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Welcome to the ninth edition of Gwalwa-Gai, the newsletter for the CRC for Aboriginal Health. Gwalwa-Gai is an expression used by Larrakia people to call other members of the Larrakia nation to meet. It is used to call clan groups together. |
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In this edition of Gwalwa-Gai we introduce the first of our guest editorial spots in what is to become a regular feature of the CRC for Aboriginal Health newsletter. In this and future editions a guest writer, prominent in the field of Aboriginal health, will be invited to contribute an editorial to G-G on a subject of particular interest to our readership. The first guest editorial writer, Dr Kyllie Cripps, is a researcher at the Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit at The University of Melbourne and whose 2005 PhD thesis was entitled Enough Family Fighting: Indigenous Community Responses to Addressing Family Violence in Australia & the United States. In her editorial Dr Cripps writes on the recently announced Australian Government intervention into Northern Territory remote Aboriginal communities and questions the effectiveness of current and previous government interventions aimed at reducing violence in Aboriginal communities. Dr Cripps makes a plea for better recording and recognition of successful community anti-violence initiatives as apart of a concerted effort to developing an evidence base of what works and does not work, something that for the past decade Indigenous communities across the country have asked for. A plea for evidence-based policy
Recently significant attention has focussed on Indigenous family violence and child sexual abuse in the Northern Territory. This attention began in 2006 as a consequence of a very explicit and confronting interview given by Crown Prosecutor Nanette Rogers on the Lateline program in 2006. The public outcry resulting from this interview spurred the Federal Government into action, an Intergovernmental Summit on Violence and Child Abuse in Indigenous Communities, involving Ministers from the Australian Government and all States and Territories was convened and in June 2006 the Federal Government offered States and Territories $130 million over four years to address social problems in remote communities. The package included funds to:
This funding was conditional on all references to customary law being removed from the Crimes Act in each State and Territory. Twelve months on and following the release of the “Little Children are Sacred” Report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse prepared by Rex Wild QC and CRCAH Chairperson Pat Anderson, the Federal Government announced yet more measures to respond to what has now been deemed a national emergency - the abuse of children in Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. The measures include:
It is interesting to note that some of these measures are a replication of the Federal Government's 2006 announcements and it begs the question what progress has been made in implementing the 2006 interventions? A Senate Estimates hearing in February 2007 sheds light on this, revealing that six months after the Federal Government announcement of a package of $130 million to combat family violence, not one cent had been spent on the ground to prevent violence in Indigenous communities. When this is put in the context of a further Senate Estimates Hearing in May 2006 in which it was revealed that approximately $5 million, or 15 percent of the $37 million budget allocated to the problem after an Indigenous family violence roundtable convened by the Prime Minister in 2003, had not been spent it begs the further question – how serious is this government about responding to the problem of Indigenous family violence and child abuse? Already some of the proposed initiatives have been watered down in particular the compulsory health checks which now are now voluntary and do not look for signs of sexual abuse. Legislation relating to some of the other initiatives is due to be tabled in Parliament this week – the details of which have not been made publicly available at the time this article went to press. It has long been recognised in two decades worth of reports that family violence and child abuse in Indigenous communities is a problem in all jurisdictions across Australia. Responding to the problem requires, as Anderson & Wild stressed in their Little Children are Sacred report, the establishment of collaborative partnerships at all levels of government and service provision so that appropriate joined-up support can be provided to those affected by violence. Of critical importance to this is that “governments commit [in this process] to genuine consultation with Aboriginal people in designing initiatives for Aboriginal communities whether these are in remote, regional or urban settings”. The measures announced by the Federal Government contradict not only the Anderson and Wild report recommendations but more than a decade of recommendations of how to respond to such sensitive issues in an appropriate and coordinated manner. As Indigenous community members we know that the answers to the problems of violence lie within our communities. These are initiatives that are guided and supported by community autonomy, capacity and development. However, they often operate outside the mainstream and remain largely unrecognised. At best such grassroots and community level programs are poorly documented in one-off newspaper, magazine and/or journal articles, and fail to be noticed in the broader context. It is now time, given the current context that a concerted effort be made by researchers and practitioners to support and promote such initiatives so that an evidence base of what works and does not work can be made available more broadly. Dr Kyllie Cripps, an Indigenous (Palawa) woman, is a CIPHeR Post Doctoral Research Fellow in the Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit at The University of Melbourne. In 2005 she was awarded her PhD entitled Enough Family Fighting: Indigenous Community Responses to Addressing Family Violence in Australia & the United States. She has also been involved in the development of national policy in this area. Her current work focuses on the social context of violence and how policy/programs can support Indigenous communities in responding to the problem. |
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| Engagement with leaders is key to child protection success - MJA | |
