3.1 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health
Australia has always been a culturally and linguistically diverse nation. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
peoples have inhabited and cared for the land as the first peoples of Australia for millennia, and their histories
and cultures have uniquely shaped our nation. Understanding and acknowledging historic factors such as
colonisation and its impact on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health helps inform care. In
particular, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples bear the burden of gross social, cultural and health
inequality. In supporting the health of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, nurses must:
a. provide care that is holistic, free of bias and racism, challenges belief based upon assumption and is
culturally safe and respectful for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples
b. advocate for and act to facilitate access to quality and culturally safe health services for Aboriginal and/or
Torres Strait Islander peoples, and
c. recognise the importance of family, community, partnership and collaboration in the healthcare decisionmaking
of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, for both prevention strategies and care delivery.
See the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-2023.
See also Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives.
3.2 Culturally safe and respectful practice
Culturally safe and respectful practice requires having knowledge of how a nurse’s own culture, values,
attitudes, assumptions and beliefs influence their interactions with people and families, the community and
colleagues. To ensure culturally safe and respectful practice, nurses must:
a. understand that only the person and/or their family can determine whether or not care is culturally safe and
respectful
b. respect diverse cultures, beliefs, gender identities, sexualities and experiences of people, including among
team members
c. acknowledge the social, economic, cultural, historic and behavioural factors influencing health, both at the
individual, community and population levels
d. adopt practices that respect diversity, avoid bias, discrimination and racism, and challenge belief based
upon assumption (for example, based on gender, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, age or political
beliefs)
e. support an inclusive environment for the safety and security of the individual person and their family and/or
significant others, and
f. create a positive, culturally safe work environment through role modelling, and supporting the rights, dignity
and safety of others, including people and colleagues.
3.3 Effective communication
Positive professional relationships are built on effective communication that is respectful, kind, compassionate
and honest. To communicate effectively, nurses must:
a. be aware of health literacy issues, and take health literacy into account when communicating with people
b. make arrangements, whenever possible, to meet the specific language, cultural, and communication needs
of people and their families, through the utilisation of translating and interpreting services where necessary,
and be aware of how these needs affect understanding
c. endeavour to confirm a person understands any information communicated to them
d. clearly and accurately communicate relevant and timely information about the person to colleagues, within
the bounds of relevant privacy requirements, and
e. be non-judgemental and not refer to people in a non-professional manner verbally or in correspondence/
records, including refraining from behaviour that may be interpreted as bullying or harassment and/or
culturally unsafe.