The Weekly Update

Dear CRANAplus members,

Welcome to another edition of the Friday Flyer. Conference arrangements are in full swing with only four weeks to go. The next Outback Flyer featuring the Conference program, will be arriving in your mail box soon. You can also view the program on our website.

This week there are a couple of items we would like to draw to your attention. The NT Department of Health and Families has commissioned RhED Consulting Pty Ltd to undertake A Review of Nursing and Midwifery Education and Training, across all government and non-government sectors of the Northern Territory. The review aims to evaluate the access, coordination and integration of nursing and midwifery education and training across the Northern Territory, to provide a contemporary workforce to meet the needs of the population. The consultation process is taking place across the Northern Territory between 14th–25th September 2009. See the link below if you want to be involved.

The Aboriginal Health Worker Awards are on again. Nominations can be made for Aboriginal Health Workers who demonstrate outstanding qualities in their chosen field of practice and have a commitment to their profession.
Please consider nominating someone from your clinic or health service. You can find details of award criteria and a nomination form on our website.

Sea change? Tree change? Don’t forget to check out our ‘Employment’ tab for employment opportunities.

Enjoy your weekend and remember that your suggestions for the Friday Flyer are always welcomed

Regards,

Anne-Marie Borchers
Business Manager
CRANAplus

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Meetings & Conferences

Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses (CATSIN)
16 - 18 September 2009
The Sebel & Citigate Albert Park Melbourne, SA
This conference will be dedicated to former patron of CATSIN Sadie Canning MBE. The conference theme is "We can do it- Yes we can!". Keynote address:Tom Calma"Closing the Indigenous health inequality gap by 2030"

13th Annual NT Chronic Diseases Network Conference
10 - 11 September 2009
Darwin, NT
The theme of the 13th Annual Chronic Diseases Network Conference is 'Prevention is the Best Medicine', which reflects the growing recognition that chronic diseases and their underlying factors are preventable.
Chronic diseases not only result in death and disease, they are also a large economic burden on the community and the health system. 70% of the difference in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians can be attributed to chronic diseases.

Changing faces: Dental Hygenists Association of Australia Symposium 2009
11 - 12 September 2009
Adelaide, SA
The Dental Hygenists Association of Australia are holding their 2009 Symposium in Adelaide. The focus is on 'changing faces' and the role that dental hygienists' play in providing dental hygiene care across the life span.
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Queensland Health Rural Scholarship Scheme Anniversary Dinner
October 16, 2009
Brisbane, QLD
To celebrate 65 years of operation in 2009, the Queensland Health Rural Scholarship Scheme is organising an Anniversary Dinner. This is an ideal opportunity for previous scholarship recipients, rural health professionals and anyone associated with Health Care in rural Queensland to come together to celebrate the success of the QHRSS and the impact that it has had on Queensland communities since 1944.

Register deadline is Wednesday 16 September 2009.

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Scholarships Available

Nursing Scholarships Focus on Aged Care
A popular Australian Government scholarship scheme aimed at increasing the number of registered nurses in aged care has today been extended for further applications. Click on the title for more information.

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Education Opportunities

Centre for Remote Health Short Courses

Semester Two Short COurses include ‘Introduction to Health Economics’
This course is open to anyone with an interest in Remote Health Management and who may wish to gain a greater understanding of the use of economics in the delivery goods and services in a mixed economy.

For further information about this and other courses please contact:
Caroline, Student Administration Officer, Centre for Remote Health
Telephone: (08) 8951 4718
E-mail: crh.studentadmin@flinders.edu.au
http://www.crh.org.au/

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Articles of Interest

Giant Undies Help Raise Prostate Health Awareness

Health authorities will use humour, in the form of a giant pair of underpants, to raise awareness about prostate cancer in the Torres Strait. Men in remote areas like Thursday Island have a 21 per cent higher chance of dying from prostate cancer than those in a capital city. 

Hawthorn's Rioli Joins Anti-drugs Campaign

Hawthorn AFL player Cyril Rioli has given his support to a project which aims to teach Indigenous people in remote areas about the damage drugs and alcohol can do to the brain.
Rioli's image is used in flip charts developed by the Menzies School of Health Research as an example of a person with a healthy brain.

Uluru Climb Ban Plan Gets 150 Submissions

More than 150 submissions have been made on a proposed management plan for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which cites cultural, environmental and safety concerns as a reason to ban climbers from the sacred rock.

Govt Urged to Crack Down on Illegal Turtle Hunting

A far north Queensland Indigenous elder says the State Government must do more to address the illegal hunting of turtles in the region.
About 100 people, including traditional owners and Indigenous hunters, met yesterday at Cooya Beach, south of Port Douglas, to discuss the issue.

NT Alcohol Action Group Supports Blanket Restrictions

The People's Alcohol Action Coalition says it will ask the Licensing Commission to place a blanket ban on the takeaway sale of some alcohol across the Northern Territory. The Commission is calling for public submissions on possible restrictions on the takeaway sale of of cask wine, port and sherry in Darwin, Palmerston and the rural area.

Governments Blamed for Institute's Money Woes

The Northern Territory's former minister for Indigenous policy has blamed the Federal and Territory Governments for the financial woes of Australia's only Aboriginal tertiary education institution.

NT Govt 'Not Equipped to Solve Housing Woes'

An Indigenous organisation says the Territory Government is not equipped to solve the problems of Aboriginal housing. Following this week's revelations that the Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program (SIHIP) is in turmoil, calls have come from a number of Indigenous organisations and leaders for the Territory Government to be relieved of its involvement.

QLD Govt Reviews Indigenous Council Laws

The Queensland Government has announced a review of laws covering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island councils. The Minister for Local Government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Desley Boyle, says the legislation under review includes hunting and gathering rights and councils' power to employ community police to enforce laws.

Country Doctor Shortage 'to double'

Country GP vacancies are forecast to double by 2011. (Stateline) The number of general practitioner (GP) vacancies in country Western Australia is expected to double over the next 12 months

Pearson Slams Victimhood

The opportunity to share in society's gifts through education and employment was being denied to indigenous youth because they were constantly told they were "victims who had an entitlement to continued welfare dependency", Aboriginal reformist Noel Pearson said last night.

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