| The following summary has been adapted from a media release and information for the general public provided by the Department of Health and Ageing.
The Commonwealth Government will be providing free hepatitis A vaccine from 1 November 2005 for all Indigenous children aged five years and under living in Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. Immunisation will protect children under five, and prevent the spread of hepatitis A to older children and adults who are at risk of more serious disease. Hepatitis A is endemic in many remote Indigenous communities. It is a viral illness which causes inflammation of the liver and is closely linked with poor environmental health conditions. Some people with the infection have no symptoms, others can experience symptoms such as fever, weakness, lack of appetite, nausea, abdominal discomfort and jaundice (yellow colouring of eyes, skin and urine). The disease can be mild (lasting a few weeks) or severe and disabling (lasting several months), and in rare cases it can be fatal. A successful vaccination program in north Queensland Indigenous communities has lead the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation to recommend the wider use of this vaccine for Indigenous children in States and Territories with a high incidence of hepatitis A. Around 30,000 Indigenous children will be eligible for free vaccination under the new program. Vaccines will be administered in two doses. The first dose will be given from 12 months of age with a second dose required six months later. Information about the vaccinations is available from State/Territory Health Departments. For further information: Minister for Health and Ageing
Department of Health and Ageing |
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Students from the Centre for Aboriginal Studies attend HealthInternet workshop
The HealthInfoNet conducted a HealthInternet workshop on 4th May 2005 in our new location at the School of Indigenous Australian Studies, Kurongkurl Katitjin, Edith Cowan University, Mount Lawley, WA. Participants in the workshop included Indigenous primary health care and mental health students, from all around Australia, studying at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University. They were accompanied by Associate lecturer Cheryl Davis who teaches primary health care in the second year of the Associate Degree in Aboriginal Health.
The purpose of the workshop was to provide participants with an interactive introduction to the use of Indigenous health information resources on the HeathInfoNet website, and to gain feedback on how the website could be developed to better meet their information needs. The workshop was facilitated by Sam Burrow and Kim Hansen, and the HealthInfoNet Multimedia Coordinator, Krishanka Gunasekera, set up the computers and provided technical support. The workshop commenced with a demonstration of the HealthInfoNet site. Participants then proceeded through a series of guided exercises that illustrated how to find Indigenous health information on the website, and how to use the range of other online resources and services. The workshop activities gave participants the opportunity to explore the HealthInfoNet site and the Internet more widely, to find health information relevant to their immediate study needs.
The workshop was well received and provided constructive feedback for developing the HealthInfoNet website further. Some students had extensive experience with computers and had used the website and/or the Internet previously, while others were relatively new to computer use. The flexible nature of the workshop made it possible to cater to the needs of individuals with different levels of computer and Internet literacy. It is anticipated that the students will be able to apply the hands-on experience and skills gained during the workshop to more readily locate information relevant to their studies and work in Indigenous health. On completion of the workshop, participants received a certificate, and were provided with a current copy of the HealthInfoNet site on a CD-ROM, and promotional material to take back to their places of study and/or work. Participants highlighted the need to let others know about the HealthInfoNet’s various web-based resources, and planned to distribute promotional materials to colleagues working or studying in related areas. There is growing interest in workshops of this type and it is hoped that funding may be obtained in the future to conduct similar workshops across Australia on a more regular basis. We would like to thank the workshop participants who provided written permission for us to display their photos here. |
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The Government announces free health check-ups for Indigenous children
| The following summary has been adapted from media releases provided by the Minister for Health and Ageing, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and the ABC
