Strategic theme #2: Culturally safe health system for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

We must ensure cultural safety and eliminate racism for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across the health system.

When racism is not addressed, the consequences for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are profound – people’s health, wellbeing, livelihoods and lives are at stake. The National Scheme drives initiatives to eliminate racism and ensure cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples who access and work in health services, and across the health system. Cultural safety can only be determined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Peoples.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders govern this work through authentic partnerships. The development of the National Scheme’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Cultural Safety Strategy to 2025 was grounded in authentic partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health leaders, experts and peak bodies, making joint decisions with leaders across the National Scheme.

Our Cultural Safety Strategy has driven significant system-level change but racism remains pervasive, continuing to pose serious risk to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Urgent and sustained action is needed. The Cultural Safety Strategy 2031 will build on the work to date and continue to lead bold reform across the health system.

Our unrelenting commitment to eliminating racism and ensuring cultural safety in the health system is not bound by a single theme. It is represented, reflected and prioritised in everything we do – for this generation and those to come.

Outcome:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and communities access health services and work in a health system that is culturally safe, free from racism and meets their needs.

Commitment:

We take a joint leadership approach to drive systemic reform that ensures cultural safety and the elimination of racism.

We will:

• equalise power imbalances by embedding self-determination and ‘being in good relation’
• elevate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices to ensure regulatory mechanisms address individual and systemic racism in healthcare
• ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples experience culturally safe engagement across the health system
• strengthen and oversee accreditation of cultural safety 
• embed a culturally safe notification process
• implement Indigenous data sovereignty and Indigenous data governance principles and practices
• require lifelong training on cultural safety and anti-racism capability building across the health workforce and National Scheme
• build and maintain robust, engaged partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations.