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12th International Closing the Gap Indigenous Health Conference, Womens Health Conference and Mens Health Conference

The 12th International Closing the Gap Indigenous Health Conference, Womens Health Conference and Mens Health Conference will be held in Sydney on the 27th-29th July 2020. It is the only conference that has been continuously running since the establishment of the Closing the Gap concept and is the largest gathering of delegates from all sectors outside of Indigenous national associations.

 

The conference is held biannually and over the past ten years has attracted thousands of attendees bringing together representatives from all states and territories governments, First Nations medical services and mainstream health sectors, community-controlled organisations, First Nations communities, allied health professionals and non-government organisations, researchers and interested individuals. The conference is hosted by Indigenous Conference Services (Australia) with great line up of First Nations speakers not only from all around Australia, but also from New Zealand and United States of America. This year's conference is a prelude to the 2022 First Nations Health Conference to be held in Hawaii USA.

The event is based upon the principal belief that Indigenous health must be approached from a holistic view, which encompasses body, mind and spirit; thus, leading to the fundamental rights of self-determination. The conference recognises that treating our health must be done by treating the whole person, through mind, body, soul and culture. No matter what your culture is. If you are a First Nations person, statistics show that health, education and the justice system is monstrously weighted against First Nations People.  The 2018/2019 Closing the Gap Report further highlights how wide the gap is. In today’s society Indigenous people have a varied lifestyle, ranging from inner-city living to isolated communities.

 

Therefore, there is no set approach to dealing with health issues, as you have to look at the environment that you live in and, more importantly, the agencies that are available to assist. The conference is designed to bring together both government and non-government agencies who are working in the Indigenous health sector, therefore focusing on Closing the Gap and

 

strengthening the life expectancy of First Nations people to equal that of non-Indigenous people. ​In Australia, the most successful initiatives in First Nations Health are the Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS) and now the partnerships between government and communities. The first Aboriginal community-controlled health service was established in New South Wales and has been operational for the past forty (40) years.  Today, there are over 120 AMS and countless numbers of Primary Health Care Posts in First

Nations communities in Australia.

 

The Closing the Gap on Indigenous Health conference is a platform uniting indigenous communities, policymakers and healthcare providers to drive health equality and establish an environment in which Australia’s Indigenous population can thrive.   10 years have passed and over $100 billion has been spent since the federal government released its initial Closing the Gap report in 2006, committed to specific targets for reducing inequalities across Australia’s indigenous populations. To date, only two of the original seven targets to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander livelihood have been met and neither of these reflect key health indicators. Today the reality is that the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations has increased and reverse progress has been made towards improving health and life expectation equality for Australia's Indigenous peoples.

 

YOUR INVITATION 

We wish to invite Indigenous and non-Indigenous worker from Australia and throughout to attend the conference to share and gather information. We also extend an invitation to participants to join us at the conference dinner in a relaxed atmosphere.

 

To ensure that delegates attend and participate, it is important to note that to show accountability of delegates in meeting their obligation, each delegate will receive a Certificate of Attendance only when they attend 85% of all the conference sessions.

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In addition, delegates will receive a CD with all papers & presentations presented at the conference.

 

Who: Individuals, Groups, NGO’s, Government Agencies & Others

When:  27- 29 July 2020

Where: Mercure Sydney, New South Wales

Time: 8:30am – 5.00pm

Conference Networking Dinner 27th July. WARNING: Limited availability. Please register online or contact us via email, should you have any further queries.

 

Who Should Attend? 

This forum is ideal for those responsible for designing and delivering primary health care, improving the responsiveness of the health care system to indigenous needs and fostering good housing for good health from:   

  1. Government Departments and Agencies 

  2. Public and Private Healthcare Providers 

  3. Local Health Districts 

  4. Primary Health Networks 

  5. Community-Controlled and Allied Health Services 

  6. Not-for-Profit Organisations 

  7. Aboriginals Corporations and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations 

  8. Health Councils and Associations

 

REGISTRATION

Register early to get a discount! Please note that registrations are set out in an affordable way for organisations, which changes on a monthly basis. Hence the earlier you register, the more savings for your organisation. Registration fees include all day access to the event, available conference papers, daily lunch and refreshments for registered delegates only. Fees do not include travel costs or accommodation. Registration fees must be received within 7 DAYS of from being issued an invoice. Otherwise, bookings will not be considered.  To register, please click on the registration button and complete the form or you can also request a conference brochure and the registration form to be sent to you by email at adminics@iinet.net.au 

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