Category: Vol 3 No 1 January 2003 – March 2003

Ms Dea Delaney Thiele has been appointed as NACCHO’s new Chief Executive Officer. She succeeds Mr Craig Ritchie who resigned some months ago.

Ms Delaney Thiele, a Dunghutti woman, was born at the Burnt Bridge Mission at Kempsey, NSW. Her family subsequently moved to Redfern in Sydney and then on to Western Sydney where she grew up. She has lived in Canberra since 1998. Her father Mr John Delaney, was a former ATSIC Commissioner (Sydney Region). Ms Delaney Thiele is married with three children.

Ms Delaney Thiele has been actively involved in Aboriginal affairs since 1985 and is a firm believer in the right to self-determination for Aboriginal people. She has spent many years in the Aboriginal community controlled health sector and has served on a number of boards at the local, state and national levels. These include: Chairperson of the Murawina Mt Druitt Aboriginal Childcare Centre; CEO of Daruk Aboriginal Medical Service NSW; membership of the NSW Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC) and NACCHO Board (including a period as its Treasurer); and Chairperson of Kamuku Building Enterprises Aboriginal Corporation. Ms Delaney Thiele has also served as a Board Member of the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and the Western Sydney Area Health Service. She holds a post graduate qualification in health management from the University of New England, Armidale and in 1998 joined NACCHO as a policy analyst.

For further information view:

• NACCHO media release

In March 2003 Mr Henry Councillor became the Chairperson of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), the national peak body for more than 120 Indigenous community controlled health services. Mr Councillor, who was Deputy Chair of NACCHO, takes the helm from Ms Pat Anderson

Henry Councillor, 41, is a Jaru man whose family comes from the Mt Dockwell area of Halls Creek in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia. He has had a long involvement in Aboriginal health that commenced with the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service’s Council Inc. (KAMSC) over 20 years ago. In 1994 he was appointed KAMSC’s Chief Executive Officer. He has worked also with the Broome Regional AMS, the Yura Yungi Medical Service at Halls Creek and the East Kimberley AMS.

Mr Councillor is actively involved in a range of local, state and national committees and has stated that one of his main aims as Chairman will be to progress partnerships with mainstream services to improve the health of Aboriginal people. He believes that Aboriginal controlled health services constitute a vital, viable, expanding sector and that the holistic approach adopted by the first centre in Redfern over 30 years ago has proved its worth.

Speaking at the National Rural Health Alliance Conference in Hobart on 2 March 2003, Mr Councillor paid tribute to Ms Anderson’s work during her time as Chair and expressed a desire to maintain the momentum she had begun. NACCHO’s focus, as Mr Councillor explained, is to ensure that the Aboriginal health agenda is represented and prioritised at Commonwealth and State levels. NACCHO is an advocate for Aboriginal people in such areas as the acquisition of funding and building the workforce capacity of Aboriginal health. Mr Councillor said that his personal priorities would be the prevention of youth suicide, and the creation of programs to deal with communicable diseases, diabetes and drug/alcohol abuse – issues he had seen in the Kimberley.

In his keynote address, Healing the Divisions, he focussed on the ongoing poor health status of Aboriginal people and the failure of health services to meet the demand. He called for accountability of services, particularly rural health programs; noted the need to address inequities associated with Aboriginal access to tertiary care; and reinforced the need for benchmarks. He identified successful partnerships between Aboriginal controlled health services and mainstream services including Divisions of General Practice, the Chronic Disease Alliance and the National Rural Health Alliance. He commented that the most pressing issues faced by Aboriginal people – alcohol abuse, violence, powerlessness, discrimination and the need for healthy lifestyles – will not be solved medically and will require community action and advocacy. He concluded that the mainstream health system will need to nurture such an approach.

Mr Councillor will act as Chairperson, a full-time position, until November. At that time, under NACCHO’s Constitution, all member services will have the right to vote at the annual general meeting in Melbourne on who will fill the position of Chairperson for the following two years.

For further information view:

• NACCHO media release
• National Rural Health Conference keynote address
• ABC National Rural Health Conference feature

The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) AGM and conference, held in Adelaide on the 20-21 November, addressed the theme of ‘Looking back – looking forward’.

The plenary session chaired by Margaret Colbung on strengthening the capacity of Aboriginal community-controlled primary health care services was of vital interest to all participants. Guest speakers provided examples of how strategic leadership and capacity building were working in their local areas.

Other plenary sessions focused on:

• NACCHO – past successes and future plans;
• initiatives in individual States and Territories;
• the Framework Agreements and regional planning processes; and
• positives, negatives, challenges, and structural barriers.

