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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-09-09 Daily Xml
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Yadu Health Aboriginal Corporation

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:23): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding Aboriginal health.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The very first and most fundamental target in the refreshed Closing the Gap agreement is to improve the life expectancy of Aboriginal people. In estimates committee hearings this year, the Premier was completely unaware of this. This lack of basic knowledge may explain the government's apathy and mismanagement of Aboriginal health, particularly in relation to recent concerns about Yadu Health in Ceduna.

On the Far West Coast of South Australia, Yadu Health's 70 to 80 staff see somewhere in the order of 3,000 patients per year, with Ceduna and surrounds having a total population of around 4,500 people. The Yadu Health clinic includes ceilings and walls made from asbestos, with large sections of the building now unsafe for human use due to crumbling asbestos, black mould and water leaking around live electric cabling. We are told about a third of the building is formally condemned and is not even safe for storage.

In addition to the problems at Yadu Health on the Far West Coast, Nganampa Health in the APY lands wrote to the government seeking urgent help, and I quote:

We seek the assistance of the Government of South Australia and the Commonwealth Government to address this urgent resourcing issue which goes to the very sustainability of Nganampa Health Council and the services it provides to the residents of the [Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara] Lands.

My questions to the minister are, firstly, what exactly has the minister personally done to lobby the commonwealth government to guarantee a new building for Yadu Health in Ceduna and what is the state government's contingency plan if Yadu Health is yet again rejected by the federal Liberal government? What has the minister personally done to secure the future of Nganampa Health in the APY lands after they requested urgent financial assistance from the state government some months ago?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:26): I thank the honourable member for his question. It does raise an interesting trend of inconsistency. The members of the opposition constantly berate members of this government when, in their perception, we are allowing the commonwealth to not live up to its responsibilities. I have certainly heard that in a number of questions. One, for example, was in relation to housing and its relation to the commonwealth. The fact of the matter is that—

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —the partnership with the commonwealth in areas such as Aboriginal services, particularly since the 1967 referendum, means that the commonwealth has particular responsibilities and we do not support, if you like, letting them not live up to those responsibilities—

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Leader of the Opposition is out of order. I am listening to the minister. Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: We will continue to hold the commonwealth accountable for our partnership in Aboriginal health and that means in situations like Yadu we will do what we can. We are giving Yadu a 99-year lease so that they can have security to be able to seek a commonwealth grant.

My understanding, too, is that Yadu does not currently pay a POCA occupancy fee but does pay for electricity and water so, if you like, there is support in kind. Also, I think it is important to make clear that Yadu is a partner with the Ceduna services. When I went into the hospital at Ceduna, it was with members of the Yadu team and they were talking about how their services complement one another and how they work together.

The honourable member also wanted to bring to the house's attention the situation in relation to Nganampa Health Council. The primary funder of the Nganampa Health Council is the commonwealth. The commonwealth is currently progressing an organisational review of Nganampa Health Council and, once the recommendations are released, SA Health will jointly explore prospects with the commonwealth and Nganampa Health Council to deliver on those recommendations.

One of the challenges that Nganampa has faced in recent years—and I certainly feel for Nganampa as they have dealt with the tragic loss of Gayle Woodford. As a result of that, they have had to work through a coronial investigation and the significant recommendations that came out of that review. Certainly, not only was there the independent review of Gayle's Law but there was also the Deputy Coroner's inquest findings.

Nganampa's view is that it is good practice to reflect on the Deputy Coroner's findings while we are still awaiting the government's consideration of those findings and any legislative changes to Gayle's Law. In that sense some of the additional costs that Nganampa is carrying in our view pre-empt the outcomes of those processes.

I have met in a virtual way personally with representatives of Nganampa. I wrote to them on 31 August, conveying much of what I have just referred to. We are certainly very keen to ensure health services to the Anangu are maintained and strengthened. The most striking example of that is the vaccination program underway on the APY lands, in partnership with RFDS and Nganampa Health Council.

I appreciate that this is a challenging time for all of us, a challenging time for Nganampa. On top of the pandemic, they have had other challenges they needed to meet. The commonwealth review I trust will not be delayed, so that we can make sure Nganampa has the resources it needs to continue to deliver the health care that Anangu need on the lands.

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