From the CEO
From the CEO
Building Healthy Communities. Strengthening the Kimberley Economy.
Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS), Kimberley Renal Services (KRS) and our Member Services are more than healthcare providers—we are community-controlled organisations creating lasting social and economic impact across the Kimberley. Together, we employ hundreds of people, invest in local businesses, develop the Aboriginal workforce, deliver innovative research and build the infrastructure that supports healthy, thriving communities. Through Aboriginal leadership, strong partnerships and community control, we are helping shape a stronger future for the Kimberley—where better health outcomes go hand in hand with economic growth and opportunity.
Good morning everyone.
Firstly, thank you to the Derby Chamber of Commerce for inviting me to speak today, and for hosting this important forum here in Derby.
This is the first time, that I know of, that KAMS has been invited to present at the Kimberley Economic Forum, and I’m proud to be here. I’m also proud that KAMS was able to support the forum as a sponsor.
I’d like to acknowledge
KAMS and KRS Chairman Raymond Christophers
Shire Presidents and Councillors
and all other guests.
I also want to acknowledge my family and friends who are here today.
As many of you know, I am a proud Nyikina woman born and raised here in Derby and I’m proud to still call the Kimberley home
My family has always believed in giving back to community. I was strongly influenced by my late father Donny and inspired by my mother Elsia,
Their example taught me that leadership is about service, responsibility and working together for our people.
Today I want to talk about something bigger than health services.
I want to talk about Aboriginal organisations as major contributors to the Kimberley economy.
Because we are not just “ACCOs”.
We are employers.
We are investors.
We are trainers.
We are researchers.
We are infrastructure partners.
And we are helping shape the future of the Kimberley.
When people talk about the Kimberley economy, the focus is often on mining, tourism, agriculture and pastoral industries.
And those industries are all important.
But what is sometimes overlooked is that health care and social assistance is the largest employing sector in the Kimberley.
Around 2,500 people work in the sector, representing about 18 per cent of all employed people in the region.
And ACCOs are a major part of that workforce and investment.
That includes not only clinics and health services, but also:
At KAMS, our vision is for Kimberley Aboriginal people to be strong, healthy and connected through Aboriginal community-controlled services.
And while that sounds like a health vision, it is also an economic vision.
Because healthy communities support strong economies.
And strong economies should create opportunities for communities to thrive.
One thing I want to challenge today is the way ACCOs are often viewed.
Too often, the conversation starts with disadvantage.
But across the Kimberley, Aboriginal people are already routine actors in the economy.
We are:
workers
employers
Directors
investors
business owners
researchers
and decision makers.
And ACCOs are helping create the conditions for that participation to grow.
Closing the Gap is not only about targets.
It is also about structural reform:
That matters because ACCOs are not just delivery agents.
We are long-term partners in planning, governance, investment and regional development.
Community control works because communities trust it.
Our organisations are governed by Aboriginal people, accountable to Aboriginal communities, and built around local priorities and needs.
Nationally, the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector is the third largest employer of Aboriginal people in Australia.
And many of our organisations have been operating for decades.
Together, KAMS, KRS and our Member Services represent more than 320 years of combined experience serving Kimberley communities.
KAMS itself celebrates 40 years this year.
That long-term experience matters.
Because it means our organisations are stable, trusted and deeply connected to community.
Across KAMS, KRS and our Member Services, we collectively provide more than half of all primary health care services in the Kimberley.
But again, we are much more than clinics.
We operate major regional systems across workforce, infrastructure, housing, procurement, governance, training, research and service delivery.
Across KAMS and KRS alone, we own and lease over 60 properties and around 75 vehicles across the Kimberley.
We employ 385 staff across a wide range of professions.
And importantly, much of that investment stays in the Kimberley.
We prioritise local contractors and local businesses wherever possible to ensure the money stays in the Kimberley.
Our three Administration buildings have been built from $30 million KAMS own funds and not by government using local contractors.
