First Nations people around the world – with strong and abiding connection to Country – increasingly are bearing the brunt of climate change. From rising sea levels, to ferocious bushfires, storms and drought, they often feel the impact first and hardest.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are part of a global First Nations movement demanding a seat at the table as decisions are made on climate change mitigation and abatement.

A recent virtual roundtable meeting hosted by the Lowitja Institute in partnership with the National Health Leadership Forum and the Climate and Health Alliance heard from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, researchers, scientists and leaders on the impact of climate change and solutions and actions in response to the UN’s COP26 summit.

CroakeyVOICES caught up with some of the participants as part of Croakey Conference News Service coverage of the event #IndigenousClimateJustice21.

Featuring in the podcast are:

Norman Jupurrurla Frank: Warumungu Traditional Owner. Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation.

Dr Simon Quilty: Senior Staff Specialist, Alice Springs Hospital, and medical advisor for Purple House. Academic, Australian National University.

Vanessa Napaltjarri Davis: Warlpiri and Northern Arrente woman and senior researcher Tangentyere Council Aborginal Corporation.

Dr Veronica Matthews: From the Quandamooka community, Minjerribah, in south east Queensland, Dr Matthews heads the Centre for Research Excellence – STRengthening systems for InDigenous healthcare Equity (CRE-STRIDE), Centre for Rural Health, University of Sydney.

Millie Telford: Bundjalung and South Sea Islander woman and National Director, Seed Indigenous Climate Network.

Josie Atkinson: Gumbaynggirr woman and research assistant at the University of Wollongong.

Mibu Fischer: A Noonuccal, Ngugi and Gorenpul woman from Quandamooka Country and Marine ethno-ecologist with the CSIRO.

Nicole Kilby: A Wiradjuri and Ngemba woman and policy officer with the National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners (NAATSIHWP).

Pat Anderson: An Alyawarre woman and Chair of the Lowitja Institute.

This podcast is part of Croakey Conference News Service coverage of the event #IndigenousClimateJustice21

Contact CroakeyVoices via: Email: [email protected] Twitter: @croakeyvoices @CateeC

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The impact of COVID-19 on palliative care, the need to address inequity of access for marginalised people such as the homeless, and ensuring palliative care is not an “eleventh hour” option, were just some of the themes at the 2021 Oceanic Palliative Care Conference.

One thousand delegates from Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific, Canada, Africa and the United Kingdom came together for the four-day virtual gathering, which included sessions covering clinical, paediatric, aged, and holistic care and the impact of the pandemic.

CroakeyVOICES Cate Carrigan took up some key themes with a range of speakers and presenters offering their innovative solutions and ideas for the future:

Dr Naheed Dosani. Canadian palliative care physician and health justice advocate. Founder of the Palliative Education and Care for the Homeless (PEACH) program in Toronto, Canada. http://www.icha-toronto.ca/programs/peach-palliative-education-and-care-for-the-homeless

Professor Meera Agar, chair of Palliative Care Australia. Professor of Palliative Medicine at the University of Technology Sydney

Margaret O’Connor. Emeritus Professor of Nursing and Midwifery at Monash University

Michelle Wood – Executive Officer – Banksia Palliative Care Service Victoria

Maddison Naulty. Health promotions officer South Western Sydney Local Health District. https://www.thegroundswellproject.com/creative-legacy

The song “His Way” used with permission of Creative Legacy Project artist Krishna Umali.

Simon Waring – Palliative Care Australia consumer panel member. https://palliativecare.org.au/simon-waring

Melissa Reader – Managing Director and CEO, The Violet Initiative. https://www.linkedin.com/company/violetinitiative/?originalSubdomain=au

Helen Callanan – Death doula and doula trainer. https://preparingtheway.com.au/

Judy Hollingworth – Former Chair of MVP4P, and a Spiritual Care Practitioner – Manning Valley Push for Palliative, NSW

Dr Hsien Seow – Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care and Health System Innovation. podcast https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/

This podcast is part of Croakey Conference News Service coverage of the #21OPCC

Contact CroakeyVoices via: Email: [email protected] Twitter: @croakeyvoices @CateeC

Thirty years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody #RCIADIC, there’s growing anger that key recommendations for change are ‘gathering dust’ on the country’s political shelves.

Since the inquiry, more than 470 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, women and children have died in custodial settings and the number keeps rising.

The anniversary sparked a call for urgent action from some of the families of those who have died, including the implementation of all the recommendations of the Royal Commission and an independent investigation of all deaths in custody.

Among the key issues highlighted by community leaders are the impact of racism throughout the criminal justice system, the need to improve health services in jails – including palliative care, a lack of support for families involved in coronial hearings, and the ongoing battle to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14.

