- CSIRO report highlights need for First Nations-led approach to AI in healthcare
- Family support service to keep Mid West and Gascoyne children safe at home
- Racism a major issue in healthcare: RACGP Health of the Nation
- $5.5million First Nations Heritage Grants Program funds cultural preservation
- Sector Jobs
The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.
We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.
CSIRO report highlights need for First Nations-led approach to AI in healthcare
Scientists from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, together with First Nations partner organisations, have found that artificial intelligence (AI) has potential to improve healthcare in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. However, its safe and effective use must be guided by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices and knowledges.
Aboriginal man from Iningai Country in Western Queensland and CSIRO Research Scientist and lead author Dr Andrew Goodman said current frameworks for AI development and application tended to be overly general and insufficiently detailed in relation to cultural diversity.
“In Australia, this has resulted in a gap in understanding of how AI can serve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” Dr Goodman said.
The Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare in Australian First Nations Communities: Scoping Project to Explore Relevance addresses this gap. The scoping project engaged 53 leaders, clinicians, researchers, and health service providers across four workshops between 2023 and 2025.
“Although these are early findings, this report provides a critical starting point for how to build responsible AI systems in technology such as apps and data collection to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare outcomes,” said Dr Goodman.
The consultations identified three critical priorities for responsible AI use in First Nations health:
- Building AI health literacy and cultural appropriateness by ensuring communities understand how AI works, what data it uses, and how it can support day-to-day care.
- Protecting First Nations data sovereignty by guaranteeing that health data is held, governed, and used under the custodianship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations.
- Supporting self-determination by placing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations at the centre of AI design, implementation, and oversight.
- These findings underscore the importance of embedding cultural knowledge in the design of AI systems.
Family support service to keep Mid West and Gascoyne children safe at home
A vital service aimed at keeping children safe and reducing the number of WA youth entering out-of-home care is changing hands.
The Intensive Family Support Service, funded by the Department of Communities, will soon be delivered by MercyCare in partnership with Bundiyarra Aboriginal Community Aboriginal Corporation.
The program, which will slowly be rolled out from October 20, will offer in-home, practical help to families facing significant challenges, including poverty, housing instability and limited access to services.
Under the initiative, up to 45 families in Geraldton, Carnarvon, Meekatharra and nearby towns will receive intensive support each year over the next five years.
MercyCare’s general manager of youth, wellbeing and accommodation services Suzanne Caren said the program was designed to address the unique pressures affecting regional families in WA.
“Many families here are navigating remote living, housing shortages, unemployment and limited access to childcare and essential services,” she said.
“These challenges don’t just affect parents, they directly impact children’s safety, wellbeing and development. Without the right support, families can become isolated and overwhelmed and that’s when children are most at-risk of entering care.”
Suzanne Caren is MercyCare’s general manager of youth, wellbeing and accommodation. Credit: Jessica Antoniou/Kalgoorlie Miner
Racism a major issue in healthcare: RACGP Health of the Nation
Almost one third of GPs witnessed racism towards patients in the health system in the past year, according to the RACGP’s 2025 Health of the Nation report.
The nationwide survey of more than 2400 RACGP members also found that around two in 10 GPs personally experienced racism from a patient within their practice during that time, while one in 10 personally experienced racism from a colleague.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said these figures, along with separate statistics showing 30% of GPs have observed racism towards patients in the broader health system, are symptoms of a larger systemic issue.
“Racism in the health system is an issue that affects healthcare workers and patients alike. It is not something we can ignore, and it is certainly not something that will fix itself,” he said.
“These findings make it very clear that both action and resources are needed to tackle systemic racism in the health system, including general practice.
“The message is unmistakeable: Racism is bad for people’s health, and patients and GPs must be protected from it.”
Dr Wright said the RACGP has taken steps to address racism, such as implementing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural and health training framework to support culturally safe care, but called for wider action to eliminate racism across the health system.
$5.5million First Nations Heritage Grants Program funds cultural preservation
A program designed to transfer knowledge from elders to younger generations and document cultural sites in the Kimberley has received a $200,000 funding boost.
The Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation, located in the far north Kimberley, will use the grant from the State Government’s First Nations Heritage Grants Program to conduct cultural workshops and document significant cultural sites across the Wunambal Gaambera Country.
This vast region covers 2.5 million hectares of land (graa) and sea (wundaagu) and is part of the Uunguu Indigenous Protected Area, a Category VI IUCN Managed Resource Area, which is declared and managed by the Wunambal Gaambera people.
Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, said the funding highlighted the Government’s commitment to recognising and preserving the cultural importance of First Nations sites across the nation.
“The Albanese Government is dedicated to enhancing the recognition of First Nations cultural heritage at World and National Heritage-listed places,” she said.
“Our country is rich in natural and culturally significant sites that are crucial for First Nations peoples. These locations need protection, and we are proud to work alongside Traditional Owners to ensure this happens.”
Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation, Uunguu Rangers completed a week of mapping and monitoring balguja (dugong) and jala (seagrass) in the Uunguu Indigenous Protected Area. Credit: Supplied by Wunambal Gaambera
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