Committee members: Stephen Morrison, Dr Christine Clinch,
Dr Stephanie Trust, Jessica Curnuck and Mitchell Walley.
Rural Health West has set up a special advisory committee to ensure Aboriginal voices help to shape the organisation’s efforts to improve Indigenous health outcomes across the State.
The newly established Aboriginal Advisory Committee will provide cultural expertise and strategic advice to the Rural Health West Board and staff to ensure ongoing programs and future initiatives are informed by Aboriginal knowledge, perspectives, and lived experience.
The seven-member committee, which will meet four times a year, held its first meeting in Perth on 13 March. The inaugural chair of the committee is Dr Stephanie Trust – a Gidja and Walmajarri woman – who is clinical director of the Wunan Health and Well-Being Centre in Kununurra. The other members, who come from all over WA, are Dr Christine Clinch, Ashley Councillor, Jessica Curnuck, Adjunct Professor Tuguy Esgin, Stephen Morrison and Mitchell Walley.
Dr Trust says the advisory group provides an opportunity for Aboriginal perspectives to shape how Rural Health West’s programs and services are designed and delivered.
“Aboriginal people understand the realities our communities face and the importance of care that respects culture, connection and community,” she says.
“We need Aboriginal voices influencing every part of the health system – from the way services are delivered to how programs are designed and decisions are made.
“This committee creates a space for that influence. It allows Aboriginal leaders to share their knowledge and lived experience, so that Rural Health West can work in ways that genuinely support our communities.”
Dr Trust, a former member of the Rural Health West Board, says strengthening Aboriginal leadership in health is critical to creating sustainable change in rural and remote Australia.