Two leading Queensland health commentators have called on the Howard Government to better engage with Aboriginal leaders if the recently announced anti-child abuse intervention into the Northern Territory is to succeed. Writing in the August edition of the Medical Journal of Australia, Dr Mark Wenitong, Australian Indigenous Doctor's Association president and senior lecturer at James Cook University, and Professor Ian Ring, professorial fellow at the Centre for Health Service Development at the University of Wollongong, questioned whether the sweeping reforms announced in June will have any lasting effect in their current form. "The government measures involve considerable reliance on uniformed services and coercive intervention, and limited consultation with the Aboriginal communities and leaders concerned," they wrote. "We urge that, at the earliest possible stage, the government consider enlisting the support and involvement of indigenous leaders in the health field, and give much more serious consideration to community-engagement strategies." The authors argued that the solution lies in taking action with Aboriginal people and communities rather than for them and warn of the need to tackle the broader social and health issues that underpin child abuse. "The abuse of children cannot be dealt with effectively as a separate issue without also addressing the related health, social, education, and economic issues." These included environmental and housing issues, deficiencies in mental and other health services, law enforcement, social services and the criminal justice system. "The federal government's intervention is a chance to make real gains in eliminating child abuse and the health, social, economic and other problems associated with it, but this requires bipartisan commitment for sustained, long-term interventions," they wrote. "We must do whatever it takes to save these children from sexual abuse today, but we must also ensure safe, healthy communities and a meaningful life for the children born into these communities in the years to come." To read the MJA editorial:http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/187_04_200807/rin10803_fm.html |
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| Maori's call for well resourced, consistent and sustained long term strategies | |
The Maori medical practitioners body, Te Ohu Ratu o Aotearoa has questioned the effectiveness of the Australian Government's intervention into Northern Territory communities. The organization's Chairperson Dr David Jansen released the following media statement in late July… Te ORA is aware of the enormous burden of illness and socio-economic disadvantage that has been carried by Aboriginal communities in Australia for many decades. Substantial improvements in Aboriginal health and social outcomes require well resourced, consistent and sustained long term strategies. The involvement of Aboriginal people in the development, implementation and evaluation of these strategies is essential. Te ORA welcomes the Australian Federal Government's stated intention to improve child health in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. However we are concerned about the narrow scope of the measures, the nature of the measures being implemented and the processes used to implement them. A meaningful commitment to improving Aboriginal health cannot focus on one age group alone. Nor can it focus on a single or limited number of issues. The health and well-being of population subgroups such as children, young people, adults and the elderly are linked with each other. Furthermore the health and well-being of an individual person is inextricably linked with the wider determinants of health. These determinants include, but are not limited to, the adequacy of housing, sanitation, supply of safe water, socio-economic factors, the availability of high quality education and employment, the safety of environments in which people live, and the expression of individual and community empowerment and self-determination. The programme being implemented must address the wider determinants of health and well-being in addition to the provision of high quality, effective, comprehensive and timely health services. Health services provided to Aboriginal communities must focus on the identification and treatment of the diseases and illnesses that are prevalent in Aboriginal communities. Some of these conditions, for example substance use and mental health issues, arise in part as a consequence of Aboriginal people'sexperience of marginalisation, dispossession, and past Government programmes which resulted in the ‘Stolen Generation'. The successful elimination of the health and social problems arising from these experiences requires programmes that focus on healing and the resolution of the emotional, psychological and spiritual harm that has resulted in mental health disorders and substance abuse. Te ORA urges the Government to implement the whole range of services to address all these issues. While applauding the Federal Government's measures to quantify the health status of children we believe that this activity cannot be limited to single issues such as child abuse. Child health and well-being in its entirety must be included in the Federal Government's programme. Furthermore, attempts to address child health without consideration of the health and social issues that affect the whole community will be doomed to fail. Te ORA urges the Federal Government to expand the scope and nature of its programme in order to ensure the programme's success. Te ORA believes that the programme will identify a wide range health and social issues that need to be addressed. The identification of health and social issues without adequate, appropriate and long term interventions to eliminate the causes is unethical and will harm children and the communities in which they live. Te ORA is concerned about the processes being used to implement the Government's programme. We urge the Government to take advantage of the expertise of Aboriginal people working in health and related areas at national and regional levels. We also urge the Government to involve community leaders in the planning and implementation of the programme in individual communities. We believe that an inclusive approach is required to ensure the full participation by communities, and to ensure that the programme does not inflict further harm on fragile and vulnerable individuals and communities. Te ORA is concerned about the manner in which Aboriginal parents, in particular Aboriginal men, are being represented by the political and media discourse. We note that people who abuse vulnerable children are not uncommonly outsiders to the community, and may even be working with communities in ‘helping' or professional roles. We urge the government to consider this as it moves to address the abuse of children in communities, and as it deploys workers into these communities. Finally Te ORA questions the need for the Government to assume control of Aboriginal communities and land and asks how the assumption of control over land resources will contribute to improving health and well-being in Aboriginal communities. |
