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Why was Congress established?
Congress was established in 1973 just 6 years after the national referendum that provided the Commonwealth Government with the responsibility to make laws for Aboriginal people and for us to be counted in the official census.
Congress represents part of the new movement for Aboriginal Self-Determination that grew out of the equal rights movement after the referendum.
The founding meeting (9th June) brought together Aboriginal people from bush and town throughout Central Australia, who were expressing their concern over what was happening in their lives.
Creating change and addressing injustice
From the outset, Congress was designed to be a vehicle for creating change in Aboriginal people’s lives. It was to be a Congress for the people and had a political mandate to address the injustices and to make life different.
Congress took up the issues of housing, land rights, welfare and health. As other organisations became established specialising in areas like housing and land rights, some of them directly out of Congress programs, we have concentrated our particular expertise on primary health care
A strong voice for the health of Aboriginal
people in our community
As we enter this new century it is important that Congress continues to be a leader in primary health care and a strong voice for the health of Aboriginal people in our community.
We can ensure this by maintaining the balance between our key roles as political advocates and as a provider of services, through facilitating maximum community involvement in the organisation.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Download our current
Business Plan
Download our current Annual Report
Congress services
and programs to meet community needs.
There is an ongoing demand to expand the range as well as the size of these services. This is testament to the ongoing value the community places upon its own health service.
At the same time the community continues to seek social changes in order to address the continuing disadvantage, discrimination and exclusion we experience because of the ongoing colonial relationships being enacted.
What is the status of
Aboriginal Health?
Our life expectancy is 20 years less than the non-Aboriginal population. We suffer a greater burden of disease, lower average wages, reduced access to employment opportunities, and in general have lower levels of educational outcomes.
These are not indicators of the failure of the policy of self-determination. Rather they reflect that overall, Aboriginal programs are still not being delivered in ways that will create meaningful change.
Mainstream programs still do not listen to Aboriginal people about what and how they want services delivered. Aboriginal Community-Controlled organisations continue to be under resourced and over monitored for the extensive range of services their communities want them to deliver.
Community-control of services and organisations is not only essential in order to ensure appropriate services, but are an essential ingredient in community development and empowerment; and our right to express self-determination as Aboriginal people.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Download our Policy Papers
Advocating for Change
Congress continues to play an important role in advocating for change through the following member organisations and forums.
Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT (AMSANT)
As a member of AMSANT, Congress helped mould a new agenda for Indigenous health planning both in the NT and nationally.
We advocate on health issues through AMSANT which is a core signatory to the Framework Agreement in Aboriginal Health, along with the Commonwealth and N.T. Governments and the previous ATSIC.
Northern Territory Aboriginal Health Forum (NTAHF)
NTAHF is an interagency forum, established under the Framework Agreements in Aboriginal Health, along with its Regional Planning Structures and Committees aims to ensure a co-ordinated approach to health service development in the N.T. This includes reform at all levels of the system to ensure a more responsive health system for Aboriginal people in both the community-controlled and government sectors.
It is overseeing the injection of new funds into the region for Aboriginal Primary Health Care under Aboriginal Community-Control.
Co-operative Research Centre for Aboriginal
Health
As a founding partner of the Co-operative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health which is defining the current research agenda in Aboriginal Health.
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health
Organisation (NACCHO)
Through NACCHO, we advocate on the social change and public health agendas of policy development.
Central Australian Remote Health Development
Service (CARHDS)
In order to ensure that we have the capacity to continually upgrade the skills of our workforce we are a prime mover in this organisation.
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We use the experience developed and have built over nearly forty years, to not only do the work of providing an efficient and responsive primary health care service, but to share this knowledge with others.
Stephanie Bell.
CEO
Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Inc. |
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