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Success Stories in Indigenous Health SUCCESS STORIES IN INDIGENOUS HEALTH A showcase of successful Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health projects Australians for Native Title & Reconciliation Acknowledgements ANTaR acknowledges the generous gave us the ground rules to identify these Colyer, Kathleen Gilbert, Glenn Giles, assistance of the spokespeople and stories from the hundreds of inspiring Melanie Gillbank, Gary Highland, Christine communities described in this collection. projects from which we could have Howes, Jean Murphy, Kate Sullivan and Thank you for sharing your knowledge chosen. Sue Storry from ANTaR for all that they with us. Also: have done to pull the booklet together. Associate Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver Sally Fitzpatrick for editing the volume as and Jill Guthrie from the Muru Marri ANTaR’s Indigenous Reference Group and well as researching and writing the stories Indigenous Health Unit, University of our partners in the Indigenous Health with co-writers James Iliff e, Monique NSW, for their ongoing support and Rights campaign including the Aboriginal Zammit and Dr Silas Taylor. advice. Professor Judy Atkinson, Professor & Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Unit Ken Wyatt, Dr Alan Cass, Dr Phyll Dance, of the Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Cindy Shannon, John Wakerman, Peter Dr Hilton Immerman, Dr David Thomas, Commission, the Australian Indigenous Hill, Tony Barnes, Robert Griew and Mike Cooper, Pieta Laut, John Paterson, Doctors’ Association, the Australian Ann Ritchie for their valuable work Tristan Ray, Andrew Reefman and Jeff Medical Association, the National Achievements in Aboriginal and Torres Standen for assistance throughout the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Strait Islander Health: Final Report (Volume project. Organisation, Oxfam and the Public 1) produced by the Co-operative Research Health Association of Australia. Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health. Hilary Blackman, Priscilla Brice-Weller, Their detailed work on factors of success Janene Collins, Dr David Cooper, Claire Publication and copyright This book is copyright. The ideas, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enquiries: stories and knowledge that come from peoples have distinct cultures and ANTaR Indigenous people are considered by heritages. The terms Aboriginal, Torres Telephone: 02 9555 6138 them to be their intellectual property. Strait Islander and Indigenous are used Email: [email protected] Apart from any fair dealing for the interchangeably throughout this volume. purpose of private study, research, No disrespect is intended by the authors. Available online from: community development, criticism or www.antar.org.au/success review, as permitted under the Copyright ANTaR seeks to treat Aboriginal and Torres Act, no part of this publication may be Strait Islander beliefs with respect. To Design and layout: Hilary Blackman reproduced by any process whatsoever many communities it is distressful and (including any translation) without the off ensive to depict persons who have Printing: Morprint Pty Ltd, written permission of the authors. The died. Indigenous communities which 23 -25 Park Rd Rydalmere NSW 2116 authors receive no royalties. may be off ended are warned that stories Copyright Australians for Native Title and in this volume may contain images or Reconciliation (ANTaR) September 2007. references to deceased persons. ISBN 978-0-9756003-2-0 This publication was made possible by: Images: The fi gurative designs on the cover and throughout are used with the kind permission of Modernmurri, a small Aboriginal art studio started by three local women in Moree, North West NSW. Their artworks are original designs inspired by their local Kamilaroi country and culture, screen printed onto textured paper. To contact Modernmurri, please call Suzy Evans: 0427 060 864. Contents Foreword 4 Introduction 5 Family Well Being: Apunipima Cape York Health Council 6 Mums and Babies: Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Services 8 Nutrition: at the heart of good health: Jalaris Aboriginal Corporation 10 Good Food, Great Kids: Yarra Valley Community Health Service 12 Healthy Housing Worker program: Murdi Paaki Regional Housing Corporation 14 I want to be heard : Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service and NCEPH 16 Putting the brakes on petrol sniffi ng: Mt Theo-Yuendumu Substance Misuse Aboriginal Corporation 18 Mooditj: Sexual health and positive life skills: Family Planning Association of WA 20 Tackling violence head on: Blackout Violence 22 Healing past hurts: Yorgum Aboriginal Family Counselling Service 24 Tune into your health: Nunkawarrin Yunti Aboriginal Health Service 26 Keeping safe with a snake: Marie Stopes International Australia 27 A healthier community