Purple House

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:01): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Will the minister inform the council about his recent visit to the newly opened Purple House facility in Coober Pedy?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:01): I would be most pleased to do that. I was accompanied by then Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon. Linda Burney, and the member for Giles, Eddie Hughes, recently to Coober Pedy for the opening of Purple House. The opening of Purple House in Coober Pedy marks a significant milestone in furthering health care accessibility in remote communities in our state.

Purple House is an Aboriginal-led and operated health service that has played a vital role in providing dialysis treatment to remote communities across the Northern Territory and now in northern South Australia. It is a particularly important initiative, as studies have shown that Aboriginal people are up to 30 times more likely to suffer from chronic kidney disease compared with the general population.

Purple House offers a range of essential services, primarily focusing on dialysis treatment. It operates 18 remote clinics and a mobile dialysis unit known as the Purple Truck. In 2019, the Purple House opened a dialysis centre in Pukatja in the APY lands. Having services on the APY lands allows patients to receive treatment much closer to home and, importantly, this approach helps maintain family ties and cultural practices, reducing the emotional and cultural isolation that often accompanies long-term medical treatment away from home.

The establishment of Purple House in Coober Pedy is an important development for the local community. The Coober Pedy clinic will see approximately eight patients per week, with the potential to increase to 16 at times of high demand. Prior to this, the nearest dialysis services were located in Port Augusta and the APY lands, necessitating long and challenging journeys for patients requiring regular treatment. I know from having visited recently in Coober Pedy that it is not just the patients using the service who will benefit, it is also their family members.

One particular elder talked to me when I visited about the fact that he would spend most of the week in Coober Pedy and then drive down to Port Augusta every weekend for a family member's dialysis, and the location of Purple House in Coober Pedy means that not just the family member can stay there for treatment but he doesn't have to do that five-hour drive every single weekend. The investment in this project underscores a commitment to improving health care access in remote areas and addressing these for Aboriginal people, enhancing overall wellbeing of our community.