National Reconciliation Week – Be a Voice for Generations

At the Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN, we’re committed to Closing the Gap and ensuring culturally safe and accessible care is available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to support their physical, emotional, and social wellbeing. In our region, there is an 11.8-year gap in health-adjusted life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents in the Darling Downs region, and an 8.3-year gap in the West Moreton region, compared with other residents.

National Reconciliation Week runs each year from 27 May to 3 June, marking the landmark historical dates of the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision, respectively.

The 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision, along with decades of other hard-fought achievements, have begun to reduce the inequities between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous people – but we still have a long way to go. In terms of health, there is still a significant gap in live expectancy and overall wellbeing.

This National Reconciliation Week, PHN staff reflected on how we can ‘Be a Voice for Generations’.

To improve access to culturally appropriate health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in our region, the PHN funds several programs and services in the Darling Downs and West Moreton region, including:

• Integrated Team Care (ITC) Program
• Culturally appropriate mental health support
• Alcohol and other drug support
• Goondir Cultural Development Program
• Goolburri Early Years and Infancy Program.

Click to read our Reconciliation Action Plan.