Australia's New South Wales (NSW) Government has announced the opening of the Goulburn Aboriginal Health Centre, a facility dedicated to fostering reconciliation, healing, and the health and well-being of the local community.
This centre is part of the A$165m ($111.3m) Goulburn Hospital and Health Service Redevelopment project, aimed at providing high-quality healthcare services for the region.
The facility is equipped to offer a culturally safe environment for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
It features a variety of amenities, including a waiting area, an accessible bathroom, a kitchen with a breakfast bar for cooking demonstrations, consultation rooms, and a multi-purpose activity space.
The centre also has an outdoor area, which includes a yarning circle for community gatherings and a play area for child and family programmes.
The establishment of the centre was further supported by an A$225,000 grant from NSW Health, awarded under the Aboriginal Health Minor Capital Works Program.
These additional funds facilitated the completion of the centre's extensive features.
The Goulburn Aboriginal Health Centre was opened with a Welcome to Country by Local Ngunnawal Elder Jennie Gordon, who also participated in a flag-raising ceremony.
Inland Network Aboriginal Health manager Marion Knight and Goulburn Base Hospital Site manager Kylie Strong were also present at the opening.
NSW Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty Minister David Harris said: “This new centre is a fantastic, purpose-built space for the Goulburn Aboriginal Health team to provide a range of free services for the community, including community liaison, health promotion and disease prevention.
“This is part of the NSW government commitment to closing the gap and improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people in a culturally safe and appropriate way.”
The latest development comes after the NSW Government unveiled a record A$35.1bn ($23.1bn) investment for the 2024-25 Budget to overhaul the state’s health system.
