A strong, culturally safe and sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce is widely recognised as an enabler of health equity, building stronger community engagement while improving access to health services and developing sustainable culturally responsive models of care. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals therefore play a vital role in improving trust in healthcare services, leading to better continuity of care that integrates community leadership and ultimately ensuring health systems are responsive to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The objectives of the TCR are to facilitate research that:
- Improves understanding of the enablers and barriers influencing attraction, education, recruitment, retention, career progression and leadership across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce pipeline, including diverse and non-linear workforce pathways.
- Evaluates the effectiveness, sustainability and cultural responsiveness of existing workforce development initiatives, models and strategies including contextual conditions that support their success.
- Strengthens research and evaluation capability in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce through meaningful participation, training and leadership opportunities.
- Develops practical and culturally responsive tools, frameworks and measures to support workforce evaluation, planning and continuous improvement.
- Generates evidence-based recommendations that support scalable, gender-balanced workforce development approaches and long-term improvements in health equity.
The expected outcomes of the TCR are:
- A comprehensive understanding of workforce gaps, strengths and opportunities across the entire Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce pipeline including diverse workforce pathways and career transitions.
- Practical evaluation frameworks, indicators and tools that support workforce planning, policy development and accountability.
- Scalable, culturally-grounded workforce development models that can be adapted across health professions, jurisdictions and service settings.
- Increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and participation in workforce research, evaluation and evidence generation.
- Improved capacity of health systems, organisations and communities to implement effective, culturally responsive workforce strategies that strengthen gender-balanced workforce participation, retention, leadership and health equity outcomes.
Further information about the TCR, its objectives, outcomes, available funds and timeframe is available on GrantConnect.
