Closing the Gap sees major milestone

 Group photo of the Gurriny Health & Wellbeing Centre project team taken in the newly completed Health Clinic (Left to Right);

• Heath Christison (HC Building and Construction), 
• Leslie Baird (Chair of Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service Aboriginal Corporation), 
• Alanna Coburn (Coburn Architecture), 
• Shaneen Fantin (People Oriented Design), 
• Harsha Karanth (Australian Government Department of Health), 
• Craig Ford (CFO of Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service Aboriginal Corporation),
• Scott Robertson (WSP).

 For Scott Robertson, Team Leader – Program Delivery Central in the Northern Territory, this commitment has been the prime motivator that’s seen him work diligently for key client stakeholders at the Commonwealth Department of Health over the last few years developing infrastructure essential for the care of Indigenous Australians and building justification for further Government investment.

We’re thrilled to see that the Federal Government recently announced its commitment to providing an additional $254.4 million towards infrastructure to better support Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations do their critical work, on their terms.

According to the Commonwealth Implementation Plan, this funding will deliver new or renovated health clinics and associated housing for health professionals. Funding will support the need for increased remote consultations using digital equipment and upgrading deteriorating or non-existent infrastructure.

For the first time, the National Agreement has been developed in genuine partnership between Australian governments and the Coalition of Peaks, made up of over 70 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled peak and member organisations across Australia.

As part of the Commonwealth Closing the Gap Implementation Plan, the Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Service sector will be strengthened through improved infrastructure to address seriously deteriorating or non-existent health infrastructure. The government will invest in delivering new and renovated health clinics and associated housing for health professionals.

WSP’s long-term work to Closing the Gap

For almost a decade, we have held a critical role in implementing this infrastructure program in various forms.

In his role, as the incumbent provider of program governance services for the Commonwealth Department of Health across Australia, Scott is accountable for facilitating the establishment of Aboriginal Community Health Infrastructure.

Scott explains, “In our role to date, we define what best practice looks like and provide the Department with the high-level expertise necessary to ensure their program is delivered effectively.

“We provide guidance on the infrastructure needs, facilitate the program delivery and advise the ACCHO’s in the steps necessary to establish healthcare infrastructure across Australia.

“We are in the enviable and trusted position where we work alongside the Department of Health and the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHO) as a dedicated multi-year provider of these services.”

Listening and learning – the keys to creating better places

In late 2014, Scott arrived in Darwin as a Northern Territory Public Servant as General Manager for Remote Operations and Indigenous Essential Services, providing utility infrastructure, power and water services across the territory.

This leadership experience and expertise in the remote Australian context was a key contributor to why WSP brought him aboard in 2019.

“With around 42,000 clients spread across 72 remote Aboriginal communities and 66 outstations in 1.4 million square kilometres, it was quite the challenge and one that I thoroughly enjoyed,” says Scott.

“During that time, I made it my mission to learn as much as I could from the Traditional Owners of the land where I worked so that I could establish the appropriate services and solutions for them as my customers and stakeholders.”

Building on his newfound insights with some study on public policy in the remote indigenous context, Scott became aware of the incredible depth of knowledge and diversity of Indigenous cultural groups across Australia.

“Two years ago, I was invited by John Baillie, Principal Civil Engineer WSP, to take on the leadership of the WSP program working with the Department of Health. Shortly after, with John’s passing, I took on sole accountable for the program delivery.”

Scott concludes, “It feels good to be a part of something this important. I’m looking forward to further developing our Program Delivery team to support the needs of our client and stakeholders.”

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