Budgeri Booroody: excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health conference

Budgeri Booroody, which means ‘good and getting better’ in the language of the Eora people of coastal Sydney, was the name of a two-day conference focusing on quality and best practice within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled health sector. The conference, held 21 – 23 November, 2007 in Sydney, New South Wales, provided OATSIH-funded community controlled health services with the opportunity to come together at a national forum to share information about best practice and to hear about current research in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare.

The welcome to country was provided by Allen Madden from the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council. The conference welcome and overview was presented by Lesley Podesta, First Assistant Secretary, OATSIH, Department of Health and Ageing.

Keynote presentations included:

• Stephanie Bell, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress: Having quality at the top of your organisation’s agenda
• Putting research into practice successfully for quality outcomes
• Allen Benson, Native Counselling Services Alberta, Canada: Managing for quality
• Mark Wenitong, Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association: Quality models that work
• Julie Tongs and Karen Flick, Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Services, together with Aunty Rose Fernando, Gamilaroi Elder: Circle of life and wellbeing

The conference included breakout sessions focussing on the following topics:

• Quality at the top of your agenda
• Research into practice
• Managing for quality

The centrepiece of the conference was the inaugural National Excellence Awards in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health ceremony, which was held on 22 November, 2007. A total of 77 individuals and organisations submitted nominations for the awards. The nominations were judged by an eight member expert panel.

The winners in the six award categories were:

• Mary Martin: Lifetime achievement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
• Matthew Cooke: Young leader in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
• Bernadette Shields: Individual contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
• Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (Kimberley Satellite Dialysis Service): Excellence and innovation in service delivery
• Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service (Youth Diversion Program): Excellence and innovation in community health outcomes
• Maari Ma (Lower Western Sector Agreement): Working together – partnering for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet staff, Neil Thomson and Ineke Krom, ran a HealthInternet café at the conference.

• For further information:
  • View conference website
  • Awards showcase excellence in Indigenous health care
    View media release: Department of Health and Ageing (22 November 2007)
  • View National Excellence Awards in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health website

We’d like to thank the conference participants who provided written permission for us to display their photos here (click on the photos to enlarge).