A key component is bolstering the workforce with the employment of Aboriginal cancer care coordinators, a position which has been successfully piloted since 2021.
The NSW government has released its first Aboriginal Cancer Strategy, setting goals to improve cancer outcomes in Aboriginal communities.
A large focus in the strategy is a stronger partnership between NSW Health and the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health (ACCH) sector and addressing the power imbalances between them.
The emphasis is on co-creation, shared decision-making and joint assessment of service needs and resource allocation.
The strategy highlights the review and expansion of current programs, policies and positions to support health system navigation and access for Aboriginal people, as well as coordination with Aboriginal organisations to identify and implement new options.
The strategy also discusses the development of learning products which support cultural safety, which would be institutionally embedded across NSW Health, and includes agreement with Aboriginal people and organisations on how their health data and information are collected, used and shared.
“With this Strategy, we are moving beyond consultation to genuine co-design, ensuring that Aboriginal people are at the centre of decision-making that impacts their health,” said NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce.
“Their voices, knowledge and lived experience will be the driving force behind the system reform needed to achieve lasting change.”
She explained that it would hold the NSW health system accountable for improving the health outcomes of Aboriginal people.
“This Strategy embodies our pledge to listen and co-create a future where Aboriginal people and generations to come are empowered to determine their own health outcomes,” she said.
The NSW Aboriginal Cancer Strategy: Caring for Kin and Country is linked to the NSW Aboriginal Health Plan 2024-2034 and the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, developed by the Cancer Institute NSW in consultation with the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC).
A highlight of the strategy is formal strategic workforce planning in Aboriginal health, based on current and future needs. Part of this includes $12 million funding for Aboriginal cancer care coordinators across 10 local health districts and 15 Aboriginal medical services in the state.
This position was piloted successfully in Murrumbidgee, Northern NSW, Central Coast and Sydney and supports culturally safe cancer care for Aboriginal patients and families.
“This Strategy highlights the importance of the Aboriginal health workforce,” Nicole Turner, CEO of AH&MRC in NSW, told media.
“These professionals provide not only exceptional care but improve the overall experience of people with cancer and their loved ones – in turn, breaking down barriers and generations of trauma.”
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“A cornerstone of our efforts will be boosting and enhancing the Aboriginal cancer workforce across the entire ecosystem,” said NSW health minister Ryan Park.
“This encompasses everything from initiatives focused on culturally appropriate cancer screening and prevention, through to compassionate and culturally safe care that extends beyond a diagnosis. This is not just about jobs, it’s about building trust, fostering understanding and ensuring care is delivered with sensitivity and respect.”
Included in the strategy were health data of Aboriginal people across the state between 2016 and 2020. Cancer incidence in this time was 5556, with 1941 deaths due to cancer.
The most common cancer types in this period were lung (16%), breast (12%), prostate (10%), bowel (9.8%) and melanoma (6%).
Lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death in Aboriginal people in NSW. Those diagnosed had a high burden of chronic conditions, with multiple comorbidities present in more than half.
Among Aboriginal women, breast cancer was the most commonly diagnosed and the second most common cause of cancer death. Nearly a quarter of breast cancers in Aboriginal people were diagnosed in those aged less than 50 years.
Only 45% of Aboriginal women aged 50–74 in NSW participated in the state’s breast cancer screening program between 2021 and 2023.
Prostate cancer was the most common cancer among Aboriginal men, and three quarters of diagnoses were in those aged 60 years and above.
Nearly two thirds of bowel cancers – the third most common cancer for both Aboriginal men and women – were diagnosed in those aged 50–74 years. A little over a quarter of Aboriginal people across the country participated in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program in 2018–2019.
A third of skin cancers were diagnosed in under 50s. It was reported that a common misconception in some communities was that Aboriginal people could get skin cancer.
“The devastating reality is that in NSW, Aboriginal people are 1.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and 2.1 times more likely to die from cancer than non-Aboriginal people,” said Mr Park.
“This is unacceptable and demands our collective and urgent action.”
