This paper explores how the Australian health sector might improve opportunities for career development for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers. It considers the current evidence surrounding career development in the health sector, along with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander worker experiences, to develop a usable conceptual framework for change. ISBN: 978-1-921889-37-0read more
Indigenous people are a vulnerable and disadvantaged population whom collectively face much higher levels of health risks and challenges than non-Indigenous people. Indigenous youth in particular represent a population that are at even greater risk, as interaction between socio-economic, geographic, and cultural differences contributes to a lack of opportunity for youth to experience positive outcomes in a school environment. This cumulative disadvantage is problematic as it not only has a negative impact on young person’s...read more
This paper describes a case study of the compliance and reporting requirements of Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative. It demonstrates that on top of the reporting overburden, incredible complexity is introduced when single organisations work across a range of health and community service sectors and consequently have to report in different ways, on different performance criteria, using different databases, for funding from different government programs. The irony is that while co-operatives aim to build their service delivery...read more
Aboriginal communities have a long history of working to address the needs of Aboriginal peoples. Since the first Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) was established in Redfern, NSW in 1971, more than 150 ACCHSs have been established around Australia. While the Aboriginal community controlled health sector has long argued that ACCHSs are a vital part of Australia’s health care system, there has been little in the published literature acknowledging and supporting their roles and...read more
This seventh national report presents information from 278 organisations across Australia, funded by the Australian Government to provide one or more of the following health services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: primary health care, maternal and child health care, social and emotional wellbeing services, and substance-use services. These organisations participated in the 2014–15 Online Services Report data collection. Information is presented on the characteristics of these organisations, the health services and activities provided...read more
Indigenous Australians experience higher rates of severe or profound disability than other Australians, and the gap in rates of disability between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians increases with age. The relatively high rates of disability among the Indigenous population corresponds with heavy caring burdens. It has been well established that carers of a person with a disability have lower rates of paid employment than do noncarers. However, relatively little is known about the effect of caring...read more
This report is a review of the first two years of projects funded under the Healing Foundation’s Stolen Generations Initiative 2013-2015. ISBN: 978-0-9871884-8-9read more
This report from the Close the Gap Campaign Steering Committee provides an overview of the progress made over the life of the Closing the Gap strategy. Results are mixed, with some improvements in infant and child health, while progress on closing the life expectancy gap has been minimal. The report also looks at new insights into health services accessed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and its contributions to closing the health gap.read more
This website provides information on the Footprints in Time study and links to its publications. Footprints in Time is the name given to the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC), an initiative of the Australian Government. Footprints in Time is conducted by the Department of Social Services (DSS) under the guidance of the Footprints in Time Steering Committee, chaired by Professor Mick Dodson AM. LSIC is one of a suite of longitudinal studies within the...read more
In May 2010, the Healing Foundation announced its first funding initiative aimed at acknowledging and addressing the pain and hurt caused by colonisation, forced removals and other past government policies. The primary purpose of the healing initiatives was to improve the social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous people and communities, focusing on the wellbeing of body, mind, spirit and culture. In October 2010, following an open-tender funding process, the Healing Foundation awarded funds to 21...read more
