Preventive Health SA Aboriginal Health Promotion

19/08/2025

Applications are now open for the 2025-2026 round of Strengthening Our Culture Community Grants Program and the 2025-2026 round of the Aboriginal Cancer Screening Grants

We invite South Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to apply for the 2025-2026 Strengthening Our Culture Community Grants (up to $30,000) and Aboriginal Cancer Screening Grants (up to $10,000).

The Strengthening Our Culture grants support projects that promote healthy lifestyles and strengthen culture.

The Aboriginal Cancer Screening Grants increase participation in Men’s Bowel Cancer Screening and Well Women’s cancer screening (cervical & bowel).

For more information, application form and grant guide can be found on our website: https://brnw.ch/21wUOwy

Applications close 10.00 am Monday 22 September 2025.

If you would like to speak to someone about applying for one of these grants, please email [email protected].

20/03/2025

Today on National Closing the Gap Day, we acknowledge and commit to the work that needs to be done to strengthen support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
While health equity is a fundamental right for everyone, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people still experience some of the poorest health outcomes in the world and we have a responsibility to continue to do better.

We are leading action to progress the implementation of Outcome 1 of the South Australian Closing the Gap Implementation Plan 2024-2026: Aboriginal People enjoy long and healthy lives, through a range of actions that aim to close the gap in life expectancy within a generation, focused on addressing the social and cultural determinants of health and improving wellbeing by strengthening culture.

We’ve partnered with South Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation Network to support the effective implementation of Closing the Gap in South Australia.
Establishing partnership opportunities across the Aboriginal Community Controlled sector is a key deliverable in the Aboriginal Health Promotion Strategy Action Plan 2022-2026.

Read more about the Implementation Plan: https://brnw.ch/21wRrxF

13/02/2025

The Anniversary of the National Apology is a time to remember and reflect on the apology given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in 2008 for the trauma caused by past policies and practices that allowed the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from family, community, and culture.

It’s an opportunity for healing, acknowledging the past, and renewing efforts towards understanding, reconciliation, and support for Aboriginal communities.

We acknowledge the strength and resilience of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as well as the courage shown by those who have shared their personal stories.

If today is causing you stress, please reach out to the services and supports available to you, including 13 Yarn.

26/11/2024

In October, the Aboriginal Health Promotion team were excited to announce the six successful recipients of the 2024-2025 round of the Strengthening Our Culture Community Grants at the first Community of Practice gathering at the Pavilion, Veale Gardens.
The Aboriginal Health Promotion team facilitated the sharing of knowledge, learnings and capacity building amongst the recipients so they can successfully deliver their programs.

The successful recipients are:
- Iga Warta Homelands Aboriginal Corporation: Warndu Mayi Traditional Food and Language Camp
- Ku Arts: Mai on Country
- UUmeewarra Aboriginal Media 89.1fm Don’t Give Up on Giving Up
- Mardawi: Open for Business - Aboriginal youth business skills program
- Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council SA Aboriginal Corporation – Port Augusta: Community BBQ trailer
- Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council SA Aboriginal Corporation – Berri: Growing Miminis

The grants of up to $30,000 each, have been awarded to these Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to deliver place-based programs that strengthens culture and supports at least one of the following health promotion topics; Physical activity, nutrition, alcohol, and to***co and va**ng.

We look forward to watching and supporting these programs progress and succeed over the next 8 months!

To learn more about the recipients and grants, visit

The Strengthening Our Culture grants program intends to support Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and Aboriginal communities to strengthen the Cultural Determinants of Health.

03/09/2024

Today we celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day, supporting our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in connecting with and strengthening their stories, culture, and languages.

This day is all about revitalising and preserving the many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages for both today and future generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Join the celebrations by watching the free film and livestream featuring many Proud Voices For Country via ilf.org.au/ILD

03/08/2024

Today is National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day - a day that has been celebrated annually across the country since 1988. It is a day dedicated to celebrating our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, their strengths and our culture and to learn about the impact that culture, family and community play in the lives of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

The 2024 theme is ‘Strong in Culture. Stronger Together’, elevates the intention of Children’s Day, focusing on the strength of our children that comes from their connection to culture and mob.

This year we stand with our children, proud of their culture, stories, kin and community – all that makes our children special, resilient and the bright leaders for our future.

For children to thrive, they should be strong in culture and connected to kin and community – our children should be proud to come from the oldest living culture in the world.

If our children are strong in culture, then they are strong in their identity, and this is important for future generations to come.

