Agenda

Day One | Wednesday | 5th August 2026

7.45 Registration Open

8.30 Welcome to Country

8.50 Chairperson Opening Address

Join Nicole Turner, 2026 NSW Aboriginal Woman of the year and CEO of AH&MRC as she begins the conference with reflections on the event themes and significance of this gathering.

Nicole Turner, Chief Executive Officer, Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council

9.00 Opening Keynote: Improving outcomes through community-controlled health systems

Join Professor Tom Calma AO as he draws on his extensive experience as a national leader and advocate for the human rights and social justice of First Nations peoples to highlight how Indigenous health equality stems from community-controlled systems and solutions.

Professor Tom Calma AO, Commissioner, Australian Tertiary Education Commission

9.25 Minister Address: Government commitment to invest into self-determined healthcare solutions for First Nations communities

Culturally Grounded Ethically Guided Health Research

9.45 Ethical accountability in research: Ensuring culturally safe and meaningful engagement with ACCHOs

How the AH&MRC Human Research Ethics Committee operationalises ethical accountability
Designing “meaningful engagement” with ACCHOs from the start
What good applications do differently (and common pitfalls)

Kelly Jones, Ethics Committee, Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC)

Michael Doyle, Associate Professor, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney

Julieann Coombes, Senior Research Fellow, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program, The George Institute for Global Health

10.15 The Goanna Project: Improving understanding of STI and BBV transmission and prevention

Understanding the correlations in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples putting them at risk of STIs and BBVs
Combining rigorous research and community engagement to ensure policy, prevention programs and primary healthcare initiatives are based on current evidence

10.40 Morning Tea

11.10 Concurrent Streams

Caring for Chronic Conditions

11.15 Case study: Providing lifesaving care for chronic kidney disease in Remote Central Australia

Operating remote dialysis clinics across the NT, WA and SA
Provide mobile treatment through Purple Truck dialysis units
Enabling patients to stay connected to their Country, family and culture

Sarah Brown AM, Chief Executive Officer, Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation

11.40 Case Study: Deadly Heart Trek: Community-led prevention and early detection of rheumatic heart disease

Fostering an integrated chronic care pathway
Building local capability and system change
Strengthening chronic disease prevention infrastructure and advocating for sustained investment to end RHD

Dr Gavin Wheaton, Founder, Deadly Heart Trek

12.05 Community voices driving change in rheumatic heart disease

How rheumatic heart disease is not just a clinical condition but carries deep social and emotional impacts shaped by colonisation
Community-led solutions are critical to improving engagement, prevention, and outcomes

Aunty Vicki Wade, First Nations Senior Research Fellow, Menzies School of Health Research

Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing

11.15 Decolonising mental health systems

Promoting social and emotional wellbeing
Embedding culturally responsive practice

Dr Clinton Schultz, Director, First Nations Strategy and Partnerships, Head of First Nations Research, Black Dog Institute

11.40 From cultural safety to culturally integrated care: Building First Nations–led mental health and suicide prevention models that scale

Building a capable workforce through training, supervision and culturally safe practice
How to preserve community authority, cultural protocols and local context while meeting system requirements

Professor Maree Toombs, Deputy Dean, University of New South Wales

12.05 Community – led mental health and suicide prevention

Join the team at Orange Aboriginal Medical Service as they unpack the outcomes from their culturally grounded, community guided mental health and suicide prevention program.

Siara Jawai, Care & Recovery Practitioner, Orange Aboriginal Medical Service

Caleb Pholi, Care & Recovery Practitioner, Orange Aboriginal Medical Service

Cazim Kadic, Care & Recovery Practitioner, Orange Aboriginal Medical Service

12.35 Lunch

Strengthening the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce

1.40 Panel: From pipeline to leadership: Growing and sustaining an Indigenous health workforce

Embedding Indigenous governance in workforce systems
Best practice in partnerships for health services, PHNs, universities and RTOs, understanding their opportunities and limitations
Designing workplaces that retain staff through culturally safe supervision, clear progression, and wellbeing supports

Riki Nia Nia, Chief Executive Officer, Te Rau Ora

Kenton Winsley, Chief Executive Officer, Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Co-Operative

Justine Swan-Castine, Senior Manager People and Workplace Culture, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress

Sharon Bilney, Director of Aboriginal Health, Eyre and Far North Local Health District

2.30 Yarning Circles

A: Deadly career pathways for allied health: Join Petina Fry as she unpacks the initiative at Metro South Health designed to strengthen cultural leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander allied health staff and grow the First Nations workforce within culturally safe workplaces.

