Page 2988 - Week 08 - Thursday, 17 August 2017

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(a) Twenty-six (26) nurses.

(b) Three medical officers.

(d) There is no specific target for employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons in the health professions. The target is applied to ACT Health as a directorate.

(e) ACT Health has recently completed work to enable the recruitment of Aboriginal Health Workers in multiple roles using four Enterprise Agreements. There are four types of Aboriginal Health Worker categories, according to job roles.

These are:

1. Aboriginal Community Health Worker: This role provides better access, liaison, health promotion and preventative health services to the Aboriginal community

2. Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer: This non-clinical role provides advocacy, support and liaison within an acute care health setting, eg: hospitals and multipurpose services.

3. Principal Aboriginal Health Worker: This role provides relevant graduate tertiary level clinical/professional services to the Aboriginal community.

4. Aboriginal Health Practitioner (protected title) (AustLII, 2013): This is a new health professional role which commenced on 1 July 2012, and is registered with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner Board of Australia. The role provides direct clinical services to the Aboriginal community and holds a Certificate IV Aboriginal Primary Health Care (Practice) qualification. Several positions have been filled recently using this strategy.

Since 2011, ACT Health provides ongoing funding for the Australian National University (ANU) Medical School to deliver the Peter Sharp Scholarship Program. There are three initiatives under the Scholarship Program:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health stream placement, which offers all students in the ANU Medical School – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health stream support for travel and accommodation costs related to attending activities such as cultural immersion programs, conferences or workshops;

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student recruitment initiative, that supports the enrolment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at the ANU Medical School; and Peter Sharp Scholarship, which supports the education and accommodation of a medical student in the ANU Medical School Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health stream.

ACT Health continues to offer two Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enrolled Nursing Scholarships (per semester) through the Nursing and Midwifery Office. There are two students enrolled in this course under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enrolled Nursing Scholarship at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT).

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