The Commonwealth Government has announced a new Medicare-funded annual health check for all Indigenous children from birth to 14 years of age. The new health check will be introduced within the next 12 months. This additional Medicare item will encourage doctors to carry out regular and comprehensive health checks on Indigenous children to enable early detection of disease and reduce the high rates of illness. In particular, the new health assessments will allow doctors to target risk factors for chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, substance use and other health problems that can commence in childhood or early adolescence. Details of the child health check will be developed in consultation with child health experts, GP organisations and other groups involved in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. With the development of the child health check, a framework will be in place for health assessment and health promotion interventions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at all stages of life. The initiative complements the $102.4 million Healthy for Life package announced in the 2005-06 Budget, which will improve the health of Indigenous mothers and babies through targeted activities at various places across the country. The Rural Doctors Association of Australia, while acknowledging the child health check as a welcome move, has cautioned that the health initiative will be of greatest benefit to those near a bulk-billing GP. Association vice-president Doctor Ross Maxwell commented that ‘As this is a Medicare funded system, a little bit depends on whether they have access to Medicare funded services as to whether or not this announcement will make a difference’. Dr Maxwell emphasised that efforts to improve Indigenous health cannot stop with the new initiative ‘Indigenous health standards are still absolutely inadequate on international benchmarks so it is important that we take every opportunity to improve Indigenous health.’ Three leading primary health care organisations – the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), Australian Divisions of General Practice (ADGP) and Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), have all welcomed the annual health checks. Dr Naomi Mayers, Acting NACCHO Chair, explained that adult health can be improved if Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have access to primary health care. She said ‘There is good evidence that Aboriginal children are less likely to be vaccinated than other children, have more anaemia, have poorer access to hearing services even though deafness is more common from ear infections, and they are at higher risk of developing poor health as adults.’ Professor Kidd, President of the RACGP, added ‘By acting to meet these challenges early in life, better health can provide a greater chance for positive education, social and employment outcomes. This additional funding recognises the valuable role played by general practice in delivering enhanced health care for some of our most disadvantaged Australians.’ According to ADGP Chair, Dr Rob Walters, the new items ‘closed a gap’ that had existed in the current stock of health prevention measures accessible to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. ‘This initiative will provide a mechanism for Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples of all ages to access preventive health care, something that is critically important given the well-documented, tragically poor health levels of Australia’s Indigenous population.’ Dr Walters said the new health check item demonstrated that preventative health initiatives – aimed at promoting good health rather than simply treating disease down the track – were a major priority for the Government. ‘It is encouraging that the Government appears to recognise that investing in primary care strategies not only saves health dollars but promotes good health outcomes. The pay off comes in the form of healthier communities overall and hospitals less burdened by patients needing treatment for preventable diseases.’ On behalf of the RACGP, Professor Michael Kidd congratulated both NACCHO and the Australian Government for improving access to vital primary health care services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. For further information: Minister for Health and Ageing ABC NACCHO |
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Launch of The social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal children and young people
The following summary has been adapted from media releases and information provided by the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research)
The social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal children and young people was launched in April 2005 at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Perth, Western Australia (WA). It is the second volume of findings from the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS), with three more volumes to follow (view media backgrounder – HTML). This report presents data collected on the social and emotional wellbeing of 3,993 children aged 4-17 years. Other volumes cover the topics of health(view previous HealthInfoNet current topic), education, family, and community and justice .
The report details the complexity of factors that contribute to significantly higher rates of social and emotional difficulties experienced by Aboriginal children compared with other Australian children. Findings reveal that nearly a quarter (24%) of Aboriginal children are at high risk of clinically significant emotional or behavioural difficulties.
WAACHS Steering Committee Chairman, Associate Professor Ted Wilkes said that ‘what this report quantifies is the level of suffering faced by too many Aboriginal children and young people…a burden that affects their long term social and emotional development’. The survey found that over 70% of Aboriginal children were living in families which had experienced three or more major life stress events, such as death in the family, serious illness, family breakdown, financial problems, or arrest, and that 22% of Aboriginal children had experienced seven or more of these serious events in the past 12 months (view media release – HTML).