Petina Fry, Allied Health Workforce Development Officer - Identified, Metro South Health

B: Rainbow Mob Are My Mob: Best Practice Model of Rainbow Mob Inclusion in ACCOs

This best practice model was designed for ACCOs to increase Rainbow Mob inclusion in their organisations, meet their LGBTQIASB+ safety compliance requirements and align to the Rainbow Tick accreditation standards. Learn more about how the model was made and how it can be used in your organisation.

Natalie Bassett-Bokic, Senior Accreditation Officer (Inclusion & Diversity), Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO)

Dan Powell, LGBTIQ First Nations Senior Project Coordinator, Rainbow Health Australia, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society, La Trobe University; 2025 Victorian NAIDOC Pride Award Winner

C: Wellbeing workshop: Join this session to connect with culture and each other as you explore strategies to promote wellbeing for yourself and those around you.

3.30 Afternoon Tea

4.00 Keynote: Elevating Aboriginal health workers and practitioners to improve outcomes at scale

What actually lifts participation and progression for Aboriginal Health Workers and Practitioners
Why cultural responsiveness must be embedded in leadership, supervision, workplace systems and service design
What governments, PHNs, hospitals and partners must change to sustain a strong First Nations workforce

Karl Briscoe, Chief Executive Officer, NAATSIHWP

4.30 Building a pipeline of future healthcare leaders through education and training

Practical models that move people from school engagement to traineeships to clinic placements and provide early-career support within ACCHOs
How supervision, mentoring, culturally safe workplaces, and leadership development create retention and progression

David Roberts, Director, Innovation and Training, Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC)

4.55 Chairperson Closing Comments

5.05 End of Day One

Day Two | Thursday | 6th August 2026

8.15 Registration Open

8.50 Chairperson Opening Address

Nicole Turner, Chief Executive Officer, Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council

9.00 Opening keynote: Gowing the Indigenous Health Workforce: Lessons from Aotearoa, New Zealand

Join Riki Nia Nia a Māori health leader, coming over from Aotearoa, New Zealand to share insights on Indigenous health leadership and growing the Indigenous health workforce.

Riki Nia Nia, Chief Executive Officer, Te Rau Ora

Culturally Informed Healthcare

9.30 Panel: Community-led care: Innovations and leadership from ACCHOs in rural and remote regions despite system barriers

Join this panel of community leaders as they unpack innovative, culturally grounded models of care that have been successful in improving community health outcomes in rural and regional areas. Hear the challenges they faced, the decisions that made a difference, and what other community programs and services should replicate for success.

Moderator: Tanya McGregor, Chief Executive Officer, Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia

Rachel Bruce, Operations Manager, Mura Kosker

Sinon Cooney, Chief Executive Officer, Katherine West Health Board

10.15 Integrating cultural medicines: From community practice to health system policy

What First Nations communities and stakeholders say about the role of cultural medicines in wellbeing, cultural safety, and engagement with care
How ACCHOs and partners can support safe use and access of cultural medicines
What needs to change in policy, funding and governance to support access while protecting Indigenous knowledge

Dr Alana Gall, Researcher, Southern Cross University

Mike Stephens, Director, Medicines Policy and Programs, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO)

10.45 Morning Tea

11.15 Concurrent Sessions

Cancer Care Pathways

11.15 NSW Aboriginal Cancer Strategy: Caring for Kin and Country

Exploring the pioneering strategy for NSW that centres Culture, Country and Kin in pathways to cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Tracey O’Brien, Chief Executive, Cancer Institute NSW; Chief Cancer Officer, NSW

Health

11.45 Assessing Impact from the ‘Improving First Nations Cancer Outcomes Program’

Improving outcomes for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and Communities across the cancer journey
Building a foundation for scalable, national solutions that address cancer cancer care equity
Investing in community-controlled and self-determined cancer care pathways

