The Struggle for Access to Healthcare in Canberra
Rose is an Aboriginal woman who lives with a chronic pain condition that prevents her from working. She relies on a bulk-billed doctor to ensure her family has access to healthcare. “It takes the burden off, so I can focus whatever little money I do have [on] putting food on the table for my family and a roof over my head as much as I can,” she said.
Rose is one of about 400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients who receive care at the Yerrabi Yurwang Health Hub in Canberra. This health hub delivers culturally appropriate primary healthcare, including general practice and nursing. “I remember having my first [appointment] with Yerrabi and [the doctor] spent an hour with me, she was really getting to the grit of what was going [on] … one really good consult that really set me up,” she shared.
However, due to a lack of funding, the health hub is set to close, raising concerns among Indigenous leaders. Ngunnawal emerging Elder and Yerrabi chair Selina Walker expressed fear that this could lead to serious consequences. “It scares me that this could lead to a death … I’m tired of burying my mob,” she said.
Ms. Walker mentioned that negotiations with the ACT government had been unhelpful, and that the lack of funding disproportionately affects the First Nations community. “This is wholly and solely systemic racism,” she stated.
The organisation recently informed patients of the temporary closure, described as a “pause.” “It is very sad that governments have not been able to accommodate Yerrabi at this time, given the appalling data and health gaps that exist for Aboriginal people in the ACT,” Yerrabi wrote.
Culturally Appropriate Health Care
Many of Yerrabi’s patients are Indigenous elders or children under four who are being treated for complex medical conditions. “Some of the people that we see come through the doors have not seen a GP for five years,” Ms. Walker said. “Now they’re getting those healthcare needs met, they’re getting the medications to improve their quality of life.”
The Yerrabi Health Hub opened in February 2025 to provide services on the north side of Canberra, addressing a geographical gap. “We provide culturally appropriate health care,” said Yerrabi CEO Professor Dea Delaney-Thiele. “It’s holistic, it’s comprehensive, and it addresses not just the physical wellbeing of an individual, it’s a social, emotional, cultural and spiritual wellbeing.”
Ngunnawal elder and Yerrabi board member Warren Daley noted that the hub removed some of the cultural barriers that prevented First Nations people from receiving timely healthcare. “We’ve got elders in the community that won’t go and see a doctor unless [it’s] as their last resort,” he said. “[Yerrabi has] Aboriginal health workers, Aboriginal staff at the front desk; that’s what makes them happy to come and see someone.”
Financial Challenges
The Yerrabi Yurwang Child & Family Aboriginal Corporation was established in 2019 and provides youth, housing, and education programs, as well as running the Yarramundi Cultural Centre. The health hub is part of this corporation and is an accredited Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO).
“The coffers are just about dry,” said Professor Delaney-Thiele. “To have a GP here, a locum, is $10,000 a week … No GP, no script … where are they going to get their meds from if the scripts run out?”
Ms. Walker described the situation as “heartbreaking.” “The government won’t work with us … the answer is always ‘we are broke, we don’t have the money’, or ‘we don’t fund that.’”
Appeals for Funding
Over the past year, the Yerrabi board has appealed for funding assistance from both the federal and ACT governments, but these requests were unsuccessful. After several months of requests, Yerrabi representatives secured a meeting with federal Health Minister Mark Butler’s office in February. This followed a meeting with the ACT government in late December to request short-term bridging funding.
ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith was briefed with a detailed budget and business case. “I recognise that for some people, it would be really disruptive if Yerrabi has to cease operations either temporarily or permanently, and that is, of course, really distressing,” she said.
The brief included a temporary funding request of $803,000 to cover four months of operation. However, neither funds nor staff were granted.
Hope for Future Funding
Primary healthcare is a Commonwealth responsibility, though the ACT does provide some targeted funding to general practice. However, Ms. Stephen-Smith said that ACT government funding was dependent on longer-term support from the Commonwealth. “If it’s not going to be a sustainable operation, there is a question about whether that is a good use of money in [a] short period of time,” she said.
The federal government’s Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP) is fully allocated in this financial year, meaning the assurances sought by the ACT government could not be given by their federal counterparts. In a statement to the ABC, a government spokesperson said: “In 2026-27 the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing will open an Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme grant opportunity. Yerrabi Yurwang has been encouraged to consider applying through this competitive process.”
In the meantime, Ms. Stephen-Smith pointed to other services available to Yerrabi’s patients. “There are a range of other bulk-billed primary care services in Canberra’s north as a result of the Albanese Labor government’s significant investment in bulk-billing incentives,” she said.
Canberra’s Low Bulk-Billing Rate
Canberra has the lowest bulk-billing rate in the country, at 53 per cent, compared to the national average of 81 per cent. Indigenous Australians are entitled to an annual bulk-billed comprehensive health check. However, only 18 per cent of the ACT’s First Nations community accessed this health check in the past year.
In a letter about the closure of the health hub, Yerrabi urged its patients to write to both health ministers as well as local members at both levels of government. “Sadly we are simply being left behind and those appalling statistics are not going to get any better here in the nation’s capital for Mob,” the letter read. “We are hopeful that we may be able to acquire funding later in 2026. … We live in hope as our Elders have before us.”
