Indigenous Communities In Australia Research Articles

Housing Initiatives to Address Strep A Infections and Reduce RHD Risks in Remote Indigenous Communities in Australia.

Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) skin infections (impetigo) can contribute to the development of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). This is of particular concern for Indigenous residents of remote communities, where rates of ARF and RHD are much higher than their urban and non-Indigenous counterparts. There are three main potential Strep A transmission pathways: skin to skin, surface to skin, and transmission through the air (via droplets or aerosols). Despite a lack of scientific certainty, the physical environment may be modified to prevent Strep A transmission through environmental health initiatives in the home, identifying a strong role for housing. This research sought to provide an outline of identified household-level environmental health initiatives to reduce or interrupt Strep A transmission along each of these pathways. The identified initiatives addressed the ability to wash bodies and clothes, to increase social distancing through improving the livability of yard spaces, and to increase ventilation in the home. To assist with future pilots and evaluation, an interactive costing tool was developed against each of these initiatives. If introduced and evaluated to be effective, the environmental health initiatives are likely to also interrupt other hygiene-related infections.

Risk Assessment Analysis of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems in Remote Areas: Case Study of Domadgee, Australia

This study comprehensively analyses the energy requirements and options for Doomadgee, a remote indigenous community in Australia. Currently, the electricity provider relies on a 2.44 MW diesel power generator, resulting in high operational costs and carbon emissions. This study explores transition options to renewable energy sources to address these challenges while ensuring reliable and cost-effective power supply. This study suggests utilising a 2.4 MW wind energy source, a 1.2 MW solar energy source, and a 4 MW battery storage system that can last 8 hours. This configuration aims to reduce diesel consumption, optimise the internal rate of return (IRR), and establish a sustainable energy mix with low capital expenditure. The wind and solar capacities recommended for Doomadgee also consider seasonal fluctuations, such as wet and dry seasons in energy demand, ensuring efficient power production all year round. The study commences with the development of a risk matrix to determine the hurdle rate. The next step involves conducting ten distinct scenarios to evaluate the investment's financial feasibility, considering various variables such as wind, solar, equipment, and battery storage capacities. Sensitivity analysis also determines the most significant factors impacting financial valuation. This analysis provides valuable insights that can aid in the decision-making process.

Differential Dispossession and the White Indigenous Counter-Reformation

A history of inheritance in the thinking of Karrabing Film Collective, from Belyuen, the small Indigenous community in Australia. Speaking across from Oceania to Alps, to Central Europe via Australia, and finally on zoom between New York and Vienna, Elizabeth Povinelli and Khadija von Zinnenburg Carroll discuss relations to Country through the voices of ancestors. This is a polyphony in an everywhen in which everyone is present. Possessive individuals appear as zombie, while inheritance can also be a way of hearing the consequences of not listening, in a process Elizabeth Povinelli calls the white indigenous counter-reformation.

Community-led diversion of Indigenous young people from the justice system: The role of government administrative data

Indigenous communities in Australia have grave concerns about the high rates of incarceration of their young people, and advocate for the need for holistic community-led solutions. This article details the use of administrative data in the evaluation of a model of youth diversion led by an Elders group in a remote community, developed in partnership with a university. The model views effective diversion as addressing all underlying factors driving contact with the justice system for Indigenous young people. The methodology includes linking data from relevant government agencies for holistic understanding of young people's institutional engagement over time, including unmet health, housing, education and disability needs and opportunities for positive pathways. Administrative data has not conventionally been subject to ethical scrutiny nor seen as compatible with community priorities. However, we demonstrate how it can enable communities to investigate questions and build change meaningful to them, and improve evidence and policy.

‘We know what our communities need’: What the Indigenous health sector reveals about pandemic preparedness in urban Indigenous communities in Australia

PurposeIn 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers from the University of Queensland sought greater understanding of how responses to the pandemic impacted the spread or mitigation of virus in Indigenous communities in southeast Queensland, Australia. This article used a systems thinking methodology to critically unpack the strengths and challenges associated with pandemic responses during COVID-19 in urban Brisbane, Australia. MethodsThe findings from three Indigenous-led workshops held in 2020 with Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders from the urban health sector were documented. By visually mapping the dynamics that influence the outcomes of health responses, this study found that holistic understandings of complex problems such as COVID-19 can be gained, and more effective policy implemented. Drawing on the insights provided by stakeholders from state, federal and community representative bodies, it discussed how infection rates, socioeconomic conditions, age-specific responses, Indigenous participation and treatment in the workforce, media and communications, and vaccinations are key determinants that shape positive or adverse outcomes during pandemics. Main findingsThis research found by addressing issues relating to mobility; incentivising protective behaviours; engaging in coordinated responses; improving cultural literacy; and limiting overcrowding that preparedness and responses to COVID-19 and future pandemics may improve. Principal conclusionThis study, led by Indigenous scholars at the University of Queensland, examines the health and social outcomes of Indigenous peoples and health workers during pandemics in urban settings. The study incorporates systems thinking, emphasising new approaches to complex problems. The research highlighted systemic challenges in pandemic responses, emphasising the need for policy reform, particularly in areas like housing. However, applying these insights into practice remains challenging, and further investigation into the practical application of systems thinking in Indigenous health is needed.

