Indigenous Male Health Convention - Ross River via Alice Springs October 1999

1st National Indigenous Male Health Convention
Ross River Homestead via Alice Springs
4th – 5th October 1999

Outcomes of the Convention:

Establishment of a National Male Health Reference Committee;
Endorsement for the development of Men’s/Male Places – to promote Indigenous male well-being;
To promote and fully fund a National Indigenous Male Health Conference every two years;
Each state and territory to conduct an annual Indigenous Male Health Conference.

Recommendations from the Convention:

That the newly established Indigenous Male Health Reference Committee be appointed as a Sub-committee to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Council as advisers to the Council and the Commonwealth Health Minister on health and social issues regarding Indigenous male health matters.
That the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Health in the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care allocate appropriate funding to enable the newly established Indigenous Male Health Reference Committee to operate sufficiently in order to promote and attend to the issues affecting Indigenous men’s health.
That male health programs be established in the Territory Health Services, Office of Aboriginal Health and the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health under the services such as the community development and social health branch to assist in providing an avenue to attend to Indigenous male health matters.
That State and Territory health services fully fund the concept of annual Indigenous Male Health Conferences in their states and territories.
We would like your support by endorsing the outcomes and recommendations submitted to you in this 3rd National Men’s Health Conference. In addition we call on Mr Michael Martin, Deputy Secretary of the Territory Health Services to advocate on behalf of the Indigenous men of Australia to have these outcomes and recommendations be endorsed and implemented by the Federal Minister of Health.

Presented at the 3rd National Men’s Health Conference
Alice Springs 6th - 8th October 1999

by Mr Ken Lechleitner,
Representative for participants of the Indigenous Male Health Convention, Ross River.