington in 2010, where lawmakers from several American states discussed how they had enacted policies to avert projected prison growth, saving several hundred million dollars, while decreasing prisoner numbers and recidivism rates.

Australian scholars have reservations about the type of JR model adopted in some US states, specifically querying who controls and receives the funding. Is it the community-sector or another state agency?

Former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Dr Tom Calma commended JR as a possible solution to Indigenous over-representation in Australia’s criminal justice system. Several other Australian commentators have followed suit.

Despite the increasing popularity of JR, Australia so far lacks evidence to support it beyond its appealing rhetoric and, some might argue, simplistic notion as a viable policy alternative.

Members of the Indigenous Offender Health Research Capacity Building Group (IOHR-CBG) and the Australian Justice Reinvestment Project based at the University of NSW have begun research efforts to address this paucity of information, .

Following two national Justice Reinvestment forums convened by IOHR-CBG member Dr Jill Guthrie, a three-year JR research project has begun at National Centre for Indigenous Studies.

Using a case study approach, the research explores the conditions, governance and cultural appropriateness of reinvesting resources otherwise spent on incarceration, into services to enhance juvenile offenders’ ability to remain in their community.

The Australian Justice Reinvestment Project is currently is examining JR models from overseas in order to provide a sound theoretical and practical foundation for the future development of JR strategies in Australia.\

There is also a Citizens’ Jury research project being run this year by IOHR-CBG researchers aimed at eliciting the values and priorities of a critically informed Australian community with respect to JR.

Citizens’ Juries have been used in various policy fields internationally, including in health in Australia. They involve bringing together group of randomly selected citizens, giving them a variety of evidence-based information on the issues to hand and asking them, as representatives of the community, about their preferences for certain policy options or priorities for resource allocation.

The project also assesses how the results of the Citizens’ Juries might influence the decision making of government policy makers.

Research of this nature is critical in order to imagine and test new and viable alternatives to incarceration. Unfortunately, the current amount invested in such research is minute.

As the recently-emerged adage says, a ‘tough on crime’ approach needs to be replaced by a ‘smart on crime’ approach. A new policy platform to justice is well overdue.

This platform must be informed by evidence and not the tired political populism that exploits the fears of the electorate if we are to ever make inroads in reducing the hugely disproportionate Indigenous incarceration rate in Australia.

Paul Simpson and Michael Doyle are research fellows with the Justice Health Research Program at the Kirby Institute, University of NSW, and are also members of the Indigenous Offender Health Research Capacity Building Group.

May 23 2013

NACCHO health alert:Community solutions must be centre of strategy to address terrible Aboriginal suicide rates

ng-artw-indigenous-20130205202804805609-620x349

A Federal Government strategy to address high suicide rates among Aboriginal people, particularly the younger generations, is a welcome step towards addressing the crisis in our communities, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) said today.

READ previous NACCHO articles on suicide prevention here

 Federal Mental Health Minister Mark Butler today revealed the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy which aims to address Aboriginal suicide rates – which are as high as one a month is some remote Aboriginal communities.

 NACCHO Chair Justin Mohamed said the Federal Government’s focus on the issue, particularly the emphasis on local solutions and capacity building, is welcomed, however he said the detail of the plan still needs careful examination.

 “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience suicide at around twice the rate of the rest of the population. Aboriginal teenage men and women are up to 5.9 times more likely to take their own lives than non-Aboriginal people,” Mr Mohamed said.

 “This is a crisis affecting our young people. It’s critical real action is taken to urgently to address the issue and it’s heartening to see the Federal Government taking steps to do that.”

 However Mr Mohamed said that for any strategy to be effective, local, community-led healthcare needed to be at its core.

 “Historically, Aboriginal people have not had great experiences with the mental health system, so breaking down the barriers and building trust is going to be key and having Aboriginal people involved in the delivery of services is critical.

 “Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations are already having the biggest impacts on holistic improvements in Aboriginal health, including mental health. We are already a trusted source of primary health care within our communities, so its important those centres play a pivotal role in any strategy.

 “The Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector has always recommended that services be funded to offer an integrated social and emotional wellbeing program with Aboriginal family support workers, alcohol and substance abuse workers, social workers and psychologists available.

 “Up to 15 per cent of the 10-year life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians has been put down to mental health conditions. We look forward to working with the government to map out the best possible approach to addressing this crisis in our community.

