Our core funding only enables us to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health nationally, and does not allow us to comprehensively consolidate this information at state, territory or regional level. Information relating to Indigenous health in Victoria has been collected as a part of our national focus.
2013
Aboriginal Affairs Taskforce (2013)
Victorian Government Aboriginal affairs report 2012.
Melbourne: Department of Planning and Community Development
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2013)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health performance framework 2012 report: Victoria.
Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Ferdinand A, Paradies Y, Kelaher M (2013)
Mental health impacts of racial discrimination in Victorian Aboriginal communities: the Localities Embracing and Accepting Diversity (LEAD) experiences of racism survey.
Melbourne: Lowitja Institute
Isaacs AN, Maybery D, Gruis H (2013)
Help seeking by Aboriginal men who are mentally unwell: a pilot study.
Early Intervention in Psychiatry; Early View(http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/eip.12015):
Luke JN, Anderson IP, Gee GJ, Thorpe R, Rowley KG, Reilly RE, Thorpe A, Stewart PJ (2013)
Suicide ideation and attempt in a community cohort of urban Aboriginal youth: a cross-sectional study.
Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention; Advance Articles: 1-11
Moodie ML, Herbert JL, De Silva-Sanigorski AM, Mavoa HM, Keating CL, Carter RC, Waters E, Gibbs L, Swinburn BA (2013)
The cost-effectiveness of a successful community-based obesity prevention program; the Be Active Eat Well Program.
Obesity; Accepted article(http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/oby.20472):
Sentencing Advisory Council (2013)
Comparing sentencing outcomes for Koori and Non-Koori adult offenders in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria.
Melbourne: Sentencing Advisory Council
Victorian Advisory Council on Koori Health (2013)
Aboriginal eye health strategy: 2013-2014.
Melbourne: Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Melbourne
Victorian Department of Justice (2013)
Victorian Aboriginal Justice Agreement: phase 3 (AJA3).
Melbourne: Victorian Aboriginal Justice
2012
Aboriginal Affairs Taskforce (2012)
Victorian Government Indigenous affairs report 2010-11.
Melbourne: Department of Planning and Community Development
Closing the gap for vision: regional implementation (2012)
Anjou MD, Boudville AI, Taylor HR
This poster was created for the Victorian Department of Health, Aboriginal Health Conference, 'Aboriginal health - everyone's responsibility', and uses images and bullet points to summarise the translation of Indigenous eye care policy recommendations - from The roadmap to close the gap for vision - into practice, across Victoria. It covers the following areas to propose a plan:
- the evidence base (from the National Indigenous eye health survey: minum barreng)
- consultations informing The roadmap to close the gap for vision
- recommendations from The roadmap to close the gap for vision
- eye care requirements for a regional model
- implimentation process for local action
- regions in Victoria
- projected eye care needs for Victoria
- relevant organisations, practitioners and initiatives.
The poster offers a useful summary for all those working in Australian Indigenous eye health policy and practice, with particular benefit to those in Victoria.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Briggs L, Fletcher C (2012)
Smoke free mob final progress report.
Melbourne: Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Cummins P, Scott D, Scales B (2012)
Meeting the needs of Aboriginal children and young people.
In: Report of the Protecting Victoria’s Vulnerable Children Inquiry. Melbourne: Victorian Government: 271-310
This report section is part of the Report of the Protecting Victoria's Vulnerable Children Inquiry which aimed to meet the needs, improve the lives and secure the rights of vulnerable children and young people residing in Victoria. This section of the report outlines the evidence for vulnerable Indigenous children and families. The report presents:
- challenges faced by vulnerable Indigenous children and youth
- risk factors
- challenges of meeting the needs for vulnerable Indigenous children and families
- submissions received
- historical context and its impact on Indigenous people and communities.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Cummins P, Scott D, Scales B (2012)
Report of the Protecting Victoria’s Vulnerable Children Inquiry.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet
Department of Human Services (2012)
Indigenous family violence primary prevention framework.
Melbourne: Victorian Government
This framework is a result of a recommendation from the 10 year plan that was developed as part of the Strong culture, strong peoples, strong families: towards a safer future for Indigenous families and communities. This framework has developed an Indigenous-specific framework for family violence that provides:
- background information on the development of the framework
- evidence of prevention initiatives throughout Victoria
- a framework for primary prevention
- practice tips and references for interested parties.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Diemer K (2012)
Measuring family violence in Victoria: Victorian family violence database: volume 5: eleven year trend analysis 1999 - 2010.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Justice
Heffernan B, Iskandar D, Freemantle J (2012)
The history of Indigenous identification in Victorian health datasets, 1980–2011: initiatives and policies reported by key informants.
Melbourne: Lowitja Institute
Hemingway M (2012)
Community control: Aboriginal self-determination and Australian settler democracy: a history of the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service.
Doctor of Philosophy thesis, The University of Melbourne: Melbourne
Howard D (2012)
Presentation to the Victorian Bar Association on Indigenous hearing loss and the criminal justice system.
: Phoenix Consulting
This video recording provides advice for those working within the criminal justice system for improving communication with people who have hearing loss or other listening problems. Dr Damien Howard's presentation to the Victorian Bar explains how hearing loss impacts on justice and offender rehabilitation.
Key aspects of improving communication include:
- preparing people for the criminal justice process
- allowing people to tell the story in their own way
- informing people of topic changes
- watching for facial and body language cues to misunderstanding
- avoiding jargon and technical terms
- using amplification devices, as appropriate
- avoiding judgements of intelligence and honesty on the basis of speaking capacity.
