Category: Blog

Harmony Day is a missed opportunity

Posted on March 18, 2025

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

It’s also, Harmony Day

21 March 2025 is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination it’s also Harmony Day 2025 in Australia.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD) is recognised all around the world, except here in Australia where in the 1990s the Howard government chose to create an event called Harmony Day instead.

Harmony Day celebrates multiculturalism in Australia, which is a good thing.

But in doing so in place of addressing racial discrimination, it hides the history behind the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and discourages us from discussing the hard work required to tackle racism in Australia.

Here at Health Consumers’ Council we are committed to calling out and tackling racism in the health system. In 2019 we successfully advocated for the inclusion of racial discrimination as a category that’s measured in the WA health complaints system – along with other forms of discrimination such as ableism and ageism.  

We’re working on a project this year to highlight racism in health care by examining the issues that arise in our individual advocacy cases to see what patterns are emerging. We also use our strong relationships with health system leaders to elevate the voices of people who experience racial discrimination to the highest levels of decision making in health.  

If you have experienced or witnessed racism in WA healthcare settings you can call it out

  • Make a complaint to the health service concerned – draw attention to the fact that you believe the discrimination was based on race
  • Hospitals: https://www.hconc.org.au/individual-advocacy/how-to-make-a-complaint/
  • GPs: https://www.hconc.org.au/individual-advocacy/4-how-to-make-a-complaint-to-a-gp-or-clinic/
  • Call It Out is a simple and secure way for people to report incidents of racism and discrimination towards First Nations Peoples in any setting: https://callitout.com.au/

Bronwyn Ife  |  Systemic Advocacy and Engagement Lead
For media enquiries: 0488 701 839

Celebrating multiculturalism, inclusiveness and equitable participation in WA

Posted on March 17, 2025

This month, Qistina Taufiq, HCC’s Cultural Diversity Engagement Officer, and Clare Mullen, Executive Director, were privileged to be invited to celebrate the WA Multicultural Awards – a program run by the WA Office of Multicultural Interests.

This is because Health Consumers’ Council was recognised as a nominee in the category of Community Service and Support – General Community Service organisation. The evening was a wonderful celebration of the diversity, capability, resourcefulness and strength of people from a wide range of culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds and the organisations that serve them.

HCC has had a targeted program of work aiming both to ensure people coming to Australia from other countries understand the WA health system and how to navigate it – as well as ensuring the voices of people from multicultural backgrounds are sought and listened to as decisions about health and healthcare are made – since 2011. Louise Ford joined the HCC team then and pioneered a program of workshops on Health Rights and Responsibilities for CaLD communities.

The program was expanded in 2015 to include HCC’s popular workshop on Supporting Cultural Diversity in Healthcare. This workshop is aimed at health service providers who want to develop their capability in ensuring health services are inclusive of people from all cultures. HCC is funded to run this workshop twice a year – and we also deliver it on a fee for service basis to a number of healthcare organisations.

In 2025, HCC will be finishing a project we’ve been working on with Cancer Council WA and the WA Department of Health to produce a range of information leaflets about cancer treatment for people from CaLD backgrounds. HCC’s role has been to support a consumer advisory group made up of people from a range of communities and cultures to inform the development and production of these resources.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners of these important Awards.

A picture of a page from the Multicultural Awards showing Health Consumers' Council as a nominee

Employment opportunity: Individual Advocate | part-time | on-site

Posted on March 17, 2025

Advocate, part-time, fixed term for 12 months with the possibility of extension

We are seeking a skilled and passionate SCHADS Level 5 health advocate to join our individual advocacy team on a part-time (three days a week), fixed-term contract for 12 months.

It can be difficult for consumers and patients to navigate the Western Australian health system, or to give feedback if they are unhappy with any aspect of their healthcare experience. This role supports health consumers in having their voice heard within the WA health system, while assisting individuals to navigate the health system and assert their rights and provides assistance through the complaints process when needed.

The role offers:

  • The ability to make an impact in individuals’ health journeys, and their experiences of the WA health system
  • The opportunity to be a part of a workplace that is driven by championing consumer health rights
  • A welcoming, inclusive and supportive workplace, where everyone is encouraged to bring all of themselves
  • Externally facilitated team supervision
  • A competitive not-for-profit annual base salary with salary packaging
  • Flexible working arrangements including the opportunity to work from home
  • Additional leave entitlements

About you:

  • You’re looking for a role where you can apply your skills in advocacy and health rights to work that you care about
  • You’re interested in the health system and care about people’s experiences of it
  • You’re comfortable responding to people “where they are”, including when people are expressing distress about their experiences.

