Speak Out April 2020 DIGITAL VERSION. pdf

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee expanded

In November 2019 the Board approved an increase in the number of members on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee—doubling the number of Association members and adding a second consumer representative. An additional representative from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation is also included, but not finalised. The membership of the advisory committee can be found on the Association’s website . The new Committee, chaired by Shane Mohor, met face-to-face at National Office on 3 February 2020 and had its second meeting on Friday 3 April via Zoom. The need for ongoing physical distancing may make this the norm for future meetings. This year, the Advisory Committee has provided ongoing feedback to refine the development of a communications plan, which will have an internal focus and raise awareness of the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) among members and staff of the Association. In addition, the committee has discussed the need for guidelines related to the ways in which members and the Association use social media for communication related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and issues to ensure communication is culturally sensitive. Other activities the Advisory Committee has been involved in this year include: • feedback to the Review of the Associations Code of Ethics, • feedback to the Evidence-based Practice Position Paper, • successful advocacy to the Board to provide financial support for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander presenters to attend the 2020 conference, which unfortunately has been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, • ongoing discussion around furthering cultural qwareness training for Association members and staff, • ongoing discussion around the new research grant, 'Building the evidence base: Supporting equitable outcomes in communication and swallowing for Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander peoples'. The recruitment of a Project Officer, Reconciliation Action Plan Implementation is underway. The purpose of this role is to lead specific initiatives as part of the implementation of the Reconciliation Action Plan, to provide support to the activities of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee, and to support and give advice on relevant activities within the Association’s Strategic Plan 2020-2022. Applications for this position closed this week. The Association and the Advisory Committee are looking forward to working with this appointee in delivering the initiatives within the Reconciliation Action Plan.

In addition, the Association is looking to develop a new clinical guideline, 'Working with Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander people'. This practice document will provide guidance and support to members on providing culturally safe services when working with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and communities. A project officer brief and call for expression of interest is being finalised. The particular impacts of COVID-19 on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples was also discussed. The Committee noted that there has been little information from the Government on the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Some of the issues raised by the Advisory Committee which related to the speech pathology profession included: • the risks of face-to-face services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, • whether telehealth services are available or viable for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, • how access is affected for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in rural and remote areas where access is already difficult, • the impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in urban areas, • the need to make information communication-accessible for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. There may be opportunities for Speech Pathology Australia to advocate for the importance of what we do as speech pathologists, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in particular. Eddie Ong Torres Strait Islander Director New ways of connecting. The Aborigitanl and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee's recent Zoom meeting.

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April 2020 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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