The video has also been converted into audio only and is available from the link below.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Knoche D, Clarke A, Shanahan N, Rowley K (2012)
Treating us right: a summary report describing and evaluating Wadja’s new model of care for Aboriginal children and families at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Melbourne: Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit, The University of Melbourne
This report outlines Onemda's evaluation of the New model of care program. The program was established by The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) in Melbourne and implemented by the Wadja Aboriginal Family Place. It aims to improve Aboriginal patient access to hospital services and to provide culturally appropriate care. The program arose from hospital and community concerns that more still needs to be done to improve the health of Aboriginal children.
The New model of care program involves five components:
- implementation of case management for all Aboriginal patients with complex medical and social needs
- establishment of a weekly general medical clinic for Aboriginal children, which provides medical, social, cultural and emotional assessment
- development of a cross-cultural education program for all RCH staff
- capacity building for staff at Wadja through professional development, and for the broader RCH staff and environment, to create a culturally competent hospital
- consolidation of formal partnerships between RCH and Aboriginal community-controlled organisations.
The evaluation supported this program, and provided recommendations for each of the five components.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Mental Health Drugs and Regions Division (2012)
The Victorian drug statistics handbook: patterns of drug use and related harm in Victoria for the period July 2009 to June 2010.
Melbourne: Department of Health, Victoria
Building an eye care program with Aboriginal communities in Victoria – a partnership approach (2012)
Napper G, Carozzi P, Peters J, Jackson J, Fricke T
Portland District Health, Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation (2012)
Deadly Teeth: promoting oral health in Gunditjmara country: project report (phase 1).
Portland, Vic: Portland District Health
This report provides information on the Deadly teeth project, a partnership between Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation and the Health Promotion Unit at Portland District Health, Victoria which included the creation of health promotion resources. The report outlines community response to the program and perceived effectiveness of the resources, as well as the future direction for the Deadly teeth project.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Powell A (2012)
More than ready: bystander action to prevent violence against women in the Victorian community: research report.
Melbourne: Victorian Health Promotion Foundation
Priest N, MacKean T, Davis E, Briggs L, Waters E (2012)
Aboriginal perspectives of child health and wellbeing in an urban setting: developing a conceptual framework.
Health Sociology Review; 21(2): 180-195
Rinehart NE, Borninkhof J (2012)
Exploring primary health care needs, welfare requirements and service use of people experiencing homelessness within Melbourne’s CBD and inner suburbs.
Canberra: Australian Homelessness Clearinghouse
Sutton K, Maybery D, Moore T (2012)
Bringing them home: a Gippsland mental health workforce recruitment strategy.
Australian Health Review; 36(1): 79-82
Thomson N, MacRae A, Brankovich J, Burns J, Catto M, Gray C, Levitan L, Maling C, Potter C, Ride K, Stumpers S, Urquhart B (2012)
Overview of Australian Indigenous health status, 2011.
Perth, WA: Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet
VicHealth (2012)
Improving Aboriginal health and wellbeing: local government action guide no. 2.
Melbourne: VicHealth
VicHealth (2012)
Mental health impacts of racial discrimination in Victorian Aboriginal communities: experiences of racism survey: a summary.
Melbourne: VicHealth
Victorian Department of Health (2012)
Koolin balit: Victorian Government strategic directions for Aboriginal health 2012–2022.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Health
Victorian Department of Health (2012)
The Victorian Aboriginal spectacle subsidy scheme evaluation report 2012.
Melbourne: Department of Health, Victoria
Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development (2012)
Victorian Aboriginal affairs framework 2013–2018: building for the future: a plan for ‘Closing the Gap’ in Victoria by 2031.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development
2011
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2011)
Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Victoria 2009-10: findings from the National Minimum Data Set (NMDS).
Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Bailey P (2011)
Sisters day out: promoting well-being and safety for Aboriginal women.
DVRCV Quarterly; 2011(3): 20-21
Cook M (2011)
Locked out: experiences of AOD consumers with a criminal record accessing employment and education.
Melbourne: Association of Participating Service Users
Cripps K (2011)
Speaking up to the silences: Victorian Koori courts and the complexities of Indigenous family violence.
Indigenous Law Bulletin; 7(26): 31-34
Aboriginal health progress sheet - Alcohol (2011)
Department of Health Victoria
This factsheet was produced by the Victorian Department of Health. It provides a summary of what the Department is doing to reduce the harmful effects of alcohol abuse on Aboriginal individuals, families and communities in Victoria.
Abstract adapted from Victorian Department of Health
Aboriginal health progress sheet - Tackling smoking (2011)
Department of Health Victoria
This factsheet was produced by the Victorian Department of Health. It provides a summary of what the Department is doing to tackle smoking in the Victorian Aboriginal community.
Abstract adapted from Victorian Department of Health
Fletcher G, Fredericks B, Adams K, Finlay S, Andy S, Briggs L, Hall R (2011)
Having a yarn about smoking: using action research to develop a 'no smoking' policy within an Aboriginal Health Organisation.
Health Policy; 103(1): 92-97
Fredericks B, Finlay SM, Briggs L, Adams K, Fletcher G, Andy S, Briggs L, Hall R (2011)
Working up a smoking policy.
Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal; 35(3): 7-9
Fredericks B, Legge D (2011)
Revitalizing health for all: international Indigenous representative group. Learning from the experience of comprehensive primary health care in Aboriginal Australia — a commentary on three project reports.
