FIRST NATION involvement is at the core of the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference (OTCC 2024) taking place in Gold Coast, Australia, this week.
Organisers have placed a priority on assisting in better health outcomes for Indigenous people in Australia and the Oceanic region.
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According to the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, smoking causes 37 per cent of all First Nations deaths and 50 per cent of deaths of First Nations people over the age of 45. While tobacco smoking is declining in Australia it remains disproportionately high among First Nations people.
PCO ICMS Australasia and the conference’s organising committee are heightening the participation of indigenous people across the conference with the appointment of an Aboriginal Cultural Conference Partner to create a program that includes First Nation-specific content.
Events include a Pre-Conference Workshop with content designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Māori, Pacific and Indigenous delegates who are working in tobacco control and smoking cessation – from community programs, policy roles, researchers and advocates.
Traditional First Nations cultural elements are also being featured in OTCC 2024. They include a commissioned artwork from the First Nations artist and designer, Lisa ‘Sorbie’ Martin, who has created a work titled Woven Together, capturing the spirit of the conference, the Gold Coast host destination, and reflecting Martin’s cultural story and heritage. On-site at OTCC 2024, Lisa Martin will be creating a collaborative art piece on the first two days and will be inviting delegates to participate in the process.
Emma Bowyer, ICMS Australasia’s chief executive said OTCC 2024’s First Nation highlights went beyond token representation or participation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
“Half of the Keynote Speakers have a First Nations background, with presenters from Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and the Cook Islands providing invaluable lived experience to the audience,” Bowyer said.
“A priority area of the Australian Government’s National Tobacco Strategy is to prevent and reduce tobacco use among First Nations people and we commend them for supporting this conference.
“We are confident that this support and the invaluable guidance and advice that we have received from our Aboriginal Cultural Conference Partner, Kombumerri Aboriginal Corporation for Culture and the Yugambeh Museum Language and Heritage Research Centre, will not only increase First Nations participation but do so at this conference in the future and ultimately save lives,” she said.
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Bowyer believes the blueprint created for OTCC 2024 and future Oceania Tobacco Control Conferences will deepen First Nation participation and discussion with the event hosted around the Oceanic region. This would lead to better outcomes for First Nations people’s health and wellbeing.
Additional First Nations elements include a Welcome to Country at the Conference Opening, an Acknowledgement of Country on days two and three, and an Aboriginal cultural dance performance from the Biren Cultural Group at the first networking event.
OTCC 2024 opened Wednesday, October 23, at Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (on the lands of the Kombumerri people of the Yugambeh Language Region) and comes to a close Friday.
Approximately 500 delegates are set to attend with the majority of attendees from Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island nations.
Main picture: Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
