The Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives Annual Report 2020 - 21

CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES

ANNUAL REP RT 2020-21

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT CATSINaM would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the many lands of which we live and work, for their continuing connection to land, sea and community.

We pay our respects to them, and to their Elders past and present.

The Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) is a public company that is limited by guarantee.

CATSINaM is registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.

Chairperson: Marni Tuala CEO: Leona McGrath (interim until October 2020), Roianne West (October 2020-) Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives ABN: 64 085 000 120 Auditor: Canberra Accountancy and Audit Pty Ltd Report period: 1 July 2020 – 30 June 2021

UNITY AND STRENGTH IN CARING

CATSIN’s founding Members at the first meeting, August 1997.

CONTENTS PAGE ELDERS CIRCLE MESSAGE 4 CHAIRPERSON MESSAGE

4

CEO MESSAGE

5

MULIYAN

18

STUDENTS 20 Scholarships

20

ORGANISATION 6

Student Engagement

20

Strategic Plan 2018-2023

7

Inaugural CATSINaM Graduation Ceremonies

21

Operational Chart

8

Memberships

9

CATSINaM NATIONAL CONFERENCE SERIES

22

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

26

WHAT WE’RE DOING FOR NURSES AND MIDWIVES

26

Policy and Strategy

26

Global Nursing Now Campaign

30

ABORIGINAL AND/OR TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSING AND MIDWIFERY IN AUSTRALIA FACT SHEET 10 Key Facts

11

BACK TO THE FIRE

12

YEAR IN REVIEW

13

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

14

GOVERNANCE 31

Constitution Review 14

Elders Circle 32

Back to the Fire

14

Board Members 33

Organisational Restructure

15

Board Meeting

34

CATSINaM National Conference Series

15

New National Agreement on Closing the Gap

15

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

38

COVID-19

15

Financial Snapshot

39

Racism. It Stops With Me

15

Funding Sources

40

Brand Refresh

16

Source Income

41

1300 CATSINaM

16

Government Income

41

Non-Government Income

41

Acknowledgement of Conference Sponsors

42

Auditors Report

43

Financial Summaries

44

Summary Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income

45

Summary Statement of Changes in Equity

45

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Cultural Safety Training 16 Murra Mullangari: Cultural Safety E-learning

16

Leaders in Indigenous Nursing and Midwifery Education Network (LINMEN) 17 gettin em n keepin em’ report review

17

ELDERS CIRCLE MESSAGE

CHAIRPERSON MESSAGE

The Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) Elders’ Circle (originally called the Elders Advisory Council) was established as part of the review and progressive development of CATSINaM.

Earlier this year CATSINaM commenced consultations to update our Strategic Plan.

The main goal of the Elders’ Circle is to provide cultural support and guidance to the organisation and its members.

CATSINaM was established by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives and made space for our voice within the modern health framework. It was also established to ensure our cultural values and practice were kept to the forefront of Aboriginal and/ or Torres Strait Islander Health both for the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community we care for and the staff who care for them.

Over the years we have seen CATSINaM grow; like a big tree its corporate branches spreading wide, we have also seen CATSINaM experience the fires of change. We know from our culture that fires are necessary to make way for new growth in country, and campfires are our place of gathering to yarn, share and plan. CATSINaM is in a change of season and in readiness for new growth, the roots have remained, waiting to be tended to again, and it is the role of the Elders Circle to tend the roots to bring cultural growth alongside the corporate growth.

By taking CATSINaM and its members ‘Back to the Fire’, we (as an organisation) are recognising the need to tend the tree and the roots, making connections and using our voice ensures that CATSINaM both culturally and corporately become that strong tree again, and a leader in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health and training. We come back together and yarn and make space for more growth in the new season.

The draft strategic plan has been approved by the Board and communications with members and stakeholders will commence early in January 2022 for the new strategy to come into effect from July 2022.

The new strategic plan uses the National Agreement on Closing the Gap four priority reforms as a blueprint for future business and a means of anchoring our own work.

Since 2019, we have been reviewing the current CATSINaM Constitution. This is something that we maintain a strong commitment to, and we continue to make efforts to making this change.

So far, the draft changes have been reviewed

by Constitutional specialists, legal advisors, the Board, Elders, and staff. As we continue to finalise the proposed changes, we will be working closely with you to clearly communicate the extent and nature of the proposed changes and what they will mean for our members.

Once a final draft is completed, a Special General Meeting will be held to vote on each of the proposed discrete changes to the Constitution. We look forward to your input and hope you will support our journey to modernise and simplify our Constitution.

Marni Tuala Bundjalung CATSINaM Chairperson

Elders have always been part of our cultural yarning and learning. They have always been the respected teachers, the story tellers, and the holders of the Lore.

In line with these traditional values, the members of the Elders Circle are not only individuals who are culturally respected across Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities, but also nurses and midwives who are professionally recognised for their work in First Nations health.

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CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

CEO MESSAGE I was proud to officially commence in the role of CEO of CATSINaM in October 2020.

In a year of unprecedented challenges, firstly with the continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the disconcerting impacts of the Black Lives Matter movement, the change in leadership and a deep organisation re-structure – the greatest test of our organisation since its inception in 1997 - I am proud of how the organisation has transcended these challenges.

The way we work has changed substantially.

The agility, resilience and commitment of the Board, the Elders Circle and our staff is something I am both proud of and deeply grateful for. Our model of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Control that our Elders and Ancestors envisaged 25 years ago provided a strong foundation for this challenging time and the words “Unity and Strength Through Caring” gifted then, have guided us through these turbulent times.

I view culture as paramount in shaping our organisation and am proud of the strong leadership displayed across the organisation committed to improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes through increasing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives and the Cultural Safety of the Nursing and Midwifery Professions.

I want to thank the Board, The Elders Circle and Muliyan Members for their collective leadership and Eldership during these transformative times.

We are positioned well for what lies in 2021-22 and beyond. There will continue to be some very difficult challenges for our sector.

Going forward, the drain on the country’s resources in fighting the pandemic will be hardfelt and we must be prepared to respond in a tight fiscal environment as efficiently and as innovatively as we can. I have every confidence that we will succeed and continue to grow as we work for our people into 2021–22.

The wellbeing of our staff has, and always will, come first, and although 2020-21 has been a year of change, we will continue to adapt to and embrace our new normal going forward.

Unity and Strength in Caring Prof Roianne West Kalkadoon Djkunde CATSINaM CEO

2021-22 has been a year like no other. While some of the longer-term work has been delayed slightly due to the pandemic, the CATSINaM Secretariat managed to keep delivering across all areas and I thank our hard-working staff for their efforts. I am proud of what we have achieved in advocating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives and to the health and wellbeing outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across our nation.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

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ORGANISATION CATSINaM provides this document as a summary of our operational and financial performance and achievements during the 2020-21 financial year.

The intent of this annual report is to tell the story of what we do, why we do it and how our work provides support and assistance to our Members – who are at the coalface of service delivery across the country.