Melbourne: The Lowitja Institute
Logan G, Bakos K (2011)
Our Healing Ways successful strategies for working with dual diagnosis issues, Aboriginal way.
Fitzroy, Vic: Victorian Dual Diagnosis Education and Training Unit
Sutton KP, Maybery D, Moore T (2011)
Creating a sustainable and effective mental health workforce for Gippsland, Victoria: solutions and directions for strategic planning.
Rural and Remote Health; 11: 1585
Retrieved 24 January 2011 from http://www.rrh.org.au/publishedarticles/article_print_1585.pdf
VicHealth (2011)
Aboriginal health in Victoria - research summary.
Melbourne: VicHealth
VicHealth (2011)
Violence against women in Australia: research summary.
Melbourne: VicHealth
Aboriginal health progress sheet - suicide and self harm (2011)
Victorian Department of Health
Victorian Department of Health (2011)
Closing the health gap in Victoria: highlights - 2009 to 2011.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Health
2010
Allen H (2010)
Australia : William Blandowski's illustrated encyclopaedia of Aboriginal life.
1st ed. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press
Behrendt L, Vivian A (2010)
Indigenous self-determination and the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities – a framework for discussion.
Melbourne: Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission
Bond S (2010)
Public dental care and the Teeth First trial: a history of decay.
Fitzroy, Vic: Brotherhood of St Laurence
Briggs B, Reilly R (2010)
My moola: opening financial pathways program – fostering empowerment and participation.
Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal; 34(5): 41-43
Cassar N (2010)
Victorian Aboriginal nutrition & physical activity strategy.
Paper presented at the 'Go for your life' Physical Activity Forum. 28 May 2010, Melbourne
Cassell E, Clapperton A, Alavi H, Jones S (2010)
Traffic-related pedestrian injury in Victoria (1): hospital-treated injury.
Hazard; 71(Winter): 1-28
Clinch D (2010)
Sporting opportunities for Aboriginal men in Melbourne's western suburbs.
Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal; 34(4): 8-9
de Silva-Sanigorski AM, Bolton K, Haby M, Kremer P, Gibbs L, Waters E, Swinburn B (2010)
Scaling up community-based obesity prevention in Australia: background and evaluation design of the health promoting communities: Being Active Eating Well initiative.
BMC Public Health; 10: 65
Retrieved 12 February 2010 from http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2458-10-65.pdf
Department of Health Victoria (2010)
Systems and performance analysis of the alcohol and other drugs treatment system: final report.
Melbourne: Department of Health, Victoria
Gwalwa-Gai Newsletter (2010)
Smoking rates up among pregnant Victorian Aboriginal women.
Gwalwa-Gai Newsletter; 22(May 2010): 12
Human Rights Law Resource Centre (2010)
Indigenous rights: proposed amendments to the Northern Territory Intervention [submission to inquiry].
Melbourne: Human Rights Law Resource Centre
Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit (2010)
An Onemda decade: ten years of progress in Koori health.
Melbourne: Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit
Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit is situated in the Centre for Health and Society at the Melbourne School of Population Health at the University of Melbourne.
Onemda is committed to research and teaching that is underpinned by principles of Aboriginal Community development that will lead to long term improvements in Aboriginal health.
Onemda is ten years old and those years have been spent building the foundations on which programs are implementated. Onemda has developed a Koori participatory action model that has enabled the organisation to develop a sustainable and integrated approach. Community development, research and practice, and teaching and learning builds on key principles of Community engagement, respect for Aboriginal knowledges and capacity building.
An Onemda Decade: Ten Years of Progress in Koori Health, celebrates their achievements and what they hope to achieve over the next ten years.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
van der Sterren A, Goreen Narrkwarren Ngrn-toura - Healthy Family Air Project Team 2010 (2010)
Goreen Narrkwarren Ngrn-toura – healthy family air: a literature review to inform the VACCHO Smoking
amongst Pregnant Aboriginal Women research project.
Melbourne: Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
This literature review informs the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation's (VACCHOs) research project 'Goreen Narrkwarren Ngrn-toura - Healthy Family Air' (Reducing Smoking amongst Pregnant Aboriginal Women in Victoria: An Holistic Approach) funded by the Victorian Department of Health. The review includes information on: what is known about why Indigenous women smoke before, during and after pregnancy, and why they might quit; and the types of activities and programs that could reduce smoking among pregnant Indigenous women. Recommendations for tobacco control activities with pregnant Indigenous women included: training of Aboriginal Health Workers (AHWs) to enable them to deliver individual clinic-based control activities; program and policy development in organisations that work in with existing services, that support smoking cessation programs, and that support AHWs who smoke to quit; and community development activities that promote the unacceptability of smoking in Indigenous communities, that are holistic, that support pregnant women to quit, and that address social disadvantage.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (2010)
The long journey: colonialism, community-control & Indigenous autonomy: history of Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO).
Melbourne: Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Victorian Aboriginal Economic Development Group (2010)
Karreeta Yirramboi: the Victorian Aboriginal public sector employment and career development action plan 2010-15.
Melbourne: Ministerial Taskforce on Aboriginal Affairs
Victorian Aboriginal Economic Development Group (2010)
Moonda Wurrin Gree – pathways to a better economic future [part 1 & 2].
Melbourne: Ministerial Taskforce on Aboriginal Affairs
Victorian Child Death Review Committee (2010)
Annual report of inquiries into the deaths of children known to Child Protection 2010.
