Indigenous Health Issues Rural Victoria

1. Indigenous Health Issues & Rural Victoria Dr Jon Willis School of Public Health Department of Health and Environment La Trobe University (Bendigo)

2. Acknowledgement to the Watha Wrung and Dja Dja Wrung people The land of the Dja Dja Wrung takes in the catchment area for the Loddon, Campaspe and Avoca Rivers in the Riverine region of central/western Victoria Bendigo is the largest city in Dja Dja Wrung country. Other cities and towns are Wedderburn, Castlemaine, St Arnaud, Maryborough, Boort, Heathcote and Maldon Today Bendigo is still the cultural centre of Dja Dja Wrung territory. The Dja Dja Wrung Aboriginal Association Inc. in Bendigo is an organisation that was formed in 1982, initially by students to service the needs of Aboriginal people in the area. The Board is made up of directors from Bendigo, Heathcote, Castlemaine, Kyneton and Maryborough.Today Bendigo is still the cultural centre of Dja Dja Wrung territory. The Dja Dja Wrung Aboriginal Association Inc. in Bendigo is an organisation that was formed in 1982, initially by students to service the needs of Aboriginal people in the area. The Board is made up of directors from Bendigo, Heathcote, Castlemaine, Kyneton and Maryborough.

3. Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander? The following definition, commonly known as �The Commonwealth Definition� was given in a High Court judgement in the case of Commonwealth v Tasmania (1983) 46 ALR 625 'An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is a person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and is accepted as such by the community in which he or she lives' There are three components to the Commonwealth definition: descent self-identification community acceptance the literal translation of the word 'Aborigine' means - 'the people who were here from the beginning'. On this, it does not have the same meaning as the word 'indigenous' - latin: indigena=in [in] + ginere [be born] in a particular place. The use of the word indigenous tends to be put all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people together and demeans the true connection of Aboriginal people to the Dreamtime, their belonging place, their personal dreaming, culture and spirituality. People from other indigenous cultures [maoris, south sea islanders, Samoans etc] perceive themselves to meet this definition. Use the wording Aboriginal and/ or Torres Strait Islander the literal translation of the word 'Aborigine' means - 'the people who were here from the beginning'. On this, it does not have the same meaning as the word 'indigenous' - latin: indigena=in [in] + ginere [be born] in a particular place. The use of the word indigenous tends to be put all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people together and demeans the true connection of Aboriginal people to the Dreamtime, their belonging place, their personal dreaming, culture and spirituality. People from other indigenous cultures [maoris, south sea islanders, Samoans etc] perceive themselves to meet this definition. Use the wording Aboriginal and/ or Torres Strait Islander

4. An Australian may identify as: Indigenous: Aboriginal but not Torres Strait Islander origin Torres Strait Islander but not Aboriginal origin Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin Non-Indigenous: Neither Aboriginal nor Torres Strait Islander origin