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| Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia | |
|---|---|
| Name | Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia |
| Formation | 1982 |
| Type | Peak Aboriginal health body |
| Headquarters | Perth, Western Australia |
| Region served | Western Australia |
| Leader title | Chair |
Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia
The Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia is the peak Aboriginal-controlled health organisation representing Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services across Western Australia and advocating for Indigenous health equity. Founded in the early 1980s, the body coordinates service delivery, workforce development, policy engagement and research collaboration with major hospitals, universities and government agencies. It interacts with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, national bodies, and regional providers to influence public health, primary care and social determinants affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Established in 1982, the organisation emerged amid national movements such as the 1967 Referendum, the Whitlam era reforms, and the rise of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services exemplified by the Aboriginal Medical Service in Redfern and the Kimberley Health initiatives. Early milestones include collaboration with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and partnerships with state institutions like the Western Australian Department of Health and major tertiary centres including the Royal Perth Hospital and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Influences and interlocutors over time have included the Lowitja Institute, the Menzies School of Health Research, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, and intergovernmental forums such as COAG. Historical advocacy connected to the Stolen Generations debates, the Bringing Them Home report, and public inquiries into Indigenous child welfare shaped its strategic priorities and service models in remote regions such as the Pilbara, Kimberley and Goldfields.
The council operates as a member-based peak body governed by a board representing regional Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services including East Arnhem equivalents, remote clinics, and urban Aboriginal Medical Services. Its governance draws on models employed by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, state Aboriginal legal services, and Indigenous Land Councils, while interacting with statutory bodies like the Aboriginal Affairs Council of Western Australia and the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. Administrative functions coordinate with universities such as the University of Western Australia and Curtin University for workforce training, with clinical governance aligning to standards from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Regional advisory structures mirror Indigenous governance arrangements used by the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre and local Aboriginal Corporations.
Primary roles include advocacy on national platforms like the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, strategic planning with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and operational support for member Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services similar to models used by Congress of Aboriginal Peoples and the Aboriginal Legal Service. The council provides policy advice to state ministers, participates in interagency advisory groups with institutions such as the Telethon Kids Institute, and facilitates clinical networks connecting General Practice networks, paediatric services at Perth Children's Hospital, and mental health services patterned after initiatives at the Aboriginal Medical Service Western Sydney. It also supports cultural safety initiatives informed by the work of Lowitja O'Donoghue, Noel Pearson, and organisations like Reconciliation Australia.
Programs span child and maternal health, chronic disease management for diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, aged care liaison, and mental health and substance use programs in collaboration with agencies such as Headspace, Beyond Blue, and the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association. Preventive programs draw on public health research from the Menzies School of Health Research and the Kirby Institute while immunisation, screening and oral health activities coordinate with community clinics and tertiary hospitals including Fiona Stanley Hospital. Workforce development includes Aboriginal health worker training linked to TAFE WA, university placements at Curtin and UWA, and scholarship pathways like those promoted by the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation. Telehealth programs link remote clinics to specialists at Royal Perth Hospital and Perth Children's Hospital.
The council maintains partnerships with national bodies such as the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, the Australian Medical Association, and peak Indigenous research bodies like Lowitja Institute and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Advocacy campaigns have engaged with federal policy forums including the Closing the Gap framework, Indigenous-specific elements of the National Health and Medical Research Council, and ministers responsible for Indigenous affairs. The organisation has collaborated with philanthropic foundations, hospital networks, and community legal services, and engaged with international bodies addressing Indigenous health parallels in Canada, New Zealand (including Te Puni Kōkiri), and the United States.
Funding is derived from multiple streams including federal Indigenous-specific funding programs administered through departments such as the Department of Health, state contracts with the Western Australian Department of Health, project grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council, and philanthropic grants coordinated alongside peak bodies like the Telethon Institute. Accountability mechanisms mirror those used by other Aboriginal corporations and statutory entities, involving audited financial reporting, performance frameworks aligned with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare indicators, contractual service agreements with health departments, and community governance requirements observed by the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations.
Evaluations of the council's impact reference metrics used by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Closing the Gap targets, and peer-reviewed studies in journals informed by research centres such as the Menzies School of Health Research and Telethon Kids Institute. Reported outcomes include strengthened primary care access in remote regions, workforce increases in Aboriginal health practitioner roles, and program-level improvements in chronic disease management and maternal child health indicators when measured against state hospital admission data and National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System trends. Ongoing evaluation draws on partnerships with universities, the Lowitja Institute research translation frameworks, and national monitoring processes used by bodies like the Productivity Commission.
Category:Health organisations based in Western Australia Category:Indigenous Australian health