Leaders in Indigenous medical education from Australia, Aotearoa, Canada and Hawai’i gathered in Townsville last week, on the country of the Bindal and Wulgurukaba Peoples, for the sixth conference of the Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME) Network. With the conference theme of “knowledge systems, social justice and racism in health professional education”, many sessions […]
Summer May Finlay writes: Western Australia is often in the headlines for policies that are harmful for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, most recently for hurtful comments by the Western Australian Chief Justice. But the State also recently produced a fantastic report: “Listen to Us: Using the views of WA Aboriginal and Torres Strait […]
Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion’s foray into Vegemite-based policy has won global headlines for a suggestion that the product should be restricted in some remote communities to stop moonshine production – even Time Australia inhaled. But the weight of opinion – including from public health experts, police, and scientists – seems to suggest the recommendation should be, uhm, toast… […]
Amongst other things, the Third National Aboriginal Health Summit in Darwin last week provided some examples of how the wider primary healthcare sector can learn so much from the Aboriginal community controlled health sector. Presentations reviewing the history of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress and the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) highlighted the […]
(Update, 27 July: A comment from the Federal Department of Health has been added at the bottom of this post Update, 28 July: An open letter from health academics at UTS has been added to this post) Doctors and academics are warning the Federal Government that the closure of the Aboriginal Medical Service Western Sydney […]
By Kellie Bisset Reclaiming the policy debate Will the national reform summit, planned for next month by peak bodies in the welfare, ageing, business and union sectors, kick Australia’s policy debate into a more sensible sphere? Many would be hoping so and the process will at the very […]
It’s NAIDOC Week – a time “to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”. The theme – We all Stand on Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect and Celebrate – highlights Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ strong spiritual and cultural connection to land and sea. I’m delighted to report that […]
The Australian newspaper reported this week that the Federal Department of Health has given a large Aboriginal community controlled health service in western Sydney notice of imminent loss of funding. Patricia Delaney, a longstanding Aboriginal health advocate and policy advisor with a background in nursing and mental health, who helped set up the service, writes below […]
Coinciding with an #SOSBlakAustralia global call to action on June 26, 27, and 28 against threatened closures of remote communities in WA, a community forum in Darwin this weekend will hear of wide-ranging concerns facing Top End Aboriginal communities. Thomas Mayor, Secretary NT Branch of Maritime Union of Australia, writes: Towards the beginning of the […]
Many of the celebrations of the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta as a symbol of liberty and freedom ring very hollow for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. However, one recent conference examining the Magna Carta legacy did acknowledge the “justice gap”, describing the increasing incarceration rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples […]