Responding to COVID‐19: How group model building can assist the health and well‐being of urban Indigenous communities in Australia

AbstractIn this paper, we discuss a rapid‐fire study involving Indigenous and non‐Indigenous stakeholders from the urban Indigenous health sector who collaborated to produce an “Urban COVID‐19 Systems Map.” The map outlines the behaviours, actions and responses that stakeholders identified as mitigating or exacerbating COVID‐19 risks in urban Indigenous communities. Data were collected and analysed during the height of the pandemic in 2021. We begin by introducing the characteristics of system thinking—the methodology that informed our research—and consider its use in Indigenous health research more broadly. We then outline our utilisation of system thinking and discuss how it was applied to the three workshops. System thinking contributes to collaboration and collective debate amongst stakeholders and aims to produce holistic understandings of complex problems, such as pandemics. This article provides a reflective overview of the benefits and challenges of applying system thinking in Indigenous health research whilst also sharing some of the research findings. We argue that centralising the voices of stakeholders, particularly Indigenous stakeholders, is critical to developing and implementing effective and culturally appropriate responses to pandemics and is equally as important to the preparedness for future pandemics.

Bringing back a forgotten legume-Sensory profiles of Australian native wattleseeds reveal potential for novel food applications.

Documented as one of the oldest living civilizations, there is now evidence that Indigenous communities in Australia followed a sustainable lifestyle with well-designed agricultural practices and adequate physical activity. Commonly known as wattleseeds in Australia, unique cultivars of Acacia have been consumed by Indigenous Australians for over 60,000 years. This research used descriptive sensory profiling to develop a lexicon for the aroma and flavor profiles of four wattleseed species before and after being subjected to different processing techniques. The processing methods selected were pressure cooking, dry roasting, wet roasting, and malting. The species included were Acacia kempeana, Acacia adsurgens, Acacia colei, and Acacia victoriae. Sensory differences were observed between the different cultivars as well as between the different food processing techniques. Results show that wattleseed species diversity is a key driver in determining the aroma profile, while taste profiles are modified by the type of processing method applied. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study provides foundational knowledge on these culturally significant seeds, supporting practical opportunities to diversify the uses of wattleseeds in food products.

Making Waves: The Role of Indigenous Water Beings in Debates about Human and Non‐Human Rights

ABSTRACTRejecting nature‐culture dualism, contemporary anthropology recognises the mutually constitutive processes that create shared human and non‐human lifeworlds. Such recognition owes much to ethnographic engagement with diverse indigenous cosmologies many of which have, for millennia, upheld ideas about indivisible worlds in which all living kinds occupy a shared ontological space and non‐human species and environments are approached respectfully, with expectations of reciprocity and partnership. As many societies confront the global chaos caused by the anthropocentric prioritisation of human interests, anthropologists and indigenous communities are therefore well placed to articulate alternative models in which the non‐human domain is dealt with more equitably and inclusively. This paper is located comparatively in long‐term ethnographic research with indigenous communities in Australia, alongside the Mitchell River in North Queensland and the Brisbane River in South Queensland. It draws more specifically on involvement in legal claims for water rights by Māori iwis in New Zealand; in land claims by the Kunjen language group in Cape York; and in a recent ‘sea country’ case brought against a major multi‐national by the Tiwi Islanders in Australia's Northern Territory. It also makes use of a major comparative study of water beings in diverse cultural and historical contexts, and considers the central importance of water beings such as Māori taniwha and the Australian Rainbow Serpent in such legal conflicts, and in broader debates about human and non‐human rights. Like other water deities around the world, these beings personify the generative (and potentially punitive) powers of water and its co‐creative role in shaping human and non‐human lives. They are resurfacing today with an important representational role in contemporary conflicts over land and water.

