The HealthInfoNet commenced in September 1997 as the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Clearinghouse. Our origins, however, can be traced back to 1981, when the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies established a research fellowship to enable the collection, synthesis and dissemination of information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
Our founding Director, Professor Neil Thomson, was appointed in May 1981 to that research fellowship, which involved two main functions:
Our work in the late 1990s focused on adapting these functions to take advantage of the expanding internet – which assisted the first function, and revolutionised the second.
Our current name – which was adopted in 2000 at the time of a major re-development of the resource – reflects the fact that our functions are well beyond those of a ‘clearinghouse’.
Users of this web resource are warned that it may contain images and/or references to deceased people, which could cause distress or sadness particularly for some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The resource may also contain words and descriptions that could be culturally sensitive and which might not normally be used in public or community contexts. For example, some information may be considered appropriate for viewing only by men or only by women. The HealthInfoNet respects such culturally sensitive issues, but, for technical reasons, it has not been possible to provide materials in a way that prevents access by a person of the other gender. Users are asked to respect this cultural protocol.
