Tag Archives: Indigenous

Nov 11 2013

NACCHO Aboriginal Employment and Training news: Opportunity to report to the PM Tony Abbott on Aboriginal health employment and training needs

2013_CCHEP launch

Jobs are the key to improving opportunities for all Australians.

It would be a shame to miss this great opportunity to put the focus on Aboriginal community controlled health and away from the mining sector.

Here is your opportunity to tell the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Tony Abbott MP your needs in the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector.Picture above Congress Alice Springs

STAKEHOLDERS MEETING DATES BELOW

Or written submissions close 31 December  2013

DETAILS HERE

The Commonwealth Government believes more needs to be done to boost Indigenous employment and support Indigenous Australians to get ahead.

All Australians yearn to see practical and genuine improvement in the lives of Indigenous people.

Too often, employment and training programmes provide ‘training for training’s sake’ without the practical skills that people need to fill the jobs that exist.

To address this, the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Tony Abbott MP, has asked Mr Andrew Forrest to lead a Review of Indigenous Training and Employment Programmes.

This Review will report to the Prime Minister in April 2014, providing practical recommendations to ensure Indigenous training and employment services are targeted and administered to connect unemployed Indigenous people with real and sustainable jobs.

It will consider ways to dramatically improve how services can better respond to employers who want to provide sustainable employment and end the cycle of Indigenous disadvantage. Innovative approaches that secure real jobs will be central to the Review, including practical life training and mentoring.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minster, the Hon Alan Tudge MP, will guide and shape the Review process with Mr Forrest.

Date for consultations

Perth Friday 15 November 2013 …9.45am – 11.15am Perth Convention Centre 21 Mounts Bay Rd, Perth

Adelaide Tuesday 19 November 2013…9.45am – 11.15am Adelaide Convention Centre North Terrace, Adelaide

 Alice Springs Tuesday 19 November 2013…3.45pm – 5.15pm Alice Springs Convention Centre 93 Barrett Dr, Alice Springs

Kununurra Wednesday 20 November 2013…9.45am – 11.15am Ord River Sports Club Chestnut Dr, Kununurra

 Darwin Wednesday 20 November 2013…5.30pm – 7.00pm Darwin Convention Centre Stokes Hill Rd, Darwin

Brisbane Thursday 21 November 2013…9.45am – 11.15am Brisbane City Hall 64 Adelaide St, Brisbane

 Sydney Thursday 21 November 2013…5.15pm – 6.45pm Masonic Conference Centre 66 Goulburn St, Sydney

Melbourne Friday 22 November 2013…9.45am – 11.15am Melbourne Town Hall Cnr Swanston and Collins Street, Melbourne

There is so much goodwill from employers.

The challenge, though, is to convert good intentions into practical change for the better.

As Chair of the Review, Mr Forrest is looking for breakthrough ideas to, once and for all, end the disparity in employment for Indigenous Australians. Your input is vital. In order to realise real change, new and sustainable solutions are needed.

To have your say, you may wish to participate in a meeting with Mr Forrest and the Review team, or lodge a concise written submission.

Further information is provided at How to get involved. This website will be updated regularly to include details of meetings and how to participate.

Are you interested in working in Aboriginal health at a national level?

NACCHO0024-1280x1024

Are you interested in working in Aboriginal health?

NACCHO is the national authority in comprehensive Aboriginal primary health care currently has a wide range of job opportunities in the pipeline.

Current NACCHO job opportunities

Related articles
Oct 3 2013

NACCHO political health news: Abbott Government creates new Indigenous Health Service Delivery Division to replace OATSIH.

Question Time in the House of Representatives

“Funding responsibility for most Indigenous health services remains in the Health Department, to be coordinated by a new Indigenous Health Service Delivery Division (which replaces OATSIH).”

As previously noted, in both Croakey and NACCHO Aboriginal Health Alerts there has been a deal of uncertainty about the fate of Indigenous health programs and services administered by the Federal Health Department and the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH) under the new Federal Government.

blogmasthead

Our thanks to Melissa Sweet (CROAKEY) for providing this Information

While no doubt there are still issues to resolve, at last there is some news – some programs will transfer to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, as outlined below.