Decolonization Effects in Contemporary Australian Cities: A Case Study of Ultimo Power Station, Sydney

As a colonial country, the advent of colonialism brought about rapid urbanization and industrialization in Australia. However, it also brings negative impacts. Decolonization is becoming a concern of the people. The research aims to delve into the topic of decolonization efforts in contemporary Australian cities in depth and redefine decolonization from a new perspective. Taking the Ultimo Power Station as an example, this report would draw upon various forms of evidence, such as maps, photographs, interviews, and collages, to analyze the colonial problems, as well as depict and design a vision of the future of decolonization and multiculturalism of Australian urban development. This report analysis the case of Ultimo Power Station in Sydney, providing a lens through which to explore these processes incorporating indigenous design principles and practices into urban and architectural planning and work towards a more equitable paradigm for all groups of peoples, especially the indigenous communities in Australia.

The temporality of community sentiment on the Australian continent: mineral extraction, waste storage and Indigenous protest writing

ABSTRACT The Australian federal government has recently recommenced a previously paused process to select a site for a national nuclear waste storage facility despite significant opposition from Australian Indigenous communities and others. This article considers what some might understand as a contemporary issue by examining its relationship to previous events. It emphasizes how Western linear temporality facilitates disregard for negative community sentiment and the consigning of previous wrongs to the past. In contrast, Indigenous temporalities – where time is understood as immanent and space and time intermingled – emphasize positive relationships and require the remediation of past wrongs to support just futures. Thus, historical nuclear weapons testing in Australia, current plans for waste storage, and historical and ongoing ecological and social consequences of resource extraction are all related, reflecting the violence of British colonization and contemporary settler colonial governance. Using a literary studies approach, this article examines historically significant moments of Indigenous Australian protest writing regarding extractive industries, nuclear waste storage, and settler colonial governance, to show that some Indigenous communities in Australia have clearly communicated their negative sentiments. It argues for equitable relationships as a first step towards the restitution of past wrongs and the creation of just futures.

Communities Setting the Direction for Their Right to Nutritious, Affordable Food: Co-Design of the Remote Food Security Project in Australian Indigenous Communities

Despite long histories of traditional food security, Indigenous peoples globally are disproportionately exposed to food insecurity. Addressing this imbalance must be a partnership led by Indigenous peoples in accordance with the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We report the co-design process and resulting design of a food security research project in remote Australia and examine how the co-design process considered Indigenous peoples' ways of knowing, being, and doing using the CREATE Tool. Informed by the Research for Impact Tool, together Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation staff, Indigenous and non-Indigenous public health researchers designed the project from 2018-2019, over a series of workshops and through the establishment of research advisory groups. The resulting Remote Food Security Project includes two phases. Phase 1 determines the impact of a healthy food price discount strategy on the diet quality of women and children, and the experience of food (in)security in remote communities in Australia. In Phase 2, community members propose solutions to improve food security and develop a translation plan. Examination with the CREATE Tool showed that employing a co-design process guided by a best practice tool has resulted in a research design that responds to calls for food security in remote Indigenous communities in Australia. The design takes a strengths-based approach consistent with a human rights, social justice, and broader empowerment agenda. Trial registration: The trial included in Phase 1 of this project has been registered with Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12621000640808.

78.2 Impact of Climate Change on the Health and Well-Being of Indigenous Communities in Australia

78.2 Impact of Climate Change on the Health and Well-Being of Indigenous Communities in Australia

Nutritional composition and anti-nutrients of underutilized Australian indigenous edible halophytes – Saltbush, Seablite and Seapurslane

Edible halophytes are receiving significant interest due to their high salinity tolerance, a crucial trait in times of climate change, growing world population and loss of arable land. Though they are widely distributed and popular for their diverse “applications” among Indigenous communities in Australia, studies on their nutritional profile are limited. Therefore, the nutritional composition and anti-nutrients of three important Australian indigenous edible halophytes (AIEH), Saltbush (Atriplex sp.), Seablite (Suaeda sp.) and Seapurslane (Sesuvium sp.), was determined. Saltbush had the highest fiber content (41.5 g/100 g dry weight (DW)), whereas all AIEH contained considerable amounts of essential minerals and trace elements (especially Ca and Fe), and protein (up to 20.1 g/100 g DW). Linoleic, α-linolenic and palmitic acid were the main fatty acids in the studied AIEH. Betanin and isobetanin were identified in Seapurslane, which was also highest in Vitamin C (157 mg/100 g DW). Folate was highest in Saltbush, with 303 µg/100 g DW. Malic, isocitric, citric and quinic acid were the main organic acids. Anti-nutrients were generally lower than in Spinach (DW), a “popular relative” of Saltbush and Seablite (Amaranthaceae family). Potential applications of AIEH as a healthy side dish or (functional) food ingredient should be explored further.