living longer: Pika Wiya Aboriginal Health Service 28 Educare: Gnibi College, Southern Cross University 30 Shalom Gamarada Ngiyani Yana Scholarship Program: University of NSW 32 References 34 Foreword So many reports have highlighted the health problems their experiences as receivers and providers of health care being faced in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and related programs - voices so often not heard in the communities, and the health inequality that persists ongoing debates about Indigenous health. It highlights between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. the human dimension to the problems being faced in many communities. Not so many reports highlight the good news - the success stories that demonstrate that change for the better is Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation have been possible and highlighting the active role that Aboriginal an active partner working with the Human Rights and and Torres Strait Islander peoples themselves are seizing in Equal Opportunity Commission to campaign for Aboriginal identifying and implementing solutions. and Torres Strait Islander health equality within a generation. This publication is a substantial contribution to I commend this publication to you on several counts. advancing understanding among the general community and government, and in contributing to evidence based It gathers together useful information on successful policy. programs currently in place in Indigenous communities which provide pathways for other communities. It shows It is time to make Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander that Indigenous health problems, and related factors, health inequality a thing of the past. such as the poor standard of housing in many Indigenous communities, can be changed for the better. To that end, it is with great pleasure that I commend this publication to you. It highlights the value of Indigenous community control of health services and related programs, and demonstrates the choices that Indigenous people are making about their Tom Calma own health and their own communities. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner And it contains the voices of Indigenous Australians telling 4 Introduction Professor Mick Dodson describes it as a kind of industrial Some employed methodologies pioneered elsewhere, but deafness. It’s the reason why more Australians haven’t these were adapted so they have local relevance. demanded action to overcome this nation’s gravest national crisis - the Indigenous health emergency. Most of the programs depend on the knowledge, authority and support of community Elders for their Things have been so bad for so long that it appears too success. They show that improved health outcomes are many of us have been left numb. We’ve come to see an less likely to come from miracle cures or imposed new Indigenous child born in 2007 living for 17 years less treatment regimes than from the ability of Indigenous than a non-Indigenous child as somehow normal and people to determine their own futures and be accountable inevitable. for decisions impacting on their own communities. We’ve come to accept the fact that on average, a person We hope that the innovation, diversity and success of from Nigeria or Bangladesh can expect to live for about 10 the programs featured will encourage our leaders from years longer than an Indigenous Australian. across all areas of society to do more to end Australia’s Indigenous health crisis. We’ve also failed to notice the immense human tragedy behind these statistics - children who will never know This booklet is published at a time when increasing their grandparents, communities robbed of their Elders, numbers of Australians are calling for more action that parents too often burying their own sons and daughters, builds on success. Just before Easter, more than 40 Aboriginal families locked in a constant cycle of grieving as major national organisations joined with Olympians they attend an endless succession of funerals. Ian Thorpe and Catherine Freeman to launch Close the Gap, a campaign inspired by the call from Tom Calma for However, this situation is neither acceptable nor inevitable. governments to commit to closing the Indigenous life As Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice expectancy gap within a generation. Commissioner, Tom Calma, has pointed out, it is simply not credible to suggest that a country as wealthy as ours can’t Many tens of thousands of Australians have signed fi x a health crisis aff ecting less than three per cent of our petitions organised by Oxfam, Get Up! and ANTaR calling citizens. for Governments to commit to a timeframe and the resources needed to improve Indigenous health. Perhaps one of the reasons why the status quo has been tolerated is that many of us have been conditioned to Across the country,
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