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Professor Judy Atkinson is Director of the Gnibi College of Indigenous Peoples at the University of Southern Cross in Lismore, NSW. The following article by Professor Atkinson recently appeared in Discover SCU, the University newsletter….. A National Crisis: What John Howard Isn't Doing. I woke up this morning with a sense of doom. What was wrong? Yes. I remember! The Prime Minister has announced that he is ‘sending in the troops'. He has declared, in effect, a National Emergency. Is it a National Emergency? Yes, to some degree it is. It has been, for twenty years. More importantly, it is a National Shame. Why was this emergency allowed to develop to the stage that ordinary Australians are outraged. And whose shame is it? The blame game, which I do not subscribe to, but which I will move into for this specific article, rests with government. How come the average Australian did not know when Government have known for many years? How do I know they have known? Because, apart from the reports I have been involved with, I have had ministers say to me: Well we know the problems. You tell us the solutions. I therefore must assume they knew the problems. I have been looking for solutions since 1992. This morning I asked myself: If I were Prime Minister, with all his powers, what would I have done? Firstly I would understand and respond accordingly, to the fact that this is not an issue isolated to “Aboriginal Lands' in the Northern Territory. In the short term, I would focus on a child centred approach to building child centred, child safe communities. A Child centred approach: My first question would be what child safe places are already within communities. How can I support them? Often the safe house in the community is inhabited by a grannie on welfare, who opens her door to any child in need. She is someone who, somehow, like the miracle worker with loaves and fishes, can feed many children from her welfare cheque. I would support those people who are already doing hard jobs with little or no resources. Secondly, I would ask for Aboriginal peoples living in remote Aboriginal communities, rural towns and urban centres to put up their hands if they wanted to be involved in a long term approach to building their futures, from within a child centred - child safe infrastructure. I would then, in the short term, begin to work with select communities from each region across Australia, to help build their capacity. I would do this with an understanding that each community I worked with, supported and resourced, would be obliged to work, in turn, with others near them. In the short to medium term I would provide educational opportunities, to increased skill development which could be piggybacked from one community to another. Third, following from my child centred approach I would immediately start to build networks of workers, already out there, on the ground, and I would build from their knowledge and expertise, resourcing them to do their jobs without the stress levels they live with, on a day-to-day basis. I would provide educational opportunities to workers so they feel capable for working with the child, who as described on page 67 of the “Little Children are Sacred” report, saw his mother shot in the head and had to clean her brains up of the floor. I would ensure that workers have clear child trauma counselling skills by providing short courses for culturally safe crisis intervention. These are both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal workers, who have as their fundamental work ethic, the rights of the child to live and learn in child safe, child friendly environments. These workers would include police who are legislated to protect children from harm. Hence restricting access to alcohol and other drugs is an important part of their work responsibility. Social workers, and child protection officers who see the damage pornography does to the developing child would be encouraged to work with police to help restrict access to such material. I would charge mine workers, and mining companies for the behaviours of their employees, and others such as mechanics, school teachers, builders, who are found with such materials, on Aboriginal lands, in Aboriginal communities. I would expect school teachers to embed in their class curriculum, modalities and activities which heal trauma. In the medium term, if I were the Prime Minister I would build into all that I do a community strengths based approach, grounded in advancing education at all levels. The strengths based approach would provide educational opportunities for Indigenous Australians to acquire skills so they can work with their own people, and others, for healthy early childhood development; education for life long learning, and education for healing. Such educational packages would be both community based and tertiary delivered. They would have formal accreditation so that graduates could work in any field that helps build a society where children will always feel and be safe. This approach is an Indigenous employment strategy, and I would build that into my government's employment and enterprise strategies. In the longer term, if I were the Prime Minister, I would embed in all that I do, research on the ground. Those researchers undertaking Professional Doctorates, with scholarships for Indigenous Australians, would work with those working on the ground, and would document the activities and processes, so that in five or ten years time, I could show the Australian nation, what works, why it works, and how it would work in the towns and regions of Everywhere. I would expect then that we would be able to work together, all of us, to build a future for all people in this country. I would then be able to say to my senior bureaucrats: you now have the practice based evidence. Support these approaches, on behalf of all Australians. But I am not the Prime Minister. And I am sorry that I am not, for if I were this Prime Minister, I would ask of myself: am I now willing to say sorry for my government's inability to respond to this long term ‘emergency', an emergency that has existed over the ten years that I have been Prime Minister of this country? Am I willing to say sorry on behalf of my ministers, who have known of this crisis for many years, for their lack of will to do their jobs? Their inaction has profoundly deepened this so-called emergency. If I were the Prime Minister I would sit in deep soul searching about my lack of leadership in response to these critical needs, and I would acknowledge that in my mandate on behalf of all Australians, I have failed Aboriginal children today. And I would say: ….. Sorry. |