12.15 Addressing inequalities in cervical cancer screening

The benefits of a targeted blitz to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer and improve health equity for First Nations communities

Digital Healthcare

11.15 Enabling equitable access to social and emotional wellbeing with online resources

How to implement digital resources on SEWB into practice
Scaling SEWB care with adaptable resources designed for time and resource poor health services

Angela Sheridan, Project Officer, WellMob Website, University Centre for Rural Health, University of Sydney

David Edwards, Director, WellMob

11.45 Single Digital Patient Record: Co-designing trust, safety, and shared benefit with Aboriginal communities

Understanding how the SDPR can improve healthcare for communities
Examining how SDPR can be implemented with cultural safety

Greg Slabb, Director Aboriginal Programs and Partnerships, Single Digital Patient Record Implementation Authority (SDPRIA)

Dr Teresa Anderson AM, Chief Executive, Single Digital Patient Record Implementation Authority (SDPRIA)

12.15 Artificial Intelligence and Indigenous Healthcare

Exploring the need for an Indigenous-led approach to AI development in healthcare

Dr Andrew Goodman, Postdoctoral Fellow, Digital Therapeutics and Care, The Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO

Professor Bep Uink, Director, HealthinfoNet

12.45 Lunch

1.55 Yarning Circles

Petina Fry, Allied Health Workforce Development Officer - Identified, Metro South Health

B: Rainbow Mob Are My Mob: Best Practice Model of Rainbow Mob Inclusion in ACCOs

Natalie Bassett-Bokic, Senior Accreditation Officer (Inclusion & Diversity), Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO)

C: Wellbeing workshop: Join this session to connect with culture and each other as you explore strategies to promote wellbeing for yourself and those around you.

2.55 Afternoon Tea

Elder Care

3.30 Listening to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders to understand their aged care needs

Advocating for culturally safe, trauma-aware and healing informed aged care
Working with government to ensure meaningful consultation that results in culturally safe and responsive aged care services

Andrea Kelly, Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner, Office of the Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner

4.00 Case Study: Caring on Country: Strengthening the aged care workforce to deliver culturally safe care for First Nations Elders

Embedding culturally appropriate models of care within residential aged care services for First Nations Elders
Building and supporting a workforce that understands, respects and reflects community, culture and connection to Country
Translating best practice into everyday delivery: lessons from Juniper Guwardi Ngadu that can inform services across rural and remote Australia

Belinda Storer, Residential Manager, Juniper Guwardi Ngadu

4.30 Chairperson Closing Comments

4.40 End of Conference

WORKSHOP AGENDA

Agenda

Day One | Wednesday | 5th August 2026

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7.45

Registration Open

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8.30

Welcome to Country

​

8.50

Chairperson Opening Address

​

9.00

Opening Keynote: Improving outcomes through community-controlled health systems

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9.25

Minister Address: Government commitment to invest into self-determined healthcare solutions for First Nations communities

Culturally Grounded Ethically Guided Health Research

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​

​

9.45

Ethical accountability in research: Ensuring culturally safe and meaningful engagement with ACCHOs

​

10.15

The Goanna Project: Improving understanding of STI and BBV transmission and prevention

​

10.40

Morning Tea

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11.10

Concurrent Streams

Caring for Chronic Conditions

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​

​

11.15

Case study: Providing lifesaving care for chronic kidney disease in Remote Central Australia

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11.40

Case Study: Deadly Heart Trek: Community-led prevention and early detection of rheumatic heart disease

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12.05

Community voices driving change in rheumatic heart disease

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12.35

Lunch

Strengthening the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce

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1.40

Panel: From pipeline to leadership: Growing and sustaining an Indigenous health workforce

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2.30

Yarning Circles

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3.30

Afternoon Tea

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4.00

Keynote: Elevating Aboriginal health workers and practitioners to improve outcomes at scale

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4.30

Building a pipeline of future healthcare leaders through education and training

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4.55

Chairperson Closing Comments

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5.05

End of Day One

Digital Healthcare

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11.15

Enabling equitable access to social and emotional wellbeing with online resources

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