EHWs are trained health professionals. Training is provided by
Batchelor College. THS first started funding EHW positions in remote Aboriginal
communities in 1993. Now EHWs are also employed by local community councils. The role of
an EHW is broad. Activities they become involved in will vary from place to place. Their
main jobs can be to:
| Keen and committed There was another guy doing it and he left. Then Jeff came over and told me about people getting sick from the water because of all the mucky stuff in it. I never knew this. He told me about the environmental health team, and I thought I'd give it a go. I never knew what was involved in it. After about half a year I got serious about it - after coming into courses and that. After I graduated I wanted a year off. But it's hard to find people to take over the job. You go around trying to find people and they say, "yeah, I'll take that job", but when the time comes, they're not around. You need someone who's really keen and committed. Not someone who's going to do it for a couple of months and then wander off. Environmental Health Worker |
| Just get started … go from there I waited for maybe 3 or 4 months before Council got the funds. I knew they were getting funds. I got to do the job. They wanted me to work but I waited for the funds to come. I got an office and a vehicle. When I first got into that work and after a couple of months of getting started I was looking forward to this work every day. I was enjoying it, it was really good. Something different. The more I learnt, the more I taught the people out there, just by doing things and leading by example. Following my lead. Without me telling that mob they see what I do and they do the same thing. It caught on and everyone started understanding what environmental health issues were all about. I knew everybody there and I was going house to house talking to people, asking and not telling, and being polite. There are certain areas you can't go into without getting into an argument, you've got to go around those things instead of going through. I used to enjoy going to work. Now I want to train some of my family to take it on. Environmental health is a good thing in communities. It helps and works if you've got the right person in the job. It's just patience, you've just got to sit back and wait for the right time to come, the right person, the funds, or whatever. Just get started and go from there. Environmental Health Worker, Top End |
Often people think that environmental health issues are the responsibility of men. This is not the case. It is true that most people working in Environmental Health are men, but environmental health must be everyone's business as it affects the whole community.
| Men and women working together I started by myself and just spoke to the Council about it, about us sharing the job. It helps that we are working together. With women, you can't expect me to talk, I come and ask my wife. It's very hard to talk to a lady. You need a lady volunteer to talk with the ladies, say a woman in the Women's Centre. In every community it's the same. It doesn't matter where you are, office, health centre, it's the same. Environmental Health Worker |
Environmental Health Program |
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| Location | Phone | Fax |
| Alice Springs Population Health Unit |
8951 6920 8951 7818 8951 7824 8951 7968 |
8951 7859 |
| Barkly - Rural Services | 8962 4302 | 8962 4420 |
| Darwin Rural Services | 8922 8349 8922 7737 8922 8273 |
8922 7749 |
| East Arnhem | 8987 0440 8987 0441 |
8987 0444 |
| Katherine | 8973 8654 8973 8676 |
8973 8620 |
| Environmental Health, Radiation, Poisons and Pharmacy Program |
8999 2939 | 8999 2700 |