All Episodes

Great interview with Mark Hogan and Troy Cassar-Daley at the Savannah in the Rounds 2021.

Your Online Journey app launched to improve Indigenous digital literacy and online safety.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians will now have access to an innovative new digital tool to support them in improving their digital literacy and protect their online safety.
The app, launched today by the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion, is funded by the Coalition Government through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy and is specifically designed for use in remote Indigenous communities.
“Remote communities are increasingly using online services as a way of connecting with friends and family across country and to support access to services. While there are many benefits to online connectivity, it’s critically important that people are aware of the risks and know how to protect themselves online,” Minister Scullion said.
“Today, on Safer Internet Day, I am pleased to announce the launch of the Your Online Journey app, created in partnership with Indigenous communities and the Office of the eSafety Commissioner - Julie Inman Grant.
“Increasingly, we are living in two worlds – community and a digital world. So much of our everyday activities are online or require the use of technology in one form or another,” Minister Scullion said.
“We are supporting Indigenous Australians in remote communities to build digital capacity and confidence online. The app will help people to safely access the opportunities the digital world provides, be it connecting with family, study, research, online shopping, banking or job seeking.
“The app shares how to safely use social media, manage your online footprint and how best to deal in the instance of online bullying. I’m pleased that early feedback from communities has been really positive about what this app will mean for them.”
eSafety Commissioner, Ms Julie Inman Grant, praised the benefits of the new app.
“We have worked in partnership with Indigenous communities of Koonibba and Yalata in SA and Hay in NSW, to develop this app as a fantastic tool to meet the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians,” Ms Inman Grant said.
“Your Online Journeyhelps address the digital literacy and safety needs of remote Indigenous communities by providing straightforward and easy to understand information, including the fundamentals of using mobile devices and social media safely.”
The investment builds on the Government’s $3.6 million investment in new community internet access in over 70 remote Indigenous communities. This is in addition to more than $3 million a year for ongoing community-based internet and telephone services in remote Indigenous communities.
The app is free to download and is available now from app platforms the AppStore and Google Play and will be available on a number of other sites including the Office of the eSafety Commissioner website and Indigenous.gov.au.
Picture courtesy of Julie Anman Grant LinkedIn

Bev Hamerton TCHHS Vaccination Rollout 2021.
The TCHHS are having hesitancy in receiving the vaccine throughout the Cape and Torres.

Christine Mann - NWHHS talking about Rollout Vaccination in remote Aboriginal communities through out the Gulf and Cape York regions.

FNQ Suicide Prevention Week 2021
FNQ Suicide Prevention Week, hosted by the FNQ Suicide Prevention Taskforce , is from Friday 3 September to Friday 10 September 2021 and is held because RUOK Day and World Suicide Prevention Day fall within the same week.
Many activities are being planned for this week and we shall keep you informed regarding the events as they are confirmed.

BLUE CARD BILL A LIFELINE TO STATE’S MOST VULNERABLE
First Australians denied the right to work by Brisbane-based bureaucrats will be empowered to secure jobs and provide for their families through legislation introduced into the Queensland Parliament by Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) today.
The revised Working with Children (Indigenous Communities) Amendment Bill 2021, which will delegate decision-making powers around Blue Cards to Indigenous community leaders in certain situations, has been introduced for the third time by KAP Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter.

Luke Wenitong Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander QLD Human Rights Commission:: PART B
The Queensland Human Rights Commission operates a statewide telephone information and enquiry service.
Call 1300 130 670 from anywhere in Queensland toll free.
Our enquiry line operates Monday to Friday, 9am to 4:30pm.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit Cairns office:
Jodie Luck - 07 3021 9113 or email jodie.luck@qhrc.qld.gov.au
Luke Wenitong - 07 4037 2104 or email luke.wenitong@qhrc.qld.gov.au