 Media contact: Colin Cowell 0401 331 251, 

May 22 2013

NACCHO condemns Aboriginal flag “skins for smokes” that covers up health warnings

Skins 2

NACCHO condems the use of “skins for smokes”  that uses cultural content and copyright imagery on cigarette packets to  negate health promotion efforts, such as Australia’s recent introduction of plain packaging laws and calls on the Federal Government to ban the sale under that legistlation

Authors: Karen McPhail-Bell, Chelsea Bond & Michelle Redman-MacLaren (see details Blow)

For just $5.29 Australians can now purchase “Skins” from local, independent grocers to cover their cigarette packet with the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander flag.

We argue that this use of cultural content and copyright[1] imagery on cigarette packets negates health promotion efforts, such as Australia’s recent introduction of plain packaging laws and the subsequent dismissal of a legal challenge from the tobacco industry.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people smoke over twice the rate of non-Indigenous Australians (ABS 2010). Health promotion practitioners working to reduce these smoking rates face the challenge of the broader historical and cultural context of smoking behaviour.

In response, health promotion efforts have endeavoured to shift, displace and resist the notion that unhealthy behaviours, such as smoking, are inherently part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

Some examples of this approach include Queensland Health’s Smoke-free Support Program (Smoking: It could cost us our culture), the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health’s Deadly Choices campaign and other initiatives beyond Queensland (for example, Adams et al 2010; Basinkski and Parkinson 2001).

Brady (2002) has noted how throughout colonial contact, Europeans have exploited Aboriginal addiction to nicotine and therefore as health practitioners, we are concerned about what may be the continued exploitation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for economic gain.

We also note that Skins are available with the Australian flag and are concerned that more broadly, cultural and national pride is being manipulated by these companies. In other words, the sale of products that appropriate cultural content and copyright imagery for the purpose of enhancing the appeal of cigarettes is cause for alarm for us.

As a practice, health promotion endeavours to secure equal opportunity and resources to enable people to achieve their full potential in life. Thus, we raise this issue for your awareness and welcome your analysis, comments and suggestions for action. We are also working on possible responses with advocacy organisations.

Acknowledgement: The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of Arika Errington (NACCHO) to this article.

References:

Adams K, Liebzeit A, Jakobi M. (2010). “How’s your sugar?: A deadly website for you, your family and your community.” Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal, Aug;34(5):2.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2010). “The Health and Welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, October 2010.” Journal ABS Cat No 4704.0(Issue) http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4704.0/

Basinski D, Parkinson D. (2001). “’We saw we could do it ourselves’: Koorie Cultural Regeneration Project.” Australian Journal of Primary Health;7(1):111-5.

Brady, M. (2002) “Health inequalities: Historical and cultural roots of tobacco use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 26(2): 120-124

[1] We note that both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags are copyrighted materials and therefore must be reproduced in accordance the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 or with the permission of the artists, respectively Harold Thomas and the Island Coordinating Council.

[i] School of Social Work and Public Health, Queensland University of Technology; ? k.mcphail-bell@qut.edu.au

[ii] Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit, University of Queensland; c.bond3@uq.edu.au

[iii] School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University; michelle.maclaren@jcu.edu.au

Apr 17 2013

NACCHO health news:STOP overrepresentation:Justice reinvestment – all Governments must commit to action

jody-broun-200x0

 National Congress Co-Chair Jody Broun pictured above

Justice Reinvestment presents a unique opportunity to have Aboriginal communities involved at every step of the way in identifying and implementing solutions to deal with overrepresentation within our own communities,”

Congress has called for all Australian governments to commit to Justice Reinvestment to stop the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the justice system.

READ and DOWNLOAD the full National Congress submission here

 Congress will tell a Senate Inquiry today that the strength of Justice Reinvestment is its localised approach to fit the needs and situation of each community.

 “Justice Reinvestment presents a unique opportunity to have Aboriginal communities involved at every step of the way in identifying and implementing solutions to deal with overrepresentation within our own communities,” said Congress Co-Chair Jody Broun.

 “The local approach of Justice Reinvestment would be strengthened by the national implementation of Closing the Gap justice targets that Congress has previously called for – to halve the rates of incarceration for our Peoples and to halve the rate at which our Peoples report having experienced physical or threatened violence within the past 12 months,” she said.

 Co-Chair Les Malezer said the Congress submission to the inquiry also details how Justice Reinvestment addresses both the cause and effect of Aboriginal peoples’ interaction with the justice system.

 “It does not mean reduced police intervention and protection for victims of crime but using resources in a more efficient manner, which is crucial when it comes to dealing with violence against Aboriginal women and children.

 “Top down approaches have never been successful or been owned by communities, solutions that make the most of the strengths and knowledge within our communities have a much greater chance of success,” he said.

