The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Protection AHPPC Sub-Committee

Role

NATSIHP provides holistic and culturally safe advice on health protection matters for First Nations peoples and communities. NATSIHP’s focus is on communicable and chronic diseases, environmental health, and disaster management in primary health settings, and health issues related to COVID-19.

Actions include:

Ensuring appropriate responses to current and emerging health protection issues for First Nations peoples
Reducing data gaps and improving data use, ensuring adherence to First Nations data sovereignty principles
Ensuring robust First Nations shared decision making and partnerships
Ensuring health protection responses include culturally safe and effective communication strategies
Establishing First Nations led strategic and collaborative governance arrangements
Providing nationally agreed policy health protection policy advice to the AHPPC

The Australian Government established the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group on COVID-19 (Advisory Group) in March 2020. The Advisory Group provided clinical expertise to advise and inform decisions on COVID-19 related health issues for First Nations peoples and communities.

On 17 October 2022, the Advisory Group became the NATSIHP Sub-committee of the AHPPC. NATSIHP’s remit has expanded beyond COVID-19, to include First Nations health protection matters and relevant health outcomes of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

Members

The NATSIHP co-chair are the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and the Department of Health and Aged Care.

NATSIHP members as at March 2023
Member	Role	Background and experience
Dr Lucas de Toca PSM	Co-chair	Department of Health and Aged Care, First Assistant Secretary, National COVID-19 Vaccine Program
Dr Dawn Casey PSM FAHA	Co-chair	Deputy CEO, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO)
Dr Kath Keenan	Member	Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council
Dr Yuanee Wickramasinghe	Member	Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council
Lauren Owen	Member	Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council
Dr Jessica Leonard	Member	Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia
Dr Caitlyn White	Member	Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia
Melissa Conners	Member	Aboriginal Hostels Limited
Dr Liz Moore	Member	Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory
Yehuwdiy Dillon	Member	ACT Government
Dr John Boffa	Member	Central Australian Aboriginal Congress
Dr Lorraine Anderson	Member	Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services
Dr Jason Agostino	Member	National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Katrina Clark	Member	National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance
Yvonne Uren	Member	National Indigenous Australians Agency
Geraldine Wilson-Matenga	Member	New South Wales Government
Dr Tara Smith	Member	New South Wales Government
Kristy Crooks	Member	New South Wales Government
Dr Belinda Greenwood-Smith	Member	Northern Territory Government
Yolonda Adams	Member	Northern Territory Government
Dr Storm Holwill	Member	Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council
Dr David Dunn	Member	South Australia Government
Damien Shen	Member	South Australia Government
Dr Julie Graham	Member	Tasmania Government
Prof. James Ward	Member	The University of Queensland, Poche Centre for Indigenous Health
Jill Gallagher	Member	Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Francine Eades	Member	WA Government
Dr Revle Bangor-Jones	Member	WA Government
Dr Pippa May	Member	WA Government
Dr Ana Herceg	Member	Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services

Meetings

The group meets fortnightly, with ad hoc meetings scheduled as required.

Communiques

Communiques from NATSIHP

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group on COVID-19 – Communiques

Related committees or groups

Some NATSIHP members are also members on other AHPPC sub-committees:

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Protection (NATSIHP) sub-committee secretariat

Contact the NATSIHP secretariat if you have any questions about NATSIHP.

NATSIHPsubcommittee@Health.gov.au

Last updated:

14 March 2023

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