This annual report is primarily aimed at the following audiences: • our Members • government and non-government partners who provide funding and much needed in-kind support • stakeholders who provide support to the Members we serve • employees of CATSINaM, who provide services to our Members.

VISION

PURPOSE

CATSINaM’s vision is that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives play a pivotal and respected role in achieving health equality across the Australian health system for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People and communities.

CATSINaM honours a holistic and Culturally Safe approach to achieving optimal health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities. We develop and promote strategies to ensure that this holistic and Culturally Safe approach is understood and applied by nurses and midwives working in Australia.

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CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

CATSINAM STATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2023

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES Recruitment and retention Advocacy Leadership and development Cultural Safety

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

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OPERATIONAL CHART Chief Execu ve Officer

Execu ve Officer

RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION DIVISION

PROJECTS AND COMMISSIONING DIVISION Execu ve Manager

MEMBERSHIP, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION

Execu ve Manager Execu ve Manager

Execu ve Manager

Knowledge Transla on Officer

VACANT Senior Project Officer

Membership Officer

Membership Officer Senior Research Assistant Senior Project Manager Senior Research Fellow

VACANT Membership Officer Marke ng and Communica ons Officer Educa on and Training Lead

8

CORPORATE SERVICES DIVISION

CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

Quality and Corporate Services Officer

VACANT Finance Officer

MEMBERSHIP Being a member of CATSINaM provides you with the following: • Voting and speaking rights at CATSINaM’s Annual General Meeting (Ordinary and Student Members) • Access to CATSINaM’s online community platform ‘Back to the Fire’ • Governance training opportunities • Undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing professional development scholarships • Mentoring training and support • Networking and leadership opportunities • Information relating to the nursing and midwifery professions • Opportunities for participating in the work of CATSINaM, for example, representing CATSINaM on national advisory committees • Webinars • Special rates if you participate in CATSINaM’s professional development events.

This year, CATSINaM’s membership hit a total of 2188 Members.

922

ORDINARY MEMBERS

676

STUDENT MEMBERS

16% increase

14% increase

43

2188

NEW AFFILIATE MEMBERS

TOTAL MEMBERS

41

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

2.5% increase

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

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ABORIGINAL AND/OR TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSING AND MIDWIFERY IN AUSTRALIA FACT SHEET At a glance

Each year the Australian Government Department of Health (DoH) publishes a data set on the health workforce inclusive of a suite of Fact Sheets.

Total registra ons

5,037

In 2020, CATSINaM advocated to have a specific Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nursing and Midwifery Fact Sheet.

The following is an excerpt of data that was published in November 2020 and is representative of the workforce in 2019.

CATSINaM has extracted this information in accordance with CATSINaMs strategic priorities.

Non-prac sing registra ons

General & Provisional registra ons

4,980

57

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives: workforce status, 2019:

Employed

Other*

4,369 Clinician

4,012

State and territory breakdown

611 Non-clinician

357

Figure 1: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives: workforce status, 2019 Please note: Other* includes: working but on long leave, working outside the profession, looking for work, overseas, and retired.

104 319

1,213 252

1,620 45 600

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216

CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

KEY FACTS

3,915 FEMALE 454 MALE

PRACTISING • Hospital- 2430 • Aboriginal Health Service- 230 • Tertiary educational facility- 58

Principal role • Clinician- 4012 • Teacher or educator- 117 • Researcher- 32

Principal area • Aged care- 587 • Education- 80 • Research- 26

42.1

587

AVERAGE AGE

4,012

CLINICIAN

PRACTISING IN AGED CARE

230

IN ABORIGINAL HEALTH SERVICE

32

Rurality • • • •

RESEARCHER

Metropolitan – 2086.4 Rural towns – 1075.3 Regional centres – 586.9 Remote and very remote – 279.1

STUDENTS • Commencing – 564 • Continuing – 945 • Completing – 205 Department of Education. Higher Education Statistics Collections 2012 - 2017

564

COMMENCING

205

945

CONTINUING

COMPLETING

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

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BACK TO THE FIRE The story of Australia is the story of a country shaped by fire and fire is at the centre of theme for the 2021 CATSINaM Conference series. This conference theme reflects what the sacred fire at the Tent Embassy in Canberra (on Ngunnuwal Country) means for First Nations Peoples and for Indigenous nurses and midwives in 2021.

The ‘Back to the Fire’ design by Susan Reys (Badtjala, Dharrpa and Jirrbal) encapsulates the forever vibrant rebirthing energy of fire and the living spirit of Indigenous peoples. The shadows of the trees on the earth are to remind us of our Ancestor’s as we walk in their footsteps on Country. The design reflects how we as sovereign Indigenous Peoples listen and speak to Country in ways that make us all stronger and link to this year’s NAIDOC theme ‘Heal Country’

“Coming back to the fire for me as an Aboriginal nurse leader was about responding to our community which in the context of CATSINaM is responding to the voices of our members” CEO, CATSINaM, Professor Roianne West

Kgari Sisters

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CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

YEAR IN REVIEW

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

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KEY ACHIEVEMENTS Under the direction of the newly appointed CEO, Professor Roianne West in October 2020, the CATSINaM team commenced a number of internal reviews – this was the beginning of bringing CATSINaM back to the fire.

The change in leadership and deep organisation re-structure was not without risks. Including deciding which changes to prioritise and the focus on systems and processes without ensuring that the staff were adequately trained. The introduction of new processes, systems and team restructure was completed efficiently and successfully.

Changes may not have immediate impacts on the organisation, but will enable us to react and make change more seamlessly in the future.

Over time, communication will improve, staff training will increase, organisational goals can be assessed considering new objectives, and the leadership has worked hard to keep up morale during the times of change.

Constitutional review Since 2019, we have been reviewing the current CATSINaM Constitution. This is for a range of reasons, including updates to membership categories, changes to the Board structure and most importantly to make sure that the Constitution aligns with relevant legislation requirements.

This is something that we maintain a strong commitment to, and we continue to make efforts to making this change. We are also using this as an opportunity to make the Constitution more readable and concise. So far, the draft changes have been reviewed by Constitutional specialists, legal advisors, the Board, Elders, and staff.

‘Back to the fire’ In November of 2020 the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINAM) hosted the inaugural gathering of Indigenist Health and Cultural Safety Education Researchers which commenced on Ngunnawal Country, specifically at the sacred fire at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.

Reflecting upon the wisdoms shared by fire keepers, we acknowledged the importance and value of the sacred fire which has remained since it was first lit in 1998, the same year CATSINaM was incorporated.

This served as a reminder and motivator that “we are coming back to the fire”, and the significance of fire for our communities across the country. The fire also symbolised the intentions of and the work being undertaken by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives both past and present. This was also relevant to the conference theme and the name of the members-only community platform, with communities of interest called ‘campfires’.

The other catalyst for our coming together was the need to respond to the recent call to action by Indigenous nurses and midwives and other leaders (Geia et al. 2020) to address racism in the profession. It also included the need to respond to the challenges faced

by Indigenous nursing and midwifery educators and researchers, and the lack of evidence of impact and what works in Cultural Safety and health professional education.

