Aboriginal Health Jobs in Australia: Careers, Pathways and Opportunities

Searching for Aboriginal health jobs in Australia?

You are entering one of the most important areas of the Australian workforce.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people work across hospitals, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, community health services, mental health, primary care, allied health, government health departments and specialist services throughout Australia.

And Aboriginal health careers are much broader than one job title.

You might be looking for an Aboriginal Health Worker job, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner position, a hospital liaison role, mental health opportunity, community engagement role, administration position or leadership opportunity.

Whatever stage of your career you are at, Indigenous Job Match helps connect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander job seekers with employers and opportunities across Australia.

What Are Aboriginal Health Jobs?

Aboriginal health jobs are roles connected with improving health, wellbeing and access to healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.

Some positions are specifically designated or identified for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants.

Others are mainstream health positions where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are encouraged to apply.

Roles may involve direct clinical care, community engagement, health promotion, patient support, administration, policy, program delivery, education, cultural capability, research or leadership.

That means you do not necessarily need to be a doctor or nurse to build a career in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.

There are many ways to contribute.

Aboriginal Health Worker Jobs

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers play an important role in connecting health services with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families and communities.

Depending on the position and health service, the work might involve:

• Supporting patients to access health services
• Health promotion and education
• Community engagement
• Providing culturally responsive support
• Supporting clinical teams
• Chronic disease prevention and management
• Maternal and child health
• Mental health and social and emotional wellbeing
• Sexual health
• Hospital and community liaison
• Supporting transitions between hospital and community care
• Working with families and carers
• Supporting outreach programs
• Building relationships between services and community

The Australian Government identifies Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Health Practitioners as important parts of the First Nations health workforce alongside nursing, midwifery, medicine and allied health. Health and Ageing Department

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner Jobs

You may also see positions advertised for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner.

Health Practitioner positions can include clinical responsibilities and may require particular qualifications and professional registration.

The Australian Government advises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners complete relevant Certificate IV qualifications and are registered with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia. Health and Ageing Department

Always read the individual job advertisement carefully because qualification, registration and experience requirements will depend on the role.

If you are unsure whether your qualification meets the requirements, contact the employer before deciding not to apply.

Aboriginal Health Jobs Are More Than Health Worker Positions

One of the biggest misconceptions about Aboriginal health careers is that every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person working in health has to be an Aboriginal Health Worker.

That simply is not the case.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people work across the entire health system.

Career opportunities can include:

Nursing

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses work across hospitals, community health, primary care, mental health, aged care, emergency departments, specialist services and community-controlled organisations.

Midwifery

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander midwives can play an important role in culturally safe maternity care and supporting mothers, babies and families.

Allied Health

First Nations professionals work across allied health disciplines including:

• Psychology
• Social work
• Physiotherapy
• Occupational therapy
• Speech pathology
• Pharmacy
• Nutrition and dietetics
• Podiatry
• Exercise physiology

Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing

There are also opportunities across:

• Mental health services
• Alcohol and other drug services
• Suicide prevention
• Social and emotional wellbeing programs
• Youth mental health
• Family support
• Community outreach

Administration and Corporate Services

Health services also need people working in:

• Administration
• Human resources
• Recruitment
• Finance
• Procurement
• Communications
• Information technology
• Governance
• Project management
• Data
• Policy

You can contribute to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health without working in a clinical role.

Leadership

Experienced professionals can also move into:

• Team leadership
• Program management
• Service management
• Clinical leadership
• Executive positions
• Workforce development
• Strategy
• Policy
• Governance

Your Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander identity should never place a ceiling on where your career can go.

Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Jobs

For many job seekers, working in the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector provides an opportunity to work in organisations governed by and accountable to Aboriginal communities.

These organisations can provide health and wellbeing services shaped around the needs of their communities.

Career opportunities can extend well beyond doctors, nurses and Health Workers.

They may include:

• Reception and administration
• Aboriginal Health Workers
• Health Practitioners
• Registered nurses
• General practitioners
• Allied health professionals
• Social and emotional wellbeing workers
• Family support
• Youth services
• Aged care
• Disability services
• Finance
• Human resources
• Community engagement
• Program management
• Executive leadership

The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation also maintains employment listings across the sector. NACCHO

Aboriginal Health Jobs in Queensland

Queensland has Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health employment opportunities across metropolitan, regional, rural and remote locations.