Individual Advocate position overview

This role sits within the individual advocacy team, and although the role functions quite independently, it is well supported by the Senior Advocates and the Advocacy Manager, as well as all other team members. In this role, most of the contact with consumers will be either on the telephone or through e-mail, however, attendance at appointments in the community with consumers is another important facet of this role.

A typical week might see you doing a range of tasks including:

  • Contacting consumers from the advocacy waitlist or being the first point of contact with consumers seeking support
  • Building advocacy plans with consumers within HCC’s scope and referring consumers to external agencies for issues that fall outside of HCC’s support
  • Attending consumer appointments in hospitals, GP practices or at community mental health sites
  • Liaising with hospital staff to advocate for consumers in relation to current health needs or retrospective complaints
  • Writing letters of complaints addressed to health service providers, in conjunction with consumers
  • Writing case notes within our Customer Relation Management system
  • Attending team meetings and supervision

See the job description for a full outline of responsibilities for the role.

To apply for the position, please submit a cover letter of no more than two pages addressing the selection criteria, along with a current resume of no more than two pages outlining your work experience, skills and any relevant education or training.

Applications that do not address the criteria may not be considered.

HCC strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and LGBTI+ people.

Selection criteria

Essential

  1. Understanding of the value of individual advocacy for consumers experiencing issues within the health system and the levers available to achieve advocacy outcomes
  2. Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills to be able to confidently advocate, negotiate, influence, mediate, de-escalate, and develop effective workplace relationships with consumers and other stakeholders
  3. An understanding of the social determinants of health, systemic barriers and complex trauma when working with people experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage, and the ability to operate with a trauma informed lens
  4. Ability to work autonomously with strong organisational skills to manage competing priorities simultaneously, in order to meet deadlines
  5. Highly developed analysis and report writing and computer skills
  6. Good working knowledge of the WA health system, community service organisations and referral pathways

Desirable

  1. Previous experiencing providing individual advocacy
  2. Tertiary qualification in social or behavioural science (e.g., social work, psychology, sociology), or previous advocacy experience or lived experience in navigating the health system
  3. Understanding of the Mental Health Act 2014

Applications close Monday 31 March 5:00 pm

If you require any adjustments to submit your application or wish to have a confidential discussion about the role, please contact Tania Harris, Engagement & Advocacy Manager on (08) 9221 3422 (Ext 1) or email tania.harris@hconc.org.au

A long awaited win in sight for transparency on health costs

Posted on March 17, 2025

By Clare Mullen, Executive Director

Today – 17 March 2025 – the Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler – is speaking to a range of media outlets about his announcement that, if re-elected, a Federal Labor Government will be publishing the costs of specialist medical fees on the Government’s Medical Costs Finder website.

But wait – isn’t that the website that was set up in 2019 to do exactly that? Well, yes. But it wasn’t mandatory for doctors to add their information. And so only 70 of them did. Out of approximately 11,000 specialists in Australia.

As I highlighted in this blog article last May, it’s important that consumers – in this case patients – have access to cost information in order to make their decision about where to get specialist treatment.

Health Consumers’ Council WA represents the interest of consumers, and WA consumers particularly, on the Federal Government’s Out of Pocket Costs Transparency Reference Group. Through that group, we advocated that any health service provider that receives public funding should be required to publish their pricing information on the Medical Costs Finder website.

We hope that whoever is in Government after the next election will follow through on this commitment to patient and consumer power and ensure people can make informed decisions about specialist healthcare.

Opinion: It’s time for full transparency on who’s making money out of our healthcare

Long Covid Awareness Week 10 to 15 March 2025

Posted on March 10, 2025

Long Covid Awareness Week 

 “Long COVID is like being taken hostage in your own body, it is not just a lingering cold, it is a profound disruption to normal life. People need hope and action. Until you experience this kind of  thing you cannot fathom the amount of resilience and mental fortitude you must have to survive.”  – a consumer who lives with Long COVID 

10-15 March 2025 is Long Covid Awareness week.