Melbourne: Office of the Child Safety Commissioner, Victoria
Victorian Department of Health (2010)
Men’s health and wellbeing strategy background paper.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Health
Victorian Statewide Emergency Program (2010)
Improving the patient experience for aboriginal people in the emergency department.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Health
Watson R, Adams K, Fredericks B, Mahoney R (2010)
Strategic directions report for the Social Determinants of Aboriginal Health project.
Melbourne: Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
2009
Aboriginal Affairs Victoria (2009)
Victorian Government Indigenous affairs report 2008-09.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development
Andy B (2009)
Indigenous dual diagnosis project.
DrugInfo Newsletter; 7(3): 7
Andy B (2009)
Ngwala Willumbong "share your story" youth camp.
DrugInfo Newsletter; 7(3): 1-2
Australian Drug Foundation (2009)
Prevention of alcohol-related harms in Victoria's Koori communities: research, policy, practice and Indigenous ways of working.
Paper presented at the Prevention of alcohol-related harms in Victoria's Koori communities. 3 September 2009, Aborigines Advancement League, 2 Watt Street, Thornbury, Victoria
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2009)
Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Victoria 2007-08: findings from the national minimum data set.
Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre (2009)
Aboriginal wetland burning in Kakadu.
Melbourne: Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre
Chamberlain C, MacKenzie D (2009)
Counting the homeless 2006.
Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Cowie C (2009)
Northern Bundji Bundji program.
Paper presented at the Indigenous young people, crime and justice conference. 31 August 2009 -1 September 2009, Parramatta, NSW
Cripps K, Miller L (2009)
Mutant messages 2: Victoria’s Indigenous family violence plan.
Indigenous Law Bulletin; 7(12): 10-14
Cunneen C, Allison F (2009)
Indigenous bail diversion: program options for Indigenous offenders in Victoria.
Sydney: University of New South Wales
Dreher D, Fredericks B, Mahoney R, Merzliakov N (2009)
Mildura, Victoria: Aboriginal health promotion short course.
Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal; 33(6): 6-7
Duke M, Ewen S (2009)
Implementation of Indigenous mental health training in Victoria.
Australasian Psychiatry; 17(3): 228-232
Duke M, Ewen S (2009)
Social and emotional wellbeing training of psychiatrists in Victoria: preliminary communication.
Australasian Psychiatry; 17(S1): S100 - S103
Freemantle J, Heffernan B (2009)
Victorian Aboriginal Child Mortality Study, 1988-2008 [fact sheet and pamphlet].
Melbourne: Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit, University of Melbourne
Heffernan B, Sheridan S, Freemantle J (2009)
An overview of statutory and administrative datasets: describing the health of Victoria’s Aboriginal infants, children and young people.
Melbourne: Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit, University of Melbourne
Johnston M (2009)
Uniting Care Moreland Hall – a drug and alcohol treatment and education agency.
Paper presented at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2009. 1-4 November 2009, Darwin
McCalman J, Smith L, Anderson I, Morley R, Mishra G (2009)
Colonialism and the health transition: Aboriginal Australians and poor whites compared, Victoria, 1850–1985.
The History of the Family; 14(3): 253-265
McNally S, Latham R (2009)
Recognising and responding to hepatitis C in Indigenous communities in Victoria: a research project exploring barriers to hepatitis C treatment.
Melbourne: Australian Research Centre in Sex Health and Society
This report presents the outcomes of a study conducted in Victoria that investigated access to hepatitis C treatment services among Indigenous people. The research study evolved out of concern for the high rate of hepatitis C in the Indigenous population and the low uptake of treatment and care. Through interviews with service providers and Indigenous people, a number of treatment barriers were revealed, namely the low priority afforded to hepatitis C due to competing co-morbidities. Shame and lack of knowledge about hepatitis C among Indigenous people and health care workers, were also identified as major barriers to treatment. Several suggestions and recommendations have been offered for addressing these treatment barriers, including placing greater emphasis on eating well and reducing alcohol intake.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Mental Health and Drugs Division (2009)
Victorian mental health reform strategy 2009-2019.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services
Milward K (2009)
Prevention of alcohol-related harms in Victoria’s Koori communities.
Melbourne: DrugInfo Clearinghouse: Prevention Research Quarterly
Murray N, Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit (2009)
Sharing our stories and building on our strengths: Indigenous presenters talk up their community health projects.
Melbourne: Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit, The University of Melbourne
This report is an evaluation of the Onemda pre-conference training program for a group of Indigenous speakers at the From Margins to Mainstream: 5th World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and the Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders, 10-12 September 2008 in Melbourne.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Paradies Y, Chandrakumar L, Klocker N, Frere M, Webster K, Burrell M, McLean P (2009)
Building on our strengths: a framework to reduce race-based discrimination and support diversity in Victoria.
Melbourne: Victorian Health Promotion Foundation
Quinn S, Rance G (2009)
The extent of hearing impairment amongst Australian Indigenous prisoners in Victoria, and implications for the correctional system.
International Journal of Audiology; 48(3): 123-134
Roberts I (2009)
Analysis of diabetes in the western region of Melbourne: draft report.
Melbourne: Australian Community Centre for Diabetes, Victoria University
Smith G (2009)
Capacity building across Indigenous and mainstream services: a case study.
DrugInfo Newsletter; 7(3): 8, 10
Stolen Generations Victoria (2009)
Between two worlds: a guide to understanding the Stolen Generations.