Depending on vacancies, opportunities may be available across:

• Brisbane
• Logan
• Ipswich
• Moreton Bay
• Gold Coast
• Sunshine Coast
• Toowoomba
• Bundaberg
• Hervey Bay
• Rockhampton
• Mackay
• Townsville
• Cairns
• Cape York
• Torres Strait
• North West Queensland
• Central Queensland
• South West Queensland

Queensland Health regularly recruits Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Health Practitioners across different regions and levels of the health workforce. Current Queensland Government search results demonstrate opportunities across many parts of the state. Smart Jobs

So if you are searching for Aboriginal health jobs Brisbane, Aboriginal health jobs Cairns, Indigenous health jobs Townsville or Aboriginal Health Worker jobs Queensland, make sure you search by both your profession and location.

Aboriginal Health Jobs Near Me

A common search is:

Aboriginal health jobs near me

But do not restrict yourself to that phrase.

Employers use different terminology when advertising positions.

Try searching for:

• Aboriginal health jobs
• Indigenous health jobs
• First Nations health jobs
• Aboriginal Health Worker jobs
• Aboriginal Health Practitioner jobs
• Aboriginal mental health jobs
• Indigenous community health jobs
• Aboriginal hospital liaison jobs
• Indigenous health promotion jobs
• Aboriginal identified health jobs
• Aboriginal community controlled health jobs
• Aboriginal health traineeships

You may find completely different vacancies depending on the wording you use.

Do I Need Qualifications to Work in Aboriginal Health?

It depends on the position.

Some clinical and regulated occupations require specific qualifications and professional registration.

Other health sector jobs may place greater emphasis on experience, cultural knowledge, communication, community engagement or transferable professional skills.

There are also education, training and traineeship pathways available for people wanting to enter the health sector.

The Australian Government lists vocational education and training, traineeships and university study among the pathways into First Nations health careers. Health and Ageing Department

So do not assume that health is closed to you because you have never worked in a hospital.

Your existing experience may be more transferable than you realise.

Thinking About a Career Change Into Aboriginal Health?

You might currently work in:

• Community services
• Disability
• Aged care
• Administration
• Customer service
• Education
• Government
• Recruitment
• Youth work
• Housing
• Child protection
• Justice
• Employment services

Many of the skills developed in these areas can transfer into health.

For example:

Working with community can demonstrate relationship-building.

Case management can demonstrate coordination and client support.

Administration can demonstrate organisation, systems knowledge and confidentiality.

Leadership experience can transfer into health program and operational management.

Community engagement can demonstrate communication and stakeholder management.

Do not look only at the job title you currently hold.

Look at the capabilities underneath it.

Your Cultural Knowledge Can Be a Professional Strength

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services operate within communities with different histories, cultural practices, languages, relationships and experiences of health systems.

Cultural capability therefore matters.

Depending on the role, relevant strengths might include:

• Building trust with community
• Understanding cultural protocols
• Communicating respectfully with Elders
• Working with families and kinship structures
• Community engagement
• Understanding barriers to accessing services
• Advocating for patients
• Working between community and institutional systems
• Cultural leadership
• Supporting culturally safe practice
• Relationship-building

But there is something else worth saying.

You should not be expected to carry all of an organisation's cultural responsibility simply because you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

Cultural safety is an organisational responsibility.

When considering an employer, look at what they are doing to create an environment where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees can succeed.

Questions to Ask Before Accepting an Aboriginal Health Job

Getting offered a job is exciting.

But the employer also needs to be right for you.

Consider asking:

• Who will I report to?
• Are there other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees in the team?
• Is cultural supervision available?
• Is professional supervision available?
• What professional development is offered?
• Is cultural leave available?
• What are the organisation's Sorry Business arrangements?
• How does the organisation support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees?
• What opportunities are available for progression?
• What does cultural safety look like within this team?
• How does the organisation work with local community?
• Is flexible work available?
• Is relocation assistance available for regional or remote positions?

The interview should give you information too.