Since 2020, HCCWA has advocated for the needs and interests of health consumers in relation to COVID, both in relation to information, and to healthcare. While the acute period of COVID has passed, data suggests that between 5 and 20% of Australians experienced ongoing symptoms more than three months after a diagnosis of COVID. Some of these people had experienced fairly mild symptoms when they initially had COVID, but the ongoing symptoms can become debilitating and are often poorly understood among practitioners. One survey of people in WA who were experiencing Long COVID symptoms found that around 17% of people who were working full time before their COVID diagnosis had been unable to return to full time work 90 days after their initial infections, because of the complications of Long COVID and Long COVID recovery.

Consumers have shared their journeys with us. Some of them feel that their doctors don’t believe them, or don’t believe that Long COVID is the cause of their ongoing symptoms. They also report that doctors don’t seem to be well-informed on Long COVID symptoms, Long COVID treatment, and management.

There were Long COVID clinics and Long COVID support services in Western Australia in place for a short-time, however, many Long COVID Clinics have closed. The closures were poorly managed, with patients not being informed of the closure and appointments being cancelled without alternative avenues of care being offered. The East Metropolitan Health Service Post COVID-19 clinic remains open, but it is only available to patients who reside in the East Metro catchment area or those from the Kimberley, Pilbara and Wheatbelt.  

We’re interested to know – what questions or concerns do you have about COVID or Long COVID and Long COVID community resources in Western Australia? 

Share your feedback with us via this short survey and we will share the responses with the Department of Health. 

If this topic is of interest to you, Emerge Australia is undertaking lots of advocacy work on Long COVID.

Follow them here – Emerge Australia Inc  

Bronwyn Ife  |  Systemic Advocacy and Engagement Lead
Published on March 10, 2025  |  For media enquiries: 0488 701 839

References 

Tindle, Robert. Long covid Sufferers can take heart, Australian Journal of General Practice Vol 53, No 4, April 2024 

Woldegiorgis M, Cadby G, Ngeh S, Korda R, Armstrong P, Maticevic J, Kniwght P, Jardine A, Bloomfield L, Effler P. Long Covid in a highly vaccinated but largely unexposed Australian population following the 2022 SARS coV-2 Omicron wave: A cross sectional study. Medical Journal of Australia. March 2024 

Long covid Australia, a review of the literature. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 16 December 2022 https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/covid-19/long-covid-in-australia-a-review-of-the-literature/summary) 

Costantino, V, Grafton Q, Kompas T, Chu L, Honeyman D, Notaras A, Macintyre CR; The public health and economic burden of long covid in Australia 2022-23: A modelling study, Medical Journal of Australia, August 2024 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet your HCCWA Team: Chrissy

Posted on March 6, 2025

Our team works hard for the people of WA, we’re passionate about making a difference in the lives of West Aussies and working hard to make patients, carers, loved ones—all health consumers—are at the centre of our healthcare system:  Our health. Our voice. Our healthcare. 

We like you to meet Chrissie, an integral part of our individual advocacy team.

How long have you worked at HCCWA

14 years on the 14th March (2025)

What inspired you to work at HCCWA?

I saw how an advocate from HCCWA advocated for someone that made a huge improvement in their life (teeth vs toothless).  I thought I would like to be able to help people improve their health and life like that. The consumer’s life improved dramatically.

Describe what you do.

I advocate for people in WA who have a query, concern or communication issue with a WA health service.  Sometimes it is just providing information about what a person’s rights are, what services are available,through to supporting people in appointments and meetings related to their health.  I/we aim to empower health service users to be able to advocate for themselves and their family and friends, so they may have an optimal health journey.

What do you think about HCCWA and the work we do?

HCCWA is the best place I have ever worked due to the staff who I work with (and that spans a lot of years!).

The HCC team are all amazing, caring, committed  people who go the extra mile to ensure that the clients or consumers that use our service, are at the forefront of everything we do.  We strive to do our best to help ensure health service users rights are upheld and empower them to have an improved health journey. Keeping our staff supported is key to being the best we can for our consumers.

How do you see your work helping to improve outcomes and experiences for everyone in WA?

