The Deadly Sex Congress annual forum brings together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sexual health workers from across Queensland to expand their knowledge, strengthen workforce capacity, and share valuable stories and experiences.
Where: Crystalbrook Bailey, Gimuy/Cairns
When: Wednesday, 21 October 2026 – Thursday, 22 October 2026
Event program
Wednesday: 9:30 AM – 4:40 PM
Wednesday Deadly Sex Dinner and Awards: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
The Deadly Sex QLD is free to attend. Complimentary accommodation is available and subject to committee approval upon registration. Priority will be given to delegates traveling from outside Meanjin/Brisbane.For any enquiries, please contact [email protected].
The Deadly Sex Congress Dinner is a free, Queensland Health-supported event that celebrates and promotes the incredible work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers. It is an opportunity to recognise contributions and achievements within the sector in a relaxed and welcoming setting.
Have a story, project, or initiative related to BBVs, STIs, or community health? The Deadly Sex Organising Committee is now calling for expressions of interest to present at Deadly Sex Congress 2026. All topics and format are welcome. The committee would particularly like to encourage health workers and practitioners to share their experiences, projects, programs and stories of work they have been doing within sexual health in their communities.
Deadly Sex Congress was first held in 2003 and has alternated locations between North and Southeast Queensland. Deadly Sex is organised by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sexual health workers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers through an Organising Committee Structure.
Hi! I’m Jaucintha Harbin Iles and I’m a proud Yiman and South Sea Island woman from Rockhampton, in Central Queensland. I have worked with Queensland Health for 7 years.
During the past 4 years as the Indigenous Health Liaison Officer at Capricorn Coast Hospital. In this position the majority of work I do is with women and youth. I help to educate them through promoting safe sex and contraception. We also talk about the services that are available for antenatal and postnatal care. Another job within the community here is that I assist with education around injecting drugs and other drug use throughout Central Queensland.
One of my greatest achievements to date is working collaboratively with the Sexual Health team to implement the very first Sexual Health Clinic at Capricorn Coast Hospital. This clinic will assist me to spread the word in preventing STI’s and blood borne viruses that are affecting our mob here. I have found with every year attending this congress, I come home with increased knowledge and additional information and tools for me to bring back to my hospital staff and community. This knowledge assists me to spread the awareness to improve engagement, and definitely helps in closing the gaps and barriers. This is my 7th year attending the Deadly Sex Congress and I am very proud to be on the committee board with a deadly team.
Mario Assan is a health professional with 25 years of experience working in indigenous health across the Torres and cape region. His current role since 2013 is a Senior Public Health Officer – Indigenous Sexual Health with the Cairns Public Health Unit and now based on Thursday Island with the Torres and Cape Hospital Health Service.
Community engagement and awareness is his passion, working with indigenous communities to ensure community consultation and engagement processes are established and maintained to provide guidance and local approval on all decision making and service planning in relation to STI services, both clinical and health promotion.
I’m Emily – a proud descendant of the Yamatji people from the Murchison region in Western Australia. I’m a Sexual Health Officer at the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) and a 3rd year PhD student at University of Queensland’s School of Public Health.
I have strong passion for harm reduction in the context of substance use and injecting drug use, BBV/STI related work, and making healthcare and harm reduction more holistic, equitable and safe for mob. This my first time attending Deadly Sex Congress and I’m so honoured to be part of the Organising Committee.
I am a proud Darumbal Man working as a First Nations Health Worker, operating out of the Ipswich Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Clinic. I am an appointed contact tracing officer and hold a Diploma in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care.
I am also a qualified and practicing health worker immuniser. I have a passion for ensuring the community from which I both live and work receives the support, guidance, and empowerment it needs to grow and develop and that equitable services are being provided.
I am a young Aboriginal woman with family connections in the northern territory.
I am a qualified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker with seven years of industry experience, most recently serving as an ATSI health worker at my local AMS. My role has provided me with the opportunity to build meaningful connections with families, elders, and other community members in the Logan region. Over the years, I have developed expertise in a variety of programs, including healthy hearing, smoking cessation, school health checks, sexual health education, mental health support, and case management.
I am particularly passionate about working with community around sexual health and education and am dedicated to delivering culturally safe and responsive care. I am committed to continuous learning to ensure that I uphold cultural protocols and contribute meaningfully to the health and well-being of my people.
My name is Denzel Philpot, and I am a proud Jirrbal, Kuku Yalanji, and Meriam descendant living and working on Mamu Country.
I commenced my Primary Healthcare journey with Mamu Health Service Limited in 2012 as a Trainee Health Worker and have since progressed to the role of Primary Healthcare Interventions Coordinator. Over the years, I have gained extensive experience across various areas of Primary Healthcare, strengthening my commitment to improving health outcomes within our communities.
In 2024, I was offered the opportunity to lead the sexual health program at our service. Although I initially hesitated, I ultimately accepted the role—and it has proven to be one of the most rewarding decisions of my career. I have developed a strong passion for sexual health, as it closely aligns with my key strengths in designing, implementing, and delivering effective health promotion strategies and campaigns.
I am grateful to be part of the 2026 Deadly Sex Congress Organising Committee.
Hayden is a proud Kalkadoon man from North Queensland with links to the Jirrbal people in the Far North Queensland rainforest, currently living and working in Narm. Hayden is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lead at ASHM with experience in the community-controlled health sector, working as an AHW in Cardiology at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and Molecular Point-of-Care testing research in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities. He’s passionate about culturally safe healthcare and strengthening the Aboriginal Health Worker workforce.
I am a Senior Project Officer at ASHM based in Meanjin who is passionate about supporting health professionals and the communities they serve across viral hepatitis and sexual and reproductive health. I have worked across the not-for-profit sector in education, community engagement, and capacity building. My work has focused on advancing gender justice and strengthening the capacity of the health workforce.
I am a public health professional working as a Project Officer at the ASHM, supporting programs across blood-borne viruses and sexual health.
My work focuses on improving access to testing, treatment, and care for priority populations, with a particular interest in culturally safe, community-led approaches. I am committed to strengthening equitable health systems and supporting better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other communities disproportionately impacted by BBVs and STIs.
I am passionate about addressing the structural and social factors that shape health, and am driven by a commitment to practical, evidence-informed approaches that improve access, trust, and long-term health outcomes.
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Phone: 0417 855 051
Email: [email protected]
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Level 3, 160 Clarence Street Sydney, NSW 2000
Tel: (+61) 02 8204 0700
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