As we continue to finalise the proposed changes, we will be working closely with you to clearly communicate the extent and nature of the proposed changes and what they will mean for our members. Once a final draft is completed, a Special General Meeting will be held to vote on each of the proposed discrete changes to the Constitution.

We look forward to your input and hope you will support our journey to modernise and simplify our Constitution.

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CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

Organisational Restructure The organisation began a restructure in December 2020. The new structure allows for specific divisions allocated to particular purposes, i.e Research and Knowledge, Membership, Marketing and Communications and Corporate Services.

This has also allowed for specialised roles to be created and will continue to attract skills-based employees.

The guiding force behind the restructure is to place a greater focus on employing more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people withing CATSINaM, placing importance on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, doing and being.

CATSINaM NATIONAL CONFERENCE SERIES Upon starting with the organisation in October, CATSINaM CEO, Professor West made a commitment to reach out and connect with Members in each state and territory. Professor West wanted to know the faces of CATSINaM Members and to understand how CATSINaM can improve the working conditions and issues faced by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives.

The concept of Back to the Fire was adopted from the inaugural gathering of Indigenist Health and Cultural Safety Education Researchers, and so the team set out to hold a conference series connecting nursing, midwifery and culture.

You can read more about it on pages 22-25.

Due to the continued disruptions of COVID-19, CATSINaM pivotted to deliver WA, ACT and NSW Conferences online in the 2021-22 financial year.

New National Agreement on Closing the Gap On 27 July 2020, the New National Agreement on Closing the Gap was officially signed and announced by the Morrison Government in partnership with the Coalition of Peaks.

As a signatory on this agreement and a community-controlled organisation and a member of the Coalition of Peaks (CoP), CATSINaM is committed to supporting the initiatives of the CoP and driving the Priority Reforms through our work with Members, Government and partners.

COVID-19 More than ever before, we are relying on technology to stay connected and deliver our work from remote working locations.

The organisation has continued to work toward its objectives and service our members in these changed circumstances.

The organisation has increased capacity for a number of flexible working solutions, helping our staff work remotely in virtual teams.

This has included the distribution of laptops, enabling staff to access our systems remotely, or in ways that are more flexible. Most staff worked remotely on most days to ensure we maintain COVID Safe, physically distanced workplaces. Additionally, teleconferencing and videoconferencing tools increased. The wellbeing of our staff has, and always will, come first, and although 2020 has been a year of change, we will continue to adapt to and embrace our new normal going forward.

Racism. It Stops With Me Racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives including students has no place in Nursing and Midwifery in Australia.

CATSINaM is taking a stand by becoming an Official Supporter of the Racism. It Stops with Me Campaign.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

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KEY ACHIEVEMENTS CONTINUED

Brand Refresh A refreshed CATSINaM brand was launched on 18 January 2021.

With the growth and development that the organisation has undergone over the years, the team believed it was time for a change.

The changes to our logo are subtle still encapsulating the original logo meaning representing CATSINaM bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Nurses and Midwives together. The coloured concentric rings in the centre are symbols used to depict a gathering for celebration, getting together to share knowledge. They represent the flags of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives. The interlinking lines are the connectivity to CATSINaM and each other that CATSINaM creates. It shows our belonging.

The symbols in the centre represent the Leaders in Indigenous Nursing and Midwifery Education Network and depicts an Elder teaching men and women lore, wisdom, culture and our ways. The yellow in the Aboriginal Flag and the symbols in the centre represent the colour of the original CATSIN logo.

The artwork was created by Lesley Salem.

Lesley is a descendant of the Gringai-Wonnarua Nation in NSW, a Nurse Practitioner and member of CATSINaM. The graphic design is

by David Nardoo. David is a descendent of the Pitta Pitta Nation in Queensland.

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care CATSINaM designed and developed a tailored face-to-face cultural safety training course for assessors that supports the implementation of the NSQHS Standards, specifically the six Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health related actions.

Murra Mullangari: Cultural Safety E-Learning In mid-June 2020, Dr Karen Martin joined the CATSINaM team to take the lead for the development of an e-learning management system (LMS) on Cultural Safety.

Called Murra Mullangari, the term was gifted to CATSINaM by Ngunnawal Elders; Murra means pathway and Mullangari means health, wellness.

The approach taken will establish CATSINaM as a national leader of Cultural Safety Training in Australia.

Murra Mullangari is scheduled for launch on 17 March, 2022 (National Closing the Gap Day).

1300 CATSINaM 1300 CATSINAM was set up to reflect our national presence and provide an easy to remember number for support, advice and more.

This number is now live and will feature on all of our external printed communications in the future.

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CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

LINMEN The Leaders in Indigenous Nursing and Midwifery Education Network expanded to to include a Indigenist Research section now known as Muliyan.

You can read more about the Muliyan project on pages 18-19.

‘gettin em n keepin em’ report review The ‘gettin em n keepin em’ report by the Indigenous Nursing Education Working Group for the Commonwealth, back in 2020 made 32 recommendations for nursing education to achieve parity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses.

Unfortunately, as per the National Health Workforce Data Set (NHWDS 2019), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses occupy only one per cent, hence the need for an evaluation.

The evaluation was led by Professor Kim Usher who was a part of the ‘gettin em n keepin em’ Indigenous Nursing Education Working Party in 2000.

The Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery Executive Chairperson, Professor Tracey Maroney sponsored the review and 37 of the 39 Deans of Nursing and Midwifery participated in the evaluation.

The initial draft evaluation report has been approved by the CATSINaM Board.

Communications with Members and stakeholders for ‘gettin em n keepin em 2’ will commence in January 2022 for implementation from July 2022. ‘gettin em n keepin em 2’ aligns with the new CATSINam Strategic Plan seven Strategic Focus’.

Research and Knowledge Translation Division The CATSINaM Research and Knowledge Translation (R&KT) Division is a newly established program. The Program aims to develop, and quality manage all researchrelated activities to meet the strategic and operational objectives of CATSINaM and the translation of evidence-based outcomes to relevant policy and practice.

The R&KT team are currently looking after the following programs of work: • Muliyan Research Project - https://catsinam. org.au/muliyan-who-we-are/ • Elders Circle - https://catsinam.org.au/ elders-circle/ • External research related collaborations such as: ◦ NHMRC funded National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Researchers ◦ Stillbirth CRE Cultural Adaption of Safer Baby Bundle.

• Business Intelligence activities to inform roll out of strategic plan activities.

Members-Only Community Platform - Back to the Fire Our Member-only platform was launched – Back to the Fire – to provide a culturally safe space for knowledge sharing, discussions, Member only opportunities, events and more.

The data coming out of this platform will allow us to continue to review the opportunities, benefits and advocacy for our Members and the Sector.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

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MULIYAN On 10 December 2020, CATSINaM held Australia’s first Indigenist Health and Cultural Safety Education Research Consortium.