Each day I see the work of our team supporting WA health consumers to find out more about their rights and the services available in WA. Whether it be through engagement or advocacy, consumers will know more about what  and who is available and how they might access services. Everyday I listen to consumers, assisting them to realise what is possible vs likely, providing them with tools to help them navigate the health system, or other support (referrals to other services where appropriate), enabling them to have more effective, safer and less confusing healthcare.

Ever met anyone famous?

Not for a long time but I spoke to Cat Stevens for about a minute, when he was leaving the WACA in 1970’s (I was only about 14 years old so I was in heaven for about a week after that!) and more recently, about 20 years ago, Bob Geldof came in and browsed at the antique stall I was working at in Scarborough Fair Markets.

Health consumer priorities in the WA state election

Posted on March 6, 2025

This is a follow on from our blog post outlining our priorities and listing the election commitments from the two major parties against those priorities.

Based on our discussions with consumers HCC’s priorities for health are:

  • Increased access to affordable primary care
  • Increased investment in things that help us stay healthy (preventative measures)
  • Continued improvement in the safety, efficiency and capacity of the hospital system
  • Improved access to health care in the community and closer to home.

Many of our allies in the health consumer and lived experience sector have published their specific requests for election time.  Their answers tell an interesting story of a sector where incredible work could be done if there was adequate funding, but also where there are some excellent, innovative ideas that would not be particularly costly to implement.

Let’s have a look at what’s being asked for:

Carers WA Carers Count at the 2025 State Election | Carers WA

  • $400,000 Carer hardship and carer respite grants program for WA Carers
  • Establish a Carers card
  • A new carers strategy
  • $890 000 support for young carers in regional areas
  • Establish a service navigation system for carers

Aboriginal Health Council of WA WA State Election: AHCWA’s Key Priorities – AHCWA

  • Culturally safe short stay accommodation for pregnant women
  • Affordable and appropriate housing
  • Funding for Aboriginal Environmental Health Model of care and community capacity building for remote maintenance
  • Free dental care for all Aboriginal people in WA
  • Social and emotional wellbeing and family and domestic and sexual violence program funding
  • Improved child development services
  • PATS Coordinator in each region

Developmental Disability WA Election Undertakings 2025 for people with intellectual disability

  • Introduce mandatory training on intellectual disabilities for all health staff.
  • Set up Specialist Disability Health Hubs in each health region to improve the health and mental health of PwID.
  • Ensure the State health plan includes PwID as a priority group.
  • Introduce a “flag” to identify intellectual disability in a person’s WA health record
  • Contribute to a WA Easy Read website that provides key public information about health and other government services.

Consumers of Mental Health WA Election 2025: An Election for Mental Health – Consumers of Mental Health WA

  • An alternative to Emergency departments for people in emotional crisis
  • Increase finding to co designed community and peer led mental health services
  • Independent review, co-led by people with lived experience, on strategies to eliminate force, seclusion and restraint
  • Enhance access to advocacy through mental health advocacy service
  • Commit to a human rights act for WA
  • Secure and sustainable funding to pilot Aboriginal community controlled services
  • Embark on funded commitment to the Gayaa Dhuwi declaration implementation plan

Council on the Ageing WA 2025 Election Platform  – Council On The Ageing WA

  • Waive stamp duty for people aged over 65
  • Incorporate Silver Housing Standards in the WA Building Code
  • Expand the supply of affordable housing
  • Introduce a $150 “Fit for Life” voucher for seniors, modelled on the Kidsport initiative
  • Fund a “Preparing for the Unexpected” program to support seniors who are likely to be hospitalised due to a complex health issue or frailty
  • Fund a falls prevention program
  • Provide ongoing $250 000 per annum to Council on the Ageing WA

These priorities have been informed by health consumers, people with lived experience, and input from members of the above organisations. Amplifying and championing the voices of consumers and people with lived experience leads to better outcomes, whether that be in policy development or program delivery.

Including consumer voices goes beyond consultation, it means properly involving people who use the health system to help all of us to understand and address the unfairness in the system.  

What we see when we look at this list is a commitment to important preventative health projects, and projects that would make our health system fairer for all.

These ideas would all contribute to healthier, more connected community members, who are receiving the assistance they need in their communities. This in turn improves the patient experience in our health system and reduces the pressure on the public hospital system meaning that those who need healthcare can get it promptly.

