83 New Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Outreach Workers to be Placed Around the Nation.
National efforts to close the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation received a boost with the announcement of 83 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Outreach Worker placements across Australia.
View by date:
Previous MinistersPDF printable version of 83 New Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Outreach Workers to be Placed Around the Nation (PDF 43 KB)
19 February 2010
National efforts to close the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation received a boost today with the announcement of 83 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Outreach Worker placements across Australia.
Minister for Indigenous Health Warren Snowdon said funding had been approved for 83 positions, more than half of the 160 positions that are being funded under a $42 million commitment to build the capacity of the Indigenous health workforce over four years. [See attached table for placement details].
“Expanding the Indigenous health workforce is a key element of the Rudd Government’s $805.5m Indigenous Chronic Disease Package, under the COAG National Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap in Indigenous Health Outcomes,” Mr Snowdon said.
Queensland will receive twenty four Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Outreach Workers, New South Wales has been allocated twenty three, Western Australia will receive twelve, followed by Victoria with nine placements, the Northern Territory gets eight, South Australia has been allocated six and the Australian Capital Territory will receive one.
“The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Outreach Workers will help increase community engagement with health services, including increasing the uptake of Indigenous health checks and identifying Indigenous people who would benefit from improved access to health services.
“In addition, they will assist Indigenous people to access other health services, including follow-up care, specialist services and community pharmacies,” he said.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Outreach Workers will be employed by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and Divisions of General Practice.
They will have access to nationally accredited basic level training through the vocational education and training sector.
“This will give them the flexibility to develop career paths in the health sector if they choose, by undertaking more advanced training such as that for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers or Enrolled Nurses,” Mr Snowdon said.
“We already have dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers who perform a vital role in providing primary health care services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and these new roles will extend our workforce even further,” Mr Snowdon said.
The Rudd Government’s $805.5million Indigenous Chronic Disease Package will also provide significant new resources to improve the prevention, early detection and management of chronic diseases which account for some two-thirds of premature deaths among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“Some of the biggest contributors to excess mortality are cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and respiratory diseases, with smoking alone accounting for around 20 per cent of all Indigenous deaths,” Mr Snowdon said.
The Prime Minister’s Report on Closing the Gap released on Thursday 11 February 2010 announced that the 83 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Outreach Workers would be appointed to health clinics and organisations across Australia before the end of June.
**See table below for placement locations
Media contact: Alice Plate 0400 045 999 or email alice.plate@health.gov.au
ORGANISATION | Location | Allocation |
|---|---|---|
| AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY |  | |
| Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Clinic/Health Service (ACT) Inc | Narrabundah |
|
| Total ACT | 1 | |
| NORTHERN TERRITORY | | |
| Central Australia Aboriginal Congress Ltd | Alice Springs | 2 |
| Danila Dilba | Darwin | 2 |
| General Practice Network NT | Darwin | 2 |
| Katherine West Health Board Aboriginal Corp (Lajamanu) | Katherine | 2 |
| Total NT | 8 | |
| SOUTH AUSTRALIA | ||
| Adelaide Western General Practice Network | Adelaide | 1 |
| Nunkuwarrin Yunti* | Adelaide | 1 |
| Adelaide Northern Division of General Practice | Elizabeth | 1 |
| Murray Mallee General Practice Network | Murray Bridge | 1 |
| Pika Wiya Health Service* | Port Augusta | 1 |
| Eyre Peninsula Division of General Practice | Port Lincoln | 1 |