Melbourne: Stolen Generations Victoria
This report was written to educate non-Aboriginal service providers about the challenges faced by members of the Stolen generations. It contains information on the history of the Stolen generations and advice on the correct practice for working with members of the Stolen generations. The chapters cover a range of related topics, such as 'Acting white, feeling black' and 'Facing the challenges'.
Abstract adapted from Stolen Generations Victoria
Thorpe S, Browne J (2009)
Closing the nutrition & physical activity gap in Victoria: Victorian Aboriginal nutrition & physical activity strategy.
Melbourne: Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience significantly poorer health outcomes compared with other Australians. Chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes are responsible for the majority of the 'gap' in Indigenous life expectancy. Promoting good nutrition and physical activity is an essential component needed in order to 'Close the Gap' in life expectancy for Aboriginal people in Victoria. The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) is committed to improving nutrition and physical activity, and has developed a nutrition and physical activity strategy, subtitled 'Policy proposals for promoting healthy eating and physical activity among Indigenous Victorians 2009-2014'.
The strategy was developed after a comprehensive review of the Indigenous health promotion literature and a state-wide consultation process. It recommends strategies and actions that will build on current activities of VACCHO and its members. It also recommends strategies for consideration by the State Government in a coordinated approach to preventing chronic disease in Victorian Aboriginal communities.
The Aboriginal view of health is holistic, that is it incorporates a whole-of life approach to the physical, social and cultural wellbeing of the community. Therefore this strategy recognises that action by the health sector alone will not be sufficient to close the gap. It is intended that this Nutrition and Physical Activity Strategy is just one part of a coordinated, intersectoral response to overcoming Indigenous disadvantage which includes action across other key dimensions such as housing, employment and education.
This strategy identifies priorities within eight key action areas. These include:
- workforce development;
- improving food security;
- developing healthy public policy;
- delivering community based interventions;
- ensuring equitable access to sport and recreation;
- enhancing maternal and child nutrition;
- health information and social marketing; and
- improving the evidence base.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
van der Sterren A (2009)
Tobacco use in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
DrugInfo Newsletter; 7(3): 6
Victims Support Agency (2009)
Victorian family violence database volume 4: nine year trend analysis (1999–2008).
Melbourne: Victorian Government Department of Justice
Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (2009)
Sexual and reproductive health strategy 2009-2014 [including sexually transmissible and blood borne infections].
Melbourne: Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (2009)
The health of Aboriginal Victorians, 2009.
Melbourne: Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Koori youth justice (2009)
Victorian Department of Human Services
The Koori youth justice factsheet, produced by the Victorian Department of Human Services, provides information on youth justice programs designed for Koori people in Victoria. The factsheet includes details on:
- the Koori youth justice program
- the Koori intensive bail support program
- the Koori early school leavers and youth education program
- the Koori pre and post release program
- the Yannabil youth justice Koori visitors program
- the health and safety of young people in custody
- Aboriginal cultural support plans
- the role of youth justice units
- the Victorian Aboriginal Justice Agreement
- training and future directions.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Victorian Department of Human Services Disability Services Division (2009)
Victorian State Disability Plan 2002-2012.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services
Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service (2009)
Protecting vulnerable children.
Retrieved from http://www.vfpms.org.au/childrenatrisk/vuln.htm
Waples-Crowe P (2009)
Healthy pregnancies, healthy babies for Koori communities.
DrugInfo Newsletter; 7(3): 5
Willis M (2009)
Policing substance abuse in Indigenous communities: report from a workshop held in Mildura, Victoria, 5–6 August 2008.
Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology
This report documents the findings of a workshop held in Mildura that provided an opportunity to disseminate findings from the National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund to an audience of NSW and Victorian police involved in implementing and managing the policing response to substance abuse in Indigenous communities.
Police presented environmental scans from their respective jurisdictions. The objectives of the workshop included: establishing the key issues for police in relation to substance abuse in Indigenous communities; identifying differences in policing illicit drug use in Indigenous communities compared with other communities; and identifying where police may be able to improve their response to these issues. Key findings included: research and environmental scans shared at the workshop raised awareness of the emerging issue of illicit drug use; differences between urban, regional and remote communities in policing responses to illicit substance use; differences in police responses to urban Indigenous drug use highlighted the need for further research; and networking between operational police and staff from other areas (such as Aboriginal Community Liaison Officers) is likely to provide significant benefits and needs to be encouraged.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
2008
Aboriginal Affairs Victoria (2008)
Victorian Government Indigenous affairs report 2007-08: sections A and B.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development
Aboriginal Affairs Victoria Department of Planning and Community Development (2008)
Strong culture, strong peoples, strong families: towards a safer future for Indigenous families and communities: 10 year plan [second edition].
Melbourne: Victoria Department of Planning and Community Development, Aborignal Affairs
Aged Care Branch Department of Health Victoria (2008)
Strengthening Home and Community Care (HACC) in Aboriginal communities strategy.
Melbourne: Department of Health Victoria
Anderson IPS (2008)
The knowledge economy and Aboriginal health development.
Melbourne: Melbourne School of Population Health
Auditor-General Victoria (2008)
Coordinating services and initiatives for Aboriginal people.
Melbourne: Victorian Auditor-General
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008)
Melbourne: a social atlas, 2006.
Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2008)
Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Victoria: findings from the National Minimum Data Set (NMDS) 2006-07.
Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Browne J, Thorpe S, Pyett P, Waples-Crowe P (2008)
Making healthy choices for ourselves: partnerships for healthy eating and physical activity in Aboriginal communities.
