Pat Turner has been appointed for a further three years until July 2020 by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) Board.

NACCHO Deputy Chairperson, Sandy Davis welcomed Ms Turner’s appointment highlighting her extensive life experiences in Aboriginal affairs, government, academia and corporate practice.

Sandy also ‘acknowledged her invaluable record of public service achievements and that her leadership style comes at an important time for NACCHO with new governance arrangements to be discussed with members’ at our Annual General Meeting in Canberra in November. Pat will help create real, meaningful and lasting change for NACCHO that will strengthen community control and keep Aboriginal health in Aboriginal hands’ he said.

Pat recently finalised a new network funding agreement for supporting community controlled Aboriginal health service with the Commonwealth. This will allow for better, more targeted investment in efforts to close the health gap for Aboriginal people. Pat has consistently said that ‘governments at all levels must do more to join the dots between education, housing, employment and other social determinants if we are to significantly improve health outcomes for our people and Close the Gap they have spoken about for the best part of a decade.’

Pat has been delivering on the Board’s agenda to consult with members to update our NACCHO Constitution and she has spent the last few months criss-crossing Australia to obtain the views and opinions of our Members and Affiliates about NACCHO constitutional changes. She will continue to work on strengthening and expanding the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector, maintaining its strategic directions, cutting unnecessary red tape and building a closer relationship between all our organisations. ‘We want to build on the success of community control in improving health outcomes for our people’ she said.

Pat is of Arrernte and Gurdanji descent and was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) in 1990 for her contribution to public service.

For more information:

Wendy Brookman, NACCHO Communications Officer

(02) 6246 9393

0438 812 505

wendy.brookman@naccho.org.au