AWU fights for health sovereignty for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

AWU fights for health sovereignty for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

An Australian Workers Union campaign run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers at Queensland Health has won important concessions from the government and the employer, and has put members in a strong position to secure improved conditions in their workplace and for their communities. 

Successful community healthcare model undermined by bureaucrats 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers play an important role in the delivery of healthcare to communities across the Torres and Cape, delivering an internationally recognised standard of healthcare based on respect and dignity for the diverse cultures of the region.

They operate under the Torres Model of Primary Healthcare, which centres on the principle that healthcare in these communities must be led by members of the community. It’s a proven model that has delivered important outcomes including the successful community rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine at the height of the pandemic. 

However, the model of care has been eroded over recent decades by bureaucrats in Cairns and Brisbane who favour a one-size-fits-all approach to remote healthcare. As a result, there has been a 50 per cent decline in the number of Torres Strait Islander health workers over the past 30 years. Those remaining are under-resourced and disempowered from delivering the healthcare that these communities deserve.

Viewing this as a deliberate attack on their health sovereignty and self-determination, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers in the AWU have campaigned to strengthen the model of care.

AWU fights for health sovereignty for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

AWU representatives, working with the Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union and Together Queensland, met with local officials and delegates from the Torres Strait and Cape to agree to a list of demands to issue to the government, held a roundtable meeting with the then Director-General so members could raise their concerns directly with the highest level of the Queensland Health bureaucracy, and submitted a motion calling for an updated and strengthened Torres Model of Primary Healthcare to the 2023 Queensland State Labor Conference. 

As a result, the Director-General called multiple investigations and inquiries into the operation of the HHS and the Torres Model, and AWU delegates secured a meeting with Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman. Following the members’ actions and representations to the government, Queensland Health agreed outright to three of the AWU’s demands:

• A review and implementation of an updated and strengthened Torres Model of Primary Healthcare
• Empowerment of Torres Strait Islander health workers into frontline managerial positions
• More pathways and traineeships for community members to enter the health profession. 

The Health Minister also publicly affirmed the importance of the Torres Model of Primary Healthcare, and agreed to explore local housing options for AWU members in the Torres Strait and the Cape. Meanwhile, a refresh of senior executives at Torres Strait Hospital and Health Services has helped create a management team that is more receptive to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

AWU Queensland Branch Secretary Stacey Schinnerl says the campaign demonstrates what union members can achieve by working together. 

“The success of this campaign has proved that when communities and union members speak up, governments listen,” she says.

“The Australian Workers Union is proud to fight alongside communities in the Torres Strait to ensure they retain sovereignty over their healthcare. 

“We will continue to campaign for Indigenous voices to be heard and for better conditions for health workers and their communities.”

A stronger bargaining position for AWU workers

AWU workers at Torres Strait Hospital and Health Service are currently bargaining with Queensland Health for their new agreement, and are in a stronger position thanks to their successful campaign. Almost 40 new AWU members have signed up in the Torres Strait, with members carrying out protected action to show the government how serious they are about achieving sustainable improvements for their profession and their communities.