Topic archives: Indigenous health
Hearing from leaders in Indigenous medical education – plus #LIMEvi Twitter wrap
August 16, 2015
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 […]
“Listen to Us”: This report deserves a wide readership #JustJustice
August 13, 2015 1
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 […]
Forget Vegemite-based policy. Here are some sensible recommendations for reducing alcohol-related harms
August 10, 2015
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… […]
Learn from “one of the best examples in the world of a comprehensive primary healthcare service”
August 2, 2015
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 […]
Federal Ministers urged to avert Aboriginal health tragedy in western Sydney
July 26, 2015
(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 […]
The Health Wrap: Reclaiming #auspol; violence, inequity, resilience and love; defining research
July 19, 2015
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 […]
Celebrate #NAIDOC2015 with a long-read about love
July 5, 2015
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 […]
Devastating news for Aboriginal health in western Sydney
June 26, 2015
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 […]
#SOSBlakAustralia – What’s happening in the NT?
June 24, 2015
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 […]
“As a nation, we should be unified in an unwavering commitment to stop Aboriginal deaths in custody”
June 22, 2015
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 […]
Organisations unite to fight Budget cuts to vital health services
June 12, 2015
A coalition of 17 peak and non-government organisations from the health and community sectors is calling on the Australian Government to scrap plans to cut nearly $800 million in funding to key health initiatives over the next four financial years. The foreshadowed cuts would drastically reduce the capacity of non-government organisations and peak bodies to […]
How the arts contributed “substance and soul” to #ruralhealthconf
June 2, 2015
Jennifer Doggett reports Shadow Assistant Minister for Health, Stephen Jones, got it right at the closing session of #ruralhealthconf when he described it as having ‘both substance and soul’. From Shellie Morris’s rousing performance at the opening ceremony to the closing dance from the Kailani Dancers, much of the ‘soul’ of the conference was due […]
We can cut Indigenous smoking and save lives – here’s how
June 1, 2015 2
David Thomas writes: More and more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers are quitting and fewer young people are taking up smoking. In ten years, the proportion of former smokers who have successfully quit has jumped from 24% to 37%. In recent years, Indigenous families, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and governments have increased attention […]
Save the date: #IHMayDay15 is coming your way, soon…
May 15, 2015
Friday, May 29 has been declared a day of action and listening on Twitter on all matters to do with the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. #IHMayDay15 is a day for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to share their views and knowledge about some of the wide-ranging issues affecting health, and […]
Rallying, marching and tweeting for #SOSBlakAustralia
May 3, 2015
If a picture can tell a thousand words, then the tweets from the #SOSBlakAustralia rallies that were held around the country in recent days surely tell a few books’ worth. In remote communities, country towns, regional centres and the cities, many thousands of people rallied to express support for the rights of Aboriginal peoples, and […]
A MayDay call to action for health professionals: sign this letter and stand up for #SOSBlakAustralia
April 26, 2015 6
(This post was updated on April 28 & 29, & May 1, 4, 6 & 21). This Friday (May 1), rallies will be held around Australia and in other countries to protest against the forced closure of Aboriginal communities in Western Australia. In the open letter published below, Dr Melissa Stoneham of the Public Health Advocacy […]
Health Wrap: Ice rethink, mental health funding reprieve, tackling anti-vaccination activists, sweat to live longer
April 10, 2015 1
This week’s Health Wrap has been written by my colleague Ellice Mol, another new Sax Institute staff member. Ellice is our new Digital Communications Manager, a dab hand at producing digital content and has also worked in radio, video and film production. We hope you enjoy the […]
Launching #JustJustice: Mick Gooda calls for action on a “public health catastrophe”
April 9, 2015
The over-incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples is a “public health catastrophe”, and Mick Gooda, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, plans to make it a priority issue for the remainder of his term. At Croakey we are delighted that Mick Gooda is supporting our new crowd-funding campaign – #JustJustice -which […]
The Health Wrap: Forgotten election issues, Indigenous funding reprieve, mind-eating ice, Medicare debate not dead yet
March 27, 2015
It’s with pleasure I introduce this week’s Health Wrap from my colleague Megan Howe, who has joined the Sax Institute as Publications Manager. Megan knows more than a thing or two about health reporting – she has worked in the media for 25 years, most recently as […]
The Health Wrap: RIP copayment; choice vs culture; future proofing research infrastructure; on matters of evidence
March 14, 2015 1
By Kellie Bisset RIP copayment As Prime Minister Tony Abbott ended ongoing criticisms of the government’s GP copayment proposal by declaring it “dead, buried and cremated”, health groups warned that the sting might just be in the tail. A Medicare rebate freeze until 2018 might save $1.3 […]