NACCHO, the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, welcomes the publication of the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Review of First Nations Health Care in Prisons, conducted by the Nous Consortium. This landmark report sheds light on the inequities in health and well-being experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in places of detention and outlines vital recommendations for transformative change.
As the peak body for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS), NACCHO endorses the recommendations of the Review, subject to three fundamental principles:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led Approach: Ensuring that solutions are driven and determined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
- Full Resourcing: Guaranteeing adequate funding for ACCHS capacity building, infrastructure for ACCHS-led health care in detention facilities, and addressing workforce development needs through a needs-based funding model.
- Self-Determined Models of Care: Empowering ACCHSs to define and deliver primary health care tailored to their communities’ needs in places of detention.
Pat Turner, CEO of NACCHO, stated:
“We cannot continue to accept the unacceptable. Access to culturally safe and effective health care is a basic human right, yet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in prisons and youth detention continue to face significant health inequities. NACCHO calls for genuine partnership and collaboration to co-design an implementation plan that reflects the lived experiences and aspirations of our communities. This must be an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led process, fully resourced, and rooted in self-determination to achieve meaningful and sustained change.”
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are over-represented in prisons and youth detention facilities, a legacy of historical trauma and systemic inequities. NACCHO recognises that addressing these disparities is essential to achieving Target 11 of the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Agreement on Closing the Gap: reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in detention.
NACCHO stands ready to work with governments, corrections authorities, and other stakeholders to implement the Review’s findings in partnership with the ACCH sector. The organisation emphasises the need for collective, national action centred on the wisdom, strength, and knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, focusing on addressing the social and economic determinants of health.
Pat further highlighted:
“This is a pivotal moment for reform. Governments must urgently act on the Review’s recommendations, working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to develop solutions that uphold human rights and address the root causes of over-representation in detention.”
