10b

Question 1

Determinants of well-being

Answer 1

Determinants of wellbeing refer to factors that influence wellbeing on individual and community levels.
▣ There are many determinants of wellbeing, ranging from influences in the physical environment to economic factors.

Question 2

Cultural determinants

Answer 2

Culture is considered to be an important determinant of wellbeing.
▣ For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culture can be understood as
encompassing a strong sense of identity, values, tradition, and connection between the past, present, and future that drives behaviour and beliefs.
▣ Considering that cultural connectedness and knowledge are vital components of health and
wellbeing (Kingsley et al. 2018), cultural determinants are acknowledged as having a significant impact on wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Question 3

Types of cultural determinants

Answer 3

Cultural continuity, refers to the passing down and active practice of cultural knowledge, traditions, and values from generation to generation.
▣ Cultural continuity can be achieved through a variety of cultural practices, including engaging with arts, crafts, music, dance, theatre, writing, storytelling, languages, food, and so much more.
▣ Cultural continuity can be disrupted or destroyed if cultural practices are not allowed to continue. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, this occurred with the arrival of the British first fleet in 1788.

Self-determination refers to the rights of all peoples to pursue freely their economic, social, and cultural development without outside interference (for example, without the government of a country making it illegal to
perform certain cultural practices).
▣ Self-determination requires that First Nations people are involved in ‘every layer of decision making’ (Behrendt et al., 2017), including decisions that impact communities, states, and the country as a whole.
▣ Self-determination can include endeavours such as:
□ Aboriginal community-controlled organisations.
□ Established partnerships between communities, governments, and non-government organisations, which is any not-for-profit organisation that exists to address a political or social issue.
□ Constitutional recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This will recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Nations of Australia and empower Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander peoples to determine their own futures (Dawson, 2015).