Concurrent sessions addressed a range of issues including:

• workforce issues;
• men’s health;
• substance misuse; and
• social and emotional well being.

For the first time at a NACCHO conference, the HealthInfoNet conducted for participants a HealthInternet café along the lines of those from other conferences. This provided an opportunity for Board members, senior managers and health professionals from Aboriginal community-controlled services to become more familiar with the HealthInfoNet‘s online services, and with our role in empowering Indigenous people by providing them with access to relevant, high-quality knowledge and information on Indigenous health.

The café was conducted by Neil Thomson and Sandy Angus. New users were guided through major sections of the HealthInfoNet site and assisted in seeking out material relevant to their specific health interests. A positive aspect of the HealthInternet café was the opportunity for delegates to share information on some creative and innovative programs and projects. HealthInfoNet staff used a digital camera to take photos of many people involved in the projects, and we thank them for their permission to take and publish these images on our site.

The HealthInfoNet thanks NACCHO for the generous support of the HealthInternet café, and looks forward to contributing to future NACCHO conferences and symposia.

Click here to view images from the conference.

Three members of the Western Australian Parliament – Carol Martin, MLA, Member for Kimberley and Chair of the Education and Health Committee, Tony O’Gorman, MLA, Member for Joondalup, and Dianne Guise, MLA, Member for Wanneroo and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly – visited the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet on Friday 6 December.

This visit was arranged when HealthInfoNet research officer, Jane Burns, attended the Path of Honour celebrations at Edith Cowan University’s Joondalup Campus marking the contributions of valued citizens. Carol Martin, who was being honoured as the first Indigenous women to be elected to an Australian Parliament, expressed an interest to Jane in the innovative work of the HealthInfoNet and was keen to visit to learn more.

The visit gave all the parliamentarians a greater awareness of the poor health status of Indigenous Australians as well as some examples of the positive work being done nationally in the area. Professor Neil Thomson, Director of the HealthInfoNet, demonstrated how the HealthInfoNet contributes to improving the health of Australia’s Indigenous people by making relevant, high quality knowledge and information easily accessible.

Carol was particularly impressed at the way in which the HealthInfoNet covered wide-ranging issues so comprehensively. She noted that: ‘the HealthInfoNet is an invaluable resource that politicians and other people interested in Indigenous health should have ready access to’.

All three of the visitors expressed their support and encouragement for the project and were keen to help spread the word through their wide networks.

HealthInfoNet staff with the visiting parliamentarians
Left > right: Ellie Kirov; Tony O’Gorman, MLA; Dianne Guise, MLA; Carol Martin, MLA; Professor Neil Thomson; and Rhonda Murphy	Left > right: Dianne Guise, MLA; Tony O’Gorman, MLA; Krish Gunasekera; Carol Martin, MLA; and Sam Burrow

The Western Australian State Government has produced an action plan based on recommendations from the Inquiry into response by government agencies to complaints of family violence and child abuse in Aboriginal communities (view further information). The action plan is documented in the report Putting people first: the Western Australian State Government’s action plan for addressing family violence and child abuse in Aboriginal communities (view abstract). It acknowledges that there has been a systemic problem in dealing with issues of family violence and child abuse in Aboriginal communities.

The WA Government has accepted most of the recommendations from the Inquiry and a two phase plan of action has been prioritised to address concerns. The action plan includes strengthening responses to child abuse and family violence and responses to vulnerable children and adults at risk. In addition to strengthening safety within communities, the government also aims to facilitate the strengthening of governance, confidence, economic capacity and sustainability. To enable improvements, initiatives will involve: across-government collaboration and coordination; staff as major agents of change; legislation; improved information sharing; inter-agency protocols; reporting processes and data collection; a child death review process and communications technology. The response also includes specific recommendations for the following agencies: Western Australia Police Service; Department for Community Development; Department of Health; Department of Education; Department of Justice; Department of Housing and Works; and Department of Indigenous Affairs.

The WA Government has committed itself to $75 million worth of new initiatives. These include in the first instance: employment of additional Child Protection Workers and specialist Domestic Violence Police Officers; expansion of the Strong Families case management program and maintenance of the Indigenous Family program; revitalisation of the Child Protection Unit services at Princess Margaret Hospital; expansion of sexual assault services and the relocation of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre.

In 2003-4 the Government will expand on the above initiatives and will also:

• construct and staff multi-functional remote police facilities;
• provide funding for supporting Aboriginal communities to develop and manage locally specific safety strategies;
• provide funding for workers to promote and mediate safety and violence prevention strategies in Aboriginal communities;
• expand community based programs and community supervision agreements to enhance the management of violent offenders;
• provide funding for extending victim support services for adults and children in Aboriginal communities;
• employ additional skilled Aboriginal support workers to provide practical counselling and assistance to vulnerable Aboriginal children and youth;
• provide funding to develop culturally appropriate counselling services for Aboriginal clients and
• provide funding for a Community Partnerships Fund.