02/08/2024

Earlier in the year, Sharon Clarke, Senior Project Officer, Aboriginal Well Women’s Screening Program partnered with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Port Augusta to hold a three-day Aboriginal well women’s health event in Oodnadatta.

The event included:
1. a health promotion and education day, which was held in the Oodnadatta Women’s Shed and included cultural activities such as painting, sewing and weaving activities.
2. a visit to the Claypans and following cultural protocols some of the group gathered wood for fires, built the fires to cook Kangaroo tails for their meal. To accompany the kangaroo tails, damper was cooked by one of the Elder’s and the opportunity was given to the ladies to talk one on one privately around any health topic.
3. ability to provide screening samples at the health clinic.

Sharon said “Following our way of knowing and respecting Aboriginal Women’s Culture throughout South Australia is the solid foundation of the Aboriginal Well Women’s’ Screening Program.
Dedicated and committed Aboriginal/Anangu community women, Aboriginal women who work in the health field, non-aboriginal workers including female Doctors or Specialists are also part of that solid foundation of the Aboriginal Well Women’s Screening Program without your strength, positivity and tenacity collectively we would not be achieving better outcomes in screening.”

It is by providing a culturally safe environment like this three-day event did, the women who participated in the event felt safe and comfortable to talk about the importance of women’s health and women’s screening.

This is a great example of how the Cultural Determinants of Health look in practice throughout the programs and work that is delivered by our agency.

Well done Sharon on a successful event.

22/07/2024

The eligible screening age for the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program has been lowered from 50 years to 45 years. This means Australians aged 45 to 49 can now for the first time request a free bowel screening kit.

Bowel screening continues to be the most accurate, cost effective, non-invasive front-line tool to prevent bowel cancer and we encourage all South Australians aged 45-74 years to find out when they’re next due for their screening test and complete the free bowel screening kit as soon as it arrives in the mail.

Preventive Health SA works in collaboration with Cancer Council SA to encourage participation in the screening program across South Australia.

Find out more about the bowel screening eligibility change: https://bit.ly/3Xlbqmg

18/07/2024

SA Health's Aboriginal and Regional Public Health team have worked in partnership with the Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network to produce an informative new video on tuberculosis (TB).

The video covers:
🔹 what TB is
🔸 signs and symptoms of TB
🔹 the difference between active and latent TB.

If you work in the RMCLHN area, or with people in the Murraylands area, feel free to share the video through your channels.

You can watch the video here

Understand what Tuberculosis (TB) is, what the symptoms are and how to treat it. Filmed on Ngarrindjeri Country.

15/07/2024

SA Health, in collaboration with Kidsafe SA are raising awareness of the danger of ni****ne and young children.

Products with ni****ne include:
🔹 Ni****ne Replacement Therapies (gum, lozenges, sprays)
🔸 Cigarettes/cigarette butts
🔹 Vaping/e-cigarette devices and liquids.

There are new resources for Aboriginal parents and carers of children 5 years can be found here: https://www.kidsafesa.com.au/ni****nepoisonprevention/?mc_cid=7583528d4f&mc_eid=235d131412

13/07/2024

National Diabetes Week 2024 This week is National Diabetes Week, running from 14-21 July and raising awareness to diabetes prevention and management.

Diabetes is a chronic condition which can have serious affects on the entire body, if not managed properly.

There are various types of diabetes, but type 2 diabetes is more common in Aboriginal people.

Aboriginal people are nearly 4 times more likely to develop diabetes than non-Aboriginal Australians but there is a lot that can be done to reduce your risk of diabetes, such as:

- maintaining a healthy weight
- make healthy food choices
- regular physical activity
- lower your blood pressure
- manage cholesterol levels
- not smoking.

The only way to know if you have diabetes is to have a blood test that tests your blood glucose levels. Your doctor can help you arrange this.

For more information on diabetes prevention, the symptoms and managing diabetes, visit

Strong international evidence shows diabetes prevention programs can help prevent type 2 diabetes in up to 58 per cent of cases.

10/07/2024

There is currently an increase in respiratory illnesses including COVID-19 and flu.

It’s important to remind the community of how to stay well to prevent these illnesses from spreading:

🟠 stay home when sick and avoid contact with vulnerable people
🟢 consider wearing a face mask when indoors or on public transport if unwell and need to leave the house
🟠 cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow
🟢 wash hands regularly
🟠 wipe down frequently touched surfaces
🟢 get tested for respiratory illnesses if unwell.

COVID-19 vaccinations are free for everyone in Australia. Free flu vaccinations are available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 6 months and older.