Report co-author Professor Sven Silburn said that ‘stress levels experienced by Aboriginal children and families are a reflection of their economic and social disadvantage, their comparatively poor health and how these factors impact on family and community functioning’. The cumulative impact of chronic stress affects development of the nervous, endocrine and immune systems, placing children at an increased risk of acquiring chronic diseases later in life, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and mental health problems. Professor Silburn emphasised the need for urgent action ‘to buffer children from the effects of these stresses as well as longer-term measures to reduce their underlying causes’ (view media release – HTML).
The report provides the first scientific evidence of the long-term effects on the health and wellbeing of children cared for by Aboriginal Australians who were forcibly separated from their natural families by missions, the government or welfare. The report found that children of Aboriginal carers who were forcibly separated from their families were 2.3 times more likely to be high risk for clinically significant emotional and behavioural difficulties, and had double the proportion of both alcohol and other drug use than other Aboriginal children. Professor Wilkes said the findings were of national significance because they prove that the legacy of past government policies is still a real issue for Aboriginal communities today (view media release – HTML).
The report’s findings highlight the extent and urgency of the emotional and behavioural difficulties faced by many Aboriginal communities and families. Importantly, the findings also include information on those children and young people who, despite past or current adversity, are living healthy and resilient lives. Professor Wilkes said that ‘understanding how they achieved these good outcomes will guide us in helping more individuals and families have better outcomes’ (view media release – HTML).
The social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal children and young people (view HealthInfoNet abstract; view report) is available on the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research website. For information regarding reproduction of the report contact: Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, PO Box 855, West Perth WA 6872, Ph: (08) 94897777, Fax: (08) 9489 7700, Email: waachs@ichr.uwa.edu.au.
For further information:
- WA Aboriginal Child Health Survey
View media release (HTML) (released 13 April) - High stress burden takes toll on Aboriginal children
View media release (HTML) (released 13 April) - Pain of forced separation affecting a new generation
View media release (HTML) (released 13 April)
Or contact:
Elizabeth Chester
Ph: 0409 988 530 (mobile)
or
Tammy Gibbs
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
Ph: 08 9489 7963
Healthy start to life: projects to address the health of Indigenous mothers, babies and children
IntroductionThe Australian Government has announced funding worth $6.5 million over five years for four research projects under the Healthy start to life initiative. The projects have the potential of improving the maternal, infant and childhood health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The call for expressions of interest for project funding was made via the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (view the NHMRC Call for Expressions of Interest). Applicants were strongly encouraged to develop collaborative research teams to address a Healthy start to life in a cross-sectoral way. It was recommended that collaboration should include non-health sectors, such as education, employment, environment and transport, in partnership with service delivery agencies and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community groups. Applicants were encouraged to consider issues that impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in diverse settings, from remote and rural to urban and urban fringe populations. In announcing the funding Mr Abbott said, ‘Indigenous health remains a significant challenge. Research projects such as these provide more information on identified problems and explore ways to address the problems. Providing Indigenous children with a better start in life will help improve their long term health.’ The projects complement the Government’s 2005-06 Budget commitment of an additional $170 million for Indigenous health over four years, including more than $100 million on a new program to improve the health of Indigenous mothers, babies and children and to reduce the impact of chronic diseases. The projectsThe Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet is a partner in a successful application by Edith Cowan University (ECU), Western Australia, for a project that will receive funding of more than $1.4 million over five years. The project, Keeping kids on track: an initiative developing the resilience of Aboriginal students during a critical transition phase, will be directed by Chief Investigator Associate Professor Gary Partington of Kurongkurl Katitjin, ECU’s School of Indigenous Australian Studies. The initiative aims to build Indigenous children’s capacity to cope with life’s challenges and promote resilience through social and emotional skill development, cognitive development, community engagement, and appropriate health provision. This will build children’s capacities and lead to improved educational and employment outcomes in the longer term. Indigenous researchers and community members will participate in the governance and conduct of the study. The other projects to be implemented in Western Australia and New South Wales are: Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia
The University of Sydney, New South Wales
The University of Newcastle, New South Wales For further information view: Department of Health and Ageing, Tony Abbott, Minister for Health and Ageing Edith Cowan University The University of Newcastle |
Joann Schmider: new Director for the Indigenous Support and Development Branch of the Department of Child Safety in Queensland
The following summary has been adapted from the Minister for Child Safety media release, 7 April 2005 and the Child Safety Reform Blueprint
The Department of Child Safety in Queensland recently announced the appointment of Joann Schmider to the position of Director for the Indigenous Support and Development Branch based in Cairns. The Indigenous Support and Development Branch was recently formed to support the delivery of Indigenous child protection services by newly formed or expanded Indigenous agencies located across Queensland.