Safe water and sanitation in remote indigenous communities in Australia: conditions towards sustainable outcomes

ABSTRACT Safe drinking water and effective sanitation is a basic human right. The health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples living on traditional Country in remote Australia can be supported or undermined by these essential services. Despite global and Australian commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals, water and sanitation service levels have regularly been identified as unreliable, unsafe, and of a lower standard than non-Indigenous and non-remote settlements. This research sought to identify the optimal conditions to enable consistent delivery of safe water and sanitation in remote Indigenous communities of Australia. Using a combination of literature reviews, interviews with key stakeholder groups and applied research findings, key conditions for improved water and sanitation outcomes were identified. These included technology for water and sanitation that is fit for purpose, people and place; capacity-building, training and ongoing support for local Indigenous service operators; and that all personnel involved in delivery require a level of cultural competency to the local and Indigenous context. These findings are intended to contribute to informing more sustainable water and sanitation outcomes in Indigenous communities.

Sustaining housing through planned maintenance in remote Central Australia

Once housing is constructed, its sustainability depends on the efficacy of property maintenance. In remote Indigenous communities in Australia, responsive or reactive approaches to property maintenance dominate over planned and preventive attention, leaving housing in various states of disrepair. By documenting an approach that is succeeding in this wider context, this article shows the commonplace situation of poorly maintained social housing is entirely interruptible. It does so by examining an alternative and exceptional approach taken on the remote Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in South Australia, where housing benefits from a planned maintenance program combined with an environmental health program. Through detailed empirical analysis of program datasets, interviews, and ethnographic fieldwork, this article describes the expert, systematic, and attentive work required to sustain functional housing in the wider context of undersupply, crowding, and challenging environmental conditions. We argue for the necessity of planned maintenance approaches as an essential component of sustainable housing, both to extend the life of housing assets and to ensure householder health and wellbeing.

Burden of the Beast

Burden of the Beast

Conspiracy

Conspiracy

One Size Does not Fit All – A Realist Review of Screening Asymptomatic Atrial Fibrillation in Indigenous Communities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the USA

The true prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is underestimated because asymptomatic AF is underdetected. Adverse consequences of AF such as stroke may occur before AF is diagnosed. Current guidelines recommend opportunistic screening of AF in the general population for patients 65 years and older; however, this might not be suitable for Indigenous people. Screening for AF meets the World Health Organization criteria for successful routine screening, yet little is known about successful implementation of AF screening in Indigenous communities. This study uses a realist review methodology and framework to identify what works, how, for whom, and under what circumstances for AF screening in Indigenous communities. Eight databases and gray literature were searched for studies targeted at AF screening in Indigenous communities. Realist analysis was used to identify context-mechanism-outcome configurations across 11 included records. Some mechanisms that improve AF screening in Indigenous communities were identified. Salient enablers of AF screening in Indigenous communities include opportunistic nonclinical settings, portable electrocardiogram devices, and increasing training in Indigenous health-care workers. Tailoring follow-up protocols that are geographically and culturally appropriate to the settings is important. Prominent barriers included lack of cultural safety, fear of abnormal results, and time-poor environments. A middle-range theory is proposed in combination with the Indigenous health promotion tool model. Indigenous populations require earlier screening and culturally safe approaches for AF detection and pathways to treatment. A novel AF screening strategy is required. This realist review provides lessons learned for the successful implementation of AF screening and treatment programs for Indigenous communities.

The health and wellbeing of Indigenous adolescents: a global collective for an equitable and sustainable future