Reference

The Western Australian State Government (2002) Putting people first: the Western Australian State Government’s action plan for addressing family violence and child abuse in Aboriginal communities. Perth: The Western Australian State Government

The full report (PDF – 1.2KB – large file warning!) may be downloaded from the Department of the Premier and Cabinet website

Background

In 2001 the Premier of Western Australia the Honourable Dr Geoff Gallop announced plans for the Inquiry into the Response by Government Agencies to Complaints of Family Violence and Child Abuse in Aboriginal Communities. With a background of previous reports of abuse within Aboriginal communities, the Inquiry was prompted by the findings of the coronial inquest into the death of 15-year-old Susan Ann Taylor at the Swan Valley Nyoongar Community in Lockridge in 1999. The Coroner’s report had detailed allegations of physical and sexual abuse in the community and raised questions regarding the response of various government departments and other agencies.

Aims of the Inquiry

In 2002, Inquiry members Mrs Sue Gordon (Chairperson) the Hon Kay Hallahan and Mr Darrell Henry were given six months to:

1. Examine the way that government agencies dealt with violence and child sexual abuse at the Swan Valley Nyoongar community.
2. Examine how State Government agencies respond to evidence of family violence and sexual abuse that may be occurring in Aboriginal communities generally.
3. Report with recommendations on practical solutions for addressing incidents of sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities, including any necessary legislative and administrative measures.

More specifically, directions were to:

• examine the activities of State Government agencies in addressing complaints and the reporting of sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities;
• identify the barriers and capacity of Government agencies to address the issue of family violence and in particular child sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities;
• comment and make recommendations on the mandatory reporting of sexually transmitted diseases occurring among children and juveniles;
• comment on any limitations of DNA testing in the Aboriginal community; and
• propose support measures for children reporting abuse.

The Inquiry was also to: consider current research into the prevalence, causes and solutions to Aboriginal violence; liaise with the Interdepartmental Committee on Sexual Assault and consult widely including with representatives of Aboriginal communities, youth, health services and related organisations.

The report

The report Putting the picture together: Inquiry into response by government agencies to complaints of family violence and child abuse in Aboriginal communities (view abstract) outlines the framework and procedures used to examine the many factors that underlie family violence and child abuse in Aboriginal communities. The report details how government agencies have responded to these issues.

The Inquiry focused on what needed to change and considerations for future planning. Generally the Inquiry:

• supported initiatives by the Department of Health (DOH) to build workforce skills, develop new models of services delivery and enhance interagency cooperation;
• identified a need for more sexual assault services and expansion of specialist services dealing with child abuse with increased training and understanding of child abuse and recommended the employment and training of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal staff;
• supported the Department for Community /Development (DCD) submission to the Inquiry which outlined models for service delivery and the need for adequate resourcing;
• noted and endorsed the work of the Homeless Task Force and made recommendations regarding housing for Aboriginal people;
• noted and endorsed the work of the Western Australia Police Service and recommended more policing services with 40 new Aboriginal Police Liaison Officers;
• endorsed a number of justice programs and made a number of recommendations about: the importance of therapeutic services for adult and juvenile offenders while in custody; the need for better referrals between units of the Department of Justice; the employment and training of staff and volunteers and a shift from incarceration-based interventions to non-custodial options;
• recommended addressing education responses to child abuse including staffing issues and mandatory training for teachers;
• identified a need for the coordination of capacity building within Aboriginal communities; and
• examined issues raised by the Coroner’s inquiry into the death of Susan Taylor.

Summary

The Inquiry concluded that current services are unable to adequately address the escalating rates of family violence and child abuse in Aboriginal communities and articulated a community focused systemic response. The 640 page report documents 197 recommendations and findings and suggests that an Implementation Body be established to oversee and implement the recommendations. It also proposes that independent mechanisms be developed to oversee the systems that respond to family violence and child abuse. It recommends the creation of a Children’s Commissioner, a Deputy Children’s Commissioner (Aboriginal) and a Child’s Death Review Team.

Reference

Gordon S, Hallahan K, Henry D (2002) Putting the picture together, inquiry into response by government agencies to complaints of family violence and child abuse in Aboriginal communities. Perth: Department of Premier and Cabinet

The full report (PDF – 4.5MB -large file warning!) may be downloaded from the Department of the Premier and Cabinet website