This was being smart. We bank with the Commonwealth Bank and we have for 40 years. The first building we built we borrowed some money from the Commonwealth Bank, the second building we borrowed some money from the ANZ because they had a better deal, and the last building we built we invested $5 million, borrowed $7 million from the Westpac because it was better than the Commonwealth. When borrowing from banks need to read the fine print to get the best deal.
That means investment flowing into local jobs, local suppliers and local communities.
Two of KAMS’s largest contracts are in vehicle repairs and maintenance and towing contracts in excess of $250,000
Our largest contract is with aircraft charters – at the moment estimated of $550,000 a year but because of the fuel situation – aircrafts and aviation fuel is huge – estimate a further $100,000.
When governments and partners invest in ACCOs, they are also investing directly into the Kimberley economy.
And the scale of that contribution is significant.
Across KAMS, KRS and our Member Services collectively:
Our staff across the Kimberley own and lease houses, send children to school, shop locally and contribute to the economy – and there is no $ figure on this.
These are not small organisations operating on the margins.
These are major regional institutions helping drive economic participation, workforce development and community sustainability.
Importantly, our organisations are community controlled and not-for-profit.
That means revenue is reinvested back into services, infrastructure, workforce and community benefit.
Workforce development is another area where our sector is making a major contribution.
At KAMS we often talk about “growing our own”.
That means creating pathways for Kimberley Aboriginal people into long-term careers and leadership roles.
KAMS is an accredited RTO and has delivered accredited training since the 1980s. The Kimberley have two Aboriginal accredited RTO’s and one Aboriginal Training Group which is more than any other region in this State.
And today we continue building workforce pathways not only in health, but across many parts of the care and community services economy.
That is why the recent Indigenous Centre of Vocational Excellence announcement is so important.
The consortium between KAMS and Tranby is about helping shape a national skills system led by Aboriginal voices and grounded in Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing.
Because economic development needs a strong local workforce.
And our communities already have the talent, capability and leadership to drive that future.
Leadership is another strength of our sector.
Across the Kimberley, Aboriginal people are stepping into leadership roles across health, business, training, local government, research and many other sectors.
People like:
and many others across our Member Services and communities.
These leaders are helping shape the future of the Kimberley every day.
And importantly, many started in frontline or community-based roles.
That pathway from community to leadership is one of the strengths of our sector.
So if you look at me I started off as “just a receptionist”, then I became the cook at Numbala Nunga back in the day cooking the sweets… and then I became a cleaner for the health department when my kids were little. So it takes time to grow but if you’ve got the support behind you you can achieve so many things.
Another area where ACCOs contribute strongly is research and innovation.
Research led through Kimberley organisations has already influenced clinical practice nationally.
For example:
The Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment Tool, or KICA developed through DAHS – it is now being embedded nationally as the assessment tool for aged care. It’s come out of this little town here
The HBA1c that you use to test your diabetes changed many years ago – that research came out of DAHS changing the way you test for diabetes
So you don’t have to be in a city to make a difference in research
We are also investing in regional data capability through the Kimberley Health Evidence Data Platform, supporting better planning, evidence-based decision making, and Indigenous Data Sovereignty.
This is another example of ACCOs contributing not only services, but also knowledge, innovation and long-term regional planning capability.
Finally, I want to talk briefly about collaboration.
Because collaboration is how we grow.
No single organisation can do this work alone.
At KAMS we work closely with our Member Services, other ACCOs, governments, research organisations, training providers, and industry partners across the region and nationally.
Importantly, partnerships work best when ACCOs are genuine decision makers, not just delivery partners.
That is where we see the strongest long-term outcomes.
As I finish today, I want to leave you with one key message.
Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, or “ACCOs” are not sitting on the sidelines of the Kimberley economy.
We are helping build it every day.
Through:
Strong ACCOs help build strong Kimberley communities.
And strong Kimberley communities help build a stronger Kimberley economy.
Thank you.
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