Leading international expert on the social determinants of health and CRCAH Program leader, Professor Fran Baum, has described the federal Government's intervention in Northern Territory Aboriginal communities as “enforced apartheid” in an opinion piece published recently in the Age newspaper. A professor of public health at Flinders University and a Commissioner on the World Health Organisation's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, Fran Baum points to the importance to health of people having control over their lives and meaningful participation in decision-making processes. Decrying the lack of engagement and consultation with Nothern Territory Aboriginal people she argues that the intervention stands a very good chance of being detrimental to the health of Aboriginal people and their communities. "For the past two years I have been serving on the Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, which was established by the World Health Organisation and has gathered evidence from around the world about the underlying causes of disease and illness,” she wrote. “A consistent message from the evidence is that when you rob people of control over their lives, it is uniformly bad for their health, whether they be British civil servants or Indian women living in slums.” To read Professor Baum's piece go to: Click Here |
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Victoria 's peak Aboriginal health body the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) has launched a report highlighting success stories from the Aboriginal community controlled health sector in Victoria. The report arose out of concerns by VACCHO that media reporting on Aboriginal health was almost universally negative and its launch coincided with a plea by VACCHO CEO Jill Gallagher to the media and politicians not to unwittingly reinforce negative stereotypes of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders. ‘Media stories that sensationalise negative perceptions of Aboriginal people greatly outnumber positive accounts of communities working together to improve, for example, their own health and wellbeing,' said Jill Gallagher, who is a board member of the CRC for Aboriginal Health. ‘But across Victoria, Aboriginal people are taking action to improve the health and wellbeing of their people.' Communities Working for Health and Wellbeing: Success stories from the Aboriginal Community controlled health sector in Victoria presents compelling evidence that culturally appropriate Aboriginal health services do improve health outcomes for Indigenous Australians. The report focuses on ten success stories from across Victoria that show how Aboriginal communities have worked to improve their own health. Examples of successful Aboriginal health services in VACCHO's report include
The report's publication was funded by the CRC for Aboriginal Health. For more information call VACCHO: 03 94193350 |
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CRCAH chronic conditions program leader, Leisa McCarthy, is co-author, with Malcolm Riley, of a chapter on Indigenous nutrition in a newly published text book , Public Health Nutrition - From principles to practice. Edited by Mark Lawrence and Tony Worsley the Allen and Unwin published book asks how the nutritional health of populations can be improved through action at local, national and global level. The book presents both the theoretical underpinnings and applied nature of the field of public health nutrition. The book is peer reviewed and divided into four sections: * Principles - presents conceptual frameworks, solutions, responsibilities and outcome measures, philosophical and evidential dimensions, standards and dietary guidelines. * Populations - explores groups for whom nutrition is especially relevant, providing analysis of the food and health relationship from physiological, social, cultural, political and economic perspectives. * Priorities - examines key issues including vulnerable populations, obesity, indigenous nutrition, international nutrition, the nutritional transition, food system trends and sustainability. * Practices - covers professional skills for public health practitioners including monitoring the food and nutrition situation of populations, physical activity, research skills, project management, professional practice, health promotion and communication, policy and politics. For more information: Click Here |
The United Nations General Assembly will shortly make a decision on the long awaited UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The adoption has been delayed consistently following objections by a small group of nations including Australia , Canada, New Zealand, the Russian Federation and the United States. Articles 22, 23 and 24 specifically refer to the rights of Indigenous peoples across the globe to:
To demonstrate support for the declaration the Grand Council of the Crees and Amnesty International Canada have launched a petition which has been signed by more than 17,000 individuals. To read the draft declaration, go to: http://www.cwis.org/drft9329.html To read the petition:Click Here |
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A new United Nations report has found that Australia has one of the highest life expectancies in the world. The State of the World Population 2007 report prepared by the United Nations Population Fund reveals Australian women live to 83.4 years on average and men to 78.4 years compared to average life expectancy across the globe of 68.6 years for women and 64.2 years for men. Life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is well below the global average at 65 years for women and 59 years for men. |
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| ANZ launches discussion paper on home ownership | |||||||
Further evidence of corporate Australia's increasing acknowledgement of Aboriginal disadvantage is found in a newly launched discussion paper on Indigenous home ownership by the ANZ bank. The paper is part of ANZ's broader Reconciliation Action Plan, which is described as outlining “ the specific steps ANZ will make to help improve the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians”. According to the ANZ website the plan contains:
CRCAH CEO Mick Gooda and ANZ's Adam Moody met recently to discuss possible future collaborations between the two organisations. To read the ANZ plan: http://www.anz.com/aus/values/community/Reconciliation.asp |
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| In 2006 the CRCAH identified health promotion as a research area requiring attention. With a range of health promotion and primary health care programs being implemented in Indigenous communities with varying success, Industry stakeholders wanted to know how to make health promotion work in the Aboriginal health context. With funding support from the CRCAH, researchers Nikki Clelland, Lynnette O'Donoghue and Bernadette Shields travelled to Quebec Canada to work alongside and learn more about how Cree and Mohawk First Nation communities are addressing this question in the area of chronic disease.