Joann Schmider is an Indigenous woman with 25 years of experience in government and Indigenous community engagement, and a background in: human services for children; youth and family programs; education and training; human rights; and social justice. She has a diverse range of contacts in the Indigenous and wider community across Queensland and Australia.
Joann’s priority will be to tackle the significant over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the Queensland child protection system. Minister for Child Safety Mike Reynolds stated that the appointment of Joann was crucial to the implementation of reforms to the Queensland child protection system outlined in the Child Safety Reform Blueprint (view report – PDF – 2MB – large file warning!; view Indigenous specific section – PDF – 92KB). In the Blueprint a range of initiatives intended to improve the services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children at risk in Queensland are described. These initiatives are designed to ensure that service delivery to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, their families and their carers are culturally appropriate, accessible, and responsive to their individual needs.
Image kindly provided by the Department of Child Safety
Links to Commonwealth Budget 2005-06: information of relevance to Indigenous health
Federal Treasurer Peter Costello delivered his tenth Commonwealth Budget on Tuesday evening, 10 May 2005. The following links provide information on the Budget and its implications for Indigenous health.
Indigenous Budget 2005The Australian Government Indigenous Budget 2005 provides information on Indigenous spending across all Government portfolios. Section F of the Indigenous Budget 2005 provides a statistical summary of Australian Government Indigenous expenditure: by portfolio. It includes expenditure in the Health and Ageing Portfolio, the largest component of which is for health services in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities (including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Access Programme). Portfolio Budget Statements 2005-06More detailed information on various components of Indigenous expenditure is available in the respective Portfolio Budget Statements 2005-06, including the: Health and Ageing Portfolio Portfolio Budget Statement 2005-06 Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs Portfolio Portfolio Budget Statement 2005-06 Full Budget detailsFull Commonwealth Budget details are available at the official Australian Government Budget website. Media releases and other informationBudget 2005-06 – a continuing commitment to improving the health of Indigenous Australians
Other Health and Ageing Budget media releases and fact sheets
ABC News online |
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Wes Miller: new Manager of Indigenous Health Program at the Fred Hollows Foundation
The following summary has been adapted from the ABC and Fred Hollows Foundation media releases, 1 March 2005
The Fred Hollows Foundation recently announced the appointment of Wes Miller as Manager of its Indigenous Health Program. The program works with local partners and has a specific focus on nutrition, child and maternal health, literacy, and remote community stores management in the Jawoyn communities east of Katherine in the Northern Territory (NT).
Brian Doolan, the Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, commented that ‘Mr Miller’s extensive experience and knowledge places him in the perfect position to lead our Indigenous Health Program and continue the excellent work The Foundation and its partners are undertaking to help address the health crisis in remote Indigenous communities.’
Mr Miller‘s mother and grandmother are both from Jawoyn country and he has worked in the Katherine region for many years. He has held leadership positions at the Katherine Region Aboriginal Legal Aid Service (KRALAS), the Aboriginal medical service (Wurli-Wurlinjang Health Service) , the Northern Land Council’s office in Katherine and the NT Health Department. He was also one of the original ATSIC regional councillors for the region.
Most recently Mr Miller has worked as the Top End Primary Health Care Access Program officer for the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT), building the capacity of community health boards so that they can be managed by Indigenous people.
