Published on Monday, 24 September 2018 at 12:56:15 PM
The next Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Consultation Forum will mark ten years since the Council of Australian Government established the Closing the Gap framework.
The Forum, to be held on Friday 28 September, 9am – 1pm at Lotteries House, South Hedland, will also drive the importance of actively responding to the Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage (OID) indicators.
There are 52 OID indicators which assess progress across several key areas, including governance, leadership, culture, early childhood, education, health and safety.
Port Hedland Mayor Camilo Blanco said it was an opportunity for locally based community organisations to meet in a central location.
“The recent report on OID indicates there has been a regression in recent years in drug abuse, psychological distress and self-harm: hospitalisations for self-harm increased by 56% between 2005 and 2015.
“Clearly, mental health is an area which needs to be addressed so the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community members starts closing.
“Positively, there have been improvements in recent years in post-secondary education participation and attainment, household income and engagement with services.
“A key change which has been made to this forum is that rather than presentations, attendees will be participating in a workshop where they can voice their opinions and ideas.
“I encourage as many representatives as possible from across Hedland to attend, as your voice will influence how we make positive changes in the community.”
For more information please contact 08 9158 9325 or visit www.porthedland.wa.gov.au
For media information
Laura Hawes, Manager Marketing Events and Communications
(08) 9158 9365
lhawes@porthedland.wa.gov.au
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