Paper presented at the National Nutrition Networks Conference 08: good tucker good health. 11-14 March 2008, Alice Springs, NT
Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre (2008)
Bushfire smoke and public health.
Melbourne: Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre
Carboon C (2008)
The dental dreaming journey.
Paper presented at the National SARRAH Conference 2008. 28-30 August 2008, Yeppoon, QLD
This conference presentation provides information on the Dental Dreaming project as well as background and general information about Indigenous oral health. The presentation provides the rationale for the project and outlines the goals of Hume Hygiene and the Rumbalara's Wanya Oral Health Clinic. It also includes information on the project outcomes and the resources that have been developed.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Costa N, Sullivan M, Walker R, Robinson K (2008)
Emergency department presentations of Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people.
The HIM journal; 37(3): 15-25
Cvetkovski S, Dietze P (2008)
The incidence and characteristics of volatile substance use related ambulance attendances in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia.
Social Science & Medicine; 66(3): 776-783
Davey A, Jackson R (2008)
Good tucker, good health: great teeth!.
Paper presented at the National Nutrition Networks Conference 08: good tucker good health. 11-14 March 2008, Alice Springs, NT
Dental Health Services Victoria (2008)
DHSV statewide oral health promotion strategic plan 2008-2012.
Melbourne: Dental Health Services Victoria
Department of Human Services (2008)
Koori health counts! 2006/07: improving care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Patients (ICAP) Program: information from the reports of Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officers for 2006/07.
Melbourne: Department of Human Services, Victorian Government
Elliot M (2008)
Strengthening dementia care in Indigenous communities.
Paper presented at the Brain Injury Australia National Conference 2008. 1-3 September 2008, Melbourne
Hearn T, Whyte A, Kirby M, Mason S, Carboon C (2008)
Dental dreaming.
Paper presented at the National Nutrition Networks Conference 08: good tucker good health. 11-14 March 2008, Alice Springs, NT
Dental Dreaming is an oral health promotion project developed by Hume Hygiene and the Rumbalara Oral Health Centre. The aim of this project is to improve the oral health of the local Indigenous community, by fostering leadership and creating new culturally appropriate dental resources. This project uses Dental Awareness Through Art (DATA) which integrates Aboriginal dreamtime culture and art with contempory dental health messages. DATA has been used to develop a culturally appropriate oral health resource kit, which includes a rainbow snake brushing chart, message stick story box and snack pack.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Kingsley J, Townsend M, Phillips R, Aldous D (2008)
"If the land is healthy ... it makes the people healthy": the relationship between caring for country and health for the Yorta Yorta Nation, Boonwurrung and Bangerang Tribes.
Health & Place; 15(1): 291-299
Kitchener BA, Jorm AF (2008)
Mental health first aid: an international programme for early intervention.
Early Intervention in Psychiatry; 2(1): 55-61
Koori Health (2008)
Improving the way the Department of Human Services works with Aboriginal organisations: community summary report.
Melbourne: Koori Health
Koori Human Services Unit (2008)
Aboriginal Services Plan: key indicators 2006/07.
Melbourne: Koori Human Services Unit, Policy and Strategic Projects Division, Victorian Government
This publication reports on the key factors in relation to the Aboriginal Services Plan 2004 and provides statistics on the areas of Aboriginal health for which the Department of Human Services (DHS) is responsible within Victoria. In the Plan the DHS outlined its commitment to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people living in Victoria. In conjunction with Aboriginal people, communities and organisations, the plan aims to focus on the cultural and identity issues faced by this group and on the ways to improve life in general and life expectancy for Aboriginal people in Victoria. Five strategic areas incorporating 17 indicators are presented, ranging from early childhood development and growth, to functional and resilient families and communities.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Lane C, Michel K (2008)
Community mapping project report.
Melbourne: Centre for Eye Research Australia
MacLean S (2008)
Volatile bodies: Stories of corporeal pleasure and damage in marginalised young people's drug use.
International Journal of Drug Policy; 19(5): 375-383
Manders M, Coaby J, Richards E (2008)
Nunga Kids Café.
Paper presented at the National Nutrition Networks Conference 08: good tucker good health. 11-14 March 2008, Alice Springs, NT
Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit (2008)
We can like research… in Koori hands: a community report on Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit’s research workshops in 2007.
Melbourne: Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit, University of Melbourne
Palermo CE, Walker KZ, Hill P, Mcdonal J (2008)
The cost of healthy food in rural Victoria.
Rural and Remote Health; 8: 1074
Retrieved from http://www.rrh.org.au/publishedarticles/article_print_1074.pdf
Paterson C, Vindigni D, Polus B, Browell T, Edgecombe G (2008)
Evaluating a massage therapy training and treatment programme in a remote Aboriginal community.
Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice; 14(3): 158-167
Pyett P, Waples-Crowe P, Loughron KH, Gallagher J (2008)
Healthy pregnancies, healthy babies for Koori communities: some of the issues around alcohol and pregnancy.
Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal; 32(1): 30-32
Reilly RE, Doyle J, Bretherton D, Rowley KG, Harvey JL, Briggs P, Charles S, Calleja J, Patten R, Atkinson V (2008)
Identifying psychosocial mediators of health amongst Indigenous Australians for the Heart Health Project.
Ethnicity & Health; 13(4): 351-373
Russ P (2008)
The Omeda story: building partnerships to transfer knowledge: Victoria's leading Indigenous health research organisation shares the secrets of its success.
