The Lowitja Institute

The Lowitja Institute Australia's National Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation for the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through high-impact quality research, knowledge exchange, and by supporting a new generation of researchers.

Our new Roundtable Outcomes Report captures key findings and recommendations from an event held event that brought toget...
31/03/2026

Our new Roundtable Outcomes Report captures key findings and recommendations from an event held event that brought together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander academics, experts, and practitioners of co-design.

The roundtable followed our 2025 work, in partnership with Yardhura Walani, the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research at the Australian National University, to develop a position paper aimed at sparking critical debate and discussion on the future of co-design practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This paper provides an update on consultations with key community members and stakeholders on the position paper, as well as additional strong case studies that illustrate key approaches to authentic co-design. It presents key calls to action for governments to ensure dramatic improvements in co-design practices, to further meet governments’ obligations under the priority reforms of the 'National Agreement on Closing the Gap'.

Read the report: https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0K2_G0

Distinguished Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith recently joined us in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), at the Purple Shed, for a po...
26/03/2026

Distinguished Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith recently joined us in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), at the Purple Shed, for a powerful, hands-on exploration of Indigenous research in community contexts, as part of the Lowitja Learning Summit series.

The workshop brought together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators, health workers, and knowledge holders, each participating in rich, meaningful dialogue. Grounded in Indigenous knowledges, the session highlighted the strength of community-led and community controlled research where research is shaped by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Productivity Commission’s March update to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap Dashboard provides a new year of...
26/03/2026

The Productivity Commission’s March update to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap Dashboard provides a new year of data across 20 socio-economic indicators and new supporting indicators.

Progress towards achieving Closing the Gap targets remains inconsistent and slow. Only four indicators are improving and on track to be met by 2031, while progress in several areas has shown a concerning decline in outcomes. Data on the four Priority Reforms of the National Agreement remains unavailable, with governments yet to deliver on commitments to consistently collect and share data.

Detailed and timely data is integral to monitoring progress towards the National Agreement. Ongoing failures of government to release data on progress towards priority reforms both undermines and hinders success towards achieving the Agreement’s targets.

Achieving Closing the Gap targets and priority reforms is essential for improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and requires sustained effort and consistent commitment from all levels of government.

Lowitja Institute calls on state, territory and federal governments to reaffirm and uphold their commitments to work in measurable and genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled organisations and to demonstrate accountability by providing data on their progress on advancing action and reforms in a timely and consistent basis.

To view the Closing the Gap dashboard, visit: https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0JsDn0

This study was collaboratively conducted by a team of Yolŋu (First Nations people of North-East Arnhem Land) and other r...
24/03/2026

This study was collaboratively conducted by a team of Yolŋu (First Nations people of North-East Arnhem Land) and other researchers to learn from experiences of COVID-19-related communication with one First Nations language group.

Insights from this lived experience can inform future policy and practice in all areas of health communication to improve health outcomes. Collaborative analysis of data from all sources revealed that communication about COVID-19 was commonly experienced as ineffective by those who primarily spoke Yolŋu languages. It is imperative that speakers of First Nations languages, who best understand their challenges and solutions, inform future health communication policy and practice.

Read the full article in 'The Lowitja Journal': https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0JcxB0

We recently hosted a Research Agenda Roundtable at the Lowitja O’Donoghue Cultural Centre, located on Ngunnawal Country ...
24/03/2026

We recently hosted a Research Agenda Roundtable at the Lowitja O’Donoghue Cultural Centre, located on Ngunnawal Country at the Australian National University.

This was a great afternoon of shared experiences, insights, and gems of wisdom, bringing together key stakeholders and members of our executive to better understand the aspirations of the CRC for Aboriginal and Tropical Health (established in 1997) and the work of Lowitja Institute today. We also took the opportunity to engage participants in the ‘Looking back to look forward: aspirations for community controlled research’ project.

(L-to-R): Dr Ali Drummond, Rosemary Smith, Paul Stewart, Stephanie Bell, Craig Ritchie, Fiona Cornforth, Michael Newman, and Aunty Pat Anderson AO

Released today, the 'Close the Gap Campaign 2026 Report' calls on all Australian governments to immediately accelerate a...
18/03/2026

Released today, the 'Close the Gap Campaign 2026 Report' calls on all Australian governments to immediately accelerate action and public sector reform to enable genuine self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and to deliver on commitments agreed to in the 'National Agreement on Closing the Gap'.

