‘Celebrating the depth of our knowledge systems’

‘It’s an opportunity to celebrate the depth of our knowledge systems and showcase the role of First Nations peoples as the original scientists, health workers, and researchers on this continent.’
 
That is according to Lowitja Institute CEO Paul Stewart, speaking of this month’s International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference.
 
The conference, held on Kaurna Country, Adelaide, from 16–19 June saw more than 1300 delegates gather to discuss health and wellbeing research from across Australia and internationally.
 
With more than 200 presentations, the conference prioritises First Nations voices, showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led research, community controlled health innovations, and intergenerational knowledge exchange.
 
In 2025, the conference’s theme is ‘strong, fearless, together’, with its program spanning four themes: sovereignty and self-determination, leadership and workforce, Country and climate, and knowledges, methodologies and traditions.
 
For GP Dr Clare Frawley, the three-day event has left her inspired and excited for what is to come.
 
Dr Frawley spends much of her time working for the remote Tullawon Health Service, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) which sits around 1000 kilometres west of Adelaide.
 
She told newsGP the support of the ACCHO sector, Aboriginal-led research, and Aboriginal-led clinics, interventions and health services were a strong theme throughout the conference.
 
‘It was really fantastic – it was super inspiring to see the number of presentations from First Nations people about First Nations peoples,’ Dr Frawley said.
 
‘I felt very fortunate as a non-Indigenous [Australian] person and ally to be amongst the mix, learning with everybody, and the way that people shared all their collective knowledge and wisdom was really inspiring.
 
‘I definitely left feeling like they’ve got things sorted and they know what needs to be done, we just need to support, in whichever way non-Indigenous people can, to let them govern themselves, and do self-determination, and work out the right way forward for their own people.’
 
As well as hearing from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and researchers, international guests from Aotearoa New Zealand, Canada, and Finland were also present.
 
Several panel discussions at the conference focused on racism and health, enhancing resilience to climate change and protecting Country and culture, and advancing global Indigenous health and wellbeing data.
 
The conference also included ‘Our Space’, a ‘calm, grounding space created with deep care for rest, reflection and cultural connection’, where attendees could join a weaving circle, create with paints and canvas, or rest.

The conference’s ‘Our Space’ initiative was a dedicated area for ‘deep care for rest, reflection and cultural connection’. (Image: Lowitja Institute, Dream Team Imaging)
 
Mr Stewart described the conference as a celebration of the ‘strength, knowledge, and innovation of Indigenous peoples’ across Australia and the world.
 
‘As the largest Indigenous health research conference in the Southern Hemisphere, our conference provides an incredible platform for sharing transformational research grounded in our ways of knowing, being, and doing,’ he said.
 
Dr Frawley, who is also the Aboriginal Health Medical Advisor for Amplar Health Home Hospital, said the conference is a ‘sign that things are changing’.
 
‘It’s key moving forward that there are these spaces and places that people can connect and share their ideas,’ she said.
 
‘I feel very privileged to know that I was allowed to attend and share in that knowledge, I felt really inspired and it felt like a really safe place to share these different ideas and ways of being, knowing and doing.
 
‘There was such a lot of wisdom sharing that happened, and you could see that people felt really comfortable and safe.’
 
Log in below to join the conversation.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health Lowitja Institute