Indigenous peoples, comprising almost 500 million individuals from across 90 countries, hold the longest continuous cultures on this planet. 1 UN Department of Economic and Social AffairsState of the world's Indigenous peoples: rights to lands, territories and resources. UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, New York2021https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2021/03/State-of-Worlds-Indigenous-Peoples-Vol-V-Final.pdfDate accessed: December 16, 2021 Crossref Google Scholar Despite the negative impacts of colonisation, Indigenous peoples have survived and continue to nurture and live their Indigenous knowledges, languages, and cultural practices. Indigenous peoples have made substantial contributions to global health. For example, the parts of the health sector controlled by the Indigenous community in Australia helped shape the principles of primary health care in the pivotal Alma-Ata Declaration in 1978, 2 WHOPrimary Health Care: Report of the International Conference on Primary Health Care Alma-Ata, USSR, 6–12 September 1978. World Health Organization, Geneva1978 Google Scholar which is a foundation of universal health coverage. The Southcentral Foundation's Nuka System of Care, based in Alaska, USA, is an example of Indigenous community-driven overhaul of the health system to enable care that is holistic, sustainable, and aligned with community needs. 3 Gottlieb K The Nuka System of Care: improving health through ownership and relationships. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2013; 7221118 Crossref Scopus (91) Google Scholar More recently, Indigenous communities have exemplified effective, evidence-based strategies to respond to COVID-19. 4 Finlay S Wenitong M Aboriginal community controlled health organisations are taking a leading role in COVID-19 health communication. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2020; (published online June 24.)https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.13010 Crossref Scopus (20) Google Scholar , 5 Eades S Eades F McCaullay D Nelson L Phelan P Stanley F Australia's First Nations' response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lancet. 2020; 396: 237-238 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (11) Google Scholar , 6 Petrov AN Welford M Golosov N et al. Lessons on COVID-19 from Indigenous and remote communities of the Arctic. Nat Med. 2021; 27: 1491-1492 Crossref PubMed Scopus (5) Google Scholar , 7 Kaplan HS Trumble BC Stieglitz J et al. Voluntary collective isolation as a best response to COVID-19 for Indigenous populations? A case study and protocol from the Bolivian Amazon. Lancet. 2020; 395: 1727-1734 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (26) Google Scholar , 8 Silberner J Covid-19: how Native Americans led the way in the US vaccination effort. BMJ. 2021; 374n2168 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar The potential for Indigenous knowledge and wisdom to manage complex ecosystems, amassed through stewardship of biologically diverse lands over thousands of years, can also help address the global climate crisis. 1 UN Department of Economic and Social AffairsState of the world's Indigenous peoples: rights to lands, territories and resources. UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, New York2021https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2021/03/State-of-Worlds-Indigenous-Peoples-Vol-V-Final.pdfDate accessed: December 16, 2021 Crossref Google Scholar , 9 Swinburn BA Kraak VI Allender S et al. The global syndemic of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change: the Lancet Commission report. Lancet. 2019; 393: 791-846 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (772) Google Scholar Yet, Indigenous peoples have been largely excluded from health policy and action, both globally and locally. Where Indigenous peoples are included, it has mostly been to address health inequities that stem from colonisation and associated genocide and subjugation, systemic racism, and forced displacement from family, community, land, and culture—determinants largely not controlled by Indigenous people. 10 Anderson I Robson B Connolly M et al. Indigenous and tribal peoples' health (The Lancet–Lowitja Institute Global Collaboration): a population study. Lancet. 2016; 388: 131-157 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (454) Google Scholar , 11 King M Smith A Gracey M Indigenous health part 2: the underlying causes of the health gap. Lancet. 2009; 374: 76-85 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (724) Google Scholar

One size does not fit all – a realist review of screening for asymptomatic atrial fibrillation in Indigenous communities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and United States

Abstract Background/Introduction Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and it is increasing in prevalence and incidence globally. True prevalence is underestimated because silent/asymptomatic AF is frequent and under-detected, but can cause stroke. Guidelines recommend opportunistic screening for AF in patients aged ≥65 years old. A growing body of evidence from hospital and community-based studies in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and United States indicates this age limit is lower for Indigenous people. Screening for AF meets the World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria for successful routine screening, yet little is known about successful implementation of AF screening in Indigenous communities in developed countries. Purpose The aim of this study is to use a realist approach to identify what works, how, for whom and under what circumstances for AF screening of Indigenous communities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and United States. Methods In the realist review, eight databases were searched for studies targeted at AF screening in Indigenous communities. Realist analysis was used to identify context-mechanism-outcome configurations across 11 included records (reporting on 5 studies). Snowball referencing and grey literature were used to iteratively incorporate evidence to enhance the refined programme theory that was the product of the realist analysis. Results The realist review included studies using multiple screening strategies such as using tools to increase screening, using different screening environments and training screeners to provide culturally centred care. The realist analysis identified a number of mechanisms that can improve AF screening in Indigenous communities. The contextual factors enabling AF screening programs in Indigenous communities include wider community engagement, opportunistic non-clinical settings, using portable and easy to use devices, increasing knowledge, motivation and confidence in screening amongst Indigenous healthcare workers as well as improving follow-up protocols for abnormal results tailored to screen setting. Barriers to effective AF screening include time-poor working environments, conflicting cultural issues, navigating communication of abnormal results and logistical issues with device use (Figure 1). Conclusion(s) Since the life-course risk for AF in Indigenous population is different, a modified screening strategy needs to be put in place. This realist review provides lessons learned for successful implementation of AF screening programs for Indigenous communities. In order to tackle the gap in cardiovascular burden in Indigenous people, this study calls for action to develop AF screening guidelines for Indigenous populations and provides a guide for policy makers about timely and effective AF screening programs for Indigenous communities. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.