Key Result Area Guideline 1:

Acknowledging and respecting Aboriginal history and culture

Health services in Victoria are provided in a spirit of cultural respect for Aboriginal people. Hospitals can demonstrate respect for the Aboriginal community by acknowledging history and contemporary culture in health service activities.

Consultation with the local Aboriginal community is essential before acting on these ideas and will help to avoid offence. Appropriate payment for services provided by the Aboriginal community, such as welcomes, education or ceremonies, must also be negotiated.

Good Ideas

Open every health service meeting, forum or education session with a Welcome to Country or Acknowledgement of Country.
Click here for definitions and guidelines (Word File 24KB)
 Click here for an example from the Grampians Region (PDF File 290KB)

Consultation with the local Aboriginal community about the form of acknowledgement they prefer will help to ensure proper acknowledgement.

Consider inviting the local Aboriginal community to conduct an appropriate ceremony to mark the opening of a new building or a refurbished area. For example, the Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-operative were invited to perform a smoking ceremony at the opening of the Ballarat Health Services' new Emergency Department.

Consult relatives about their wishes following death of an Aboriginal patient in the hospital. They may wish to conduct ceremonies in the place where a person has died.

Consult the Aboriginal family before and after a birth at the hospital to accommodate their cultural needs.

Talk to the family of Aboriginal patients about dietary requirements. At the Mildura Base Hospital, for example, family members are encouraged to supplement hospital meals with bush tucker.

Be aware of gender issues. Consult the local Aboriginal community about issues such as mixed wards, proximity of men's and women's treatment areas, and privacy.

To learn more:

Encourage health service staff to learn about Aboriginal history and culture. The written history of Aboriginal people in Victoria is incomplete and there are many gaps in the record.

For some useful starting points, see the Further Reading section in this resource kit.

For information about Aboriginal Missions in Victoria, go to
http://www.abc.net.au/missionvoices/

For a summary of post-contact Aboriginal history in Victoria, go to
http://www.aboriginalaffairs.vic.gov.au/

For an overview of Aboriginal social and cultural issues, go to
http://www.diversityatwork.com.au/node/73

For useful statistics about Aboriginal people in Australia, go to http://www.diversityatwork.com.au/node/78

Useful links to websites on aspects of Aboriginal culture at
http://www.diversityatwork.com.au/weblinks/22

Your local Aboriginal organisation will be aware of other resources about local history and culture.

Contact: Koori Human Services Unit, Department of Human Services, 20/50 Lonsdale St, Melbourne 3000
Telephone (03) 9096 7032
Email: koori@dhs.vic.gov.au