Collaboration and Innovation at the Kimberley TIS Workshop

On 5 and 6 August 2026, WA Program Officer Oniké Williams and Program Manager Darrien Bromley attended the Kimberley Tackling Indigenous Smoking Workshop in Broome on Yawuru Country.

Hosted by Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services, the workshop brought together TIS workers from Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, Derby Aboriginal Health Service, Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service and the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre.

The workshop provided an opportunity for teams to share their recent activities, achievements, evaluation approaches, reporting systems and new resources. Teams also discussed the practical challenges of delivering population health initiatives across remote and very remote communities, including extreme weather, staffing shortages, travel constraints and the distances involved in reaching communities across the Kimberley.

BRAMS shared several successful community engagement activities, including a youth fishing competition attended by approximately 70 participants, community sporting events, quit support sessions and school education activities. The team is also planning a Colour Fun Run to coincide with Father’s Day.

DAHS highlighted its NAIDOC Week activities, community camping programs, Moanjim Health Day and use of inflatable lung displays to educate community members about the impacts of smoking. The team also introduced its new TIS branding and call to action, “Quit Today; Live Tomorrow”.

KALACC shared its work delivering school holiday camps for young men and women. These camps create culturally safe opportunities to discuss the harms associated with smoking and vaping while strengthening cultural connections.

Teams discussed how historical attitudes towards tobacco continue to influence smoking behaviours. This includes perceptions that tobacco is harmless because it comes from the earth, as well as its historical use as payment for Aboriginal stockmen and its association with status.

Cancer Council WA Kimberley representative Kausar Syed presented information about the Clear the Air campaign, vaping addiction and the support available to TIS teams across the region.

Oniké delivered a session on developing effective calls to action for Activity Work Plans and Performance Reports. Participants created and presented their own calls to action, receiving practical feedback and guidance. Kaupa also facilitated a discussion about performance reporting.

Social media engagement emerged as a key topic, with teams raising concerns about organisational approval processes affecting the timing and relevance of campaigns. Claudine Thornton joined the workshop via Microsoft Teams on the second day to provide practical advice about social media planning, approvals and campaign delivery. She also suggested raising the issue at the upcoming CEO’s Workshop to help organisations better align campaigns with events such as World No Tobacco Day.

The Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia delivered a presentation on child safe practices, Working with Children Check requirements and risk considerations when planning community events. Participants then completed a practical risk assessment exercise, identifying potential risks and developing strategies to manage them.

The two days also included networking and team building activities, including a TIS networking bingo race won by Sam from DAHS and a paper tower challenge won by Darrien’s team.

The workshop strengthened collaboration between NBPU TIS and the KAMS TIS consortium while providing valuable insight into the operational realities facing teams across the Kimberley. The open exchange of experiences, challenges and practical solutions created a meaningful opportunity for teams to learn from one another and strengthen future TIS activities across the region.

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