Like Australia, Aboriginal people in Canada have a higher burden of chronic disease – diabetes is 3-5 times higher and at least twice as many Aboriginal people smoke compared to the general Canadian population (Improving the Health of Canadians (2004):83 available www.cihi.ca ). For the Cree in particular obesity is of great concern with a nutritionist at the Mistissini Public Health Unit informing the Australian delegation that 55% of native children on the reserve are obese and that soft drink accounted for approximately 0.5kg per month of weight gain. This is a contributing factor to the increasing number of Aboriginal children being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Of the many health promotion and chronic disease prevention initiatives the group heard about, the main focus was on healthy eating and active living with a goal of improving the adoption of healthy lifestyles through information, support and skill development. Some examples included children and adult cooking classes, ‘Drop the Pop' school challenge, community walking/running programs and locally developed communication material eg. roadside billboards. The researchers observed a real integration of traditional activities and social culture into all aspects of the strategies and a focus on community ownership, participation and engagement, especially with community Elders.
This important integration is not unlike initiatives in the Northern Territory such as the Chronic Disease Story Board, an interactive communication tool using traditional ways of story telling to raise awareness and understanding of chronic disease and strategies for detecting and preventing the onset of chronic disease. The group had a number of opportunities to share this health promotion strategy with local community people and received overwhelmingly positive feedback, indicating the transferability of this initiative to other Indigenous groups. The group also showcased the ABCD (Audit and Best Practice for Chronic Disease) project - a continuous quality improvement initiative that utilises a participatory action learning model to assist health services to improve systems for delivery of best practice care for the prevention and management of chronic disease. News of ABCD received an overwhelmingly positive response from the Canadian Indigenous groups and a dialogue is now taking place with representatives of the Cree Health Board on its potential application in their communities. “We may have left the country but our links to the beautiful people from this breathtaking part of the world are still strong,” Lyn, Bernadette and Nikki told Gwalwa-Gai. “We are now working towards a visit from our Cree friends for the 2008 Chronic Disease Network Conference where we hope we can return at least part of the wonderful generosity of these people.”
The Australian research delegation would like to sincerely thank the following:
And a special thanks to Solomon Awashish & Amelia MacGregor, our community guides, who are always in our thoughts. |
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How Can Public Health Physicians Contribute to Effective Strategies to Improve the Health of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders?
In light of the urgent need to address issues raised in the Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle “ Little Children Are Sacred” report and the Federal Government's decision to impose isolated health checks on Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory, the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Menzies Centre for Health Policy have organised a seminar to explore successful projects and to identify the specific contributions that can be made by public health physicians and other public health professionals. Organisers point to what they say has been a lack of awareness or discussions around health successes leading to sustained improvements in Aboriginal health through cooperation with indigenous communities. The seminar aims to do just this with a series of presentations followed by open facilitated discussion. Sponsored by the Menzies Foundation, the seminar will take place in Sydney on August 17 at the Royal Australasian College of Physicians To ensure strong participation by remote area professionals and communities the workshop will be equipped with video conferencing facilities and health professionals and community leaders in the NT are encouraged to join the discussions via a video link. For more information: |
Adelaide will host the 2nd Australian Conference on Spirituality & Health from August 27 – 29 2007. Sponsored by Adventist Health, the health sector of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the conference aims to provide an opportunity to explore the relationship between spirituality, lifestyle, cultural diversity and the workplace. The conference is relevant for medical and health professionals, nurses and allied health practitioners, chaplains, clergy and ethicists, palliative care specialists, psychologists and behavioural scientists, health-care administrators and policy makers, community service providers, and researchers and students. The program will focus on findings of quantitative and qualitative research and will feature a presentation by Alwyn Chong Senior Research and Ethics Officer for the Aboriginal Health Council of SA. |
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| ALP calls for return to “public good” in CRC program objectives | |||||||
Speaking recently at an Australian Industry Research Group (AIRG) dinner in Canberra, ALP Spokesperson for Industry, Innovation, Science & Research, Senator Kim Carr, committed a future labor Government to restoring “public benefit” rather than commercial outcomes as the principle objective of the CRC program. Senator Carr's comments came after the Productivity Commission recommended in its recent report on Public Support for Science and Innovation that the “original objectives of the program should be reinstated – namely, the translation of research outputs into economic, social and environmental benefits, rather than focusing public support on the commercialization of industrial research alone”. Senator Carr later told the Age newspaper that “The most important functions of publicly supported science and innovation are nurturing a highly skilled and creative workforce and generating knowledge that is broadly and publicly useful.” The ALP is due to make a policy announcement on the CRC program shortly. Senator Carr's AIRG speech will be available shortly at: www.alp.org.au |
