This July marked an important milestone for CRANAplus, with the inaugural meeting of its First Peoples Advisory Committee. Bringing together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses, midwives, practitioners and health leaders from across Australia, the committee will help shape our work in Cultural Safety, workforce support and advocacy across rural and remote health.
Chaired by CRANAplus First Peoples Advisor Dallas McKeown, the committee includes respected professionals and leaders Carrie Rofe, Leeona West, Cherry-Lee Bilston, Kellie Kerin, Jason Coombes and Naomi Zaro.
From the very first meeting, conversations were grounded in connection, shared experience and a commitment to strengthening the rural and remote health workforce.
Members spoke candidly about the challenges facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals, including workforce shortages, burnout, cultural load and the isolation that can come with working in remote communities.
Strong discussion also focused on the future workforce, particularly the need for clearer and more consistent support for Aboriginal Health Practitioner trainees.
Clinical placements, supervision, role clarity and workplace support were all identified
as priorities.
Importantly, members highlighted opportunities for CRANAplus to further strengthen its leadership in culturally safe workforce support, advocacy and organisational accountability across the rural and remote health sector.
As the committee’s work continues, it will provide a space for practical problem-solving, peer support and knowledge sharing, while helping guide CRANAplus advocacy and action.
We are honoured to work alongside this exceptional group of leaders and look forward to sharing more as their work progresses.
Meet First Peoples Advisory Committee member Leeona West
“We were born into health,” says Leeona West, a proud Kalkadunga/Djaku-nde woman, CRANAplus Fellow and member of CRANAplus’ inaugural First Peoples Advisory Committee.
Along with her twin sister and brother, they all trained to become registered nurses 20 years ago.
“Three RNs in our family came about because of a community-based program in Mount Isa,” says Leeona.
“I am sure we wouldn’t have done our nursing degrees otherwise.
“We come from an absolutely amazing mother who was a health worker for many years,” says Leeona.
“Historically, health workers have been managed by nurses. And as we know, Aboriginal nurses are rare – only 1 in 10,000. It is very hard when you are Aboriginal to advocate for your people, reporting to someone who doesn’t share your upbringing and values.
“Our mother wanted us to get a nursing degree. Our progress to senior levels in health comes from the passion she embedded into us to fight for better health for our people. We hold our cultural responsibilities very close to our hearts.
“We come from a demographic where, sadly, there’s a lot of exposure to unwell people – family and distant family. Our homes are full of people who are sick.”
“Nursing runs in our family,” says Leeona, currently Nurse Educator of the First Nations Workforce in Mount Isa, working with the North West Hospital and Health Service.
“The first Aboriginal nurse at Mount Isa, where I live on Country, is my aunty – Aunty June.”
As a CRANAplus First Peoples Advisory Committee member, Leeona is passionate about ensuring services are delivered in culturally safe ways, and that healthcare approaches reflect the realities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Drawing on her experience as Director of Nursing at Gununa (Mornington Island) Hospital, Leeona has seen firsthand the complexity of delivering care in rural and remote settings. She believes there is an opportunity to continue building the workforce’s understanding of primary healthcare, alongside the acute and emergency care skills that are so critical in remote practice.
“The definition of primary healthcare, especially in the Aboriginal context, is holistic,” says Leeona.
“I want to be part of CRANAplus’ efforts to define primary healthcare. We need to understand what primary health and Aboriginal health mean for our communities.”
As the committee’s work continues, Leeona hopes it will help strengthen understanding, support and advocacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals, while ensuring community voices remain at the centre of rural and remote healthcare.
“We need to understand what primary health and Aboriginal health mean for our communities.”
