Engaging Aboriginal People and Torres Strait Islanders

Elliott P¹*

1. Department of Emergency Services, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

This presentation highlights a number of innovative, locally developed and collaborative solutions to service delivery issues, and the opportunities and challenges to effectively engaging with Indigenous communities. It illustrates how the Department of Emergency Services has been able to meet those challenges and provides an opportunity to share learnings.

Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, located in Far North Queensland, have a high level of need for pre-hospital care services as a result of relatively high injury rates. These communities are also prone to cyclones, severe storms and bush fires. The geographic isolation, tropical climate and limited community infrastructure of many of these communities make them especially vulnerable in times of emergencies and disasters.

The Department of Emergency Services has implemented a project aimed to develop and implement innovative approaches to delivering a diversity of emergency services including pre-hospital care, Counter Disaster and Fire and Rescue Services.

This project involved a combination of extensive research and wide community consultation. A key focus of the project was appropriate community engagement processes to ensure the outcomes were compatible with Indigenous cultural beliefs and practices.

The project has implemented strategies that directly contribute to building safer Indigenous communities. The project has delivered outcomes that minimise the risk and impact of accidents, emergencies and disasters in the targeted communities.

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