Croakey Voices explored the issues with Associate Professor Megan Williams, Wiradjuri justice health researcher and educator, and member of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Prisoner Health Information Committee; Jeffery Amatto, founder of the ‘More Cultural Rehabs, Less Jails’ program; and Dr Peter Malouf, Wakka Wakka and Wuli Wuli executive director of operations at the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW.

Dr Megan Williams: Research Lead and Assistant Director of the National Centre for Cultural Competence at the University of Sydney, member of the Australian Institute of Health.

Jeffery Amatto: Founder ‘More Cultural Rehabs, Less Jails’ program and co-founder Brothers 4 Recovery Alcohol and Drug Awareness.

Dr Peter Malouf: Wakka Wakka and Wuli Wuli man and executive director of operations at the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW.

This podcast is part of Croakey’s #RuralHealthJustice series, putting a sustained focus on issues being raised to mark the 30th anniversary of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.

Powerful voices for change at the recent Consumer Health Forum Shifting Gears Summit called for full partnership with clinicians in designing health care into the future – laying the ground for a more patient reflexive system.

In CroakeyVoices’ second dive into the recent summit, we hear about the importance of consumers questioning treatment options and asking for alternatives, examine a UK model of patient/clinician partnership and catch up with how health consumer advocacy is driving change in New Zealand.

The Consumer Health Forum’s first Australasian Summit, with contributions from around Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada, focused on how health consumers, with their deeper knowledge of their own conditions, should play a vital role in improving the healthcare system.

CroakeyVoices’ Cate Carrigan explored the themes of health quality and care with a number of keynote speakers and delegates:

Professor Anne Duggan: Clinical Director at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and Conjoint Professor, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle.

David Gilbert: Director of In Health Associates, the first Patient Director in the NHS at the Sussex MSK Partnership (Central), and author of “The Patient Revolution – how we can heal the healthcare system”. https://www.inhealthassociates.co.uk/publication/the-patient-revolution/

Rosalie Glynn: Chair of the Counties Manukau DHB Consumer Council and consumer representative on the Quality Safety Marker group and the Patient and Whaanau Centred Care Board (PWCC).

Louisa Wright: Louisa Walsh is a PHD candidate at the centre for Health Communication and Participation at La Trobe University.

The Consumers Health Forum’s ShiftingGears Summit, saw over 800 delegates taking part in an energised discussion about the importance of consumer participation in transforming and improving health services. No longer content to just receive health care, consumers spoke up about the need for greater engagement at all levels of health service: from planning to delivery, research and management. They want a healthcare system where patient input isn’t just box-ticking a questionnaire but full partnership, with consumers engaged in every aspect of health delivery – with the conversation moving from what can medical science do to what do you want, why and will it make your life better?

The multi-national virtual gathering, with representatives from Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada, sparked spirited debate on moving consumers to the very heart of health service planning, with co-design and the power of digital technology highlighted as two critical tools to empowering consumers.

But there were also concerns about access and lip-service that didn’t provide meaningful change, to the slowness of change, and to ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Maori and other First Nations people were given culturally appropriate care and access, and that the digital revolution didn’t further isolate people without the internet or digital devices.

CroakeyVoices spoke to a range of delegates about the opportunities and challenges ahead:

Vincent Dumez. Codirector of the Centre of Excellence on Partnership with Patients and the Public at University of Montreal.

Kellie O’Callaghan. Consumer advocate. Past chair of a regional health service and involved in a range of state and local health-focused boards and committees.

Craig Cooper. Consumer advocate and member of the NSW Health Clinical Excellence Commission Consumer Council

Rosemary Ainley. Editor of CreakyJoints Australia and co-leader of the Young Women’s Arthritis Support Group

Kelly Foran. Founder Friendly Faces Helping Hands Foundation and consumer advocate

Roxxanne McDonald. Consumer Health Forum Board Director and YHF Young leader.

While people living in rural and remote parts of Australia have higher rates of heart disease, hospitalisations and poorer access to primary health care services than those in metropolitan areas, the new Rural Health Commissioner Associate Professor Ruth Stewart believes they also have the solutions, tapping into their own talent pool.

Stewart, who lives of Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, and former and inaugural Rural Health Commissioner Emeritus Professor Paul Worley, are both passionate advocates of rural health and determined to give local people the power to ensure your health isn’t determined by your postcode.

They spoke to CroakeyVOICES Cate Carrigan about their vision for rural health, the impact of COVID-19 and why becoming a rural or remote health worker could be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.

Rural Health Commissioner, Associate Professor Ruth Stewart, former Director of Rural Clinical Training and Support at James Cook University.

Former Rural Health Commissioner, Emeritus Professor Paul Worley, College of Medicine and Health, Flinders University, South Australia.

