For the first time, a Northern Territory representative will head the country’s leading sexual health group.  Kim Johnstone, President of Family Planning Welfare NT, has been elected the new President of Sexual Health and Family Planning Australia (SH&FPA). Its mission is to ensure high quality health care on sexual and reproductive matters is available to men and women, both in Australia and overseas.  “I am very honoured, and feel privileged, to have the opportunity to play a lead role in such an important organisation”, Ms Johnstone said.  “SH&FPA plays a key role bringing together sexual health and family planning organisations from across Australia to work together to protect, promote and support sexual rights.  Our member organisations make sure women and men have access to contraception and choice about their sexuality”.

“Indigenous sexual and reproductive health is a key priority for us and I look forward to ensuring issues that are important for the Northern Territory are included in our work, and that the expertise and knowledge we have locally about what works is also part of the national agenda”, said Ms Johnstone.      

The role is voluntary, and Ms Johnstone already represents the national board on the Regional Council representing sexual health and family planning organisations throughout South East Asia and the Pacific. She is currently doing her PhD at the Australian National University on Indigenous fertility in the Northern Territory.   

CEO of Family Planning Welfare NT, Mrs Robyn Wardle, said it was fantastic to see a smaller jurisdiction like the Northern Territory have a top role on the national body.

“Family Planning Welfare NT has recently received accreditation for a course in Women’s Sexual Health for Aboriginal Health Workers which can count as a unit towards a Certificate IV in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care, and we will be looking at how to provide this course more widely.  Education and training for NT health professionals for things like IUDs or doing pap smears is an important way for a small organisation like ours to make sure people throughout the Territory have access to sexual and reproductive health services.  It’s great that this model of service will be understood by the national president”, Ms Wardle said.      

CEO of SH&FPA, Ms Naomi Knight, said, “I look forward to working with Kim over the coming year.  Relationships and sexual rights are central to our daily lives and our work in 2010 will aim to ensure governments around Australia reflect this in social and health policies, programs and projects”.