CroakeyVoices

While people living in rural and remote parts of Australia have higher rates of heart disease, hospitalisations and poorer access to primary health care services than those in metropolitan areas, the new Rural Health Commissioner Associate Professor Ruth Stewart believes they also have the solutions, tapping into their own talent pool.Stewart, who lives of Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, and former and inaugural Rural Health Commissioner Emeritus Professor Paul Worley, are both passionate advocates of rural health and determined to give local people the power to ensure your health isn’t determined by your postcode.They spoke to CroakeyVOICES Cate Carrigan about their vision for rural health, the impact of COVID-19 and why becoming a rural or remote health worker could be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.· Rural Health Commissioner, Associate Professor Ruth Stewart, former Director of Rural Clinical Training and Support at James Cook University.· Former Rural Health Commissioner, Emeritus Professor Paul Worley, College of Medicine and Health, Flinders University, South Australia.

With COVID19 devastating lives and livelihoods around the globe, health experts are looking for lessons for a better, more equitable tomorrow, where food and job security, people-focused urban design and access to healthcare are not reliant on country of origin, cultural background or postcode.Over five weeks, VICHealth’s “Life and Health ReImagined” webinar panels looked at the lessons from the pandemic, investigating urban design, healthier work environments, sustainable food systems and jobs, and how the social determinants of health: housing, income, and location are intrinsically linked to health outcomes.CroakeyVoices took up the discussion with panellists, incorporating snippets from panel discussions, to highlights some of the key points and flesh out some of the creative solutions for a better tomorrow.· ACTU assistant secretary Liam O’Brien says Australia holds the world record when it comes to insecure work, with “one in ten workers going to work while sick because many insecure workers don’t have access to sick leave”.· According to The Community Grocer Founder, Russel Shields, Australia needs to move away from the food rescue model to feed people, arguing “our community markets model provides fresh, diverse produce at highly discounted prices in a farmers market environment”.Dr Rachel Carey: Lecturer in Food Systems, University of MelbourneFarhat Firdous: Multicultural Strategic Engagement Coordinator for Gippsland, Latrobe CommunityUS urban planner Anna Muessig: Associate Gehl in San FranciscoCity of Yarra Councillor, Jackie FristackyGreater Shepparton City Council Mayor Seema AbdullahProfessor Sir Michael Marmot: Director UCL Institute of Health EquitySharon Friel: Professor of Health Equity, Director Menzies Centre for Health Governance, School of Regulation and Global GovernanceAnna Peeters: Professor of Epidemiology and Equity in Public Health and Director of the Institute of Health Transformation at Deakin UniversityFormer federal Health Minister Nicola RoxonKellie Horton from VicHealth catecarrigan1@gmail.com

What are the chances of reform to the prison system in the wake of COVID19?The pandemic has shone a light on overcrowded facilities and, in particular, on the high and growing rates of incarceration of First Nations peoples.In the second of two #CroakeyVOICES podcasts funded by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas, [https://jninstitute.org/] Associate Professor Megan Williams, the Research Lead and Assistant Director of the National Centre for Cultural Competence at The University of Sydney, and Cate Carrigan look at calls for prison reform in the wake of COVID19.Change the Record’s Cheryl Axleby says there’s been an 88 percent increase in incarceration rates for Indigenous Australians over ten years, and argues it’s time to repeal punitive bail laws, end the offence of public drunkenness, raise the criminal age to fourteen and implement the recommendations of the Black Deaths in Custody Royal Commission.We also hear from Robert Houston, a former director of the Douglas Country Corrective facility in Omaha, USA, and lecturer at the School of Criminology at the University of Nebraska; Greg Barns from the Australian Lawyers Alliance, Debbie Kilroy from “Sisters Inside”; Thomas “Marksey” Marks, an artist and former inmate in the Victorian prison system; Ron Wilson, the President of Australasian Corrections Education Association; and Murray Cook, founder of the NSW Community Restorative Centre’s SongBirds program.** Confined 11 - The Torch virtual exhibition, selling artworks from inmates and former inmates of Victoria corrective facilities, continues until June 7. https://thetorch.org.au/exhibition/confined-11/ [https://thetorch.org.au/exhibition/confined-11/]** Songbirds https://www.songbirds.com.au/ [https://www.songbirds.com.au/]cate.carrigan1@gmail.com.au

Around the world, the novel coronavirus has spread rapidly throughout many prisons, and in Australia prisoners and their families are anxious about the potential threat from outbreaks here, especially for First Nations inmates.In the first of two #CroakeyVOICES podcasts funded by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas, Associate Professor Megan Williams, the Research Lead and Assistant Director of the National Centre for Cultural Competence at The University of Sydney, and Cate Carrigan look at the impact of the pandemic on prisoners and their families.Dr Kris Rallah-Baker, the President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA) warns it’s no time to be complacent, saying “It’s definitely not a time to relax around #COVID19. It’s still a real threat in this country. We can’t assume because we’ve got low rates in the community that prisons are safe”.Rallah-Baker’s concerns are echoed by co-chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, Nerita Waight, who says since the Royal Commission into Black Deaths in Custody, “420 or our people have died in custody. Given they’re at greater risk (due to a prevalence of underlying health conditions), we’re concerned there’s going to be more Aboriginal deaths in prison due to #COVID19”.· “They (the families of prisoners) miss their loved ones desperately. There are really good reasons for stopping (face-to-face) visits but it’s taking a toll”. Dr Mindy Sotiri, Program Director, Advocacy Research Policy, Community Restorative Centre, Marrickville, NSW.· “The real challenge for the children of prisoners at the moment is the lack of contact and information. They’re really concerned about mum or dad’s wellbeing”. April Long, National Programs Director, Shine For Kids.· “….I’m just worried that people are going to be killed in custody by corrections officers at this time due to the way that they are transported and restrained …and the lack of healthcare.” Latoya Aroha Rule, sibling to Wayne Fella Morrison who died after collapsing in a police transport van in 2016. Also hear an excerpt from the Ear Hustle Podcast from San Quentin Prison, California. https://www.earhustlesq.com/ [https://www.earhustlesq.com/] Contact CroakeyVoices via:Email: cate.carrigan1@gmail.comTwitter: @croakeyvoices @CateeC

As infection rates decline across Australia and social distancing rules are relaxed, mental health experts are warning of a second wave; a surge in people seeking mental health services. CroakeyVoices speaks to the co-director of the Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney, Professor Ian Hickie. How loneliness, anxiety about the future and social isolation are fuelling a surge in online gambling, and making what could be the only social outing in a day of life under COVID-19 a special connection for those struggling to make ends meet. Tony Clarkson, Principal Clinical Advisor at Victorian Responsible Gambling FoundationInfectious Diseases Physician, Senior Lecturer, James Cook University and University of QLD, Trent Yardwood.Eliza van de Smam, OzHarvest, Kensington, Sydney.@croakeyvoicescate.carrigan1@gmail.com I've been a journalist for over thirty years, working across print and broadcast media, and covering politics, health, education and general news. I'm working with Croakey Health Media on CroakeyVOICES to hear to people working in health, either on the front line as health providers, those working in peak organisations or looking at the statistics and what's happening across the nation. We have a particular focus on social justice, Indigenous health and climate change. Please like and subscribe and, if you like, leave a review on Apple Podcasts.