New Equity Advisory Group gets to work

A newly formed Equity Advisory Group (EAG) is a key process project of the VCCC Alliance’s health equity program. Recruited from a broad community and professional base, the EAG's objective is to provide expertise to guide the implementation of the health equity program. At a broader level, the EAG will also support the development of an equity framework to support the Strategic Program Plan.

The Equity Advisory Group will provide strategic direction to the VCCC Alliance Health Equity Program on the development and implementation of strategies to address inequities in cancer outcomes across Victoria. 

Advisory group has broad representation

Membership of the EAG includes two consumers, as well as health policy and advocacy professionals, health economists, health equity researchers, and oncologists with a track record of professional practice and personal experience in the field of health equity.

"I am living with cancer and would fit within the box of priority, underserved and underrepresented populations but I sleep in a bed, have a roof over my head, have the privilege of education and am safe. Many cancer sufferers are not this lucky." - Member, Equity Advisory Group

The new advisory group has a busy schedule ahead. The first meeting will be convened in late April, with bi-monthly meetings thereafter.

Addressing cancer inequities

While the immediate focus of the EAG is improving cancer control and outcomes with the populations identified in the Strategic Program Plan (SPP), namely Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and culturally and linguistically diverse populations, the EAG will also explore the issue of institutional racism within Australia’s healthcare system, and the impact of this on outcomes for these populations.

The EAG will take an intersectional approach in its work – the multiple factors of advantage and disadvantage. These may include gender, caste, sex, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, religion, disability and physical appearance. While membership is diverse and with representation broadly from the Victorian population, the group will also consult with stakeholder groups and draw on expertise from the LBGTIQ+ community, people with disability, and regional populations.

For more information contact Dr Vijaya Joshi, VCCC Alliance Health Equity Manager, [email protected].