A message from the Aboriginal Health Plan Advisory Committee

The NSW Aboriginal Health Plan Advisory Committee endorses this NSW Aboriginal Health Plan 2024-2034. The committee acknowledges the long-standing and meaningful partnership between the NSW Ministry of Health and the AH&MRC, together with the input of Aboriginal people from across NSW which have supported the development of this plan.

The passion and expertise of all committee members was key to the development of this plan, but it would not have been possible without Aboriginal people from within the health system sharing their deep knowledge of what’s important for the health and wellbeing of their communities.

As the expert advisory committee, we have ensured this plan is based on an understanding of our lived experience and health system expertise, and the detailed evidence-base Lowitja Institute provided to the plans’ development. We were informed by the extensive consultation and encouraged by the diverse group of representatives on this committee, bringing together a range of government, community and priority population group advocates.

A key aspect of this plan is the incorporation of the Closing the Gap Priority Reforms as enablers of transformation of the way our organisations work together. This alignment to the national health agenda, and development of statewide implementation and accountability mechanisms, will ensure responsibility for action under this plan and allow NSW Health and the Aboriginal community to monitor progress. The ten-year timeframe and broad strategies allow implementation to evolve over time to adjust to different and emerging priorities.

The committee is confident this aspirational plan will foster optimism for the achievement of real outcomes. It is only by working towards the challenging priorities identified in this plan that the NSW health system will become a culturally safe and responsive system for all Aboriginal people and communities in NSW.