Aboriginal Health in Aboriginal Hands ISSN 2206-3080 Winnunga News Inside this Issue: Government Response to Moss M A R C H 2 0 1 7 Report 2 Boomanulla Oval 3 Steven Freeman Died Two Days After Admission to Prison CEO Update Methadone Program 4,5 High Post Release Risks Faced by Much of my time and energy in the last month has been devoted Aboriginal Prisoners 6 to continuing to support Steven Freeman’s mother, Narelle King Justice Reinvestment Trial 7 and her family. Deputy Chief Minister Berry Launches Winnunga AHS Domestic The coronial inquest into Steven’s death has commenced with a and Family Violence Resources 8 full sitting week of hearings conducted in early February. Narelle Julie Tongs OAM, CEO Lack of Progress in Closing the Gap and Steven’s family have attended every session of the inquest. As Demands Stricter Evaluation of Indigenous Programs and one would expect it has been a very trying and particularly Expenditure 9 emotional process as very personal and at times distressing Justice should mean more than just disclosures are made in relation to Steven’s last days alive. The us' for Indigenous Australians 10,11 Coronial Inquiry is focussed very directly on the quality and nature Price Waterhouse Coopers Assist Winnunga AHS to Transition to of the care and supervision which Steven received from Justice Incorporation as a Company 12 Health Services before his death. Roundtable on Indigenous Affairs 13 The inquest resumed on March 20 for a brief hearing and has now been adjourned to Memorial Garden at the Arboretum to Honour Aboriginal People Who August. Died in Custody 13 Consistent with the negative findings of Philip Moss in his review into the care which Steven Audit Program 13 received while detained in the AMC, the evidence presented to date at the inquest would Building Better Lives for Ourselves Initiative 14 seem to leave little scope for other than similar findings from the Coroner. Indigenous Social Cricket Day 15 Regardless of the continuing scrutiny by the Coroner of the care Steven Freeman received at Gugan Gulwan School Holiday the time of his death in 2016 I note that the Minister for Health, Megan Fitzharris MLA has Program April 2017 16 just awarded Justice Health Services the ACT Quality of Healthcare Award for 2016. Closing the Gap Deadly Fun Run 17 The ACT Government has also, since the last Winnunga AHS News was published, released Kevin Kropinyeri – Comedy Workshops at Winnunga 18 its response to the Moss Report. As I have reported elsewhere in this newsletter Winnunga Winnunga Programs 19 AHS was pleased with the apparently positive nature of the Government response, but will nevertheless be very vigilant in ensuring that the Recommendations are implemented in full Upcoming Event 20 and in the manner intended by Philip Moss in his report. Winnunga AHS Opening Times 21 Staff Profiile 22 I am also very pleased to be able to announce that as a result of the major efficiencies that we have been able to achieve since moving from an essentially part time GP practice to employing full time GPs, and with the support of a Capital Health Network Grant, Winnunga AHS is able to expand the opening hours of the service. Winnunga AHS is now open from 9am until 8pm Monday to Friday. These expanded hours provide extra flexibility for our clients. We are able to provide this additional service due of the outstanding work of Dr Nadeem, his team of dedicated doctors and our hard working staff. Do it with us, not to us Aboriginal Health in Aboriginal Hands P A G E 2 Government Response to Moss Report Winnunga AHS was pleased with the overtly positive nature of the ACT Governments’ response to the Moss Report into the care of Steven Freeman during his detention at the AMC. ‘That The Government has in effect Winnunga expressed its support for all of Nimmityjah Philip Moss’s recommendations. Aboriginal The Government proposes to establish two separate working parties to advance the Health implementation of the recommendations. Winnunga AHS will be a member of each of Service be the working parties. integrated The Government has announced that firstly it will establish a ‘high-level implementation into the working group’ comprised of representatives of a number of Government agencies and the community sector, ‘to oversee and drive the implementation of the provision of recommendations’. health care at the AMC in It also proposes to establish a further group comprising ACT Health, ACT Corrective Services and Winnunga AHS to oversee the implementation of Recommendation 5. order to introduce its Recommendation 5 provides: ‘That Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service be integrated into the provision of health care at the AMC in order to introduce its holistic holistic model model of care to Indigenous detainees’. of care to Winnunga AHS believes