The agenda was set to decolonise Nursing and Midwifery.

This consortium was gifted the name Muliyan

by Ngunnawal Elders, to use in their shared work. The origins of the name lie in a place and a time when we gathered around a fire that continue to burn in Ngunnawal and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Countries.

Each member of the consortium has significant experience in educational research praxis and in embedding and monitoring the quality of Indigenous health and cultural safety education practice.

A semi-independent entity and evolving research network hosted by CATSINaM, Muliyan has also been partly supported by a grant from the Lowitja Institute and the Department of Health.

Muliyan seeks to shift the research discourse from a deficit based model to a strength based model. Shifting the research agenda into a space that values Indigenous ways of knowing and doing health and how to alleviate the determinants that have been caused and created through colonisation to decolonise health.

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The logo created for Muliyan, the Indigenist Health and Cultural Safety Education Research Consortium, represents the Middle Circle of the newly refreshed CATSINaM logo. The refreshed CATSINaM logo was based on the original CATSINaM logo painting which represents CATSINaM bringing Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Nurses together.

The coloured concentric rings in the centre are symbols used to depict a gathering for celebration, getting together to share knowledge. They represent the flags of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Nurses. The outer black circles are campfires representing the homes (house/kin/ community/mob) of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Nurses who belong to CATSINaM. The interlinking lines are the connections/ relationships with CATSINaM and each other that our shared aspirations creates. It shows our belonging.

This painting captures the artist, Lesley Salem’s understanding and belief of what CATSINaM is for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses (Lesley Salem, 1988).

CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

Muliyan Founding members Muliyan’s founding members includes LINMEN working party members and a collaboration of practitioners, researchers, educators, policy makers, funders and community organisations who share a commitment to to addressing racism in the Nursing and Midwifery professions and Australia’s healthcare system.

They are:

Professor Roianne West Kalkadoon & Djunke

Dr Lynore Geia Bwgcolman

Dr Vicki Saunders Gunggari

Professor Karen Adams Wiradjuri

Dr Holly Northam Living and working on Ngunnawal Country

Associate Professor Linda Deravin Wiradjuri

Ali Drummond Professor Adrian Miller Meriam le & Wuthathi Jirrbal

Professor Juanita Sherwood Wiradjuri

Dr Lynne Stuart Mandandanji

Dr Tamara Power Wiradjuri

Marni Tuala Bundjalung

Dr Fiona Rowe-Minniss Living and working on Yugambeh Nation

Professor Yvette Roe

Jessica Armao

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

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STUDENTS SCHOLARSHIPS CATSINAM is responsible for promoting the availability of scholarships to relevant nursing and midwifery students, seeking scholarship applications through appropriate channels, coordinating the selection process for scholarship recipients, and maintaining appropriate recruitment and selection protocols relating to the identification of the most suitable applicant.

Our scholarship opportunities included:

1

GRACE KINSELLA WOMEN’S HEALTH SCHOLARSHIP

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3

RURAL DOCTORS NETWORK, COVID RELIEF PAYMENTS FOR MEMBERS

5

ROYAL FLYING DOCTORS SERVICE SCHOLARHIPS

CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

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INTEGRITY HEALTH SCHOLARSHIPS

Student Engagement In late 2020 and early 2021, CATSINaM sent approximately 930 student packs to commencing and completing students at 39 universities. The number of packs was based on the National Health Workforce dataset.

Approximately 667 student packs were successfully delivered to universities, and of these 547 have been distributed to students, representing 82 percent. There are 120 packs - or 18 per cent - still due to be distributed, largely due to lock downs and difficulties in returning to campus. Other reasons include a surplus of packs or a lower number of students than expected.

CATSINaM will continue to engage with Schools of Nursing and Midwifery and Indigenous Education Support Units across the country to actively promote the organisation to new and emerging students.

Inaugural CATSINaM Graduation Ceremonies The CATSINaM National Conference Series also provided the perfect time and space for the introduction of the Inaugural CATSINaM Graduation Ceremonies.

CATSINaM place great importance on the nurses and midwives of the future, recognising the time, hurdles, and journeys each of our student members have taken to complete their field of study.

To celebrate this milestone in our Student Members’ careers, CATSINaM awarded possum cloaks as a graduation gift. Possum cloaks have not only been used for warmth, but also as baby carriers by ancestors across south-eastern Australia.

This support will extend to the VET and private sectors to include Diploma of Nursing and Assistant In Nursing students into the future.

CATSINaM’s Inaugural Graduation Ceremony, students awards possum cloaks.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

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CATSINaM NATIONAL CONFERENCE SERIES Our National Conference Series was the largest of our member-focussed events for the year.

The conferences incorporated celebrations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, as well as our member’s invaluable contribution to the health system. Themed ‘Back to the Fire’ the conferences provided the opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders nurses and midwives, including students to come together to network and share experiences.

We would like to offer a special thank you to the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands we were fortunate to conduct our conferences on. To be able to host an event for our Members that encapsulates local custom and tradition is incredibly special to us and we look forward to visiting again.

It is important to CATSINaM to celebrate and acknowledge culture when and where we can.

The conference was a fantastic opportunity to connect with Traditional Owners at all sites, ensure most of our speakers were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, conference suppliers were registered with Supply Nation, all accommodation venues had Reconciliation Action Plans and/or Indigenous employment strategies; with the event program acting as a showcase for Indigenous knowledges, leadership, arts, music and culture.

YIDINJI NATION

Prior to the commencement of the series, CATSINaM were gifted with a coolamon and ashes from the Sacred Fire for Peace and Justice

by Tent Embassy Elders on Ngambri Ngunnawal country in Canberra, that has burned at the landmark for Indigenous sovereignty since 1998.

This coolamon travelled to the five out of the ten conferences that CATSINaM were able to facilitate face to face.

GIMUY (Cairns) GARRAMILLA (Darwin) LARRAKIA COUNTRY

NAARM (Melbourne) KULIN NATION

NIPALUNA (Hobart) PALAWA COUNTRY

TARNTANYA (Adelaide) KAURNA NATION

344

TOTAL DELEGATES

22

CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

The words “Thank you” are totally inadequate for the best conference I have ever attended. You and the team are so dynamic you captured the cultural, academic, scientific, caring and enthusiastic Nurses and others.

Everyone received cultural “blessings” and made to feel valued, special and respected. And they responded and gave an insight into what is happening now – the collective energy was and is overpowering and will be used to bring positive changes to communities health and the Nursing profession.

I thank you for the gifts and accolades and I now know my job is done.

Thank you so much for being a wise person at such a young age and your expertise and dedication to family, nurses, the profession and communities.

Aunty Dulcie Flower

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

23

THANK YOU CATSINaM want to thank all of our exhibitors, suppliers and speakers who made this event possible for our Members. Without your continued dedication, passion and ongoing commitment to change, our events, achievements and collective purpose wouldn’t be possible.