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The NSW Government has announced a $21 million initiative to improve the mental health of Aboriginal people and provide support for families and carers. Launching the NSW Aboriginal Mental Health and Well Being Policy 2006-2010 at Charles Sturt University, Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Mental Health) Paul Lynch said a key part of the policy is the training and deployment of Aboriginal people as qualified mental health workers. “By employing and training Aboriginal people who know the communities and are likely to stay in them, we can make inroads to prevent, intervene early and treat mental illness,” Mr Lynch said. “Already, 18 Aboriginal mental health worker trainees are being trained with an additional ten places to be rolled out in 2008-09,” he said. Other initiatives outlined in the NSW Aboriginal Mental Health and Well Being Policy 2006-2010 include:
The CRCAH has supported key initiatives within the policy. Two CRCAH project officers and a CRCAH Program Leader are working with NSW Health to rollout and to develop policy and procedures manuals for a comprehensive workforce development program for Aboriginal Mental Health Worker Trainees in NSW as part of the policy. For more information on the policy go to: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/2007/20070705_00.html |
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| New health model for Aboriginal prisoners | The leaders in Indigenous medical education network connection | |||||||
A report launched last month in Canberra, by ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, will lead to better health care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander prisoners in the ACT corrections system. The report, ‘You do the Time, You Do the Crime', by Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service (ACT) and other parties including the CRC for Aboriginal Health, describes a best practice holistic health care prison model to be delivered by the Winnunga Prison Health Service Team to the new ACT Alexander Maconochie Centre which will open in mid 2008. Speaking at the launch Ms Julie Tongs, Chief Executive Officer of Winnunga Nimmityjah said the report sent a powerful message about how prisons can become healthier places – based on the experiences of Aboriginal prisoners and Aboriginal holistic health services. “The model provides holistic care during incarceration and planning for release, post-release health service coordination, and family and community reintegration strategies. It also provides early family and other intervention strategies in managing the cycle of incarceration” said Julie Tongs. “The Model recognizes that a strong sense of identity and the contributing factors of a person's environment whether inside prison or in the community, their safety, community support and their physical and psychological wellbeing are paramount,” she said. The Model builds on services already provided by Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service to two NSW prisons and the ACT Belconnen Remand Centre. CEO Mick Gooda said he was proud of the CRCAH's involvement in the project. “This Model will be regarded as a template for Aboriginal prison health models nationally and we hope health and justice systems in other jurisdictions throughout Australia will also learn from it,” Mick Gooda told Gwalwa-Gai.
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The University of New South Wales will host the 2007 Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME) Network Connection from September 23 – 25. The LIME Network was set up as a result of the Medical Deans Indigenous Health Project and it aims to ensure quality Indigenous health curriculum and Indigenous student support initiatives in medical education. It is made up of a broad range of participants including medical educators (Indigenous and non-Indigenous), Indigenous health specialists, policy makers and community members concerned with the delivery of quality Indigenous health content in medical education and curricula. In collaboration with the Australian Indigenous Doctor's Association this year's conference theme is “Cultures across the Indigenous health spectrum: achieving better outcomes” and leaders in the field of Indigenous medical education and practice will present their experiences and share innovative approaches. Some of the conference key speakers include; Dr Kekuni Blanisdell from the University of Hawaii, Professor Papaarangi Reid from the University of Auckland and Mr Tom Calma from the Human Rights Equal Opportunity Commission. For more information: www.limenetwork.net.au Or email: lime@iceaustralia.com |
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The CRCAH have recently accepted seven new in-kind project proposals. They are as follows:
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| Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Knowledge (ISIK) Conference | ||||||||
Dr Bronwyn Fredericks, NH&MRC Research Fellow with the Centre for Clinical Research Excellence at the Queensland Aboriginal & Islander Health Council in Brisbane and the Department of Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine at Monash University, recently attended a major conference on Indigenous knowledge at the University of Tecnology, Sydney. Bronwyn, who attended the conference using funds provided as part of her NH&MRC post-doctoral fellowship combined with some some self-funding, sent this report for G-G readers.... I have just returned from the 2007 Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Knowledge (ISIK) Conference which built on the discussions from the 2006 (Re) Contesting Indigenous Knowledge and Indigenous Studies Conference. I was not disappointed. I came home inspired, uplifted, challenged and tired. The 2007 Conference was held from11-13 th July and was hosted by the Jumbunna House of Learning and the Indigenous Program Units at the University of Technology Sydney and with their partners and supporters. The three key conference themes were
