To our WNSW PHN community,

On the weekend the majority of Australians voted against enshrining an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.

Regardless of our personal views on the proposition before the Australian people, we would like to acknowledge the emotional costs that this public debate has caused our Aboriginal community. We particularly acknowledge those in the Aboriginal health sector who have worked tirelessly over the last 12 months to educate and inform the broader community in the lead up to the vote. The impact of this will be felt far beyond the vote and now more than ever it is important that we support our community during this time.

If you or someone you know needs support, the following services and resources are available:

• 13YARN “ Call 13 92 76, 24/7 Crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
• First Nations mental health and wellbeing support “ from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
• WellMob “ Social, emotional and cultural wellbeing online resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
• Stronger Together “ from R U OK?
• Trauma-informed conversations “ general resources from Blue Knot
• You can also find a list of all the services WNSW PHN commissions here: WNSW PHN Commissioned Services

We encourage you to continue to treat each other with empathy, kindness and respect and to look after your wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around you.

We would also like to assure you that the outcome of this vote does not affect the WNSW PHN’s commitment to partner with Aboriginal people in our region to improve their health and wellbeing. Over the next 12 months we will be focused on aligning our efforts to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

Warm regards,

Andrew Coe
WNSW PHN CEO

&

Donna Stanley
Executive Manager Aboriginal Health & Wellbeing

Western NSW Primary Health Network