| Total SA | 6 | |
| NEW SOUTH WALES | ||
| Central Sydney General Practice Network | Ashfield | 1 |
| NSW Central West Division of General Practice | Bathurst | 1 |
| NSW Outback | Burke | 1 |
| Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation | Campbelltown | 1 |
| Dubbo Plains Division of GP | Dubbo | 1 |
| Central Coast Division of General Practice | Erina | 1 |
| Bulgarr Ngaru Medical Aboriginal Corporation | Grafton | 1 |
| Hunter Rural Division of General Practice | Greenhills | 1 |
| Griffith Aboriginal Community Medical Service Inc | Griffith | 1 |
| Went West | Harris Park | 2 |
| Northern Rivers General Practice Network | Lismore | 1 |
| Macarthur Division of General Practice Limited | Minto DC | 1 |
| Barwon Division of General Practice | Moree | 1 |
| Aboriginal Medical Service Western Sydney Coop Ltd | Mt Druitt, Sydney | 1 |
| GP Access | Newcastle | 1 |
| South Coast Aboriginal Medical Service | Nowra | 1 |
| Nepean Division of General Practice | Penrith | 1 |
| Hastings Macleay General Practice Network | Port Macquarie | 1 |
| Hawkesbury-Hills Division of General Practice | Rouse Hill | 1 |
| Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service | Walgett | 1 |
| Awabakal Newcastle Medical Cooperative | Wickham, Newcastle | 1 |
| Illawarra Aboriginal Medical Service | Wollongong | 1 |
| Total NSW | 23 | |
| WESTERN AUSTRALIA | ||
| South West Aboriginal Medical Service | Bunbury | 1 |
| Derby Aboriginal Health Service | Derby | 1 |
| Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service | Geraldton | 1 |
| Perth Primary Care Network | Guildford | 1 |
| Yura Yungi Aboriginal Medical Service | Halls Creek | 1 |
| Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service (subject to satisfactory outcome from current clinical review) | Jigalong | 1 |
| Goldfields Esperance GP Network | Kalgoorlie | 1 |
| Rockingham Kwinana Division of General Practice | Kwinana | 1 |
| Derbal Yerrigan Health Service | Perth | 2 |
| Mawarnkarra Health Service Aboriginal Corp | Roebourne | 1 |
| Ngaanyatjarra Health Service | Warburton | 1 |
| | Total WA | 12 |
| QUEENSLAND | ||
| GP Links Wide Bay | Bundaberg | 2 |
| Far North Queensland Rural Division of GP | Bungalow | 1 |
| South East Alliance of GP (Brisbane) | Capalaba | 1 |
| North & West Qld Primary Health | Garbutt, Townsville | 2 |
| Townsville Aboriginal and Islanders Health Services Ltd | Garbutt, Townsville | 1 |
| Townsville General Practice Network | Garbutt, Townsville | 1 |
| Nhulundu Wooribah Indigenous Health Organisation Inc | Gladstone | 1 |
| GP Partners | Lutwyche | 1 |
| Wuchopperen Health Service Limited | Manunda, Cairns | 1 |
| Moreton Bay General Practice Network | Margate Beach | 1 |
| Bidgerdii Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Corporation Community Health Service | Rockhampton | 1 |
| Capricornia Division of General Practice | Rockhampton | 1 |
| Brisbane South Division of General Practice | Salisbury | 1 |
| Carbal Medical Centre (Darling Downs Shared Assoc Inc) | Toowoomba | 1 |
| GP connections | Toowoomba | 1 |
| RHealth | Toowoomba | 2 |
| South East Primary Health Care Network | Woodridge | 1 |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (as possible auspice for Institute for Urban Indigenous Health) | Woolongabba, Brisbane | 4 |
| Total QLD | 24 | |
| VICTORIA | ||
| East Gippsland Division of General Practice | Bairnsdale | 1 |
| Gippsland and East Gippsland Cooperative | Bairnsdale | 1 |
| Western Suburbs Indigenous Gathering Place (Werribee site) | Braybrook, Melbourne | 1 |
| Dandenong and Districts Aborigines Cooperative | Dandenong | 1 |
| Peninsula GP Network | Frankston | 1 |
| Westgate General Practice Network | Hoppers Crossing | 1 |
| Mallee Division of General Practice | Mildura | 1 |
| Mildura Aboriginal Corporation | Mildura | 1 |
| Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative Limited | Shepparton | 1 |
| Total VIC | 9 |
| TOTAL | 83 |
Help with accessing large documents
When accessing large documents (over 500 KB in size), it is recommended that the following procedure be used:
- Click the link with the RIGHT mouse button
- Choose "Save Target As.../Save Link As..." depending on your browser
- Select an appropriate folder on a local drive to place the downloaded file
Attempting to open large documents within the browser window (by left-clicking)
may inhibit your ability to continue browsing while the document is
opening and/or lead to system problems.
Help with accessing PDF documents
To view PDF (Portable Document Format) documents, you will need to have a PDF reader installed on your computer. A number of PDF readers are available through the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) Web Guide website.