If you’ve any thoughts about any of these, please contact Bronwyn Ife at bronwyn.ife@hconc.org.au

State election – let’s look through a health lens

Posted on February 17, 2025

** UPDATED 24/02/2025**

With a state election looming, we have been keeping an eye on the announcements from both major parties to see what they are saying about health. 

At Health Consumers’ Council we are keen to see new policies and programs within the health system to help improve the experience of consumers and patient outcomes. While big spending on infrastructure is always welcome and necessary, we are also really interested in ideas that will change and improve the way people interact with the health system every day. 

We want to see increased investment in primary care, increased investment in preventative health measures, a continued focus on improving the efficiency and capacity of  the hospital system and improved access to health care in the community. 

We’ve had a look at what the major parties have said about each of our priority areas and we’ve summarised them for you, so you can decide what is important for you in health when you are going to vote. 

Our Priorities WA Labor Party WA Liberal Party 
Increased investment in primary care 
  • $8.2 million “GP Ask” program allowing GPs to communicate directly with WA Health Specialists on behalf of patients reducing the need for ED visits and referrals  
  • $14 million for women’s health centres 
  • GPs to be able to diagnose and prescribe medicines for ADHD 

 

  • $26.4 million for GP training incentives 
  • $1 million for GP community residency program 
  • $5 million GP upskilling for ADHD co prescribing 

 

 

 

Increased investment in preventative measures 
  • $39.5 million for public access to treatment at Ngala’s residential parents service 
  • $6 million to help develop more community housing 
  • $3.1 million housing first program in Bunbury 
  • $10.4 million expand Homeless Engagement Assessment Response Team 
  • $38.6 million family and domestic violence package includes increasing capacity of refuges in Geraldton, reforms to restraining orders act 
  • $850 000 for Australian Breatfeeding Association breastfeeding education classes, training and local parent groups 
  • $4 million to support development, implementation of mental health and suicide prevention programs in the workplace 

 

  • $36.3 million universal access to residential parents service at Ngala 
  • $40 million suicide prevention programs  
  • $40 million mental health prevention strategies 
  • $6 million to kids help line 

 

 

Improved efficiency and capacity of hospital system 
  • $3.3 billion to improve health infrastructure – redevelopments at Bunbury, Geraldton and Peel 
  • $104 million in improvements to Royal Perth Hospital  
  • $100 million for Midland Health campus ED  
  • $36.3 million for WA Virtual Emergency Department 
  • $2.5 million Womens’ reproductive health day procedure centre  
  • Build Womens and Babies hospital in Murdoch 
  • $50 million to expand Ronald McDonald House, $25 million for Cancer Council WA Lodge Accommodation services  
  • $5 million for adult eating disorder services  
  • $60 for improvements to Albany Hospital 

 

  • $275 million to provide 500 additional transitional care beds 
  • $13 million for high residential rehab beds for compulsory drug rehabilitation 
  • $100 million in four years Elective surgery guarantee  – everyone will get surgery within clinical timeframes – by getting it at no cost in the private system if cannot be accommodated in public system  
  • $20 000 payment to study and work as a nurse in WA – adding 2000 nurses to the workforce 
  • $33.5 million for eating disorder services  
  • $73.2 million to expand St John Urgent Care clinics 
  • $18 million for 60 000 episodes of care at St John Urgent Care  
  • $10 million training for high demand specialists 
  • Build Womens and Babies hospital in Nedlands 
  • $80 million to rebuild Royal Perth Hospital 
  • Two new wards at Joondalup Health Campus 
Improved access to health care in the community  
  • $26 million for youth mental health in the regions including $13.8 million for an Acute Care and Response team in Bunbury and $12.2 million to access virtual infant and child mental health services  
  • $9.9 million to transition a Kalgoorlie mental health program into a public subacute mental health facility 
  • $30.4 million health outcomes in Kimberley, including new clinic at Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, a Derby Wellness centre with focus on drug and alcohol services, mental health support FDV services and aged care, detox facility in Broome and double renal dialysis capacity at Fitzroy Crossing. 
  • $12.4 million for a rebab centre in the Great Southern 
  • $16.3 million regional paramedics in Peel and South West 
  • PATS fuel rebate increase from 26c per km to 40c per km and expanded number of eligible services for PATS  – physio, speech, OT and dental  
  • $140 million aged care including loans for providers to deliver more beds and a program of Integrated Older Adult Care Hubs, Dementia Action Plan and an Aged Care Facility for Aboriginal people in Queens Park.  
  • $7.5 million for improved RFDS Services in the Mid West  
  • $21 million radiation oncology services in Geraldton  
  • $2 million renal dialysis unit in Geraldton  
  • $10.4 million for improved diabetes care 

