Involving Aboriginal people in governance and advisory roles and processes

Good Ideas

Allocate the Aboriginal Health Portfolio to a Board Member

One way to ensure that Aboriginal health is given a profile within the health service is to create a specific Aboriginal health portfolio that is held by one board member. This board member would take responsibility for the development of Aboriginal services across the health service.

Actively encourage Aboriginal Board Members

To build on the creation of a specific portfolio for Aboriginal health, the targeting of an appropriate skilled Aboriginal person to sit on the hospital board can be a positive way to influence change throughout a health service. This option requires proactive work on behalf of management to actively seek appropriate people to assist in service planning and development. The usual advertising process of the vacancy through DHS advertisements in the media is not sufficient to attract an Aboriginal person.

Establish an Aboriginal Advisory Committee

Advisory committees are a key strategy to ensure that the Aboriginal community and Aboriginal organisations are involved in the development of services. Without Aboriginal involvement, service development for Aboriginal people will continually miss the mark, even with the most positive intentions.

Health services and Aboriginal people that have been involved in establishing, operating and sitting on these committees, talk about the up and down road. Changing perceptions and systems to ensure the needs of Aboriginal people are met is a major challenge for health services. With an advisory committee these challenges are faced head-on in a process that requires commitment and flexibility from all parties.

For detailed information including specific guidelines and recommendations regarding the establishment, makeup and operation of these committees please refer to reports listed in the Further Reading section below, especially

Lookin' After Our Own - Report from Royal Children's Hospital
Right of Ways - Report from Royal Women's Hospital

Some examples of currently functioning advisory committees include:

 Aboriginal Liaison Program Advisory Committee, Royal Children's Hospital (Word File 25KB)

Aboriginal Women's Health Business Advisory Committee - RWH
Contact: Marita Kalargyros Tel. 9344 2160

Aboriginal Health Advisory Committee - St.Vincent's Health
Contact: Anita Ferguson Tel. 9288 2851

Involving Aboriginal People in a Cultural Consultant Role

Some services have designated positions on the management group for particular cultural representatives. The Canberra Rape Crisis Centre has two designated positions on their Management Collective for Aboriginal women. A health service could consider appointing Aboriginal cultural consultants to provide advice and direction to the Board and senior management.

A note about Community Advisory Committees (CAC)

CACs are health service committees mandated by government. These committees are one of the key forums to ensure consumer views are considered when developing services.

Aboriginal community members do not recommend that these committees should be the sole forum where the health service raises Aboriginal health issues. Due to the unique position that Aboriginal people hold in Australian culture as the original custodians of the land, coupled with the historical role hospitals have played in the stolen generation, Aboriginal peopel believe that addressing Aboriginal health requires a separate forum for exclusive discussion.

This is not to suggest that a CAC could not have Aboriginal health issues on the agenda or could not have Aboriginal membership. The CAC is best seen as a forum to complement an Aboriginal health advisory process for the health service.

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