An Indigenous focus at the World Conference on Health Promotion and Health Education, Melbourne 2004
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Health2004: the 18th World Conference on Health Promotion and Health Education was held on the land of the Kulin nation of peoples in Melbourne from April 26-30. The conference theme – Valuing diversity, reshaping power: exploring pathways for health and wellbeing – included an explicit focus on Indigenous health. It offered a unique opportunity to showcase the work of Indigenous peoples – from Australia and around the world – to an international audience.
Shane Hearn, Chair of the Indigenous Organising Committee, highlighted that:
Health2004 is an opportunity to expand and build the partnerships that are needed in Australia and internationally to put Indigenous health on regional and global agendas, and an opportunity to value and learn from the experience, wisdom and critical perspectives Indigenous peoples and societies bring to our understanding of how to make healthy societies.
The conference program encompassed Indigenous presentations and activities, including:
- 34 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander presenters (view details regarding conference abstracts and papers);
- an Indigenous caucus for the discussion of Indigenous peoples’ own priorities and preferences;
- a series of Indigenous cultural and social events; and
- a range of exhibitors from Indigenous organisations.
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In the exhibition area, a joint booth comprised of staff from the HealthInfoNet, Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH), Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal, and University of Queensland, was co-located with the National Aboriginal and Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) booth. The unique synergy formed by the collaborative work of these organisations led to the creation of a natural meeting place for delegates with an interest in the health of Indigenous Australians and facilitated information sharing. A selection of publications from the Journal was enthusiastically received by conference delegates.
Nicole Tye from OATSIH (Perth), Shannon Smith from the Health Worker Journal, and Helen Travers from the University of Queensland, joined Bronwyn Gee and Sam Burrow from the HealthInfoNet to conduct a HealthInternet café at the conference. The café provided an opportunity to introduce conference delegates to the online information resources and services offered through the:
- Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet website; and
- University of Queensland’s touch screen project – an information technology initiative to enhance health literacy in remote Indigenous communities.
The café offered an informal setting for sharing lessons learned from innovative health promotion initiatives currently being implemented in Indigenous communities across the nation and around the world.
We’d like to thank conference delegates who provided written permission for us to display the photos included in the following gallery:
We’d also like to thank OATSIH (Canberra and Perth), the Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal and the University of Queensland for their support, participation and great company during the conference.