 

 

  • $24 million Chemo in the Home program  
  • $19 million for five regional mobile dental units 
  • PATS increase to .40c per km (same) nightly allowance $150 per night 
  • $10 million on career paramedics in regions  
  • $25 million radiation oncology in Geraldton 
  • Build Tom Price Hospital  
  • $5.5 million for outpatient and ambulatory care services at Kalamunda hospital  
  • $3 million to expand dispensing of hospital only medications to community pharmacies  
  • $60 million for free post discharge GP visits 

 

Find out more:
WA Labour
WA Liberals
WA Greens
WA Nationals

They vote for you

Bronwyn Ife  |  Systemic Advocacy and Engagement Lead
Published on Feb 17, 2025  |  For media enquiries: 0488 701 839

Health consumers and two elections…

Posted on February 10, 2025

Clare Mullen speaking with HCCWA members

Why the 2025 elections matter for healthcare policy, and how patients and consumers can influence change.

The Impact of the WA State Election 2025 and Federal Election on Healthcare

You might have noticed we’re in the run up to two elections. The WA State election on Saturday 8 March 2025, and the Federal election at some point in the next few months. Not only that, but the Productivity Commission and Cleanbill both published reports this month about healthcare in Australia pointing out what is very clear to anyone trying to access healthcare – there’s a lot of pressure on the hospital system and good luck trying to find a bulk billed GP appointment. And so the airwaves are alive with announcements and soundbites calling for action. And many of these will talk about the need for more hospital beds and hospital infrastructure.

Policy Priorities for Better Healthcare in WA and Australia

Here’s what we’d like to see from a patient and health consumer point of view:

  • increased investment in primary care across the state
    • the Cleanbill report found there are fewer than 40 GP clinics in WA where someone who’s not on a concession card can be bulk-billed – with the cost of living pressures being experienced by many people we know this means people are thinking twice about accessing care
    • the increase in urgent cares is great, but it’s not the same as good primary care
  • urgently increase the investment in preventative health measures
  • a continued focus on improving the efficiency and capacity of the hospital system
    • while retaining a focus on delivering compassionate person-centred care
  • improving access to healthcare in the community
    • one of the reasons for long waits in the Emergency Department is because there are people in hospital who are well enough to leave hospital, but not well enough to return home – we need more access to more community-based options, for example people looking for residential aged care
    • one study into a Compassionate Communities Community Connector model in WA’s South West found that the model led to a 63% reduction in hospital admissions – imagine if we were able to roll this kind of approach out across the state?

You can hear me talking about some of these points with Nadia Mitsopoulis on ABC Perth Mornings this month at this link. The whole item is from 4m45s and our comment is from 16m25s until 20m45s.

Long-term solutions: addressing the root causes of healthcare challenges

Change is not a quick fix

Despite what you’ll read in the coming weeks, there are no quick fixes to the current pressures. WA is not alone in facing these pressures on our healthcare system. And these pressures haven’t come out of nowhere.

The very powerful commercial interests of the food, alcohol and entertainment sectors have created a world over the last five decades where we are increasingly and strongly nudged towards unhealthy behaviours such as eating high levels of ultra-processed foods; spending increased time on electronic devices, including social media; and prioritising paid work over social and community connections.

Add to this the recovery from the turbulence of the COVID pandemic, and healthcare systems around the world are facing similar challenges.

The role of vested interests in shaping healthcare policies

Patient and consumer voices can cut through vested interests

There are many vested interests in the healthcare space. Powerful clinical groups and commercial interests are able to spend significant sums of money putting forward the interests of their members and stakeholders.

And in Australia, we have three levels of government who all have a role in health and healthcare. And unfortunately, getting different parts of government to work well together has never been easy.

Why consumer advocacy is essential for better healthcare policies

Only consumer advocates have the interests of patients, consumers and the community as their sole focus

It has never been more important that there are strong, informed, and connected patient, consumer and community voices in every discussion informing decisions about health and healthcare.

