Mr Justin Mohamed, Chair of National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), said today that the board of NACCHO welcomed working in a genuine partnership with the Federal Government on any steps that would improve standards of governance in the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector.

Mr Mohamed was responding to a management crisis besetting Congress, one of the nations biggest and most successful Aboriginal community health services with a budget of $38 million and a client base of almost 10,000 central desert people.

“As the Minister of Indigenous Health Warren Snowdon pointed out in an interview this week 85% of Indigenous health services were well administered and had adopted improved standards of transparency, accountability and governance.” Mr Mohamed said

 “Good governance and financial management of any public organisation is essential. NACCHO has been working closely with our sector to develop a series of guiding governance principles for the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) across urban, regional and remote Australia, to assist organisations to responsibly govern on behalf of their communities in delivering comprehensive primary health services.” Mr Mohamed said

“It is to the benefit of our entire sector that safeguards and processes are in place to uphold good governance and to investigate and address any anomalies that are discovered. Where there are doubts about financial management arising from audits of services, NACCHO welcomes thorough investigation and the pursuit of appropriate action.

 The Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector places the highest importance on integrity, transparency and accountability in all matters relating to governance.

When this is not done, the people who suffer the most are Aboriginal families and their Communities.’ Mr Mohamed said

 NACCHO Media

 Colin Cowell 02 6246 9309                    Mobile: 0401 331 251

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