EXHIBITORS: • Apunipima (Cairns) • Caring@home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People • Edith Cowan University - HealthInfoNet • Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) • Indigenous Program of Experience in the Pallative Approach (IPEPA) • National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners (NAATSIHWP) • Northern Territory Primary Health Network (NT PHN) • Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union (QNMU) • University of Adelaide (Faculty of Nursing)

SUPPLY NATION SUPPLIERS: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Bumma Bippera Media Trevor Timms Apporiginee Savage Boys David Hudson Abriculture Dreamtime Dive and Snorkel August MGMT NightShift Briscoe Sisters Croakey Health Media BLK Cockatoo

Briana Enoch Label 24

CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

AWARDS The CATSINaM Awards seek to recognise the accomplishments of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australian individuals, groups and organisations within the Nursing and Midwifery Sector to acknowledge the known and unsung heroes and heroines who work to improve the health of our people.

It is hoped that these awards provide a source of pride and inspiration for our members, partners and the workforce at large, as they continue their work to improve recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives, and improve the health service experiences and outcomes for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians.

Aunty Mawn Young nee Dancy 1935 - 2021

This year we also incorporated our awards into our Gimuy (Cairns) conference.

Congratulations again to our recent inductees and award recipients:

SALLY GOOLD NURSING EXCELLENCE AWARD

Aunty Lou Preece and Aunty Mawn Young

HALL OF FAME

Dr Lynore Geia and Haylene Grogan

FELLOWSHIP AWARD

Dr Carmen Parter and Professor Yvonne Cadet-James

PARTNERSHIP AWARD Sovereign Yidindji Government

Aunty Lou Preece and family

ON WHOSE SHOULDERS WE STAND AWARD

Establishment of the Aunty Pam Mam Award “On Whose Shoulders we Stand” By Brisbane Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Service and Aunty Pams family while reflecting on the Kuku Yalanji woman’s life.

Jodie Currie CEO ATSICHS Brisbane and Thomasina AhWang, Aunty Pam Mam’s daughter ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

25

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS WEBSITE Our website was a hit!

We had 4948 Users for 6856 sessions.

16, 544 pages viewed, which averaged to 2.40 pages per session.

Our website visitors hung around for an average of 1.54 minutes.

ISSUU We introduced a new hosting platform for our publications called Issuu. We now have 37 publications listed, which generated 3178 impressions and 305 reads! Our visitors spent an average of 4:53 reading our publications.

MEDIA As part of the ongoing efforts of CATSINaM to engage with and advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives, the organisation prioritises media representation that aligns with the current strategic priorities: • • • •

Recruitment and retention Advocacy Leadership development Cultural Safety.

reminder from an Elder to acknowledge and respect Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, doing, and being as health professionals and researchers.

• In December 2020 Roianne took some time to chat with Mundanara Bayles on the Black Magic Woman podcast. The yarn covered a multitude of subjects including racism, education, research and more. This episode had 155 downloads in the first 24 hours!

89 per cent of the listeners are located in Australia, with three per cent in the USA and three per cent in New Zealand.

• Croakey Media joined CATSINaM on the road in 2021 to cover the National Conference Series. An introductory article was created to introduce the significance of the conference series, followed by a wrap up report per stop.

Each article was able to identify a particular theme that emerged from each of the Conferences, which has also been developed into conference videos. The articles have had a total of 1,346 page views at Croakey. org. This does not include readership via AppleNews, Facebook and LinkedIn. Twitter analytics for the Cairns conference alone show 173 Twitter accounts used the conference hashtag, sharing 827 tweets and creating more than six million Twitter impressions.

• Other media outlets were also quick to report on CATSINaM’s new CEO (Illawarra Mercury, Newcastle Star and My Sunshine Coast).

With this in mind, the organisation has participated in a number of interviews for print, podcasts and radio during the reporting period.

• As part of the Muliyan Project (pages 1819) Professor West also collaborated on an editorial for the Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing with Professor Juanita Sherwood, Doctor Lynore Geia, Ali Drummond, Tamara Power, Lynne Stuart and Linda Deravin called ‘ Taking our blindfolds

off”: acknowledging the vision of First Nations peoples for nursing and midwifery.

This editorial was responding to a recent

26

CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

151 NEW MEMBERS JOINED OUR PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP

We received 481 new likes to our page (previous period for Facebook saw a growth of 404 likes (77 difference between reporting periods))

580 37

NEW TWITTER FOLLOWERS MAKING TWITTER OUR FASTEST GROWING SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNEL.

4,877

TOTAL TWITTER FOLLOWERS

PUBLICATIONS LISTED ONLINE

281

NEW INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS

16,544 WEBSITE PAGE VIEWS

1,448

TOTAL INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

27

WHAT WE’RE DOING FOR NURSES AND MIDWIVES We contribute to the development of policies and deliver programs to support the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nursing and midwifery workforce, and nurses and midwives caring for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

Our Chief Executive leads our work in this field.

POLICY AND STRATEGY We work with the nursing and midwifery professions to ensure the cultural safety of systems and processes. The following are ways we ensure our policies on nursing and midwifery contribute to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

National Nursing Strategy Update • The Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer (CNMO) will lead work to develop the first National Nursing Strategy.

• The strategy will: ◦ workforce sustainability ◦ diversity of the profession ◦ the challenges of regional, rural and remote nursing.

CATSINaM’s role is to promote the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and nursing students and the critical role of cultural safety in nursing.

◦ include goals for one to three years, five years and ten years ◦ address nurse practitioner workforce issues of national significance ◦ enhance the delivery of nursing care to the Australian community.

CATSINaM’s role is to promote the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Practitioner students and the critical role of cultural safety in the role of the Nurse Practitioner.

Educating the Nurse of the Future • The 2019 report Educating the Nurse of the Future present the outcomes of an independent review of the education of the nurses. The review investigated whether this preparations meets the services needs of Australia’s future healthy system.

Nurse Practitioner 10-Year Plan Steering Committee

CATSINaM’s role is to promote the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nursing students and the critical role of cultural safety in nurse education in Australia.

• CATSINaM is a member of the Committee and is involved in developing a ten year plan for nurse practitioners (NPs): • The plan will:

The 20-year evaluation of the ‘gettin em n keepin em’ including the relevant recommendations from the Educating the Nurse of the Future will be led by CATSINaM.

◦ describe a set of actions that can be taken over the course of ten years

28

CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

National Stillbirth Action and Implementation Plan • In response to a senate inquiry into stillbirth, we developed a National stillbirth action and implementation plan.

• As part of implementing the plan we are funding a wide range of stillbirth initiatives, some of which improve processes for nurses and midwives.

CATSINaM’s role is to promote the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander midwives and the critical role of cultural safety in addressing overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stillbirths.

COVID-19 CATSINaM continued to provide support and advocacy for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives throughout the continuation of the pandemic.

Coalition of Peaks CATINSaM continued to be a proud recognised partner of the Coalition of Peaks during the reporting period.

