Message from the Executive Director and Manager, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

Today, Thursday 21st March 2024 marks National Close the Gap Day. A day to show support in achieving Indigenous health equality by 2032. The day has been acknowledged on the third Thursday in March each year for over a decade following the release of the Social Justice Report 2005 that called for Australian governments to commit to achieving equality for health and life expectancy within 25 years for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In 2008, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) introduced six targets to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander disadvantage in a national effort within an overarching Commonwealth and State, Territory agreement called the National Indigenous Reform Agreement (NIRA). Additional targets were later introduced in 2014 and 2015 with a Close the Gap refresh commencing in 2016. The National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement) commenced on 30 July 2020, superseding the commitment to the Closing the Gap targets set out under the NIRA. The National Agreement commits all levels of government to a new way of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Community and Oral Health (COH) is committed to implementing actions and monitor our progress under the Metro North Health Equity Strategy 2022-25 that describes our commitment to drive health equity, eliminate institutional racism across the health system and achieve life-expectancy parity.

Staff gathering with Bonnie

Some of the priority actions currently being implemented within COH include the active implementation of our Cultural Support Plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients that are referred to COH and consent to capture relevant cultural information that may influence the cultural, physical, social and emotional wellbeing of an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander patient receiving care.

We have also developed our first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Action Plan that aims to grow and strengthen our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce through active attraction, recruitment, retention, development and planning actions.

A key action within this plan included hosting the first COH Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identified staff gathering at the Brighton Health Campus on Friday 15th March (photo above). The gathering created an opportunity for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff working within COH to culturally connect and share with each other, regardless of their role and location within COH, as well as have input into prioritise and actions that aim to improve the health and wellbeing of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. The gathering was also supported by Elders from the COH Yarning Circle and Bonny Barry from the Metro North Board of Directors (photo left below).

We continue to strengthen our engagement with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members through the Yarning Circle as the longest sustained Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community engagement forum in Metro North Health (photo above right).

Yarning Circle committment

The Yarning Circle, held monthly, is driven by respected local Elders and the Community and Oral Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Team, and was established to bring together local Indigenous Elders and community to help identify and address gaps, develop recommendations and influence health priorities, policy and practice in Community and Oral Health services.

We have also established our COH Health Equity Committee that includes executive membership, operational staff/management membership and Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander consumer membership. The committee is established to monitor and report on progress towards the health equity agenda.

Over the next few weeks and months we will finalise our COH Health Equity Action Plan, release our 2nd Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan, host our Annual Reconciliation Shield and implement further actions within our COH Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Action Plan.

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people both past and present as well as their families and staff working within COH.

We encourage you to seek further information in relation to the National Close Gap agenda as well as being actively involved in our response towards Health Equity and improving outcomes for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, consumers and families.