VicHealth Letter [newsletter]; Winter(32): 8-9
Sexual Health Society of Victoria (2008)
National management guidelines for sexually transmissible infections 7th edition.
Melbourne: Melbourne Sexual Health Centre
Smith L, McCalman J, Anderson I, Smith S, Evans J, McCarthy G, Beer J (2008)
Fractional identities: the political arithmetic of Aboriginal Victorians.
Journal of Interdisciplinary History; 38(4): 533-551
Stanford J, Crozier G, Judd J, Fergie D (2008)
Good Food Great Kids.
Paper presented at the National Nutrition Networks Conference 08: good tucker good health. 11-14 March 2008, Alice Springs, NT
Stewart M (2008)
‘I’m an Aboriginal Dad’: An innovative collaborative community based program aimed at building the capacity of Indigenous fathers in growing up their kids.
Paper presented at the From margins to mainstream, 5th world conference on the promotion of mental health and the prevention of mental and behavioural disorders. 10-12 September, Melbourne Convention Centre
Stolen Generations Victoria (2008)
Unfinished business: final report of the ‘Unfinished Business: Reparations, Restitution and Rehabilitation’
forums, held between May and September of 2008 in Aboriginal communities throughout Victoria.
Melbourne: Stolen Generations Victoria
This is the final report of the reparations, restitution and rehabilitation forums, held between May and September 2008 in Aboriginal communities throughout Victoria. Through consultation with community members, Stolen Generations Victoria made a number of recommendations which affect not only first generation Stolen Generation members but all Aboriginal families and communities. Unfinished business provides government and other relevant agencies with an understanding of community members' needs.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Taylor HR (2008)
Trachoma: a blinding scourge from the bronze age to the twenty-first century.
East Melbourne: Centre for Eye Research Australia
TaylorH, KeeffeJ, ShemeshT (2008)
The national Indigenous eye health survey, project overview.
Melbourne: The Centre for Eye Research Australia
Tellis B, Dunn R, Keeffe J, Taylor H (2008)
Trachoma surveillance report 2007.
Melbourne: National Trachoma Surveillance and Reporting Unit, Centre for Eye Research Australia
Thwaites T, Conning R (2008)
Putting knowledge to work: linking research, policy and practice to improve health and wellbeing.
VicHealth Letter [newsletter]; Winter 2008(32): 4-6
Vickery G, Hughes E (2008)
Plenty Valley Community Kitchen project with urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
Paper presented at the National Nutrition Networks Conference 08: good tucker good health. 11-14 March 2008, Alice Springs, NT
Vicroads arrive alive (2008)
Arrive alive: towards a safe system.
Retrieved 4 Mar 2008 from http://www.arrivealive.vic.gov.au/about/towards_a_safe_system/towards_a_safe_system.html
Victoria Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (2008)
Dardee Boorai: the Victorian charter of safety and wellbeing for Aboriginal children and young people.
Melbourne: Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Victorian Advisory Council on Koori Health Oral Health Subcommittee (2008)
Public dental services for Indigenous peoples: agreed actions.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Health
Victorian Department of Human Services (2008)
Because mental health matters: a new focus for mental health and wellbeing in Victoria.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services
Victorian Department of Human Services (2008)
Department of Human Services Aboriginal services plan January 2008 - December 2010.
Melbourne: Koori Human Services Unit
Victorian Department of Human Services (2008)
Victoria's alcohol action plan 2008-2013.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services
Victorian Department of Human Services (2008)
Victoria’s cancer action plan 2008-2011.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services
Victorian Department of Human Services (2008)
Victorian sexually transmissible infections strategy 2006-2009.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services Communicable Disease Control, Public Health Branch
Victorian Department of Human Services (2008)
Victorian tobacco control strategy 2008 - 2013.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services
Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development (2008)
A fairer Victoria 2008: strong people, strong communities.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development
This report highlights the progress and future of the ‘a fairer Victoria' action plan. The action plan has been developed to adress the economic, academic and social issues inherent to the identified disadvantaged groups in the state of Victoria through the improvement of their economic and social wellbeing. Four priority areas are identified, including: support for children in their early years and for families most at risk; development of education and vocation; reducing health inequalities; promoting wellbeing; and strengthening neighbourhoods and local communities.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Zhang X, Condon J, Dempsey K, Garling L (2008)
Cancer incidence and mortality: Northern Territory 1991–2005.
Darwin: Northern Territory Department of Health and Families
2007
Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council Care of Older Australians Working Group (2007)
Best practice approaches to minimise functional decline in the older person across the acute, sub-acute and
residential aged care settings.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Health
Dental Health Services Victoria (2007)
DHSV Strategic Plan 2007-2010.
Melbourne: Dental Health Services Victoria
Dental Health Services Victoria (2007)
DHSV Strategic Plan 2007-2010: summary.
Melbourne: Dental Health Services Victoria
Department for Victorian Communities (2007)
Family violence risk assessment and risk management.
Melbourne: Children Youth and Families (VIC)
Department of Human Services (2007)
Koori health counts! 2005/06: improving care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Patients Program (ICAP): information from the reports of Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officers for 2005/06.
Melbourne: Department of Human Services, Victorian Government
Department of Human Services (2007)
Towards a new blueprint for alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment services: a discussion paper.
Melbourne: Department of Human Services
Doyle JE (2007)
The reach and efficacy of ear health programs in primary school children in the Goldfields South East Health Region.
