Marlene Longbottom | James Cook University (original) (raw)

Papers by Marlene Longbottom

Decolonization of criminology and justice, Nov 30, 2022

In this article, we examine the existing policy and academic literature on punitive responses to ... more In this article, we examine the existing policy and academic literature on punitive responses to gender-based and family violence, focusing, in particular, on women's police stations. Specialist women's police stations have been a feature of policing in Argentina, Brazil, and other South American as well as Central American countries since the late 1980s. They are considered to be a phenomenon of 'the global South', having also been set up in some African and Asian countries including Sierra Leone and India. In this article, we critique research on women's police stations as well as the public discourse within which women's police stations are being proposed as a solution to domestic violence-looking at questions of research design, methodology, empiricism, ethics, and criminological claims to knowledge or 'truth'. We reflect on the significant dangers posed by the potential transfer of women's police stations to the Australian context, especially for sovereign Indigenous women and girls. Finally, we critique what we see as deep-seated contradictions and anomalies inherent in 'southern theory' and white feminist carceralism.

Aboriginal women have been speaking out and identifying solutions to violence against them for de... more Aboriginal women have been speaking out and identifying solutions to violence against them for decades, despite recent reports seeking to suggest otherwise. It’s time that governments and others listened to and acted on these longstanding calls for proper funding of community-based services, according to three “assertive and passionate” Aboriginal women and researchers, Marlene Longbottom, Dr Yvette Roe and Professor Bronwyn Fredericks in their contribution below to Croakey’s #JustJustice series. Website/ Link/ site. https://croakey.org/justjustice-tackling-the-over-incarceration-of-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples

BMC Health Services Research, 2021

Background Pandemics such as COVID-19 are a serious public health risk for Australian Aboriginal ... more Background Pandemics such as COVID-19 are a serious public health risk for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, yet primary healthcare systems are not well resourced to respond to such urgent events. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a federal government advisory group recommended a rapid, tailored Indigenous response to prevent predicted high morbidity and mortality rates. This paper examines the efforts of one ACCHO, which in the absence of dedicated funding, pivoted its operations in response to COVID-19. Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service (Gurriny) is the only primary healthcare service in the discrete Indigenous community of Yarrabah, Far North Queensland. Methods The research was conducted at the request of the Chief Executive Officer of Gurriny. Using grounded theory methods, thirteen Gurriny staff and five Yarrabah and government leaders and community members were interviewed, transcripts of these interviews and 59 documents were imported into NV...

Decolonization of Criminology and Justice, 2022

In this article we examine the existing policy and academic literature on punitive responses to g... more In this article we examine the existing policy and academic literature on punitive responses to gender based and family violence, focusing in particular on women's police stations. Specialist women's police stations have been a feature of policing in Argentina, Brazil and other South American countries since the late 1980s and have also been set up in some African and Asian countries including Sierra Leone and India. In this article we critique research on women's police stations as well as the public discourse within which women's police stations are being proposed as a solution to domestic violence-looking at questions of research design, methodology, empiricism, ethics and criminological claims to knowledge or 'truth'. We reflect on the significant dangers posed by the potential transfer of women's police stations to the Australian context, especially for sovereign Indigenous women and girls. Finally, we critique what we see as deep-seated contradictions and anomalies inherent in southern theory and white feminist carceralism.

Australasian Journal of Information Systems

Research undertaken by outsiders into issues of concern to Aboriginal communities frequently igno... more Research undertaken by outsiders into issues of concern to Aboriginal communities frequently ignores community culture and the knowledge embedded within Aboriginal communities. Methodologies are adopted which perpetuate the colonialist mindset of non-indigenous Australians leading to failed solutions to Aboriginal problems. This paper describes an Aboriginal-led community-based research project, exploring the role of Aboriginal Australians in caring for, and transforming, their own communities. It focuses on the roles that Information Systems can play when providing an accessible platform for Aboriginal voices. The authors conducted an in-depth case study of one Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO), the Illawarra Koori Men’s Support Group (IKMSG). The research consisted of a social network analysis (SNA) of the inter-organisational links of the IKMSG; interviews and focus groups with members of the IKMSG and the co-design of their first website. The prominence of the ...

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Through the lens of complexity, we present a nested case study describing a decolonisation approa... more Through the lens of complexity, we present a nested case study describing a decolonisation approach developed and implemented by Waminda South Coast Women’s Health and Welfare Aboriginal Corporation. Using Indigenous research methods, this case study has unfolded across three phases: (1) Yarning interviews with the workforce from four partner health services (n = 24); (2) Yarning circle bringing together key informants from yarning interviews to verify and refine emerging themes (n = 14); (3) Semi-structured interviews with a facilitator of Waminda’s Decolonisation Workshop (n = 1) and participants (n = 10). Synthesis of data has been undertaken in stages through collaborative framework and thematic analysis. Three overarching themes and eight sub-themes emerged that centred on enhancing the capabilities of the workforce and strengthening interagency partnerships through a more meaningful connection and shared decolonisation agenda that centres Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ...

