Meet the new Council and access new resources

March 11, 2025

A message from Dr Kym Jenkins - Chair

Dear MRHP Community, As 2025 picks up its pace, I am delighted to introduce the newly appointed MRHP Council, but before doing so, would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to our outgoing members for their invaluable contributions to the Partnership. Their participation and dedication have played a crucial role in shaping our work to improve health outcomes for migrant and refugee communities across Australia. The new council brings together individuals and organisations with a wealth of diverse expertise spanning public health, policy and service delivery. This breadth of knowledge and lived experience will be instrumental in advancing MRHP’s priorities for the year ahead, which include strengthening culturally responsive healthcare, addressing health inequities, and amplifying the voices of migrant and refugee communities in health policy and service design.

By continuing to work collaboratively, we will drive positive change towards ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their background, have access to the healthcare and support they need to thrive, not just survive.

I look forward to the important work ahead and to engaging with our members and partners throughout the year.

Warm regards,
Dr Kym Jenkins Chair,
Migrant and Refugee Health Partnership

TGA Consultation Paper – Clarifying and Strengthening the Regulation of AI

The MRHP is proud to share that The Social Policy Group (SPG), MRHP’s auspicing body, responded to the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA) consultation on clarifying and strengthening the regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare. The SPG acknowledged the TGA’s vital role in safeguarding public health through effective regulation, and recommended ways to strengthen TGA’s approach to fully address the challenges posed by AI technologies in order to enable an AI ecosystem in healthcare that is safe, ethical, and aligned with core healthcare values.

Prevention and Management of Chronic Conditions in CALD Communities

The Project The SPG partnered with 29 grassroots organisations and 11 community leaders across Australia to deliver the Enhanced Communications for CALD Communities: Prevention and Management of Chronic Conditions Campaign, funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care. The campaign aimed to reduce health inequities by encouraging greater participation in bowel, breast, and cervical screening within CALD communities. Through innovative communication strategies such as multilingual social media, in-language webinars, and community events, the campaign addressed cultural sensitivities, built trust, and improved health literacy. Each community partner reached 100 —500 people at events and 2,000—5,000 online, significantly boosting awareness of cancer screening. The project demonstrated the power of co-design and genuine partnership in promoting health equality and set a new standard for culturally responsive health initiatives.

In-language Cancer Screening Resources Recognising that language and cultural barriers often deter participation, SPG developed culturally appropriate multilingual resources on the MyAus App. This included five articles translated into 19 community languages introducing cancer; information about cancer screening; and detailed information on bowel, breast, and cervical screening programs in Australia. To accompany the articles, SPG also developed step-by-step guidelines to help people understand what bowel, breast, and cervical screening entails. The steps were incorporated into the goal setting functionality to help guide members of the CALD community to book and participate in cancer screening.

Healthy Horizons: Raising Awareness for Stillbirth Prevention Among Migrant and Refugee Women

The SPG worked with the Department of Health and Aged Care to address gaps in stillbirth prevention awareness and perinatal healthcare access for women from migrant and refugee backgrounds in Australia. The project aimed to improve understanding of stillbirth causes, reduce risks, and enhance access to culturally responsive healthcare. It also sought to inform stakeholders on adapting healthcare services to meet the unique needs of migrant and refugee communities.

All resources are available for download and community use via the Healthy Horizons website.

For service providers and clinicians, you can access the multilingual poster to print for your workplace that guides women from migrant and refugee backgrounds to access resources in 35 languages, or access the conversation guide to help you connect migrant and refugee women to information on stillbirth prevention.

New Resources for General Practitioners and the Primary Care Workforce to Support Victim-Survivors

The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (the National Centre) is pleased to release the next resource in the Strengthening Primary Health Care project, "Practice Prompts for Primary Health Care". These resources can be accessed on the National Centre's website: Practice Prompts for Primary Health Care - The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse.

Funded by the Australian Government, the resource responds to the need expressed by practitioners for practical support and guidance in how they can engage and speak with people who have been impacted by violence as part of their practice. It provides practical prompts aligned to the four R’s for practice under Recognise, Respond, Refer, and Reflect.

If you have any questions, or would like further information about the resources, you can contact the National Centre at practice@nationalcentre.org.au or the Department of Health and Aged Care at domesticviolence@health.gov.au. is