With COVID19 devastating lives and livelihoods around the globe, health experts are looking for lessons for a better, more equitable tomorrow, where food and job security, people-focused urban design and access to healthcare are not reliant on country of origin, cultural background or postcode.

Over five weeks, VICHealth’s “Life and Health ReImagined” webinar panels looked at the lessons from the pandemic, investigating urban design, healthier work environments, sustainable food systems and jobs, and how the social determinants of health: housing, income, and location are intrinsically linked to health outcomes.

CroakeyVoices took up the discussion with panellists, incorporating snippets from panel discussions, to highlights some of the key points and flesh out some of the creative solutions for a better tomorrow

ACTU assistant secretary Liam O’Brien says Australia holds the world record when it comes to insecure work, with “one in ten workers going to work while sick because many insecure workers don’t have access to sick leave”.

According to The Community Grocer Founder, Russel Shields, Australia needs to move away from the food rescue model to feed people, arguing “our community markets model provides fresh, diverse produce at highly discounted prices in a farmers market environment”.

Dr Rachel Carey: Lecturer in Food Systems, University of Melbourne

Farhat Firdous: Multicultural Strategic Engagement Coordinator for Gippsland, Latrobe Community

US urban planner

Anna Muessig: Associate Gehl in San Francisco

City of Yarra Councillor, Jackie Fristacky

Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor, Seema Abdullah

Professor Sir Michael Marmot: Director UCL Institute of Health Equity

Sharon Friel: Professor of Health Equity, Director Menzies Centre for Health Governance, School of Regulation and Global Governance

Anna Peeters: Professor of Epidemiology and Equity in Public Health and Director of the Institute of Health Transformation at Deakin University

Former federal Health Minister, Nicola Roxon

Kellie Horton from VicHealth

What are the chances of reform to the prison system in the wake of COVID19? The pandemic has shone a light on overcrowded facilities and, in particular, on the high and growing rates of incarceration of First Nations peoples.

In the second of two #CroakeyVOICES podcasts funded by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas,Associate Professor Megan Williams, the Research Lead and Assistant Director of the National Centre for Cultural Competence at The University of Sydney, and Cate Carrigan look at calls for prison reform in the wake of COVID19. Change the Record’s Cheryl Axleby says there’s been an 88 percent increase in incarceration rates for Indigenous Australians over ten years, and argues it’s time to repeal punitive bail laws, end the offence of public drunkenness, raise the criminal age to fourteen and implement the recommendations of the Black Deaths in Custody Royal Commission.

We also hear from Robert Houston, a former director of the Douglas Country Corrective facility in Omaha, USA, and lecturer at the School of Criminology at the University of Nebraska; Greg Barns from the Australian Lawyers Alliance, Debbie Kilroy from “Sisters Inside”; Thomas “Marksey” Marks, an artist and former inmate in the Victorian prison system; Ron Wilson, the President of Australasian Corrections Education Association; and Murray Cook, founder of the NSW Community Restorative Centre’s SongBirds program.

** Confined 11 – The Torch virtual exhibition, selling artworks from inmates and former inmates of Victoria corrective facilities, continues until June 7. https://thetorch.org.au/exhibition/confined-11/ ** Songbirds https://www.songbirds.com.au/

Around the world, the novel coronavirus has spread rapidly throughout many prisons, and in Australia prisoners and their families are anxious about the potential threat from outbreaks here, especially for First Nations inmates.

In the first of two #CroakeyVOICES podcasts funded by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas, Associate Professor Megan Williams, the Research Lead and Assistant Director of the National Centre for Cultural Competence at The University of Sydney, and Cate Carrigan look at the impact of the pandemic on prisoners and their families.

Dr Kris Rallah-Baker, the President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA) warns it’s no time to be complacent, saying “It’s definitely not a time to relax around #COVID19. It’s still a real threat in this country. We can’t assume because we’ve got low rates in the community that prisons are safe”.

Rallah-Baker’s concerns are echoed by co-chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, Nerita Waight, who says since the Royal Commission into Black Deaths in Custody, “420 or our people have died in custody. Given they’re at greater risk (due to a prevalence of underlying health conditions), we’re concerned there’s going to be more Aboriginal deaths in prison due to #COVID19”.

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As infection rates decline across Australia and social distancing rules are relaxed, mental health experts are warning of a second wave; a surge in people seeking mental health services. CroakeyVoices speaks to the co-director of the Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney, Professor Ian Hickie. How loneliness, anxiety about the future and social isolation are fuelling a surge in online gambling, and making what could be the only social outing in a day of life under COVID-19 a special connection for those struggling to make ends meet.

Tony Clarkson, Principal Clinical Advisor at Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation

Infectious Diseases Physician, Senior Lecturer, James Cook University and University of QLD, Trent Yardwood.

Eliza van de Smam, OzHarvest, Kensington, Sydney.