The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) supports the pledge today by
the Coalition Government to hold a national referendum on constitutional change to recognise Indigenous voices in the constitution. The NACCHO executive team attended the National Press Club conference by Hon Ken Wyatt AM MP, Minister for Indigenous Australians for NAIDOC Week 2019.

Post Minister Wyatt’s address, NACCHO Chief Executive Officer, Ms Patricia Turner AM said, “We welcome Minister Wyatt’s call to all Australians to join him on the journey to constitutional recognition of Australia’s First Nations peoples and support the creation of a voice for Indigenous Australians to influence the Australian Parliament.

“NACCHO stands ready to do our part in achieving the best possible outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout Australia, and we will continue to take a leadership role in the Coalition of Peaks Partnership with the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) on Closing the Gap.”

NACCHO is the national peak body representing 145 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations across the country on Aboriginal health and wellbeing issues. NACCHO represents over 6,000 ACCHO staff – of which 3,500 are Indigenous – and is the largest employer of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.

Many NACCHO members have almost 50 years of experience in the delivery of comprehensive primary health care. Services are delivered through fixed, outreach and mobile clinics operating in urban, rural and remote settings across Australia.

For media enquiries or for interviews contact:

• Jackie Hanafie: jackie@fiftyacres.com or +61 3 9005 7353
• Julia Macerola: julia@fiftyacres.com or +61 422 337 332