From the Heart director to address national conference

Dean Parkin will join the AMA National Conference live from the Garma festival in remote Arnhem Land. The From the Heart Director will speak to doctors about what a voice to parliament will mean for Indigenous health and take questions from attendees.

Mr Parkin is from the Quandamooka peoples of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) in Queensland and was closely involved in the process that resulted in the historic Uluru Statement From The Heart.

The Voice to Parliament was proposed in the From the Heart statement and endorsed by the AMA in 2018.

The Federal Government has committed to a referendum to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in its first term. In his role Mr Parkin continues to advocate for constitutional and structural reform to enable that establishment. 

He will join the AMA National Conference via video link from the annual celebration of Yolngu culture to discuss what a Voice to Parliament requires and the contribution it can make to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to engage directly in this process with Dr Khorshid moderating questions to Mr Parkin from doctors on the conference floor.

The AMA is committed to embedding cultural safety across the medical profession to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can access appropriate and responsive health care and is a proud member of the Close the Gap Campaign Steering Committee.

Another not-to-be missed conference session focuses on our public hospital sector, which is beset by staff burnout, underfunding and unacceptable ambulance ramping. The AMA campaigned hard on hospital funding and related issues during this year’s election.

Dr Clare Skinner, President of the Australian College of Emergency Medicine will discuss these issues with former government health system leaders, Elizabeth Koff, CEO of Telstra Health, and formerly Secretary of NSW Health and former Tasmanian Health Minister and Premier and current CEO of AMA Tasmania, Lara Giddings who will explain why it has proven impossible to get hospitals the resources they need.

Dr Laura Raiti, AMA Council of Doctors in Training Deputy Co-Chair will represent trainee doctors in the session which will be chaired by Dr Sarah Whitelaw, an emergency doctor at Royal Melbourne hospital and the AMA’s representative for emergency medicine.

You can still register for the hybrid event and attend in person at Sydney’s Darling harbour or join the programme virtually from 29 – 31 July and receive CPD points for attending. Click here to register.