Improving Indigenous Health Outcomes
Over the year we have strengthened our commitment to improving health outcomes for our nation’s First Peoples through:
- establishing an Indigenous-led Expert Advisory Group
- beginning our Reconciliation Action Plan
- appointing a Board Director, Associate Professor Faye McMillan, who identifies as Aboriginal
- hosting an event on improving Indigenous health
- attending cultural safety training
Expert Advisory Group
We’re committed to having those outcomes informed and influenced by those who are best placed to do so. We’ve partnered with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori peoples to ensure their voice is leading our work.
The Improving Indigenous Health Strategy Expert Advisory Group (the Advisory Group) was established by the APC Board.
Our high-level objectives are to:
- provide a culturally safe pharmacist workforce for all Indigenous peoples of Australia and New Zealand
- provide a culturally safe pharmacist workforce for all Australians and New Zealanders
- influence and show leadership in the pharmacy sector in achieving health equity
- achieve greater access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Māori to culturally safe services
- achieve increased participation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori people in the health and education workforce with an overarching aim to achieve parity
- collaborate with others to contribute to the evidence base on the benefits of a culturally safe workforce
To action this the Advisory Group’s advice includes:
- embed cultural competency in pharmacy education
- ensure Indigenous attributes are valued and respected across all areas
- implement frequency and reporting tools
“It is such a privilege to have these esteemed colleagues and wonderful people assist us on this important journey. The indigenous lens that they bring to our work is both important and relevant to all our work, and we thank them so much for their commitment to us. It is a very exciting time for APC to start this journey” – Bronwyn Clark, APC CEO.
Please see our Strategic Priorities for further deliverables that we are committed to.
Advisory Group Members
Our wholly Indigenous Advisory Group includes the following respected indigenous leaders:
Associate Professor Faye McMillan
Associate Professor, Charles Sturt University (CSU), Director of the Djirruwang Program – Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health)
Faye is a Wiradjuri yinaa (woman) from Trangie, NSW. She is a pharmacist with leadership and expertise in education.
Faye was named the 2019 NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year. She was the inaugural President of Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA). Faye is also one of our APC Board Directors.
John Briggs
John is a member of the Yorta Yorta and Gunnai nations in south eastern Australia. He brings experience in teaching cultural safety through workshops, presentations and keynote speaking.
He provides expertise, consultancy and solutions around Indigenous engagement and inclusion.
Leanne Te Karu
Pharmacist and Pharmacist Prescriber, Auckland New Zealand
Leanne was born near her ancestral mountain of Ruapehu where she affiliates to her Ngāti Rangi, Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi side.
As well as providing care as a pharmacist prescriber in her communities, Leanne works part time as Associate Dean Māori at Otago University’s School of Pharmacy. She brings expertise in leadership and experience in practice and education.
Leanne was the inaugural President of Ngā Kaitiaki o Te Puna Rongoā o Aotearoa, the Māori Pharmacists’ Association (MPA) in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Aleena Williams
Director of Immunisations and Notifiable Diseases at NT Health
Aleena is a Yugambeh woman from South-East Queensland. She is a registered pharmacist with a background in rural and remote pharmacy practice. Aleena brings a lived experience of working as a pharmacist while maintaining connections to community and country.
Our Reconciliation Action Plan
We will begin our RAP journey with a Reflect RAP. This plan will be the foundation for us to take bigger strides into the future to deliver on our commitment. Through building relationships, respecting culture, history, knowledge and rights, and creating opportunity we aim to contribute to a more reconciled Australia.
Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and importantly as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. – Reconciliation Australia
We recently established a RAP working group. Together with our Advisory group we will explore actions such as:
- building meaningful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and organisations through our core work, activities and events
- increasing staff understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, knowledge and rights
- celebrating National Reconciliation Week, NAIDOC Week and other events
- training our people in cultural safety and Indigenous history
- leading and educating our profession through conferences and events
- collaborating with our accreditation colleagues across the health professions
- increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recruitment, retention and professional development
Appointment of new APC Board Director
In December 2019 we welcomed Associate Professor Faye McMillan as our newest Board Director . Faye is recognised as Australia’s first registered pharmacist who is Aboriginal.
“We are delighted to have Faye join us on the APC Board. Her skills as a director and her connection to country and community will be an enormous asset to us in executing our Improving Indigenous Health Strategy.” – APC Chair Associate Professor Sue Kirsa
Events: Lloyd Sansom Lecture 2019
How do we create a health profession where First Nations Peoples feel valued and included?
Associate Professor Faye McMillan says creating authentic relationships and understanding how current polices impact First Nations Peoples is a start.
Yindyamarra (respect) your Narrative was the topic at APC’s third Emeritus Professor Lloyd Sansom AO Lecture Series last November.
Faye spoke about privilege and respecting what makes you ‘you’ – understanding where you’ve come from, your challenges, opportunities and behaviours which determine how you build meaningful relationships.
Podcast: Yindyamarra (respect) your Narrative
Faye remembers the exact time of day she spoke with the head of school about starting her degree in pharmacy. It was a big moment, because she understood her narrative, her background, and what it meant for her as a First Nations woman to begin her education journey.
Listen to Associate Professor Faye McMillan in conversation with APC CEO Bronwyn Clark about creating a health profession where First Nations people feel valued and included. To do this, she says, we need to understand and respect our own narratives.