The National Women’s Health Advisory Council & more with the partnership

March 10, 2023

A message from our Chair

Dear colleagues, Welcome to the first Newsletter of 2023. I look forward to continuing the vital work of the Migrant and Refugee Health Partnership with you in the year ahead. I am grateful to all of you for your expertise, and for your commitment to the people we serve.

Earlier this year Raylynn, Carla and I met with Minister Andrew Giles and Assistant Minister Ged Kearney. We discussed the work of the MRHP, the welcome end to Temporary Protection Visas, the newly established Women’s Council and the Social Policy Group’s aspirations for the MyAus App. We also emphasised that the MRHP is an invaluable resource through which the health of migrant and refugee communities can be supported.

I was lucky enough to participate in the World Pride Parade in Sydney, joining thousands of happy people celebrating diversity and inclusion. It was a day of great joy, an event focussed on the diversity of sexuality, recognising that, for many migrants and refugees, this is a complex issue. I felt that we were also celebrating the value of diversity in general, a message so relevant to the MRHP. I loved my gold sequinned scrubs and face glitter!

After 3 years, my wife, Cathie, and I are enjoying a holiday in India. I booked this trip a year ago when I had a deep, aching desire to return here. Since we arrived in the South, in the region where my family is from, I have felt a strong sense of belonging. Of course, my accent is different, my life experiences far removed from the people I’m meeting and I don’t speak the language, but there’s something here that really matters to me, that grounds me, that fills my cup. The food has also filled my belly so that I now resemble the Hindu God Ganesh!

Those of you who come from a migrant, or refugee background will understand what I feel. Significantly, I was born and brought up in Australia, but the sense of being a migrant, and the connection to origins, is passed on to the next generation. I am grateful that I am an Australian but I also know that is not all that I am. There’s a part of me that is from another place, another culture, another way of experiencing life. Recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are the original and only true Australians, we are all migrants and/or refugees. That includes those of AngloCeltic descent. Respecting that bond is an opportunity for understanding, a first step towards meaningful, and effective, engagement with the migrant and refugee populations.

Looking forward to seeing all of you on the screen on 31 March.

Best wishes,
Vijay

Farewell to our colleague Gulnara

After more than 6 years with the Social Policy Group, we are sad to announce that Gulnara Abbasova has left the team to pursue other career opportunities. We thank her for all her hard work with the Partnership, building its profile into the trusted voice that it is today.

We wish her all the best for her future!

Improving communication and engagement with CALD communities

There is evidence of inequalities in culturally and linguistically diverse communities’ access to health services – especially when it comes to mental health. At last week's Tasmanian Transcultural Mental Health Network Annual Event, The Social Policy Group joined peer organisations in developing better communication and engagement approaches and strategies to overcome existing inequalities.

Discussions benefited from the presentation of our CALD Communities in Public Health Crises Communication Guide. It is available for download here.

The inaugural meeting of the National Women’s Health Advisory Council

The Migrant and Refugee Health Partnership was proud to send our Council member, Ms Chiedza Malunga, to the inaugural meeting of the National Women's Health Advisory Council. Chiedza attended as a proxy for Ms Nyadol Nyuon OAM, Chair of Harmony Alliance.

The Advisory Council has been established to provide strategic advice and recommendations on how to improve the nation’s health system to provide better, more targeted and effective healthcare for Australian women and girls, to ensure it is culturally safe and appropriate.

It was agreed that the body will deliver practical, tangible and achievable advice on health research, service choice, access, empowerment, and safety. All initiatives will be designed through an equity lens.

Chiedza also highlighted the importance of conducting consultations with communication channels that would be accessible to, and resonate with, women from migrant and refugee backgrounds.

You can read the full Communique from the Department of Health here.

Policy and academic papers

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Chronic health conditions among culturally and linguistically diverse Australians

This recent report explores the prevalence of chronic health conditions among migrant and refugee populations, particularly those who have arrived in recent years and speak a language other than English.

Claire Sparke, who has previously addressed the Partnership as a representative of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, highlighted the concerning gap between those of lower and higher English language proficiency. "For early arrivals (people who first arrived to Australia more than 10 years before the 2021 Census), the prevalence of one or more long-term health conditions was higher for people with low English proficiency (33%) than for people with high proficiency (23%)."

You can read the entire report and use the interactive data visualisation tool here.

Have you checked out our series of e-learning courses?

MyAusLearning is regularly adding new e-learning courses for people who work with migrant and refugee communities. Whether you work in the settlement sector, healthcare, the judiciary, or you just want to learn more, there's a course to interest you!

Sign up today and receive access to a range of free and paid courses that can be completed in your own time. Any questions about the courses can be directed to courses@myauslearning.org.au.

Events

International Women's Day

Wednesday the 8th of March was International Women's Day, a day to celebrate women and to engage with ways to achieve gender equality. UN Women's theme this year is "Cracking the Code: Innovation for a Gender Equal Future". We recognise the importance of engaging in the technology industry to create safe, inclusive environments for all women online. Technology-facilitated abuse is an identified issue among migrant and refugee women* and has a significant public health impact on women and their families. The health sector also has a responsibility to create healthcare tools like telehealth and e-health that is culturally responsive for women and girls, ensuring equal access to essential services.

Calls for submissions, collaboration, or expressions of interest

Refugee experience in Australia study The 'Refugee and Humanitarian Entrants’ Social Connectedness and Sense of Belonging Research Project' is an important national study about current social issues. It is open to humanitarian entrants and refugees who have arrived in Australia in the past 10 years. The survey is available in multiple languages, and provides translations on the survey landing page for participants to request a telephone interviewer with an interpreter. Get started here.

Foundation Research Institute (Scanlon Foundation).

Experiences and management of menstruation while deployed operationally.

Participate in research about experiences of menstruation while deployed operationally: The University of New England invites participants in a research survey to investigate how women (and people who menstruate) manage and experience menstruation while deployed operationally. You can complete the survey here. For further information please contact Associate Professor Melissa Parsons.