Luke Wenitong talks about 'Your cultural rights are protected'
The distinct cultural rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are protected by the Human Rights Act 2019.
Section 28 of the Human Rights Act says you have the right to live life as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person and to practice your culture, including:
Maintaining and using Indigenous languages;
Maintaining kinship ties;
Teaching cultural practices and educating children; and
The right to maintain distinctive spiritual, material and economic relationships with land, water and other resources that there is a connection with under traditional laws and customs.
It also states you have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or the destruction of your culture.
To discuss further you can contact one of the
QHRC : Contact Us
QHRC : Queensland Human Rights Commission - http://wwwqhrc.gov.au
QHRC_guide_humanrightsanddiscriminaton_aguideforourmob.pdf

Dr Annie Preston - Thomas talking with Mark Hogan
Dr Preston-Thomas said the disease usually began with a mild fever and a runny nose. “This is followed by a sore throat and mouth, with the appearance of blisters in the mouth, and on hands and feet,” she said. “Sometimes blisters may also be seen on knees, elbows or in the nappy area. “The blisters usually last for 3-5 days.”
Dozens of cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease have been identified by public health officials across Far North Queensland. Here's what you can do to prevent the disease spreading.
Parents are being urged to watch out for Hand, Foot and Mouth disease following dozens of cases that have been identified in the Far North.
There have been more than 60 presentations of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease (HFMD) to Cairns Hospital’s Emergency Department since the start of the year, including 9 patient admissions.
Tropical Public Health Services Cairns public health medical officer, Dr Annie Preston-Thomas, said the team was aware of at least 15 day-care centres affected by the disease across the Cairns and Tablelands regions since early January.
Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease
Symptoms
Hand, foot and mouth disease starts with blisters that begin as small red dots which later become ulcers.
Blisters appear inside the cheeks, gums, and on the sides of the tongue, as well as on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
In infants, blisters can sometimes be seen in the nappy area. Blisters usually last for 3-5 days
Children can sometimes have a low fever, irritability, sore throat, tiredness, feel off colour and may be off their food for a day or two.
Very rarely, enteroviruses can cause other illnesses that affect the heart, brain, lining of the brain (meningitis), lungs, or eyes.
Signs that an infant or older child might have a more serious form of hand, foot and mouth disease include any of the following:
Persistent fever (38°C or above for 72 hours or more)
Abnormal movements / jerking movements
Rapid breathing
Excessive tiredness, drowsiness
Excessive irritability
Difficulty walking.
If any of these signs are present, then the child should be seen by a doctor urgently even if they have been checked earlier in the illness.

The Gateway to Cape York COOKTOWN Set to become a must do tourist attraction in Lakeland, construction has begun on the Gateway to Cape York. The $1.2 million project at Lakeland on Mulligan Highway will be delivered with $998,000 from the Queensland Government’s Building our Regions program, and will provide vital new tourism infrastructure to welcome visitors to the Cape York Peninsula.
Once complete the Gateway to Cape York will feature an iconic “gateway,” a purpose-built traveller information centre, a rest stop area and an interactive sculpture park that will showcase communities from Cape York. “An important aspect of the project is highlighting what makes the Cape so historically, culturally and ecologically unique and then educating visitors as to what they can do to help us preserve and conserve this spectacular part of the world,” said Cook Shire Mayor Peter Scott. It’s anticipated that phase one of the project will be complete in time to welcome visitors driving through Lakeland to attend the Cooktown and Cape York Expo 2021 being held between 11-20 June next year. The Gateway to Cape York project is proudly funded by the Queensland Government in association with Cook Shire Council.
COMMUNITY, CULTURE AND COUNTRY - CAPE ARTISTS INVITED TO CELEBRATE THEIR COMMUNITY THROUGH ART
Artists and communities from across the Cape are being invited to submit design concepts that represent their community for a chance to have their work featured at the Gateway to Cape York Sculptural Park in Lakeland.