There was a range of leading Indigenous scholars from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Nepal, Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Thailand, India, Mongolia, Brunei Darussalam and the United States of America. The keynote speakers helped set the context for engagement within the key conference themes. The keynote speakers included: Prof Marcia Langton (Uni of Melbourne); Prof. George Dei (Uni of Toronto); Ms Mary Edwards (UTS); Ms Robynne Quiggin (Lawyer & Consultant); and Terri Janke (Terri Janke & Co Pty Ltd). Other presenters included: Prof Aileen Moreton Robinson (QUT); Prof Martin Nakata (UTS); Prof Larissa Behrendt (UTS); Mr Victor Hart (QUT); Dr Bronwyn Fredericks (QAIHC & Monash Uni); Prof Tracey Bunda (Flinders Uni); Mr Phil Falk (Griffith Uni); and many others. What a line up! Sometimes, it was difficult to select which session to attend due to the quality of the presenters and the topics on offer. I like that everyone is encouraged to share their work at the ISIK Conference. This is done via an open invitation to offer a 50 minute presentation session, to lead a discussion, ask questions and through networking opportunities. It means that all participants can share in some way along with benefit from each other and gain a sense of the collective efforts. Participants additionally had the opportunity to participate in a number of book launches. For example, on day one the E-Book, Australian Indigenous Knowledges and Libraries by Martin Nakata and Marcia Langton (Eds.) was launched. On day two the books Disciplining the Savages. Savaging the Disciplines by Martin Nakata and Sovereign Subjects. Indigenous Sovereignty Matters by Aileen Moreton-Robinson (Ed.) were launched. These books are witness to the substantial and strategic intellectual engagement by Nakata, Langton and Moreton-Robinson. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education (AJIE) will publish a peer-reviewed collection of papers from this year's Conference in 2008. Papers from the 2006 (Re) Contesting Indigenous Knowledge and Indigenous Studies Conference are currently being published and will be available from August 2007. If you missed out being at the Conference and hearing some fantastic speakers you can purchase a copy of the AJIE. I will share with you that come the time to do my professional development planning for 2008: I'll have the 2008 ISIK Conference on my mind. There is no way I'm going to miss out on the level of engagement, intellectual challenge, subjectivity, and discussions of emancipation and resistance that this professional development opportunity offers! |
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We are pleased to announce that the new CRC for Aboriginal Health website is now live. Designed by CRCAH Communications Officer Cass Preece and utilising a content management system, developed specially for CRCs by BoaB Interactive, the website will provide regular updates on current issues within the Aboriginal Health sector. The new site has an extensive publication library including books, journal articles, reports, discussion papers, theses and audiovisual material produced and/or funded by CRCAH. CEO Mick Gooda told Galwa-Gai that the new website was a major acheivement for the CRC. "For the first time we have a website which contains all our intellectual output in a way that is easily accessible to all our diverse stakeholders," he said. "Congratulations to Cass and to Johanna Monk and all those involved in bringing the new site to life." This site aims to give all stakeholders an extensive understanding of the CRCAH and how it operates. With areas of interest catering for a wide range of individuals we hope that you will take the opportunity to view our new site at: www.crcah.org.au If you have any comments on the new website of would like any further information please don't hesitate to contact us: admin@crcah.org.au |
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A new kit targeting the high smoking rates of Indigenous people was launched in Darwin last month. The Talkin' Up Good Air: Australian Indigenous Tobacco Control Resource Kit, developed by the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Tobacco Control (CEITC), aims to assist Indigenous health workers to get people off the smokes. Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples smoke at nearly three times the rate of other Australians. According to Viki Briggs, CEITC Manager, the kit was specifically designed by Indigenous people for Indigenous people after mainstream health promotion campaigns against smoking had consistently failed to slow Indigenous smoking rates. “There has been no reduction in smoking rates among our people for the past 15 years at a time when mainstream Australian smoking rates have halved and so clearly the campaigns run by health authorities just aren't having the necessary impact,” said Viki Briggs. “The kit is evidence that Indigenous peoples are serious about helping our own people improve their health. “The kit gives Indigenous health workers the necessary tools, stories and hot tips that will help them get tobacco control projects up and running in their communities—whether remote, rural, or urban.” Viki Briggs said that the kit was put together with the assistance of a national working party of tobacco control experts because “tobacco smoking is devastating the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia ”. “The kit will support Indigenous health workers wishing to help our people get off the smokes”. The kit was launched in suburban Darwin in conjunction with the Danila Dilba Health Service and the CRCAH. Bringing the clean air message to the kids at the launch was anti-smoking super hero, Deadly Dan – Smoke Free Man. The kit is available from CEITC. To download or order a copy, go to: http://www.ceitc.org.au/resource_development_program |
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Australia 's first national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander television service, National Indigenous Television (NITV), has issued a call for individuals and organisations interested in providing health programs for broadcasting. NITV, which commenced broadcasting on Imparja Television's second channel on 13 July, is governed by a board which comprises of individuals appointed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait media and language associations from urban, remote and rural communities Australia wide. Organisations include the Indigenous Remote Communications Association (IRCA), Indigenous Community Television (ICTV), Indigenous Screen Australia (ISA), the Australian Indigenous Communications Association (AICA), Imparja Television, and the Federation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages.
