Indigenous Environmental Health

Environmental health is about creating and maintaining environments which promote good public health. The National Environmental Health Strategy (1999) defines environmental health as those aspects of human health determined by physical, chemical, biological and social factors in the environment.

Improving the environmental health conditions of Indigenous communities in Western Australia is a key focus of the State Government. Creating and maintaining a healthy living environment requires different agencies to work with communities to provide adequate services such as housing, power, water, sewerage, rubbish collection, road sealing, and town planning.

The coordination of these services is crucial to minimising duplication or gaps in service delivery and helps to ensure communities with the highest priority needs are met first.

The Department of Indigenous Affairs seeks to improve the living conditions of Indigenous communities in Western Australia. The department provides policy advice and support to government and other stakeholders involved in environmental health service delivery. DIA plays a key role in this service delivery.

Interagency fora:

• Aboriginal Town Based Communities Committee (ATBCC)
  An inter-agency committee that oversees the provision of services to Aboriginal Town Based Communities; managed by the Department of Housing; and
• Aboriginal and Remote Communities Power Supply Program Steering Committee (ARCPSP)
  ARCPSP is a program managed by the Office of Energy. It is aimed at improving community access to a reliable and affordable power supply. The program has been delivered at five larger remote Indigenous communities in ARCPSP Phase I, with Horizon Power responsible for delivering electricity. More communities are planned for Phase II, which commenced in 2008.  Phase II is focusing initially on the communities of Kalumburu and Yungngora (Noonkanbah).