‘The health and wellbeing of our mob can be improved through increased coordination across government agencies and levels of government. We need greater transparency and robust accountability to ensure Government meet their partnership commitments under the National Agreement.’ – Lowitja Institute CEO Mr Stewart

Read more: https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0HpqN0

What does real progress look like when communities lead and systems are held accountable?The launch of the 2026 Close th...
17/03/2026

What does real progress look like when communities lead and systems are held accountable?

The launch of the 2026 Close the Gap Campaign 2026 Report, subtitled 'Community Voices: The Pathway to Justice, Equality and Healing', will be held online at 10:30am (AEDT) this Thursday 19 March.

Hear from sector leaders to reflect on the powerful work happening across our communities, and the reforms still needed to achieve justice, equality, and healing.

Register: https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0H1-d0

In collaboration with Carumba Institute and the Torres Strait Nurses Indigenous Corporation, the Congress of Aboriginal ...
16/03/2026

In collaboration with Carumba Institute and the Torres Strait Nurses Indigenous Corporation, the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives was a 2022 Lowitja Institute Major Research Grant recipient.

This project was to re-embed the Torres Model of Care (TMoC) into the health system through defining and documenting the model through a collective storytelling process that engages Zenadth Kes health practitioners to tell their story of care from their worldview and standpoint.

Over 30 contributors have shaped the project, with two vodcasts produced on the Torres Model of Care and its methodology, two publications featured in IndigenousX, a conference showcase at the 4th Lowitja Institute International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference, one PhD candidate contributing to the research, and ongoing cultural governance and peer‑leader meetings guiding the work.

Learn more about the progress of project on the QUT website:
https://www.qut.edu.au/research/carumba-institute/justice-in-black-knowing/ume-project-torres-model-of-care/_nocache

Dr Ali Drummond will present The Lowitja Journal‘s first online webinar for the year on 8 April 2026 to kick off the Kno...
11/03/2026

Dr Ali Drummond will present The Lowitja Journal‘s first online webinar for the year on 8 April 2026 to kick off the Knowing, Being and Doing webinar series.

This session, 'Indigenist Assemblage', will offer valuable insights into the critical entanglement with various theoretical principles and approaches that shaped the development of the theoretical framework for Ali’s thesis. Ali will yarn about the challenges and nuances involved in creating coherence and trustworthiness at the intersections of these principles and approaches, highlighting how these tensions were navigated during the process.

Learn more and register: https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0GqTB0

Lowitja Institute acknowledges the esteemed career and formidable leadership of Pat Turner AM, following last week’s ann...
11/03/2026

Lowitja Institute acknowledges the esteemed career and formidable leadership of Pat Turner AM, following last week’s announcement that Pat is retiring as CEO of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and as Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks.

‘Pat’s commitment and contribution to improving First Nations health and building the Aboriginal community controlled health sector cannot be understated,’ Lowitja Institute CEO Paul Stewart said.

Read more: https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0GlRS0

Exploring practical and ethical dilemmas when conducting research with small population groups in First Nations communit...
10/03/2026

Exploring practical and ethical dilemmas when conducting research with small population groups in First Nations communities: Privileging stories as data, and data as stories

This paper explores practical and ethical dilemmas encountered when conducting research with small population groups in First Nations communities, and the opportunities afforded by privileging stories as data, and data as stories.

The findings highlight the importance of collective (larger scale) data as ‘community stories’; to be useful and accessible in a community context, data must be translatable as meaningful stories to guide action.

Read the full article in 'The Lowitja Journal': https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0Gfgr0

Call It Out 2025-26It's been a busy year for racists! Help us tell the truth about racism as it happens - every report c...
10/03/2026

Call It Out 2025-26

It's been a busy year for racists! Help us tell the truth about racism as it happens - every report counts.

If you have been meaning to make a report, get yours in by 20 MARCH. If it's too soon, that's OK - Call It Out is open 24/7/365.

For more info and to make a report visit 👉🏼 https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0G3n90

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