Give your kids HAPEE ears today!
Today, Hearing Australia is launching a campaign to improve the ear and hearing health of
young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Ear disease and hearing loss affects around one in three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
kids and can have a major impact on their development and engagement with their family
and community+.
The campaign will raise the awareness of parents and care givers of the importance of
getting their children’s ears and hearing checked regularly, and that they can do this through
Hearing Australia’s national Hearing Assessment Program - Early Ears (HAPEE).
HAPEE is now operational in over 240 locations throughout Australia and funded by a $30
million investment by the Australian Government to reduce the long-term effects of ear
disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

ASK YOUR MOB, YOUR WAY, R U OK?
R U OK? today launched “I ask my mob, in my way, are you OK?”, to support ‘Stronger Together’ a targeted suicide prevention campaign for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The suite of resources for “I ask my mob, in my way, are you OK?” includes culturally appropriate content led by community voices with guidance from the R U OK? Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group and in collaboration with the Brisbane Indigenous Media Association.
The campaign encourages people to engage and offer support to their family, friends and colleagues who may be struggling with life. The resources feature engaging and authentic stories that promote a sense of connection, hope and identity.
“The Stronger Together campaign reinforces the power of yarning and “I ask my mob, in my way, are you OK?” is about showing the many ways we can ask, listen, encourage, and check in with our mob,” said Mr Satour. “The most important thing for mob to remember is that you don’t have to be an expert, you just have to be yourself and ask, in your own way, so you look after your mob.
The resources give us the opportunity to get conversations started with individuals, organisations, and communities across Australia,” says Satour. “The stories released today show there are so many ways we can, and already do, have R U OK? conversations.”
The resources will help people feel more confident in having an R U OK? conversation and will serve as a platform to the development of additional tools for communities.
“We’ll also be bringing communities together to translate these resources because we know language is central to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures," said Mr Satour. “Culture is also fundamental for our overall social and emotional wellbeing.”
Reducing deaths by suicide and suicidal behavior among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is an issue of major concern for many communities and a public health priority.1 “These numbers represent our loved ones; relatives, friends, elders and extended community members who are all affected by the tragedy of these deaths,” said Mr Satour.

Meet Kirsten Banks, Indigenous astronomer and the newest member of our AG family. Over the coming months she’ll be sharing her knowledge of space from an Aboriginal perspective.
National Science Week acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the land, sea and waters, and their continuing connection to Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
As a celebration of science and technology, National Science Week also acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first scientists, makers and innovators of this land.
Indigenous Knowledge systems contain a wealth of scientific information and contribute significantly to STEM research in Australia. The value of two-way knowledge approaches – integrating Indigenous science and Western science – is widely recognized in modern science.
Indigenous perspectives can also be incorporated into our classroom to add value to Western science perspectives, and to create more inclusive learning environments and an increased awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

Torres Strait Islander Dr Vanessa Lee-Ah Mat is the chair of the RU OK Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group who provide voices of lived experience to the campaign.
R U Okay is a campaign set up for people who are living with a mental illness, speaking to someone is an important step to getting stronger support.
But for First Nations people who want to speak to someone in language or find culturally appropriate information, this can be a challenge.
This new campaign from R U OK? is looking to include such resources created by First Nations people.
Torres Strait Islander Dr Vanessa Lee-Ah Mat is the chair of the RU OK Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group who provide voices of lived experience to the campaign.
For more information go to:
Websites
Suicide Prevention Australia
ILGA World
RUOK? Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group

The camp was inspired by the efforts of Dwayne Savo from Gidgee Healing. Gidgee Healing is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service providing holistic and culturally appropriate health services, including Drug and Alcohol Services, for Aboriginal people residing in the Mount Isa, North West and Lower Gulf regions of Queensland. Dwayne works at the The Normanton Recovery and Community Wellbeing Service (NRCWS) which is a residential drug and alcohol recovery service, specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Special thanks to Dwayne and Nadine at the NRCWS for allocating the funding for this camp.
Program activities involved an inspiring health and well being talk by the local and popular Doctor Marjard Page who also attended the camp and participated in the Program along with is Countrymen. Dr Page’s mobs are Kalkadoon, Waanyi and Gangalidda. He is also a Christian man and is passionate about his people. Mount Isa is in the heart of Kalkadoon country and Dr Page said it was of great benefit to the community to have a Kalkadoon doctor working locally. He is passionate about the benefits of Culture and our Camping on Country program.