Development of a Consultation Strategy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Australia.

Report by Barb Flick

"The objective of the Strategy for consultation with Indigenous Australians is to improve ANZFA' s consultation and communication with indigenous Australians.   The strategy focuses both on the provision of information about food regulatory measures to the indigenous community and on mechanisms for identifying those issues which have a special significance for indigenous Australians" .

 As part of this Indigenous community consultation strategy, ANZFA held workshops in Darwin and Alice Springs in July 2001 with Indigenous and non-Indigenous people employed in government and non-government organisations and officers of Northern Territory Health.   The aim of the workshops was threefold.   To discuss ways in which consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on food standards matters could be improved; provide an opportunity for Indigenous people to discuss what they saw as the key issues in relation to food and food regulation;   and to seek the views of Indigenous people on how to develop a relationship and ongoing consultation arrangement with ANZFA.

The meetings provided a unique opportunity for ANZFA staff and a Board Member of ANZFA (Dr. Heather Yeatman) to talk directly with people and hear first hand the complexity of issues and concerns that Indigenous people (especially in remote areas) face every day in putting good and affordable food for their families on the table.

The first meeting was held in Darwin where Senator Grant Tambling opened the proceedings.

So, what are the food issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples?

Most of the issues raised have been brought to the attention of bureaucrats and governments over many years and mostly ended up in thetoo hardbasket.   There has not been an adequate response to the concerns although this is understandable given that the supply of food to remote communities is difficult and expensive.   The cost of freight, transportation, refrigeration and storage are very high.   At the Darwin meeting one informant said that if the company he worked for which is responsible for supplying food to community stores, adhered to the regulations around refrigeration, that they would have to cease operations and the communities would not receive refrigerated goods.

The quality of food is generally poor when it arrives at the destination, a long distance by road from the packing room.   Fresh fruit and vegetables in particular deteriorated quickly over the long distance from warehouse to the community store.   Costs escalate during the wet season when food is transported by air and the community must bear the added cost burden to cover the air freight charges.

As a result of these factors, the consumer usually ends up paying high prices for poor quality food.

Given that Indigenous Australians suffer high morbidity rates in chronic disease (especially diabetes) the availability of a good and balanced diet is essential to life.

What is being done?

People living in rural and remote regions of Australia have talked about the ' food' problem for many years and it was good to hear that some local people have embarked on exciting initiatives.  

There are two examples worth reporting here.   The first is an initiative that Nganampa Health council received funding for and set up a regional consortium comprising Nganampa Health Council, the NPY Women' s Council and the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Council.   They have conducted consultations over the last 2 years on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands to develop a Stores Policy that would ensure that food and other essentials are priced within the budget of people who live on the Lands and that the healthiest foods are available on the shelves.   The consortium believes that community stores are not an economic enterprise that makes profit by selling at high prices and providing foods high in fat and sugar but that the store is an extension of the health service.   The Health Service provides programs in prevention, intervention, management of chronic disease and critical care and food is an important element in this work.   In order for this initiative to be successful subsidisation is required from the Federal, State and Territory Governments and I believe that ANZFA is an important ally in this lobbying exercise.   It is timely that Senator Grant Tambling from the Northern Territory is the politician to whom ANZFA currently reports because the Senator is very aware of these issues.

The other example is the work spearheaded by Commissioner Alison Anderson of the ATSIC Papunya Regional Council in Central Australia.   Commissioner Anderson invited the ACCC to visit community stores in Central Australia to see whether or not they were meeting the Australian standards relating to supply, quality and cost to the consumers. Community stores usually hold a monopoly on supplying food in the communities so a competitive market does not exist and people have no choice but to buy from them.   The ACCC saw first hand how the store operated, the quality of the food on sale, the refrigeration and storage of perishables and the cost of the goods.   They also saw the store taking on the role of a financial institution.   The ACCC is now working with the Central Office of ATSIC to develop a comprehensive Store Policy for community stores.

Bush Tucker is still a very important food source for Indigenous Australians and plays a major role in ceremonial activities as well as other life cycle events.   Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in all parts of Australia continue to hunt, fish and gather foods like our ancestors have done for tens of thousands of years.   This source of bush foods not only provides us with sustenance but some animal matter and plants are still used as medicine. It is an important component of engaging with our traditions and ceremonies and the preparation and sharing of bush food is an important aspect of our ways of survival and demonstrating our responsibility to each other.   Mrs. Kathy Mills gave a presentation to the meeting in Darwin to explain the role of bush tucker in the diet and religion of Aboriginal people in the Top End of the Northern Territory.

What should be done in the future to address the concerns?

Participants in the Darwin and Alice Springs meeting had very little information about food regulation and how food safety is monitored.   The monitoring role of ANZFA is important and ANZFA needs to work closely with governmental agencies and officers charged with the responsibility of food safety at the regional level to do their job well. Furthermore, it must be understand by consumers that such an organisation exists and their main responsibility is topolicefood regulations, investigate complaints by consumers and to provide information to consumers about the complaints procedures.   It was clear from both meetings that the role of EHO' s (Environmental Health Officers) was not understood.   ANZFA needs to work with these officers and community representatives to ensure that the role and responsibilities of the EHO is understand and that a strategy be developed to enable the community to work with the EHO at a regional level.