Through the Priority Reforms, CATSINaM will continue to work with Members, Governments and organisations to close the gap for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

NMBA • Meetings continued with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Executive Officer and Chairperson. The NMBA regulates the practice of nursing and midwifery in Australia Initiative and programs

Participation in industry panels: CATSINaM have been invited to speak in meetings, participate in national and state based advisory groups and events as key note speakers and industry panellists on a range of subjects, in alignment with the CATSINaM strategic direction including but not limited to: • • • • • • • •

The COVID-19 pandemic Racism in the health sector Careers in health and STEM Palliative care Midwifery Birthing on Country Nursing leadership development National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan 2021 – 2031 • The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Amendment Bill – AHPRA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander working group.

peoples in Australia.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

29

GLOBAL NURSING NOW CAMPAIGN In May 2021, Professor Roianne West attended the Global Nursing Now (Western Pacific Region) video conference to speak about the work CATSINaM Members have done throughout the pandemic as well as the critical role of the organisation and Members in achieving health equity.

Nursing Now was a three-year global awareness campaign which, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the International Council of Nurses, aimed to raise the status and profile of nursing around the world. The initiative, which has been patroned by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, worked to empower nurses to take their place at the heart of tackling 21st Century health challenges.

An Australian finale for the three-year campaign was held in Canberra where both Professor West and Dr Lynore Geia spoke on behalf of CATSINaM and Members.

International Year of the Nurse and Midwife 2020 was the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife and to celebrate the thousands of years of traditional birthing and healing practices of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives, CATSINaM set out to recognise the contributions to Nursing and Midwifery by our Members.

Stories were highlighted and promoted under the #RecogniseBlackNursesandMidwives2020 campaign, these were shared on our social media platforms and can be found on the CATSINaM website.

During the reporting period, this page on our website was viewed 237 times, with an average time spent on the page of 2 minutes. You can read the stories by visiting https://catsinam.org.au/recognise-black-nurses-and-midwives-2020-2021/

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CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

GOVERNANCE

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

31

ELDERS CIRCLE In July 2020, the CATSINaM Elders Circle was established by the Board. The Elders Circle is an advisory group to the Board and the CATSINaM CEO. The role of the CATSINaM Elders Circle is to assist and advise the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities to members of CATSINaM on matters relating to cultural governance, cultural leadership and membership matters. The CATSINaM Elders Circle consists of eight elders who have been selected by the Board. The CATSINaM Elders Circle is not a policy making body but assists the Board and the CATSINaM CEO in implementing Board policy.

Aunty Professor Kerrie Doyle (RN, PhD) Winninninni, Cadigal, and Irish

Aunty Pam Gow (RN, RM) Kamilaroi and Gamilaroi

Aunty Dr Lynore Geia (RN, RM, PhD) Bwgcolman

Aunty Dulcie Flower (OAM, RN, RM) Meriam

Aunty Jane Jones (RN) Noongar

Aunty Dr Doseena Fergie (OAM, RN, RM, PhD) Wuthathi, Mabuiag Island and Ambonese

Uncle David ‘Tanda’ Copley (RN) Kaurna and Peramangk Nations

Professor Juanita Sherwood (RN, PhD) Wiradjuri 32

CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

BOARD MEETINGS CATSINaM is a community-controlled organisation, as such our board consists of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives from across the country.

There were a few changes in board membership during 2020-21, with the board direction and shape changing with each new member.

The board membership at the end of the financial year was as follows: • • • • • •

Marni Tuala (President), Queensland Vanessa Browne, South Australia Michelle Cutmore, New South Wales Professor Karen Adams, Board appointed Professor Juanita Sherwood, Board appointed Kim Henschke, Northern Territory.

2020-21 Board meetings During this reporting period, there were eight Board meetings.

Board Meetings: • • • • • • • •

12/08/2020 - scheduled full meeting 20/10/2020 - scheduled full meeting 30/11/2020 - scheduled full meeting 18/12/2020 - out of session 01/03/2021 - scheduled full meeting 03/05/2021 - scheduled full meeting 04/06/2021 - out of session 28/06/2021 - scheduled full meeting.

The number of CATSINaM Board of Directors meetings held during the financial year are as follows:

Eligible Board Attended Board Meetings Meetings

Director

Director Status at 30 June 2021

Marni Tuala

QLD, President (casual appointment1 to 2022 AGM)

8

8

Vanessa Brown

SA (casual appointment to 2021 AGM)

8

7

Michelle Cutmore

NSW (member elected to 2023 AGM)

5

5

Karen Adams

Board appointed

5

5

Juanita Sherwood

Board appointed

3

3

Kim Henschke

NT (casual appointment to 2023 AGM)

3

1

Past Members Vanessa Curnow

QLD, term ended 01/07/20 - 30/11/20

3

1

Renee Blackman

Board appointed, term ended 01/07/20 - 30/11/20

3

1

Ted Murphy

NT, term ended 01/07/20 - 30/11/20

3

3

Roxanne Jones

ACT, resigned 01/07/20 - 07/06/21

7

7

Nicole Ramsamy

VIC, resigned 01/07/20 - 04/07/21

8

8

Valerie Ah Chee

WA, resigned 01/08/20 - 30/11/20

3

2

Karita McCarthy

Resigned 30/11/20 - 23/04/21

2

2

Laurence Riley

Resigned 30/11/20 - 09/06/21

4

2

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

33

BOARD MEMBERS

Marni Tuala

Vanessa Brown

PRESIDENT

Born in Adelaide, Vanessa is a proud Larrakia, Wulna and Chinese woman, she is also a survivor of Cyclone Tracey in Darwin.

(Bundjalung)

Marni Tuala grew up on country in Northern New South Wales (NSW) and comes from a long line of healers. She is currently employed as the Director of Aboriginal Health for Healthy North Coast (HNC), facilitators of the Primary Health Network program across the North Coast of NSW. As the strategic lead for Aboriginal Health within HNC, Marni draws upon her experience of the regional health landscape as well as national policy and program development to inform strategy at a local level.

Marni brings a unique perspective to her role having studied both midwifery and the law.

Marni holds a Bachelor of Midwifery and a Masters in Primary Maternity Care. Having worked clinically as the Aboriginal liaison midwife in a hospital-based model of care, Marni is passionate about improving the cultural safety of the broader health system and working towards the implementation of culturally safe models of care.

Marni is passionate about her responsibility to her community both culturally and to provide role modelling and mentoring, and enjoys contributing to the development of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce through nurturing the next generations and developing a safe system for them to work in. Marni continues to advocate for and influence systemic reform across both the health and education sectors at both a National and regional level.

34

(Larrakia)

Vanessa started her nursing career in 1993 as a Nurse Assistant in a nursing home while studying a Bachelor of Nursing at the University of South Australia. She worked in the Royal Adelaide Hospital for a couple of years before commencing study for a Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing at Flinders University.

Vanessa then worked at Glenside Campus for around 16 years moving between rural and remote acute inpatient unit, psychiatric intensive care and emergency triage and liaison service. Vanessa also spent a year in New Zealand working in an acute mental health unit which also included a rehabilitation and psychiatric intensive care unit.