Health Promotion Journal of Australia

The Lancet

Keeping promises to women, children, and adolescents By 2015, at the end of the Millennium Develo... more Keeping promises to women, children, and adolescents By 2015, at the end of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) era, each year more than 6 million children younger than 5 years and 1 million adolescents were dying, and more than 300 000 maternal deaths were occurring every year. 1 These deaths are a substantial health problem and social injustice because most cases are preventable and are concentrated in rural populations and poorer communities in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. Within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (2016-30) the UN Secretary General launched the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's, and Adolescents' Health (henceforth referred to as the Global Strategy). 2 The Global Strategy was underpinned by lessons learnt from the MDGs and other new evidence, providing a roadmap for action based on country experiences. 3 The Global Strategy is ambitious to achieve nothing less than a transformation in health and sustainable development by 2030 for all women, children, and adolescents worldwide. 2 In a 2016 Assembly Resolution, 4 WHO Member States reaffirmed their commitment to the health and wellbeing of women, children, and adolescents. They requested the necessary technical support from the WHO Director-General for the national plans to end the high numbers of preventable deaths in this population and to report annually to the General Assembly. In the 2017 election speeches, the new Director-General provided a powerful platform for the highest attainable standard of health and wellbeing for all, with the health of women, children, and adolescents included among his top five priorities. 5 These commitments contributed to a growing optimism for ambitious action; however, we are concerned

Personal reflections from Marlene Thompson and Bronwyn Fredericks on the Oceania Tobacco Control ... more Personal reflections from Marlene Thompson and Bronwyn Fredericks on the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference 2009: Addressing inequality through tobacco control.

Journal of Australian Indigenous …, 2010

The issue of cultural competency in health care continues to be a priority in Australia for healt... more The issue of cultural competency in health care continues to be a priority in Australia for health and human services professionals. Cultural competence in caring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is of increasing interest, and is a priority in closing the gap in health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Through a collaborative conversation, the authors draw on a case study, personal experience and the literature to highlight some of the issues associated with employing culturally appropriate, culturally safe and culturally competent approaches when caring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The intent of this article is to encourage discussion on the topic of cultural competency, and to challenge health professionals and academics to think and act on racism, colonialism, historical circumstances and the political, social, economic, and geographical realms in which we live and work, and which all impact on cultural competency.

International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies

In this article, we provide an emic perspective of being uniquely positioned as part of Australia... more In this article, we provide an emic perspective of being uniquely positioned as part of Australia’s only multidisciplinary Indigenous research network, the National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network (NIRAKN). We used collaborative autoethnography and reflection in our practices and experiences. Our purpose was to better understand and improve the functionality of our research network and practice, and to offer some direction for the growth and sustainability of NIRAKN and similar networks. Our narratives strongly demonstrate that mainstream models of support for Indigenous researchers have major limitations for professional development and cultural safety, and do not meet our needs and realities. The significant message is that we need appropriately resourced exclusive spaces and must lead, develop and define the theoretical and cultural specifications and applications of Indigenous researcher support models in higher education institutions. The model should be cross-discip...

CQUniversity's Office of Indigenous Engagement and the National Indigenous Research and Knowledge... more CQUniversity's Office of Indigenous Engagement and the National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network Health Node acknowledge the sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the original custodians of Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are persistent and enduring, continuing unbroken from the past to the present, characterised by resilience and a strong sense of purpose and identity despite the undeniably negative impacts of colonisations and dispossession. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout Australia represent a diverse range of people, communities and groups, each with unique identity, cultural practices and spiritualties. It is not our intention to homogenise in summarising the data gathered in this project and, where possible, we endeavour to disaggregate analyses to recognise geographical, social and culture diversity.

While smoking rates among Australians in general have declined over the past two decades, rates f... more While smoking rates among Australians in general have declined over the past two decades, rates for Aboriginal Australians have remained high and continue to contribute to the overall poor health of Aboriginal people. Aboriginal health workers are proposed as one way to help reduce smoking rates for Aboriginal people however there is a need for specifi cally developed courses to train health workers to deliver smoking interventions.

The general Australian population has experienced a steady decrease in smoking prevalence over th... more The general Australian population has experienced a steady decrease in smoking prevalence over the past 30 years to less than 20% in 2004 with a target set for less than 9% by 2020. 1 Tobacco use in Indigenous Australians is disproportionately higher with approximately 51% of Indigenous men and 47% of Indigenous women reporting regular smoking. 2 These high levels have changed little since the mid-1990s. 3 In some remote communities, for example, in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, a number of studies have documented rates of between 68% 4 and 83% 5 in men and between 60% 4 and 73% 6 in women. These very high rates have also remained unchanged since the mid-1980's. 5 Most tobacco interventions such as individual support, counselling and public education, in mainstream populations have not been available or rigorously evaluated in Indigenous communities. Recent COAG investments to 'tackle smoking' 7 are currently being implemented to address the high rates of smoking in these populations. Implementation will include workforce development, social marketing and the employment of tobacco workers. Abstract Objective: To review available literature addressing the issue of whether smoking status of Indigenous Health Workers (IHWs) impedes provision of health information about smoking tobacco to their communities. Method: Databases were searched for publications that examined IHWs' smoking status or quit support programs for IHWs. Studies were categorised as reviews and commentaries, intervention studies or descriptive research. Results: Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria. Overall, the literature suggests that IHWs' smoking status is a barrier. However, the poor quality of most studies weakens the evidence for this conclusion. The issue of IHWs smoking status as a barrier is peripheral to all but two of the studies. Literature cited and reviewed was often not exhaustive and relied on only a few preceding empirical studies. Most studies were unclear about whether IHWs' views were reported as distinct from views of health staff in general. Conclusions and implications: The recent COAG investment to Tackling Smoking is an important contribution to Closing the Gap in the health of Indigenous Australians. However, there remain potential barriers faced by IHWs that may undermine efforts to reduce Indigenous smoking. Overcoming these barriers and assisting IHWs to quit smoking may provide an opportunity to address high rates of smoking in Indigenous communities. Further research is required with a balance between descriptive research to assess the issue and intervention research to address it.

Page 78 and argue that PCMs provide a powerful way of 'seeing the system', understanding a system... more Page 78 and argue that PCMs provide a powerful way of 'seeing the system', understanding a system within its historical context, and developing a channel for systemic change. They propose that PCMs can be used, to encourage conversations and enhance understandings about the change needed in Australia's health system, in a way that is culturally respectful and appropriate for Indigenous Australians.