Henry Councillor is elected Chair of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO)

The following summary has been adapted from the NACCHO website and an ABC media release

Mr Henry Councillor was elected Chairperson of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) at a conference for NACCHO members held in Alice Springs on 7 September 2005. NACCHO is the national peak Aboriginal health body representing 134 Aboriginal community controlled health services (ACCHSs) across Australia. The conference was held for members to consider the way ahead and determine their priorities for improving Indigenous health outcomes.

Mr Councillor, who also held the position of Chair in 2003, takes over from Dr Naomi Mayers (who is now Deputy Chairperson). During his long association with NACCHO Mr Councillor has been an advocate for the organisation, for its members, and for initiatives with potential to positively impact on the health of Aboriginal people.

Mr Councillor is a Jungual man of the Jaru people. His family comes from the Mt Dockwell area southwest of Halls Creek in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. His long involvement in Aboriginal health commenced with the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Council Inc. (KAMSC) over 20 years ago. In 1995 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of KAMSC. He has worked also with the Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, the Yura Yungi Medical Service at Halls Creek, and the East Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service. In 2003 he was appointed Chairperson of the Western Australia Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (WACCHO), and he is presently an active member of the Aboriginal Health Council of WA (AHCWA) that has recently replaced WACCHO. He has actively participated in a range of local, state and national committees.

Speaking at the conference, Mr Councillor said that Aboriginal health and services are an integral part of the health of the nation, and cannot be ignored. He stated, ‘I will be focussing on building relationships with key agencies and organisations and on lobbying government and other sectors to increase the resources and capacity of the Aboriginal community controlled health organisations to further improve health outcomes’.

Referring to the recent release of a report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, he said that ‘Progress in health has been unsatisfactorily slow’. He added ‘All sectors should be mindful of the roles and/or influence they can have on change in the delivery of improved health care for Indigenous peoples. Everyone can potentially contribute’.

Mr Councillor also aims to:

• Promote within the Aboriginal health sector, and to mainstream Australia, the many success stories both from NACCHO and from individual ACCHSs.

• Achieve greater recognition for Aboriginal health workers as a profession, including appropriate salary and career structures and the introduction of national competency standards.

• Broaden access to Section 100 medications to include all ACCHSs including those in rural and metropolitan areas.

It is expected, according to the NACCHO constitution, that Mr Councillor will be Chairperson for the next two years.

For further information view:

NACCHO
View website

ABC
HEALTH: NACCHO calls for shared focus on Indigenous health outcomes
Source: NACCHO
View media release (HTML) (released 7 September 2005)