Indigenous Environmental Health Report of the Fifth National Conference 2004 Department of Health and Ageing ISBN: 0 642 82892 X Online ISBN: 0 642 82893 8 Publications Approval Number: 3819 Print Copyright © Commonwealth of Australia 2006 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Commonwealth Copyright Administration, Attorney General’s Department, Robert Garran Offices, National Circuit, Canberra ACT 2600 or posted at http://www.ag.gov.au/cca Online Copyright © Commonwealth of Australia 2006 This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. 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This publication can be viewed at the enHealth website at <http://enhealth.nphp.gov.au/council/pubs/pubs.htm> The enHealth Council, a subcommittee of the National Public Health Partnership, brings together top environmental health officials at the Federal and State and Territory level, along with representation from local government, the Australian Institute of Environmental Health, the environment, public health sectors and the wider community. The primary source of advice and direction on Indigenous environmental health issues is drawn from the National Indigenous Environmental Health Forum, a subcommittee of the enHealth Council. The Council has responsibility for providing national leadership, implementing the National Environmental Health Strategy, forging partnerships with key players, and developing and coordinating advice on environmental health matters at a national level. The advice development process is strongly based on collaboration and consultation. Disclaimer This document has been prepared in good faith exercising due care and attention. However, no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, is made as to the relevance, accuracy, completeness or fitness for purpose of this document in respect of any particular user’s circumstances. Users of this document should satisfy themselves concerning its application to, and where necessary, seek expert advice about, their situation. The Department of Health and Ageing and the New South Wales Department of Health will not be liable to the user or any other person or entity with respect to liability, loss or damage caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by this publication. Contents Glossary v Preface vi Acknowledgements vii Foreword from the National Indigenous Environmental Health Forum ix Introduction from the enHealth Council xi Recommendations xii Conference opening 1 Opening address 1 National Public Health Partnership and the enHealth Council 3 Australian Institute of Environmental Health 5 Keynote address—Australian Indigenous policy: a personal perspective 7 Supporting the Indigenous environmental health workforce and communities nationally through recognised skill development and qualifications 12 Health inequalities, environmental health and sustainable Indigenous communities 13 Environmental health workforce development 19 From midden to mainstream 19 Home-grown solutions for healthier homes: The Healthy Housing Worker program in far west New South Wales 23 Batchelor’s new environmental health degree: a workforce capacity-building initiative for a healthy and sustainable future 26 Housing issues and planning 29 The Northern Territory Indigenous Community Housing Survey 29 Housing for Health update 31 Housing Improvement and Child Health Study 38 Evaluating the health impacts of Housing for Health on Aboriginal communities in rural New South Wales 40 Temperature control: warm house in winter, cool house in summer 42 Temperature Control Project, North Western New South Wales 44 2003 Western Australian Aboriginal Community Environmental Health Needs Survey 47 Local, regional and national initiatives 51 Environmental tobacco smoke and Koori kids 51 Widening the thin edge of the wedge: benefits of Indigenous community control and involvement in environmental health initiatives 53 Giardiasis—a public health intervention in promoting community awareness 56 iii Community capacity building and partnerships 59 Knowing where we are going: new perspectives on community outcomes 59 Empowering Indigenous communities to identify and resolve environmental health issues 63 Maori environmental health and protection in Aotearoa 65 Community food supply and nutrition 69 A-B-See with Wor-Ra-Kee (Karuah Family Nutrition and School Access Project) 69 Dietary adequacy, appropriateness and safety in remote Indigenous communities in Papua New Guinea 73 Environmental health services in communities 75 Indigenous environmental health keeps moving ahead in Queensland 75 The Dog Health Program in Far West New South Wales 82 Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities 85 Wastewater Gardens™ Project at Emu Creek Community, Kununurra Western Australia 87 Indigenous environmental health promotion through music 89 The New South Wales Colisure Program and beyond 90 Sewage Treatment Facility Removal and Site Regeneration Project 92 Impact of swimming pools on health of Aboriginal children in remote Western Australian communities 94 Storyboard presentations 99 Environmental health for Aboriginal communities at the Shire of Derby–West Kimberley 99 Kullarri Region Environmental Health Program 101 No School = No Pool! 102 Umbakumba Community—Aboriginal environmental health worker— environmental storyboard 103 Mt Isa and Gulf Food Supply Project 104 Aboriginal Environmental Health Worker Poster Series 107 Appendixes 109 Appendix 1: enHealth Council 109 Appendix 2: National Indigenous Environmental Health Forum 110 Appendix 3: enHealth Council publications 111 iv Glossary AIEH Australian Institute of Environmental Health AMRRIC Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities ATSIC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission ATSIS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services CDEP Community Development Employment Program CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation IHANT Indigenous Housing Authority of the Northern Territory NAIDOC National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee NIEHF National Indigenous Environmental Health Forum RSPCA Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals TAFE Technical and Further Education UPK Uwankara Palyanyku Kanyintjaku v Preface This publication has been produced by the enHealth Council and the National Indigenous Environmental Health Forum (NIEHF) and is the fifth in the series of Indigenous environmental health conference monographs. The report aims to contribute to the debate around, and increase the understanding and awareness of, environmental health issues, with a key focus on Indigenous Environmental Health Workers. National Indigenous Environmental Health workshops and conferences are held regularly in order to provide a forum for discussing Indigenous environmental health issues, to raise the profile of Indigenous environmental health issues and to give Indigenous environmental health practitioners a voice. The first Indigenous Environmental Health Conference was held in Cairns in 1998 with the aim of providing an opportunity for those working in and with Indigenous communities to discuss common concerns and issues in Indigenous environmental health. The second conference was held in Broome in 1999. The resulting recommendations were used to inform the final development of the Implementation Plan for the National Environmental Health Strategy and to further develop collaborative projects and strategies for progress on a national basis through the enHealth Council. A key recommendation from this conference was to establish a national Indigenous advisory committee. The third conference was held in Alice Springs in 2000, and was facilitated by members of the newly established NIEHF. The NIEHF is made up of Environmental Health practitioners from each state and territory and is a subcommittee of the enHealth Council. Each NIEHF member gave a presentation at the conference. The fourth conference was held in Adelaide in November 2002. The themes of presentations and discussions reaffirmed the importance of a well-trained Indigenous environmental health workforce. They also emphasised that Indigenous environmental health workers and officers should be accorded status reflecting the importance of their role, and their training should be provided at accredited and recognised levels. The fifth conference was held in Terrigal in 2004 and brought together Environmental Health practitioners from across Australia