this to be the most significant recommendation in the report, in Indigenous terms of the potential to produce the sort of cultural change that Philip Moss recognised detainees’. as central to meeting the multifaceted and often complex array of health and other issues that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience. While Winnunga AHS is happy to participate in working groups established to implement the Moss Report recommendations, it will be insisting that each of the recommendations be implemented as intended by Philip Moss. In respect of Recommendation 5, for instance, Mr Moss made his intentions in relation to the recommendation crystal clear in the body of the report. The Government has, in its response to the Report stated unequivocally that it has agreed in whole to the recommendation. Winnunga AHS will therefore, work with the Government in facilitating the implementation of the Recommendation and will be looking to ensure that it is implemented in whole and as intended. Fact: Mr Rattenbury said: "This is an important report which warrants deep consideration by Government, particularly as it addresses operations across several directorates," as he released Philip Moss’s report into the Treatment in Custody of Steven Freeman. Do it with us, not to us Aboriginal Health in Aboriginal Hands P A G E 3 Boomanulla Oval Community members have raised questions with Winnunga AHS about progress in settling the future of Boomanulla Oval, and about the status of the negotiations with ACT Government. Winnunga AHS is conscious of the strong interest of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community as well as Narrabundah residents in seeing not only details of the extended negotiations over the Oval but progress in returning the Oval to community control and use as soon as possible. Winnunga Winnunga AHS has at the request of the ACT Government, commissioned consultancy has also proposals from Canberra based planning companies, for the development of a concept made a plan for the Boomanulla Oval site along with a financial assessment of the potential land uses and a community consultation strategy. submission to the ACT The ACT Government is currently giving consideration to those proposals and subject to the outcome of that consideration it is hoped the necessary strategic planning can be Government commenced and the future governance and administrative arrangements for seeking Boomanulla Oval finalised. funding of While therefore, Winnunga AHS remains in negotiations with the ACT Government $3.5 million in about the future management of Boomanulla Oval and is hopeful that the proposed the upcoming new management arrangements can be put in place without any further undue delay. In ACT budget this regard Winnunga AHS has also made a submission to the ACT Government seeking funding of $3.5 million in the upcoming ACT budget for the restoration of the Oval and for the replacement of the condemned change rooms, toilets and club house on the site. There restoration of is a concern that if this funding request is not met, the earliest that Boomanulla Oval the Oval... could be made fit for use would be 2020. Fact: Boomanulla Oval closed its gates in November 2014 after operating in Narrabundah for over 30 years. Do it with us, not to us Aboriginal Health in Aboriginal Hands P A G E 4 Steven Freeman Died Two Days After Admission to Prison Methadone Program Canberra Times February 27, 2017 Alexandra Back ‘...Mr An inquest into the death of Indigenous inmate Steven Freeman has heard he was Freeman had admitted to the prison methadone program two days before he died, despite no record reportedly he was ever using heroin. The 25-year-old was discovered dead in his cell in the south displayed a wing at the Alexander Maconochie Centre about 11am on May 27, 2016. number of The cause of Mr Freeman's death is relatively uncontroversial; an autopsy concluded it signs and was aspiration pneumonia due to methadone toxicity. What will be scrutinised in the inquest hearings that began on Monday is Mr Freeman's entry to the methadone symptoms program on May 25, 2016, and the quality of care and supervision afforded to him in the listed in days following. national Mr Freeman received his first dose of methadone that day about 10.40am, and his guidelines as second dose the following day, about 8.40am. Senior Constable Gregory Ayton, who indicative of prepared a report for the coroner, told the court Mr Freeman's extensive health, court methadone and prison records had revealed no suggestion the man, who had admitted using methamphetamine and cannabis, was using heroin. overdose…’ While Mr Freeman once tested positive to the prescription drug Buprenorphine, Constable Ayton told the court his inquiries led him to conclude it was highly likely Mr Freeman was "opioid naive".