NITV priority is to broadcast programs made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities from all over Australia. NITV aims to broadcast a whole range of programs from and about Aboriginal people and is calling for submissions from program-makers and media organisations all over Australia. NITV is interested in broadcasting general programs on health and nutrition. To read NITV's Content Charter and Acquisition guidelines and for general information about the service go to: www.nitv.com.au Or email: Acquistions@nitv.org.au |
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The groundbreaking Social Determinants of Indigenous Health text book authored by an array of Australia 's leading Aboriginal health researchers has gone into reprint after strong demand for it from Australian academic institutions. Sydney University, University of Adelaide, University of Queensland, Wollongong University, University of Western Australia, Griffith University and Newcastle University have all placed orders for the book. The book is also being promoted in the US although publishers Allen and Unwin say it will take some months before information about North America sales becomes available. To find out more about this book: Click Here |
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The CRCAH is a strong supporter of Darwin organisation, the Balunu Foundation, so recently the CRC Communications Unit organised for the ABC TV youth program, jTV, to visit Balunu's healing camp for young Aboriginal men. The story was aired on ABC TV in early August and featured very positive coverage of the work that Balunu undertakes at its young people‘s cultural healing camps. The CRCAH has supported Balunu with the development of its website (www.balunu.org.au) and has facilitated extensive media coverage of its activities. The CRCAH also assisted Balunu in designing an evaluation of its programs. To view the ABC jTV story go to: http://www.abc.net.au/jtv/video/default.htm?clip=darwin2
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Cardiovascular scholarships available |
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The National Heart Foundation of Australia is offering financial support to pursue the research of cardiovascular disease and related disorders. Travel Grants of up to $1500 are available to researchers who are based in Australia and who are traveling overseas to present their cardiovascular research at a conference. To be eligible, students must be studying for a higher degree and be no more than 5 years postdoctoral. Indigenous health researchers at any stage of their career wishing to present their research at an appropriate conference in Australia are also eligible for a Travel Grant award. Closing Dates: For travel in Oct, Nov & Dec 2007: 3 September 2007 The Heart Foundation is also offering Summer Scholarships to give undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in supervised biomedical, clinical or public health research projects, which are broadly related to cardiovascular function and disease. Summer Scholarships offer lab experience to students who have completed at least 2 years of a medical or science degree. Applicants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents at the time of application. The scholarships are for the summer vacation at an Australian university or institution and are for a duration of 6-8 weeks. The Heart Foundation is now calling for applications for Summer Scholarships to be carried out during the 2007/2008 summer vacation. Closing Date: 5.00pm , Monday 27 August 2007 For full award details, eligibility requirements, salary scales, information booklets and application forms: |
The National Centre of Epidemiology and Public Health is offering a range of scholarships to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people studying and working in population health. The NCEPH provides opportunities for either short of long-term study, in coursework or research programs through the following scholarship opportunities:
Applications close: Friday 31 August 2007 For more information:
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| The University of Melbourne has introduced for the first time an elective subject on Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing for its Psychiatry registrars. Supported by the CRCAH through the SEWB program, Dr Tricia Nagel from Menzies School of Health Research presented her research (and broader experience as a psychiatrist) to the psychiatric registrars in Melbourne as part of the teaching program. Senior lecturer Shaun Ewen explained to Gwalwa-Gai that one of the aims of the subject was to expose the students to a broad range of experts in Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing with which to consider their professional practice in Aboriginal health. Overall, the subject was a success, and Dr Nagel's visit highlights the value of the research/knowledge transfer/teaching relationship. “Our research has been gathering indigenous perspectives on mental health from rural and remote settings and translating those into a range of tools and resources. This visit offered an excellent opportunity to explore the urban psychiatry registrar's perspective on the partnership tools,“ said Dr Nagel. For further information email Shaun Ewen:shaun.ewen@unimelb.edu.au |
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