Introduction by Croakey: The success of Indigenous communities and health services in protecting Elders during the first waves of the COVID pandemic in Australia is known all over the world. What we know less about are the experiences and perspectives of those who were shielded.
An interesting research project, presented at the recent HEAL conference, sought to capture some of these experiences using yarning circle workshops. The research team also sought and received insights about how future public health responses could be improved.
Their findings will help form a submission to an ongoing inquiry into Australia’s COVID-19 response.
Finishing off her coverage of #HEAL2023 for the Croakey Conference News Service, Alison Barrett reports below.
Alison Barrett writes:
As evidence about the interaction between infectious diseases and climate change increases, it is important for climate disaster responses to incorporate public health measures to mitigate outbreaks, according to Professor Tulio de Oliveira and Dr Houriiyah Tegally from the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.
The pair recently wrote in the journal Science about the need for health systems to adapt to the occurrence of outbreaks associated with climate events, and changes in transmission patterns caused by global movement of people, animals and goods.
Here in Australia, the first stage of an inquiry into the COVID-19 Response, which will hopefully inform our own attempts at adaptation and preparedness, is underway – the deadline for submissions is 15 December 2023.
At the recent HEAL 2023 Conference, Amie Furlong and Selina Edmonds shared some timely and important lessons about Aboriginal community experiences of the pandemic. These lessons, from Aboriginal Elders, organisations and communities will, according to Furlong, be used to inform a submission to the COVID Inquiry.
Furlong, from the University of Canberra, and Edmonds, chair of the Miya Kaadadjiny (Learning Sanctuary) Community Centre in Western Australia, delivered a joint presentation at HEAL 2023 based on research undertaken to gain a better understanding about measures to keep Aboriginal Elders safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In search of fair, equitable and dignified public health responses
This project was led by Professor Pat Dudgeon AM and Professor Helen Milroy AM from the Bilya Marlee School of Indigenous Studies, at the University of Western Australia.
It stemmed from the recognition that older people are more likely to be negatively impacted by COVID-19, and that previous research and experience on disasters had shown that pandemic responses needed to be “fair, equitable and dignified for Aboriginal people”, Edmonds told the conference.
Aboriginal people have often been left out of critical planning and decision-making in the past, Edmonds said. It is important to include their voices in disaster response and management plans.
Furlong said the lessons from this research will help provide practical suggestions and lessons learned about the pandemic for governments and organisations working in public health and emergencies.
Through the research – which involved yarning circle workshops between July and October 2023 – it became apparent that the “COVID crisis amplified challenges” in achieving equity for those doing it toughest and not having the resources or means to adapt fully, Furlong said.
Redefining frontline and essential workers
The findings indicate the importance of embedding a determinants-approach and cultural lens into health and wellbeing to help reduce the experiences of heightened discrimination and racism reported by research participants, Furlong told the conference.
Furlong shared an example where some Aboriginal organisations working in family domestic violence and suicide prevention were “side-lined during COVID” and were not able to get into community to deliver in-person support.
Representatives of these organisations told the researchers they would like equal weight given to community and social services when defining frontline and essential services. “In reality, in communities, social services and health cannot be separated,” Furlong said.
Impact on cultural law and customs
Two of the “biggest conversation patterns” in the research were around the vaccine rollout and the impact on cultural law and customs, including sorry business and funeral practices, Furlong said.
Many of the participants, particularly the Elders, appreciated the emphasis on keeping safe from COVID by staying at home especially during the initial stages of the pandemic.
On the other hand, these measures, including funeral restrictions, had a devastating impact on participants.
One participant described being ventilated in hospital without family being able to visit and said, “this was the worst day of their life”, Furlong told the conference.
The strong restrictions on funerals and not being able to participate in customs and traditions compounded grief and negatively affected wellbeing. “Communities really wanted to see that they could be trusted and given ownership to manage these practices safely,” she said.
The research found that many participants felt they had lacked proper choice and control around the vaccines. Furlong said they described having more worry and distrust of the different public health measures and justifications, particularly around the vaccines.
COVID-19 “created an environment which surpassed normal decision-making processes”, Furlong told the conference.
“People have different beliefs and knowledge systems, and a public health response that takes a cultural lens into consideration may be more beneficial and create less tensions along the way,” she said.
Aboriginal knowledge
Furlong told the conference that “Aboriginal knowledge as wisdom and approaches to health and healing” came through strongly in the research. However, while this approach exists, it has been overwritten and diminished at times via settler colonial concepts of public health, she said.
Furlong said the research participants emphasised the importance of trusting science – “when it is accessible, safe and best practice information in regard to COVID-19” but said ideally the settler colonial concepts of public health should be combined with Aboriginal epistemologies.
The participants wanted to have faith in the science, but it “didn’t always reach all corners of the community” and misinformation spread.
Diverse Aboriginal perspectives
Another key finding is the principle of including diverse Aboriginal representation when co-designing disaster plans and responses.
Furlong said the participants were keen to be involved in the COVID-19 crisis response but had different ideas on how to engage.
Connecting up community organisations with shared goals, to embrace opportunities and apply jointly for grants and funding were some examples of ways in which participants said they wanted to be involved.
“Some participants stated that they really wanted to set up an Aboriginal state-wide advisory board that makes decisions and creates emergency plans ahead of time,” Furlong said.
It is important to “ask what a community prefers during a crisis rather than assume”, she added.
Human generosity
The research identified some positive stories around human generosity in a crisis. Furlong said they heard of strangers, best friends, and communities coming together to help out and make COVID a little less scary.
Participants said they wanted to see more positive stories to bring people together and remind everyone they weren’t alone.
Furlong told the conference that highlighting these positive experiences helped to “balance out the fearful communications and information that went around”, as well as counterbalancing the pathologising and deficit reductionism often applied to Indigenous communities.
There was a lot of compassion for everyone involved including government, different organisations and participants, Furlong said. Participants felt as though everyone was trying their best during this “really troubling time”.
Furlong told the conference that learning about the response to COVID from people’s own experiences as knowledge holders, rather than organisations or professionals is really important in improving Australia’s systems approach to crises.
About the research team
Edmonds and Furlong presented at HEAL 2023 on behalf of the research team:
Angela Ryder AM, with the support of Carolyn Mascall from the Miya Kaadadjiny (Learning Sanctuary) Community Centre facilitated the yarning workshops.
Dr Shraddha Kashyap from the Bilya Marlee School of Indigenous Studies at UWA was the project manager, and Associate Professor Petra Beurgelt from the University of Canberra was Amie Furlong’s academic supervisor.
Follow the conference news on Twitter at #HEAL2023 and via this Twitter list of presenters and participants, and see the previous articles from HEAL 2023:
- Fire in the belly: collective action for environment, climate and health at HEAL 2023
- From remote housing to federal parliament, Indigenous-led co-design is a game changer
- First Nations rights-based approaches to climate justice will make the world a better place
- Tackling bushfire threats: lessons from the HEAL 2023 conference
- On the eve of Australia’s Health and Climate Strategy release, some expert advice from HEAL 2023
