MEDIA RELEASE

1 February 2011

Australia Day honours for Professor Noel Hayman

Queensland’s first Indigenous doctor and Brisbane South Division board member, Professor Noel
Hayman, has been named Queensland Australian of the Year for 2011.

The honour recognises Noel’s efforts to improve Indigenous access to mainstream health services
and health information.

As the founder and Director of the Indigenous Health Service at Inala, Noel has seen the number of
patients increase from 12 to 2,500 over the last decade.

Brisbane South Division CEO Vicki Poxon said the Division was proud of the Australia Day honour
awarded to Noel.

“It is important for us at Brisbane South Division to have someone like Noel steering our response to
Indigenous health issues on Brisbane’s southside and in Indigenous communities throughout
Queensland,” Vicki said.

“Professor Hayman has been successful in increasing immunisation rates and improving
management of chronic diseases like diabetes.

“He’s also working hard to recruit and train a new generation of Indigenous doctors.”

Noel said he hoped the award would shine a fresh light on the need for a better approach to
Indigenous health.

“There is still a shocking disparity between the life expectancy of Indigenous and non-Indigenous
Australians – and it’s even worse in rural and remote Australia,” he said.

“In the months and years ahead I hope that we will see the Inala Indigenous Health Service become
a training ground for many more emerging doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.”

Noel is associate professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Queensland, a Fellow of the
Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine, Secretary of the Australian Indigenous Doctors
Association and Chair of the ATSI Health Working Group in the Royal Australasian College of
Physicians.

Ends