Newsletter date: 22 May 2013
Contents:
* NACCHO praises release of FPDN 10 point plan for Aboriginal people with a disability
* NACCHO chair welcomes Professor Kerry Arabena as the newly appointed Chair of Indigenous Health
* SBS Radionews: Indigenous suicide summit in Perth
* Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health
* CAAMA Radio: Interview with Rod Little, a Director of the National Congress of Australia's First People
* CAAMA Radio: "Huge attitude change needed" to recognise Indigenous rights
* Background to National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples
* NACCHO PRAISES RELEASE OF FPDN 10 POINT PLAN FOR ABORIGINAL PEOPLE WITH A DISABILITY
- Media Release
NACCHO press release: NACCHO praises release of FPDN 10 point plan for Aboriginal people with a disability.
http://nacchocommunique.com/2013/05/20/naccho-press-release-naccho-prais...
20 May 13: "Access to DisabilityCare critical for Aboriginal people Measures to increase awareness of the benefits of DisabilityCare Australia within Aboriginal communities and establish targets to improve access to disability services are both welcome given the high numbers of Aboriginal people living with disabilities.
FACTS
* 50% of Aboriginal people have some form of disability or long term health condition (ABS 2011 Disability and Carers Survey)
* This prevalence of disability is more than twice that of the non-indigenous Australians.
The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) Chair Justin Mohamed (pictured below) today praised the 10 point plan developed by the First People’s Disability Network (FPDN pictured above) ) which would use peer to peer methods to get the message to communities about how DisabilityCare can improve their lives. ... "
* NACCHO CHAIR WELCOMES PROFESSOR KERRY ARABENA AS THE NEWLY APPOINTED CHAIR OF INDIGENOUS HEALTH
- Media Release
NACCHO Aboriginal Health News Alerts: NACCHO chair welcomes Professor Kerry Arabena as the newly appointed Chair of Indigenous Health
http://nacchocommunique.com/2013/05/13/naccho-chair-welcomes-professor-k...
13 May 13: "Mr Justin Mohamed, Chair of NACCHO representing over 150 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations throughout Australia today welcomed the annoucement that Professor Kerry Arabena has been appointed Chair of Indigenous Health at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health ...
Strong, charismatic and decisive leadership within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is something Kerry Arabena identifies as crucial to improving Indigenous health outcomes in Australia.
"Since 1970, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have taken our rightful place in discussions about health service delivery, the health and wellbeing of families and the positive transformation of our communities," she says. ...
A descendant of the Meriam People of the Torres Strait, Professor Arabena is the first Torres Strait Islander woman to achieve and receive a professorial position. She has had many senior appointments: ... it was announced in April that Professor Arabena would be taking on the role of Chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Equality Council. ... "
* SBS RADIONEWS: INDIGENOUS SUICIDE SUMMIT IN PERTH
- Audio
SBS Radionews: Indigenous suicide summit in Perth
By Ryan Emery & Kristina Kukolja
http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/268280/Indigen...
21 May 13: "A summit on Indigenous suicide in Western Australia has been held in Perth. The summit was organised by the Dumbartung Aboriginal corporation, which says the Noongar community is deeply concerned about what they say is a spike in suicide rates -- particularly among young people. Kristina Kukolja asked West Australian correspondent Ryan Emery who attended."
- Related News
ABC: Aboriginal advocates warn of youth suicide spike
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-21/aboriginal-health-advocates-warn-o...
21 May 13: "More than 100 people including Indigenous leaders and government representatives are attending a crisis meeting to discuss a spike in Aboriginal youth suicides. Aboriginal leaders have described the alarming number of suicides, ... as an issue "tearing their hearts apart." They are calling for urgent action to address the problem. Mental Health Commissioner Eddie Bartnik and Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda are among those attending the meeting at Clontarf. Noongar elder Margaret Culbong says the suicide epidemic is frightening and more culturally appropriate services are urgently needed."
- Past Event
Event: Tue 21 May 2013: Waterford, Perth, WA
Stop the Suicides in Our Community Now!
"The Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation calls for
all members of the Nyoongah community and organisations
to stand up strong against the ongoing epidemic
and spates of suicide in our Nyoongah community."
Event details: http://allianceaustrale.org/Dumbartung/CommunityNote.html
Event details: http://allianceaustrale.org/Dumbartung/SuicideMediaRelease.html
News: Dumbartung convenes Suicide Crisis Summit: http://thestringer.com.au/dumbartung-convenes-suicide-crisis-summit/
News: Alarm over Indigenous suicide in WA: http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/264404/Alarm-o...
News: Dumbartung calls suicide prevention summit: http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/29153/Dumbartung-calls-suicide-...
* ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER HEALTH
- Analysis
The Stringer: A nation turns its back on its children
thestringer.com.au/a-nation-turns-its-back-on-its-children/
20 May 13: "Ear disease is ravaging the lives of a generation of Aboriginal children and destroying their chances of an education, but Australia has decided that it doesn’t want to know. ... Kong [ear, nose and throat surgeon, Associate Professor Kelvin Kong] wants to raise the profile of Indigenous ear disease with the Australian public, and put it at the centre of every politician’s mind. However, with government still unaware or unwilling to investigate the social ramifications and extent of otitis media, he still has a long way to go. So far, Australia is not listening."