Master of Rural Health thesis, Monash University: Melbourne
This study explored health and education professionals' perceptions of the health benefits of different ear health programs used in lower primary school classes (kindergarten to year three) in two district education areas of the Goldfields South East (GSE) Health Region. These programs included: audiometry, otoscopy, Breathe Blow Cough (BBC) program, ear toilet and tissue spearing. The study also explored program coordination approaches and evaluation methods and the barriers to program implementation.
A qualitative self-administered questionnaire was distributed to a selection of schools and health workers in the GSE area. Responses were received from 14 of the 23 postcodes (61%) in the GSE area, with 62 questionnaires (19.4%) returned from a total of 318.
Teachers, Community Health Nurses (CHN) and Aboriginal Health Workers (AHW) identified that all ear health programs were beneficial to the students. They reported physical health benefits such as reduced ear infections, early detection of ear infections and improved hearing. Behavioural benefits were also reported such as an improved ability of children to stay focused, alert and attentive in the classroom. Barriers to implementing the programs included: gaining consent from and involving parents/carers, student transience and attendance, time to implement and conduct the programs and human and physical resources. Evaluation methods used varied from no evaluation for the BBC and tissue spearing programs to limited data collection for audiometry, otoscopy and ear toilet programs.
This study identified that ear health programs are perceived by teachers, CHNs and AHWs to have both health and behavioural benefits for children. Programs appeared to be more successful when conducted in a collaborative way. Recommendations to improve the outcomes of programs include developing systems to identify and follow-up at-risk children, improving access to specialists, increasing collaboration between health workers and educating staff and families. A more comprehensive approach to evaluation of programs is also required.
Abstract and thesis reproduced with the permission of the author.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
Family Violence Coordination Unit (2007)
Family violence risk assessment and risk management: supporting an integrated family violence service system.
Melbourne: Department of Human Services, Children Youth and Families Division
Fletcher S (2007)
Communities working for health and wellbeing: success stories from the Aboriginal community controlled health sector in Victoria.
Melbourne: Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Health Care of Older Australians Standing Committee (2007)
From hospital to home - improving care outcomes for older people 2006–07 - third annual report on achievements under the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council’s National action plan for improving the care of older people across the acute-aged care continuum, 2004–2008.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Health
Hellard ME, Aitken CK, Hocking JS (2007)
Tattooing in prisons - not such a pretty picture.
American Journal of Infection Control; 35(7): 477-480
Koori Human Services Unit (2007)
Aboriginal Services Plan: key indicators 2005/06.
Melbourne: Koori Human Services Unit, Policy and Strategic Projects Division, Victorian Government
Monahan L, Twining C (2007)
Guidelines for the delivery of culturally sensitive and flexible counselling for Indigenous carers.
Melbourne: Carers Victoria
These guidelines have been developed for non-Indigenous counsellors who provide support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers. The guidelines aim to develop the skills and knowledge of non-Indigenous counsellors so they can better support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who care for someone with a disability, mental illness, or chronic condition.
The guidelines are presented in two parts:
- part 1 - western vs Indigenous conceptions of family, life cycle, and health
- part 2 - what would culturally appropriate and accessible counselling look like and what would make it possible?
The guidelines are the result of a research project that looked at the impact of caregiving on Indigenous carers.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract
O'Reilly B, Leibrick F, Huxtable D, Chenhall R (2007)
Benzodiazepine and pharmaceutical opioid misuse and their relationship to crime: an examination of illicit prescription drug markets in Melbourne, Hobart and Darwin: Northern Territory Report.
Hobart: National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund
O’Grady K-AF, Kelpie L, Andrews RM, Curtis N, Nolan TM, Selvaraj G, Passmore JW, Oppedisano F, Carnie JA, Carapetis JR (2007)
The epidemiology of invasive group A streptococcal disease in Victoria, Australia.
Medical Journal of Australia; 186(11): 565-569
Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit (2007)
Evidence base for STI/BBV prevention and treatment for Koori people in prison.
Melbourne: Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit
Pyettfor P, Loughron K, Waples-Crowe P, Williams R (2007)
Fetal alcohol syndrome: a literature review for the ‘Healthy pregnancies, healthy babies for Koori communities’ project.
Melbourne: Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Reilly R, Doyle J, Firebrace B, Morgan-Bulled D, Cargo M, Rowley K (2007)
Reflecting on Koori-directed health promotion in the Goulburn Valley.
Paper presented at the Psychology and Indigenous Australians: Teaching Practice and Theory Conference. 12-13 July 2007, Southern Cross University
Reilly R, Doyle J, Rowley K (2007)
Koori community-directed health promotion in the Goulburn Valley.
Australian Community Psychologist; 19(1): 39-46
Smith B, Miller P, O’Keefe B, Fry C (2007)
Benzodiazepine and pharmaceutical opioid misuse and their relationship to crime: an examination of illicit prescription drug markets in Melbourne, Hobart and Darwin: Victorian report.
Hobart: National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund
VicRoads (2007)
VicRoads Indigenous report card 2007.
Melbourne: VicRoads, Victoria
Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (2007)
In home support for Aboriginal families: program guidelines.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Victorian Department of Human Services (2007)
Improving Victoria's oral health.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services
Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development (2007)
A fairer Victoria 2007: building on our commitment.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development
Victorian Government Department of Indigenous Affairs (2007)
Victorian Government Indigenous Affairs report 2006/07.
Melbourne: Victorian Department of Planning and Development
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