Background:

Doutta Galla serviced the Cities of Melbourne and Moonee Valley, specifically communities who were experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage. Catchment features included significant public housing, high rates of homelessness and mental illness and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Rudd’s Apology to the Stolen Generations was the impetus that initiated conversations exploring inequity in services and the agency’s preparedness to meet the needs of a marginalised population.

Methods:

A mix of naivety, passion and an approachable CEO enabled the establishment of a learning circle to understand issues relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and explore organisational change and system development. Strategies involved;
• Staff engagement;
• Workforce development using information technology and new media;
• Culturally safe healthy environments;
• Developing alliances and partnerships; and
• Advocacy for inclusion of Aboriginal community in strategic planning.

Results/Discussions:

Meeting urgent and emerging needs of migrants and refugees can be seen to result in more visible members of our community receiving the lion’s share of services. Our journey provides a pathway for making the invisible visible.

Staff willingness to work within a human rights framework was unmistakeable yet unreliable data and assumptions about cultural identity reinforced the invisibility of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The push towards positive change was being pulled back by systems unable to demonstrate actual need in our community. Despite strategies deployed it was difficult to determine an increase of services to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. What could be verified was more trained staff, an organisational shift in attitude and leadership and participatory action in partnership advocacy and systems change.

Conclusions/implications:

Doutta Galla’s pathway to Reconciliation will evolve and be sustained with the merger and the birth of cohealth. The foundation, environment and human resources forged advances improved access and greater health outcomes for the seemingly invisible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our community.