You are not only being assessed.

You are deciding whether this is somewhere you want to work.

Applying for Aboriginal Health Worker Jobs

When you find a position you are interested in, do not immediately send the same résumé you use for every application.

Read the advertisement first.

Identify the capabilities the employer is looking for.

Then tailor your résumé around those requirements.

For example, if the advertisement repeatedly mentions:

community engagement

make sure your relevant community engagement experience is easy to find.

If it talks about:

culturally safe care

show how you have contributed to culturally safe practice.

If it requires:

stakeholder engagement

give examples of the groups, services, organisations or communities you have worked with.

If the position requires a particular qualification or registration, make sure it is clearly listed.

Make the recruiter's job easy.

Do not make them search through your résumé trying to determine whether you meet the requirements.

What Should I Include in My Aboriginal Health Job Application?

Depending on the employer, you may need:

• A résumé
• Cover letter
• Written response
• Selection criteria
• Qualification documents
• Registration details
• Identification documents
• Evidence relating to eligibility for an identified position
• References

Always follow the instructions in the advertisement.

If an employer asks for a two-page response, do not submit six pages.

If they ask you to address specific questions, answer those questions.

If something is unclear, contact the nominated person before applications close.

Preparing for an Aboriginal Health Job Interview

Health interviews often ask candidates to provide examples of previous situations.

Prepare examples involving:

• Working with community
• Managing a difficult situation
• Communicating with someone from a different background
• Working within a team
• Supporting a client or patient
• Resolving conflict
• Maintaining confidentiality
• Working under pressure
• Cultural safety
• Advocating for someone
• Managing competing priorities

A simple way to structure your answer is:

Situation — what was happening?

Task — what did you need to do?

Action — what did you personally do?

Result — what happened?

Do not only describe what the team did.

Interviewers need to understand your contribution.

Don't Rule Yourself Out Too Quickly

You find the perfect Aboriginal health job.

You read the advertisement.

You meet most of the requirements.

Then you see one point you do not meet perfectly and close the page.

Before you do that, read the advertisement again.

Separate mandatory requirements from desirable experience.

If professional registration is mandatory and you do not have it, that obviously matters.

But if the advertisement describes experience as desirable and you have relevant transferable skills, you may still be a strong candidate.

Employers advertise their ideal candidate.

Very few applicants perfectly match every sentence.

Building a Long-Term Career in Aboriginal Health

Your first health role does not have to be your final destination.

A career might begin in administration, community engagement or a traineeship and eventually move into:

Health Worker → Senior Health Worker → Advanced Health Worker → Team Leader → Program Manager

Or:

Administration → Project Officer → Senior Project Officer → Program Manager

Or:

Traineeship → Qualification → Health Practitioner → Senior Practitioner → Leadership

Or your path may look completely different.

Career progression does not have to be linear.

The important thing is continuing to develop your skills, experience, qualifications and professional networks.

Scholarships and Training for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Careers

If you are considering study, there are also scholarships and workforce programs available to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people entering or progressing within health careers.

The Australian Government currently lists support across areas including health, nursing, midwifery, pharmacy and allied health, as well as training and workforce development initiatives. Health and Ageing Department

Eligibility varies, so always check the current requirements with the organisation administering the program.

Find Aboriginal Health Jobs With Indigenous Job Match

Indigenous Job Match connects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander job seekers with employment opportunities across Australia.

That includes opportunities in:

• Aboriginal health
• Hospitals
• Community-controlled health
• Mental health
• Government
• Community services
• Administration
• Professional services
• Leadership
• Identified positions
• Mainstream positions seeking First Nations candidates

Our goal is not to tell Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people what careers they should pursue.

Our job is to help open the door to opportunity.

Because mob belong throughout the Australian workforce.

Search Aboriginal Health Jobs Today

If you are looking for:

Aboriginal health jobs

Aboriginal Health Worker jobs

Aboriginal Health Practitioner jobs

Indigenous health jobs

First Nations health jobs

Aboriginal identified jobs

or your next career opportunity,

start with Indigenous Job Match.

Search current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander jobs across Australia.

Your next role could be the beginning of something much bigger.

Indigenous Job Match

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Your skills. Your culture. Your future.