 Congress Director and Justice Working Group Convenor, Tammy Solonec will present the Congress submission to the Senate Inquiry into the value of justice reinvestment approach to criminal justice in Australia in Perth today.

 Ms Solonec said the four key points of Congress’s submission are backed by Congress members and delegates through the Justice Working group.

 “The Congress submission calls for a commitment to Justice Reinvestment by the Federal and all State and Territory Governments; the establishment of a national approach to data collection on justice indicators; and for funding and operational support for analysis and implementation of community-led Justice Reinvestment programs in targeted communities,” she said.

Read the full Congress submission here: nationalcongress.com.au/justice

Contact: Liz Willis 0457 877 408

http://nationalcongress.com.au/justice-reinvestment-all-governments-must-commit-to-action/

Liz Willis

Communications

Mar 27 2013

NACCHO report alert:Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal Peoples, Families and Communities

Close The gap

Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Families and Communities

Download this Supplementary Paper

Download original 2012 report

A Contributing Life: the 2012 National Report Card on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

Prepared by Chris Holland, with Pat Dudgeon and Helen Milroy

While the fictional story of Jerara’s journey told in A Contributing Life: the 2012 National Report Card on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention  was a composite picture to reflect the diversity of the journey of different communities and generations, this paper gives attention to a more in depth picture of that diversity.

It provides detail behind the wider story of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and how this impacts and influences their mental health and wellbeing.

This paper provides a more comprehensive picture of the over half a million Aboriginal peoples and fifty thousand Torres Strait Islanders living in Australia.

Of a population group which is younger when compared to the non-Indigenous population (a median age of 21 years compared to 37 years).

Where in fact just a quarter of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live in remote areas, with a third in major cities and the remainder in regional centres or areas.

This too is a story of resilience.

Where, despite the significant toll of at least 996 suicides of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples between 2001 and 2010, significantly poorer health and appalling rates of poverty, the majority of 7800 adultsfrom almost 7000 households asked in the 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) reported being happy (72 per cent), peaceful (59 per cent) and full of life (57 per cent) all or most of the time in the four weeks before the survey.

 ‘Social and emotional wellbeing’ – a positive state of mental health and happiness associated with a strong and sustaining cultural identity community and family life – has been, and remains, a source of strength against adversity, poverty and neglect.

In fact it is only in the past two decades, following a sustained campaign by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since at least the 1950s, that the economic position and health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has started to significantly improve.

The much-needed effort to ‘close the gap’ will continue until at least 2030.

In the meantime, the 2011 Census points to rising income, levels of educational attainment and home ownership.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have survived a process of colonisation that destroyed whole groups of people, cultures, languages, and their traditional economic and political life. Through these terrible times a connection to culture was critical for survival.

And cultural reclamation has been a major defining movement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples over the past decades.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are diverse, spread out across a vast continent, with many language groups, cultures, traditions and experiences.

Too much focus on diversity however can mask collective elements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ experience: a shared cultural history and ancestry in over 250 language groups that suffered invasion by a colonising power.

 Download the full report here

Feb 19 2013

NACCHO report downloads:Effectiveness of Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing programs examined in new reports

Close The gap

Programs aimed at promoting social and emotional wellbeing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that have been shown to be effective are those with Indigenous ownership and support according to two new papers released today on the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse website.

DOWNLOAD:Strategies and practices for promoting the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

focuses on social and emotional well-being programs, while the paper

DOWNLOAD:Strategies to minimise the incidence of suicide and suicidal behaviour

provides a review of policies and programs that aim to prevent suicide and suicidal behaviour.

In 2008, nearly one-third (32%) of Indigenous Australians aged 18 and over reported high or very high levels of psychological distress-more than twice the proportion for non-Indigenous adults. The Indigenous suicide rate is also estimated to be about double that of the non-Indigenous population.

Programs that operate in isolation from, or do not address the legacy of past trauma, past and current racism, and issues such as poverty and homelessness, were not as effective as other programs in promoting social and emotional well-being and preventing suicide among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The programs that are particularly effective are those that have a high level of Indigenous ownership and community support. Further, both international studies and Australian data show that Indigenous people who speak their own languages have better resilience and mental health.

The Indigenous hip hop program run by the BeyondBlue organisation was effective in promoting positive mental health among young people. The program incorporated traditional culture fused with hip hop, rap, beat boxing and break dancing, and resulted in increased self-esteem, preparedness to talk to family and friends about mental health, and ability to see signs of depression in others.

In addition, interventions involving ‘motivational care planning’ (motivating people to self-manage and solve their own problems step-by-step) were shown to improve wellbeing in Indigenous people with a mental illness in remote communities.