Mr Miller said he looked forward to the challenge of the role and the opportunity to increase the depth and scope of the programs in both the Katherine region and nationally. He said: ‘I am passionate about this area of work because I firmly believe that improvements in the health and well-being of Aboriginal people are governed by and large by the levels of control we have over our personal lives and over the organisations that we ourselves establish or are established for our benefit.’
Image has been reproduced with the kind permission of the Fred Hollows Foundation
The 8th National Rural Health Conference – Central to health: sustaining well-being in remote and rural Australia
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The 8th National Rural Health Conference, 10 -13 March 2005, was the largest ever public meeting on remote and rural health. Held at Alice Springs Convention Centre, Northern Territory, it was attended by 1,100 delegates from around Australia including health service providers, students and consumers.
The conference was organised by the National Rural Health Alliance which is primarily funded by the Department of Health and Ageing and comprises 24 national organisations. The Alliance advises on rural and remote health policies and strategies. The principal conference sponsor was the National Health and Medical Research Council with additional conference support provided by the Northern Territory Government.
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The conference involved presentations, papers, workshops, and posters, and also shared yarns in less formal settings. Contributors included health service managers, allied health professionals, Aboriginal health workers, nurses and GPs. Conference themes were:
- the demonstrated means of successfully strengthening the multidisciplinary remote and rural workforce;
- lessons to learn about improving the health of Indigenous people and other populations in remote areas;
- the connections between land and health for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in remote and rural Australia;
- the ways in which education, transport, the environment, economic development and communications intersect with each other and the people in remote and rural Australia; and
- the key emerging issues in clinical practice for remote and rural Australia.
Indigenous health and well-being were a major focus of the conference, highlighting the poor state of Indigenous health as a priority social issue. Of the 90 concurrent papers that won a place on the program (from 440 abstracts) 39 were associated with Aboriginal health. Topics discussed in relation to Indigenous health included: health conditions; health services; workforce issues; environment issues; and lessons learned.
Internet access for all conference delegates was provided at the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet exhibition stand, with Telstra Country Wide providing Internet connectivity. Diana Hay from the Aboriginal & Islander Health Worker Journal and Jane Burns from the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet also ran a joint display with information about the two organisations. Jane conducted a HealthInternet café on web-based Aboriginal health information, particularly related to rural and remote health, and other HealthInfoNet services such as training and website development. Delegates were encouraged to visit all the exhibition booths.
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For further information including the full set of recommendations (PDF – 171KB) and conference media releases:
- Remote area health: not complaining but not complacent
- Global challenges for Australia’s remote health sector
view the 8th National Rural Health Conference website.
We would like to thank the conference participants who provided written permission for us to display their photos here
United Nations announces Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People
The following summary has been adapted from the ABC Message Stick media release, 5 January 2005 (view media release)
Just days after the end of the first International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People in December 2004, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly announced the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People would commence on 1 January 2005 .
In declaring the Second Decade, the UN noted the deep concerns expressed by the Commission on Human Rights about:
- the precarious economic and social situation that Indigenous people continue to endure in many parts of the world;
- persistent violations of their human rights; and
- the urgent need to recognise, promote and protect more effectively their rights and freedoms.
The importance of consultation and cooperation with Indigenous people in planning and implementing the program of activities for the Second Decade, was highlighted.
The UN acknowledged also the achievements of the first Decade, including:
- establishment of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues;
- appointment of a Special Rapporteur for Indigenous issues;
- creation of a voluntary fund to assist Indigenous participation in UN fora;
- development of an Indigenous Fellowship program; and
- the contributions made by the Permanent Forum, the Working Group on Indigenous Populations and the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of Indigenous people.
The goal of the Second Decade is to further strengthen international cooperation to solve problems faced by Indigenous people in areas such as culture, education, health, human rights, the environment and social and economic development, through action-oriented programs and specific projects, increased technical assistance and relevant standard-setting activities.
