Indigenous Health Plan All Talk, No Action

23 April 2015

Aboriginal health providers remain in the dark about their future funding seven weeks after the Abbott Government announced a $1.4 billion investment in Indigenous health, over a month ago.

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With current funding due to expire on 30 June 2015, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations are no closer to securing new funding agreements, despite the Abbott Government's announcement on 5 March 2015.

Minister for Health, Susan Ley, and Assistant Minister for Health, Fiona Nash, made the funding announcement on the same day that more than 1300 organisations missed out on funding under the disastrous Indigenous Advancement Strategy.

Since then, the Abbott Government has offered no detail and provided no contracts to Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations to continue to deliver vital primary and preventative health services.

Aboriginal health services are unable to plan for their future and maintain a quality workforce of doctors, nurses and health workers without future funding certainty.

The Abbott Government's delay and inaction has created critical issues for many Aboriginal health services which impair and obstruct their ability to ensure continuity of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in their communities.

Labor calls on Tony Abbott to provide new funding agreements to Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and deliver on the commitment it has made.