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Tim Agius: Aboriginal Health Branch, NSW Department of Health Promoting Aboriginal Men's Health within NSW Presented at the Convention by Vladimir Williams The Aboriginal community has long determined that Aboriginal health solutions must involve men as well as women as a family unit. Yet Aboriginal men have been denied their rightful place within our society through the pursuit and promotion of a range of direct and indirect racist policies which resulted in the stolen generation. This systematic devaluation of the role and importance of Aboriginal men and the failure to substitute suitable and meaningful alternatives which can enhance identity and resilience together with the denial of appropriate employment opportunities, has resulted in the destruction of Aboriginal self-determination. The future health needs of Aboriginal men must be viewed and addressed in a way which recognises this reality. Currently, there are few if any studies which have attempted to identify the barriers to improving the health of Aboriginal men and what constitutes best practice or best buys in responding to their needs. The push for the development of a men's health strategy in NSW has offered the first real opportunity to begin the process of identifying the links between gender and health as it relates to men generally and Aboriginal men specifically. Through a process of community consultation and participation, NSW Health is in the process of developing key health implementation strategies that seek to address the specific needs of Aboriginal men within a holistic framework, grounded on a social view of health. The development of an implementation plan wilt compliment and support the recently completed broad strategic directions document on men’s health called "Moving Forward In Men's Health" (1999). This paper will seek to identify current progress in the identification of the specific health needs of Aboriginal men and will provide feedback on the key priority areas identified and strategies developed to address these needs. Tim Agius, Director, Aboriginal Health Branch, Health Services Policy, NSW Department of Health, Locked Mail Bag 961, NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2059, Phone (02)9391 9521, Fax (02) 9391 9480, E-mail tagiu@doh.health.nsw.gov. au
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