Leadership
Our membership is based on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander national or state/territory organisations whose core business is the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander peoples. All NIHLA members are either formally community-controlled and governed or governed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and community members. Community for our members, is defined by a areas interest or work focus that encompasses the breadth of Australia, rather than geographically defined region.
We are a collective of expert organisations committed through advocacy to dismantle the systemic barriers within the mainstream health system that includes primary, secondary and tertiary health care. Our focus is on advancing Indigenous led, culturally informed solutions that align with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan, and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Strategic Plan, and related frameworks, ensuring these are meaningfully implemented across the health landscape.
Our objectives
The following objectives reflect the work of the NIHLA since its inception. The priorities reflect our advocacy work and will remain until such time that we see genuine systemic changes and improvements in our lives and respect as the first peoples of Australia.
- Eliminating Racism (to improve health outcomes)
- Asserting Self-determination and First Peoples Rights
- Lead collective decision-making in national health policy
- Asserting investment in the Social Determinants of Health
- Asserting the Cultural Determinants of Health.
Leadership Through Advocacy
The health care system is the responsibility of governments, it is our role and responsibility to advocate for change to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our priorities are:
- Hospitals and Health Services: are culturally safe environments and provide care through a cultural determinant of health lens; and address the barriers that prevent health professionals from practicing to their full scope.
- Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Services: increased and provided through a cultural determinant lens by incorporating the Social and Emotional Wellbeing Framework within mental health care service delivery.
- Aged Care Services: provided in a culturally informed ways and stolen generation survivors and future generations are supported to live as comfortable as possible so as not to perceive they are in another institution (Healthy Ageing).
- Disability Support services: provided through a cultural determinant of health lens to meet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ needs .
- Health Care in Prisons: provided through a cultural determinant of health lens that encompasses a trauma aware healing informed approach.
- Patient-Centred Focused Care: health care and patient pathways to prioritizes patients over systems. The patient journey through primary care to tertiary care where the patient is front and centre rather than the service or health professional.
- Preventative health and interventions measures are increase and reaching more people to prevent people falling into crises, and harming themselves or others.
- Climate Change and health: There are many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities at the front line of climate change, who must be in solution making.
