The Pilbara Aboriginal Health Alliance (PAHA) has received a $1.3 million grant from Lotterywest to support the foundations that sit behind Aboriginal-led health across the region. Rather than funding a single program, the grant strengthens the organisational capacity that helps community-led and culturally grounded care work well over the long term.
In a region as large and diverse as the Pilbara, improving health outcomes is rarely the result of one organisation working alone. It relies on strong relationships between services and communities, and the ability to navigate broader systems in a way that keeps local priorities at the centre.
PAHA works alongside its Partner Services, Mawarnkarra Health Service, Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service and Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation, supporting coordination, shared learning and advocacy across the region. This helps Partner Services remain focused on delivering culturally safe healthcare in their communities, while PAHA advocates at a system level to drive reforms that support stronger health outcomes for Aboriginal communities.
The Lotterywest funding supports PAHA to keep strengthening the foundations that help community-led health outcomes to grow over time, including:
- coordination and shared planning across the region
- governance and strategy that reflect Aboriginal leadership and community priorities
- financial sustainability and organisational systems that support long-term impact
- advocacy and partnership work that strengthens the Aboriginal health system
- data and learning to support shared priorities, accountability and continuous improvement
PAHA CEO Ashley Councillor said the investment recognises the critical role partnerships play in supporting community-led care:
“We’re grateful for Lotterywest’s support and the recognition of the role partnerships play in improving health outcomes across the Pilbara. Our Partner Services are leading important work in their communities, and this investment allows us to continue working alongside them, strengthening the connections and coordination that support community-led care.”
Lotterywest’s support recognises the importance of work that can be hard to see day-to-day, but is essential for services and communities to stay connected, especially in remote and regional settings. By investing in core organisational capacity, the grant provides stability for coordination, planning and partnership work that is difficult to sustain through short-term, program-based funding alone.
PAHA remains committed to walking alongside our Partner Services to strengthen the relationships and structures that support improved health outcomes for Pilbara Aboriginal people from now and into the future.