But funding responsibility for most Indigenous health services remains in the Health Department, to be coordinated by a new Indigenous Health Service Delivery Division (which replaces OATSIH).

No doubt many will be interested in the prediction that the new arrangements will mean less red tape for service providers.

The departmental statement below has been distributed to the major stakeholders.

“A number of stakeholders have been asking how OATSIH is affected by the Machinery of Government (MoG) changes announced by the Prime Minister recently.

The Prime Minister has indicated that Indigenous affairs will be a significant priority for this Government and has decided to bring together many of the Indigenous policies and programmes under his own Department.

The Health Department has now received clarity on the changes and I am able to confirm that the following programmes or functions will move from Health to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet:

  •  A number of strategic policy functions including responsibility for the health performance framework, health expenditure analysis, and life expectancy modelling
  • Bringing them Home and Expanding Link-up programmes
  • Combating petrol sniffing–expanding the supply and uptake of low aromatic fuel         Indigenous Drug and Alcohol treatment services (including staff working on these programmes in State and Territory Offices)
  • Stronger Futures NT Mobile Outreach Service Plus
  • National Sorry Day Committee
  • Indigenous Sport and Active Recreation Programme currently managed by the Sport Branch (previously in the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government and Sport).

The funding responsibility for the majority of Indigenous health services remains in the Health department, to be coordinated by a new Indigenous Health Service Delivery Division (which replaces OATSIH).

This decision recognises the importance of the critical links between Indigenous health programmes and mainstream health structures.

While there are a number of structural changes required as part of the movement of policies and programmes to PM&C, the key priority for Government is to continue to deliver uninterrupted services to Indigenous people. 

It will be business as usual with service providers and funding arrangements during this transition period from both the Health Department and PM&C.

The consolidation of policies and programmes into PM&C will provide significant opportunities, including reducing the red tape burden on service providers.”

Croakey and NACCHO will be interested to hear your response to these changes.

Please leave comments below.

NACCHO0024-1280x1024

NACCHO JOB Opportunities:

Are you interested in working in Aboriginal health?

NACCHO as the national authority in comprenhesive Aboriginal primary health care currently has a wide range of job oppportunities in the pipeline.

Register your current or future interest with our HR TEAM HERE

Related articles
Mar 5 2013

NACCHO resources library: Conducting research with Aboriginal people and communities: Research Brief 2013

GetAttachment

Past critiques of the social sciences focused primarily on the identity of the researcher and his or her relationship with the ‘subject’ Indigenous person, but over time more sophisticated and practical approaches have emerged related to participant-focused methodologies and design.

Download report here

NACCHO has developed an extensive online library and welcomes research and publications to share

More specifically, past research involving Indigenous people has been criticised as inherently biased and disempowering (Henry et al 2004; Davey and Day 2008; Kidman 2007; Sherwood 2010).

Recent responses that seek to improve all forms of research practice involving Indigenous people in Australia and internationally, include funding for Indigenous-specific research institutes, dedicated funding for Indigenous academics and research networks, and ethical guidelines.

Some of the most interesting and substantial Indigenous-led or informed research that has emerged in the past 20 years has often related to health, although such innovative approaches remain under-developed in the criminological domain.

Today, Indigenous researchers argue the focus should be on working with Indigenous people who hold the knowledge and expertise of their circumstances past and present, and on positive change (Smith 1999; Sherwood 2010).

This brief provides an overview of innovative and exemplary research approaches and practice undertaken with and by Indigenous communities that is relevant to crime and justice research.

A number of critical questions guided this brief, including:

  1. What have been the research topics and methods undertaken in Australia in recent years on justice issues and Indigenous people?
  2. What constitutes good practice in criminological research and evaluation?
  3. What are some of the key considerations when conducting research with Indigenous people and communities?
  4. What should constitute good practice and what are examples?
  5. What are the main practical challenges associated with such practice?

The brief is divided into four sections, covering research practice and context, ethical frameworks and review processes, practical constraints and challenges, and promising practice.

Where appropriate, examples are drawn from other countries, most notably New Zealand and Canada.