First Nations Health Equity
Making Tracks Together: Queensland's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Equity Framework
Placing First Nations peoples and voices at the centre of healthcare service design and delivery in Queensland.
Queensland Health and the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) are placing First Nations peoples and voices at the centre of healthcare service design and delivery through Making Tracks Together - Queensland's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Equity Framework.
Making Tracks Together seeks to actively eliminate racial discrimination and institutional racism, and influence the social, cultural and economic determinants of health by working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, health services, communities, consumers and Traditional Owners to design, deliver, monitor and review healthcare services.
The voices, leadership and lived experiences of First Nations peoples are driving the health equity reform agenda.
A cornerstone of the health equity agenda is the legislative requirement passed by the Queensland Parliament in 2020 for Hospital and Health Services (HHSs) to co-develop and co-implement Health Equity Strategies. For the first time, firmly embedded in the legal framework guiding the public health system in Queensland, is a commitment to:
- the achievement of health equity and the improvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes
- the elimination of institutional racism from the public health sector, and
- improvements in power sharing arrangements with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Via the commencement of the Hospital and Health Boards (Health Equity Strategies) Amendment Regulation 2021 (the Regulation) in April 2021, the Queensland Government has created the strongest public health system legislation ever enacted in Queensland by requiring HHSs to partner with Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations in the design, delivery, monitoring, and review of healthcare services.
Resources
Legislative requirements
- Amendment Regulation – Hospital and Health Boards (Health Equity Strategies) Amendment Regulation 2021
- Health Service Directive – First Nations Health Equity Strategy: Co-design and Mediation Process Health Service Directive
Policy documents
- Health Equity Framework – Making Tracks Together: Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Equity Framework (PDF 7199 kB)
- Health Equity Strategies Implementation Toolkit (PDF 3983 kB)
- Health equity strategy template (PDF 871 kB)
- Health Equity Consultation Report – Queensland’s First Nations Health Equity Consultation Report (PDF 3367 kB)
- Health Equity Discussion Paper
