Dr Kim O’Donnell1
1Senior Research Fellow, Aboriginal Health Research Leader, University of Adelaide
Abstract:
Did you know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are world leaders in providing culturally safe Primary Health Care (PHC)? The Aboriginal Medical Services Redfern was established in 1971, seven years before the 1978 World Health Organisation report on the PHC international conference, held at Alma Ata (USSR, now Russia). This was in response to the absence of culturally safe and responsive services provided across the colony.
As of 2025, there are 148 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) across the continent as a result of Elders, community leaders and others who took a stance together to address the issues of human rights, racism, and self-determination. ACCHOs primary purpose is focused on prevention of illness and education provided by Aboriginal health professionals (medical doctors, nurses, allied health, psychologists, practitioners, liaison staff etc.) They were instrumental in the drafting of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP 2007) that began in 1994. However, before this, discussions began in 1923.
Cultural safety practice was mandated across all disciplines beginning in 2018 by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and is included in all health codes of practice.