In 2019, Vanessa completed her Masters of Nurse Practitioner at the University of South Australia and is now working in a community mental health service. She has been in the community for the past four years working towards increasing the profile of the mental health service and assisting community to navigate the systems, understand illness, symptoms and strive for wellness.

Vanessa is passionate about encouraging upand-coming nurses to complete their nursing degrees and possibly consider mental health.

She is a strong believer that with support and mentoring we can better encourage our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses to reach beyond their potential and help them to make a difference in the attitudes and stigma that is often experienced in mainstream services by our Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander nurses and consumers/patients/ clients/community members.

CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

Michelle Cutmore

Professor Karen Adams

From Moree in North-West New South Wales, Michelle is from a family of five children and was the only one to finish high school and achieve higher education. Michelle started as an Aboriginal Health Worker in 1993 but realised that nursing would allow a greater scope of practice and management of the issues faced by her people, so she went on to complete a Bachelor of Nursing as a mature aged student at the University of Western Sydney in 2008.

She finished her university studies with the help of the NSW Health Nursing and Midwifery Scholarship and Cadetship program and has been a member of CATSIN (now CATSINaM) since 2003.

Professor Karen Adams is the Director of Gukwonderuk, the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences’ Indigenous engagement unit at Monash University.

(Gomeroi/Gamilaroi)

Michelle’s passion has always been divided between providing grass roots care within the community as well as empowering and enabling more of her people to become nurses and midwives. These passions have seen her working in a variety of high-level roles to grow career pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives, ensuring a First Nations voice in health care delivery, to contributions in curriculum development at universities to increase knowledge and awareness of issues pertaining to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Currently, Michelle is working as Nurse Navigator for Queensland Health, where she would like to create opportunities for sharing cultural knowledge and learning with colleagues, ultimately increasing cultural safety in the workplace for growing the representation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives workforce in Queensland Health.

(Wiradjuri)

Professor Adams is ignited by the question: “how do you know if it’s working?” fuelled by work in the early years of her career in community education within Aboriginal Community Controlled organisations.

This question led her to complete a Master of Applied Epidemiology, followed by a PhD which focused on social network analysis and child health. Today, along with her team, Professor Adams’ research aims to increase the number of Indigenous Health professionals across the sector, and to educate healthcare workers to respectfully engage with Indigenous patients.

Professor Adams speaks of her research as a life-long learning journey and asserts that the path forward needs to be a staunchly anti-racist approach, involving increasing the capacity of Indigenous students and a robust Indigenous healthcare workforce. Professor Adams stresses that “healthcare learning and teaching needs to include what Indigenous health service consumers want. The voice of the consumer must be present during the education and training stage.”

A founding Member of Muliyan, Professor Adams also convenes an Indigenous Health Graduate Research Circle. The Circle is comprised of a growing number of Indigenous and non-Indigenous PhD students researching in the Indigenous health space. Students’ research has an educational and social and emotional wellbeing focus including areas, such as: lateral violence; men’s groups; young urban peoples’ connection to culture and the relationship between land-based practices and social and emotional wellbeing.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

35

Professor Juanita Sherwood

Kim Henschke

Professor Sherwood is currently the Pro ViceChancellor Indigenous Engagement at Charles Sturt University. For more than 35 years, she has worked as a nurse, teacher, lecturer, and researcher to change health and education outcomes for First Nations peoples.

Born in Mount Isa, North-West Queensland, Kim’s career in health began as an Enrolled Nurse. From here she progressed to Endorsed Enrolled Nurse, and then went on to complete a Bachelor of Nursing, Graduate Diploma of Midwifery, Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice (RIPN) and a Masters in Research (thesis) followed by a Diploma of Leadership and Management.

(Wiradjuri)

Professor Sherwood is widely credited for recognising colonisation as the primary determinant of First Nations health and increasing the uptake of First Nations centred research and decolonisation methods. She is one of the top five most productive researchers globally on the topic of decolonisation and her work has popularised the use of decolonising frameworks and praxes in teaching, research, and health care across Australia.

Having lived and worked in many diverse urban, rural and remote settings, Professor Sherwood has experienced and witnessed firsthand the damaging impacts of colonial racism – particularly in the health system. Her longstanding commitment to Indigenous health research as a social justice praxis is concerned with building local First Nations power in the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector as well as pursuing structural change in mainstream health settings to ensure greater cultural safety for First Nations patients and health workers.

Professor Sherwood is currently involved in several National Health and Medical Research Centre (NHMRC) funded projects toward these ends, including ‘Birthing on Country’ (BoC), ‘Strengthening systems for Indigenous healthcare equity’ (STRIDE), ‘Decolonising Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care’ and the ‘National First Nations Research Network’. Prof Sherwood is a CATSINaM founding member, member of the Elders’ Circle, Board Director and Muliyan founding member.

36

(Kalkadoon/Waanyi/Butchella)

Having studied over a period of 35 years, Kim said that during this time she has been fortunate enough to have worked in both the public and private health systems, rural and remote and Aboriginal Medical Services. Each of these areas have provided the opportunities and experiences which have impacted on the desire and drive to be part of the bigger picture of policy development and strategic directions in Aboriginal Health care delivery and attrition and retention of an Aboriginal workforce including Aboriginal Health Professionals and Aboriginal Nurses.

Kim feels that her work and study has equipped her with the knowledge and experience to advocate for better health outcomes and provide management, leadership, advice, coordination and integration of efficient delivery of core Primary Health Care services in the regions.

Kim is currently working as the District Manager (N7 equivalent to the Director of Nursing), for Primary Health Care in Top End Health looking after the health delivery across Top End West area of the Northern Territory.

Health has been Kim’s passion, recognising early in her career the need to have an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurse with extensive experiences as a part of change management and implementation for improvements to ensure culturally safe primary health care delivery to communities.

CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

“Coming back to the fire was about privileging our leadership as Indigenous people, privileging our Indigenous ways in which we know things, the Indigenous ways in which we learn and the styles in which we lead.”

CATSINaM CEO, Professor Roianne West.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

37

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

38

CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

2020-21 CATSINAM FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT For the 2020-21 financial year, CATSINaM reported an annual revenue of $3,256,068 with a net surplus of $11,100. This was a 28 per cent growth in CATSINaM revenue.

CATSINaM Annual Income Growth 2016 - 2021 30 June 2016

30 June 2017

30 June 2018

30 June 2019

30 June 2020

30 June 2021

1,463,940

1,697,163

1,753,086

2,330,360

2,539,503

3,256,068

At 30 June 2021, CATSINaM recorded five consecutive years of revenue growth. We also recorded the highest annual revenue in the history of our organisation. These results build on the efforts of the previous year.

CATSINaM further pursued its strategy of improving technological capabilities and staff professional development with a long-term focus of being self-sustainable.