By Clare Mullen, Executive Director

Employment opportunity | Project and Program Support Officer, full-time

Posted on January 29, 2025

Employment opportunity

To help us achieve our vision of improved health outcomes and experiences for everyone, driven by strong health consumer voices at every level of decision making in health, we are growing our small but mighty team.

Project and Program Support Officer, full-time

We are seeking a highly organised Project and Program Support Officer who loves people and being in a fast paced environment with lots of variety. The role plays a valuable part in supporting a range of projects, as well as being the first port of call for people connecting with Health Consumers’ Council.

As a pivotal role that works across the whole organisation this role is full-time and based on site.

The role offers:

  • A high degree of variety – working with diverse community members and staff at all levels in the health and social care system
  • The opportunity to be part of a consumer-first organisation with a focus on improving health equity and championing health rights
  • A welcoming and inclusive workplace where everyone is encouraged to bring all of themselves to work
  • The opportunity to be involved in a wide range of projects and to grow your areas of responsibility as your knowledge and skills develop
  • A competitive not-for-profit annual base salary with salary packaging

About you:

  • You’re looking for a role where you can apply your communication and administration skills to do work that you care about
  • You’re interested in the health system and care about people’s experiences of it
  • You’re happy to muck in and enjoy working on a range of different projects and with different teams simultaneously

Position overview

This role provides project, general and executive administration support across all areas of HCC, working under minimal supervision to ensure the effective and smooth running of our small hybrid workplace. A proactive, collaborative and hands-on approach is needed for our agile and adaptable organisation, which has the consumer experience and voice at its heart.

A typical week might see you doing a range of tasks:

  • Assisting with project tracking and coordination using our project management system
  • Assisting with planning and delivering a range of events, workshops and activities by organising attendee lists, logistics and catering and consumer payments and enquiries
  • Creating and sharing posts on social media guided by senior colleagues
  • Stepping in to help with projects and liaise with clients when required
  • Attending workshops and events when required to – this may include occasional after hours working
  • Greeting visitors to our offices, responding to our reception phone calls, and responding to emails through our main inbox
  • Managing the training room and equipment register
  • Scheduling meetings, preparing agendas and recording minutes
  • Managing stakeholder contact details through our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system
  • General office admin including organising travel and accommodation
  • Generating simple reports and analysis from existing systems including data entry
  • Providing executive support to the Executive Director, including managing diary requests

See the job description for a full outline of responsibilities for the role.

Selection criteria

Essential

  1. A minimum of 2 years’ experience in a similar role working across multiple business functions, including project administration
  2. Well-developed interpersonal and verbal skills, with a demonstrated understanding of the sensitivity and empathy needed when communicating with vulnerable community members
  3. Well-developed written communication skills, with the ability to write clearly and concisely for internal and external use
  4. Excellent organisational skills, with high attention to detail and the ability to manage and prioritise deadlines and own workload with limited supervision
  5. Demonstrated ability to use initiative and solve problems within own area of responsibility
  6. Ability to plan and manage large meetings and events eg Annual General Meeting or similar
  7. Be adept, or be able to quickly become adept in, a range of office software programs including Microsoft Office 365 Suite, project management software, and accounting software

 Desirable

  1. A demonstrated interest in the aims and purpose of HCC, for example, experience as a health consumer representative or volunteering in a similar advocacy organisation
  2. Experience creating engaging content for social media and website use, and experience using Mailchimp.
  3. An understanding of the community services and not for profit sector
  4. Ability to develop and maintain productive relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholders, and navigate difficult conversations when required

To apply for the position

Send a cover letter of no more than two pages addressing the selection criteria, along with a current resume outlining your work experience, skills and any relevant education or training to Fiona Leece our recruitment partner at jobs@capitalhr.com.au clearly stating which role you’re applying for.

Please submit your application no later than 8am on Monday 10 February. 

However, note that applications will be considered as received and we reserve the right to appoint to the role before the closing date.

Applications that do not address the criteria may not be considered.

If you require any adjustments to submit your application or wish to have a confidential discussion about the role, please contact Kim Moore, Office and Executive Support Manager on (08) 9221 3422 or email Fiona Leece our recruitment partner at jobs@capitalhr.com.au.