ANZFA staff present at the meetings undertook to provide information to Indigenous community groups about food regulation and the role of Environmental Health Officers as well as information about the complaints procedures.

ANZFA should consider its role as an advocate to Indigenous communities and I believe it is important for ANZFA to hold talks with the consortium (Nganampa Health, NPY Women' s Council and Anangu Pitjantjatjara Council) to discuss how it may assist in lobbying governments to implement the Store Policy.   ANZFA can play a critical role in supporting the call for governments to provide freight and cost subsidies to community stores in remote areas.

ANZFA to support the view that in a food supply monopoly in remote communities and considering the high cost of freight, refrigeration and storage of food that community stores be acknowledged as an extension of the health service and funded as such.   Costs incurred by the employment of staff, refrigeration and storage are high and need to be funded recurrently by government to enable the store to offer essential store stock to be sold at affordable prices.

Is a relationship with ANZFA important to Indigenous Australians ?

A resoundingyesto this question.   ANZFA' s relationship with Indigenous Australians is critical given ANZFA s legal responsibilities as a statutory body to protect the health and safety of the people of Australia and New Zealand by maintaining a safe food supply.  Given that Indigenous Australians suffer the worst health status in this country with over-representation in endocrine disease, it is critical that people have access to good, affordable food in their diets.   This is difficult to attain because of the reality of living in a remote area where seasonal factors affect transport and is costly and the average income is low.  

Even so, it is fundamental that a good reliable food source is available to all Australians even in places where there are great difficulties and challenges to overcome.   It is also a basic principle of human rights that the Australian government must aspire to and uphold.

Senator Tambling understands these issues well and I was pleased that these first meetings were held in the Northern Territory with the blessing and support of the Senator who understands how difficult it is to provide services to remote Indigenous communities. 

What should ANZFA do now?  

Participants at both workshops welcomed the opportunity to develop a relationship with ANZFA and models of how this could be done were suggested at the meetings and in follow up correspondence to ANZFA staff.   This process of putting in place formal consultative processes is a matter for ANZFA to consider.   What I regard as more important at this stage is that ANZFAintroduceitself to Indigenous peoples through our national Indigenous organisations.   In this way our communities can work out how they want to relate to ANZFA.   It may be that a new consultative mechanism is required or it may be that avenues can be identified through which negotiations and advice is given about specific areas of ANZFA' s responsibilities or the needs of Indigenous communities around food issues.

It is therefore imperative that the role and responsibilities of ANZFA be understood by the Indigenous leadership.

To begin this process, ANZFA should request an opportunity to do a presentation at the next meeting of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Council set down for December this year.   The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Council is a ministerial advisory group to the federal Health Minister, Dr. Michael Wooldridge and the Chairperson of the Council is Mr. Andrew Podger the Secretary of the federal Department of Health and Aged Care.

Following this meeting it is timely that ANZFA meet with officers within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) in Canberra offering ANZFA' s support, involvement and input in the development of ATSIC' s Community Stores Policy.   It may also be useful for ANZFA to do a presentation of their role and responsibilities for the ATSIC Commissioners.

The issues of food supply and quality of food to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is complicated and I believe that ANZFA would benefit by reserving a position for an Indigenous person on the ANZFA Board.   This would enable the Board to be aware of emerging and ongoing issues and have the benefit of that advice available within the organisation.

As well as having a Board member it would be beneficial for ANZFA to employ an Indigenous person on their staff to ensure that these issues are dealt with on an ongoing basis and to provide a link between ANZFA and Indigenous Australians.   The position would need to be at the middle management level.

ANZFA would benefit by developing and maintaining contact with key people around Australia who can be called on at short notice to give technical advice. People with expertise in the area such as Professor Kerin O'Dea from Darwin, Cindy Shannon based in Brisbane and Dympna Leonard in Cairns as well as others should be invited to give advice to ANZFA when necessary.   A list of people can be prepared with a description of their area of expertise.

ANZFA has had talks with community representatives and government officers involved with rural and remote communities and now needs to hold talks with representatives of Indigenous people living in urban society.   I would suggest that such a meeting be held to discuss these issues in Melbourne and that key people be invited on the advice of Dr. Ian Anderson, an Indigenous Australian who was employed by the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service and sits on NHMRC and other ministerial advisory committees.

Conclusion

I have indicated to the staff of ANZFA that I would be delighted to act in an ongoing advisory capacity to ANZFA as I believe that the partnership between this organisation and Indigenous Australians is critical to sorting out some of these issues of food supply and safety and getting some of them out of thetoo hardbasket.   If I can assist in any way by helping to organise meetings or putting ANZFA in touch with the appropriate people or organisations in Indigenous Australia I am available.

I would like to thank Claire Pontin, Adam Luckhurst and John Davies for the opportunity to work with them.

Most importantly I acknowledge the Indigenous people who took time out in their busy schedules to attend these meetings.