CATSINaM continues to invest in its people, systems and infrastructure to strengthen and support the organisation. The following summarised financial reports provide a snapshot of the financial performance and position of CATSINaM for the 2020–21 financial year.

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

39

OUR FUNDING SOURCES We sincerely thank our supporters for their generous financial contributions this year. This support has assisted CATSINaM deliver a range of activities across Australia.

In 2020–21, CATSINaM received income from three key sources. These sources included: • own source income from education/training services, conference income and sponsorship • multiple program grants from government partners • multiple program grants from non-government partners.

CATSINaM Income Sources Own Source Income

Government

Non-Government

CATSINaM has continued to generate its own income through the selling of sponsorship packages, conference incomes, workshops, training resources, advice and merchandise. This income is reinvested into the organisation for employee development, events, and new products and services.

CATSINaM would like to thank the Australian Government for financially supporting our work over the past year.

In 2020–21 CATSINaM also secured approximately $70,000 from a mix of partners for projects, enabling CATSINAM to provide content expertise, and deliver educational and scholarship initiatives.

In 2020-21 CATSINaM secured approximately $2.9m from the Australian Government for different projects. This included $2.3m in core organisational funding to provide guidance and agreed activities.

CATSINaM sponsors and supporters continue to be very generous. In 202021 CATSINaM secured approximately $153,000 in sponsorship from multiple organisations and conference registrations.

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CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

2020-21 OWN SOURCE INCOME The following income has been generated by CATSINaM. Income Source

Description

Amount ex GST

Conference Sponsors & Exhibitors

CATSINaM Conference sponsorship

Conference Attendees

CATSINaM Conference registration fees

100,081 52,986

Subtotal

153,067

2020-21 GOVERNMENT INCOME CATSINaM acknowledges the following financial support from the Australian Government.

Income Source

Description

Amount ex GST

Department of Health (Indigenous Australians Health Program)

Core Organisational Funding

Department of Health (Indigenous Australians Health Program)

Online Cultural Safety Training Program for Nursing and Midwifery in Australia

143,646

Department of Health (Indigenous Australians Health Program)

Leaders in Indigenous Nursing and Midwifery Education Network

500,000

2,338,340

Subtotal

2,981,986

2020-21 NON-GOVERNMENT INCOME The following income is from non-government incomes sources.

Income Source

Description

Lowitja Institute

Research Activity funding

Amount ex GST 44,006

Australian Taxation Office

Cashflow Boost Project (COVID-19)

50,000

Sales & Other

Merchandise & Other small projects

26,291

Non-operational activity income (Bank interest)

Interest received

718 Subtotal

121,015

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF CONFERENCE SPONSORS AND EXHIBITORS CATSINaM would like to thank the following financial and in-kind sponsors and exhibitors for contributing to the CATSINaM Conferences:

SPONSORS 1. CRANAplus 2. Deparment of Health, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Office 3. Edith Cowan University - School of Nursing and Midwifery 4. Griffith University 5. Healing Foundation 6. Health Employees Superannuation Trust Australia (HESTA) 7. University of Adelaide (Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences)

EXHIBITORS 8. Apunipima (Cairns) 9. Caring@home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People 10. Edith Cowan University - HealthInfoNet 11. Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) 12. Indigenous Program of Experience in the Pallative Approach (IPEPA) 13. National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners (NAATSIHWP) 14. Northern Territory Primary Health Network (NT PHN) 15. Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union (QNMU) 16. University of Adelaide (Faculty of Nursing) 17. Nurse and Midwife Support 18. Indigenous Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (IPEPA)

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CONGRESS OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER NURSES AND MIDWIVES LTD

AUDITORS REPORT TO CATSINAM

Canberra Accountancy & Audit Pty Limited ABN 51 164 308 052

DIRECTOR: Peter Irving CA

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

Ms M. Tuala, Chairperson, Board of Directors Congress of Aborginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives Limited, Level 1 15 Lancaster Place Majura Park. ACT. 2609.

MANAGEMENT LETTER Dear Ms Tuala, We have completed our audit of the financial report for Congress of Aborginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives Limited for the year ended 30th June 2021. Please convey our thanks to the organisation’s staff and consultants for preparing the accounts for audit and providing information and explanations as required.

In our opinion the financial controls in place are sufficient to account for and ensure that funding grants are used expressly for the purposes specified. The Company’s financial controls also ensure that the statutory and tax obligations are discharged properly.

There were no issues found that would suggest the inability of the Company to repay surplus grant funds or complete the approved activities with available funds.

The Company has complied with its obligations and procedures as required.

This Report is prepared under the terms of our engagement .

Canberra Accountancy & Audit Pty. Limited

Peter Irving CA: Director Chartered Accountants 25th October 2021

74 Lindrum Crescent, HOLT ACT 2615 Telephone : 0409666281

PO Box 158, Kippax, ACT 2615 Email: peteri@grapevine.com.au

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

43

2020-21 CATSINAM FINANCIAL SUMMARIES SUMMARY STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION For the year ended 30 June 2021 2021

2020

$

$

536,238

1,067,890

85,316

6,687

203,613

124,643

825,167

1,199,220

Current assets Cash and cash equivalents Receivables Prepayments and other receivables Total current assets Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment

240,306

114,426

Total non-current assets

240,306

114,426

1,065,473

1,313,646

248,936

133,883

33,763

67,639

Total assets Current liabilities Trade and other payables Provisions Deferred income

158,319

490,363

Total current liabilities

441,018

691,885

Provisions

15,818

24,224

Total non-current liabilities

15,818

24,224

Total liabilities

456,836

716,109

Net assets

608,637

597,537

11,100

265,531

608,637

597,537

Non-current liabilities

Equity Retained earnings Total equity

44

CATSINaM

SUMMARY STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME For the year ended 30 June 2021 2021

2020

$

$

2,981,986

2,129,887

Own-source income

153,067

255,931

Non-government/other Income

120,296

151,964

3,255,350

2,537,782

718

1,721

3,256,068

2,539,503

1,150,171

1,025,991

Revenue from operations Government grants income

Sub total Revenue from non-operating activities Interest received Total revenue Expenses Employee benefits expense Operating lease rental expense

49,561

48,760

Audit, legal and consultancy expense

483,436

447,577

Travel, accommodation and meals

220,556

95,686

Depreciation expense

45,397

64,589

1,295,847

591,369

Total expenses

3,244,968

2,273,972

Total surplus

11,100

265,531

Other expense

SUMMARY STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY For the year ended 30 June 2021 Reserves Retained surplus $ Balance at 30 June 2019

Total $

332,006

332,006

265,531

265,531

Total comprehensive income for the period Net surplus for year ended 30 June 2020 Other comprehensive income for the year Balance at 30 June 2020

-

-

597,537

597,537

11,100

11,100

-

-

608,637

608,637

Total comprehensive income for period Net surplus for year ended 30 June 2021 Other comprehensive income for year Balance at 30 June 2021

ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2021

45

www.catsinam.org.au 1300 CATSINAM PO Box 354, Annerley, QLD, 4103