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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 3 Hansard (13 March) . . Page.. 1022 ..

MS TUCKER

Winnunga cannot be all things to all people. They need to be able to work collaboratively with mainstream services, which need to stop automatically referring people on to Winnunga. Other services such as housing services also need to recognise how imperative their role is in the health of Aboriginal people.

An additional need stressed to the committee is the need for Aboriginal people to have spiritual healing included in their treatment regime. Health services need to start looking at holistic treatment and seek Winnunga's advice when treating Aboriginal people.

In addition to better collaboration with service providers, Winnunga needs more staff and told the committee that the government made an election promise of $140,000 towards dual diagnosis staff. However, Winnunga also needs policy support staff. At the moment the CEO-one person-fulfils this role. She needs to be across all issues affecting Aboriginal people and in a myriad of places at once.

For example, the yet to be signed national strategic framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is intended to overcome the cost shifting and buck-passing that occur between the Commonwealth and the states and territories. It has been a lengthy process to get this framework signed, in part because Winnunga does not have the resources to participate equally in these discussions.

The framework agreement has reportedly worked well in other jurisdictions where senior people from each of the stakeholder groups are able to work together. It does not work by involving junior people who have no ability to make decisions as the only representatives of an organisation.

Members would be aware of the accommodation situation faced by Winnunga. As stated, the service has over 5,100 clients serviced by 41 staff in what is essentially a suburban house. This means that doctors and patients have no privacy for their consultations. The additional rooms in O'Connor being used on a monthly basis for a diabetes clinic are up a set of steep stairs, so therefore any clients that, because of their medical condition are unable to make it up the stairs, are seen outside.

This situation is intolerable. I cannot see one mainstream health service or the patients of mainstream health service tolerating this treatment. The committee sees no reason why our indigenous community should either.

Winnunga needs a purpose built facility, but has been offered accommodation in part of the Narrabundah health centre that the committee is told would adequately serve current needs. However, this offer was made in July 2002 and as yet, other than a letter stating that the issue is progressing, there has been no real progress on finding and allocating more appropriate accommodation.

The committee is taking it upon itself to keep a watching brief on this issue and will be seeking regular briefs from Aboriginal health services, following the government's actions through annual reports and seeking other briefings where needed. The committee will also keep members informed of its work in this area.

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