Consistent with its 2022 commitment to support the Uluru Statement from the Heart, the Board of the Healthy Communities Foundation Australia (the Foundation) met on 17 April 2023 with management and Aboriginal health staff to discuss the constitutional referendum to enact the Voice. Following a detailed discussion, the Board resolved to support the ‘Yes’ campaign.
The Foundation CEO, Mark Burdack, said:
“We live and work in rural and remote Australia, and work closely with the Aboriginal communities and staff to improve local health and community outcomes.
“As a national thought leader on rural and remote health and development, we believe that the Foundation has an important role to play in encouraging informed and respectful debate on this important step for our nation.
“We work every day with Aboriginal communities and staff in rural and remote Australia, and we understand that the Voice alone is not a solution.
“However, we are convinced that the Voice will provide Aboriginal people with a formal mechanism to influence decisions being made about Aboriginal health and development.
“We therefore strongly support the ‘Yes’ case in the upcoming referendum.
“This is an important opportunity to unite communities across Australia by listening to local Aboriginal people and ensuring ensure we are making a meaningful differences in their lives.
“The Foundation’s Board and staff look forward to being part of this important process leading to the Referendum” said Mr Burdack.
About the Foundation
The Foundation was established in 2001 by rural and remote people to support rural and remote communities to establish sustainable health services. Over the last 20 years we have supported 17 towns to establish and maintain health care supporting over 25,000 people who would otherwise have lost access to care. Today the Foundation is a thought leader on rural and remote health and development, focussed on working with communities to build resilience and capacity to address the social determinants of health through positive, community-led, strengths-based, place-based action. The Foundation is a member of the Centre for Research Excellence to Strengthen Healthcare in Remote Communities led by the Menzies School of Health Research, and including Monash University, Macquarie University, the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress and Torres Health.
MORE INFORMATION
Please call Mark Burdack, CEO, on 0418974988.