The Stringer: Why are more prisoners dying from 'natural causes'?
http://thestringer.com.au/why-are-more-prisoners-dying-from-natural-causes/
20 May 13: "Deaths from natural causes have become the most frequent cause of death in Australian prisons. ... "I have deep concerns about the attribution of manner and cause of death and therefore about the classification of deaths in custody," said Georgatos. "There is nothing natural about a person dying of causes that basic medical intervention could prevent. More than 50 per cent of Aboriginal folk who die in prison are classified as natural cause deaths but maybe what has occurred is that medical attention wasn’t flagged or their insulin dependency was not given proper care or they were maltreated or neglected.""
The Stringer: Dementia in Aboriginal peoples
http://thestringer.com.au/dementia-in-aboriginal-peoples/
16 May 13: "A breakthrough study has made the startling revelations that Aboriginal peoples are three times more likely to suffer dementia than non-Aboriginal Australians. The three year Koori Growing Old Well study delved into a cross-section of urban and regional NSW Aboriginal communities. The myriad hardships and ailments that Aboriginal peoples endure are not only standalone risk factors to their health but contribute, as stressors, to the bringing of dementia. Risk factors that may contribute to dementia include high blood pressure, obesity, smoking and diabetes. All these factors may damage the brain."
The Stringer: 12 to a house!
http://thestringer.com.au/12-to-a-house/
16 May 13: "Homelessness and overcrowding in Australia is on the rise and once again Aboriginal peoples have to deal with the grossly disproportionate brunt. ... The ABS data reveals that 21,000 of the 41,370 people living in severely crowded homes are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - and the majority, 71 per cent, live in the remote regions of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland. ... The average number of Aboriginal peoples to dwellings is twelve."
- Video
SBS World News: Cotton pesticide 'impacting on people's health'
Source: Jeremy Geia, NITV News
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1767814/Cotton-pesticide-impacting-on...
17 May 13: "Communities in the cotton-growing region of north-western New South Wales are calling for a review of pesticides used by the industry and their potential impacts on health. Locals in Boggabilla are reporting a rise in cancer-related deaths and disorders. ... "We have possibly over 20 Aboriginal families here in Moree with Spina Bifida children. We have I would suggest the same amount in numbers with Cerebral Palsy children - the autistic rate I think there's 9-10 Aboriginal families with autistic children," said local Lyall Munro."
- Audio Interviews
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association: "Non-recognition in the Australian Consitution continues to impact Aboriginal well-being"
http://caama.com.au/non-recognition-in-the-australian-consitution-contin...
14 May 13: "An Aboriginal health researcher says the non-recognition of Aboriginal and Islander Australians in the Australian Constitution continues to impact negatively on their mental health and wellbeing. Chris Lawrence, a researcher at the George Institute for Global Health and Sydney University who has worked with a number of Aboriginal health services across the country, says he believes constitutional recognition has the capacity to transform how Aboriginal and Islander peoples see themselves. Mr Lawrence, a Noongar man originally from Western Australia says ... "
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association: Chris Lawrence: "Aboriginal Health and the Australian Consitution: How do we fix them both?"
http://caama.com.au/chris-lawrence-aboriginal-health-and-the-australian-...
7 May 13: "Researcher Chris Lawrence from Whadjuk Country in Western Australia has recently had an editorial submission titled "Aboriginal health and the Australian Constitution: How do we fix them both?" published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2013 Vol. 37 No. 2. Mikaela Simpson talks to him on the program."
SBS Radionews: Call to improve Indigenous midwife access
By Biwa Kwan
http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/265978/Call-to...
7 May 13: "The federal and state governments are being urged to improve access to midwives in remote Indigenous communities. ... The Australian College of Midwives is calling on the federal and state governments to improve access to midwives in remote Indigenous communities. The College says research shows Aboriginal mothers are up to five times more likely to die during childbirth compared to non-Indigenous women. It says their babies are also up to two to three times more likely to die during childbirth. The College's president Sue Kruske explained to Biwa Kwan the reasons behind this."
- News
National Indigenous Radio Service: Midwives important despite lack of numbers
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/29231/Midwives-important-despit...
13 May 13: "By NIRS/CBAA: A Sydney-based Indigenous midwife says it’s important for mothers to be able to connect with their midwives. ... Leona McGrath, from the Rhodanthe Lipsett Trust, told CBAA says it’s appalling there are so few."
See:
WGAR News: The Wire: Indigenous midwives; Why we need more (8 May 13)
[scroll down page] http://indymedia.org.au/2013/05/07/wgar-news-barb-shaw-shares-her-though...
* CAAMA RADIO: INTERVIEW WITH ROD LITTLE, A DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AUSTRALIA'S FIRST PEOPLE
- Audio Interview
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association: Rod Little drops into CAAMA Radio
http://caama.com.au/rod-little-drops-into-caama-radio
8 May 13: "Rod Little, a Director of the National Congress of Australia’s First People, speaks to Paul Wiles in the CAAMA studio’s this morning."
* CAAMA RADIO: "HUGE ATTITUDE CHANGE NEEDED" TO RECOGNISE INDIGENOUS RIGHTS
- Audio Interview
Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association: "Huge attitude change needed" to recognise Indigenous rights
http://caama.com.au/huge-attitude-change-needed-to-recognise-rights-of-i...
13 May 13: "The Director of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples says a huge attitudinal change is needed across Australian society, to recognise the United Nations rights of Indigenous Peoples. Rod Little says the National Congress has called on the Australian Government to fully implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and put the information out for the Australian public to have a conversation about it."
* BACKGROUND TO NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AUSTRALIA'S FIRST PEOPLES:
Last updated: 5 May 2012
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/05/05/background-to-the-national-congress-o...
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