Indigenous health centre calls for more support amid funding struggles

For 50 years, this community hub and medical clinic has been a lifeline for Indigenous families in Melbourne. Aboriginal elders made weekly for lunch here at the Dandenong district Aborigines Co-op, but these buildings are falling apart. The facility is just crumbling, falling away and cracking. That had to be all replaced. The roof and walls here are cracking, the front door deemed too dangerous to use, and medical specialists are using storage rooms to treat patients. It’s depressing at times to come in. Quite often if it’s heavy rain, we get water running down the walls. There was one time I had to send all the staff home because I couldn’t guarantee their safety with the electrical equipment. Aboriginal leaders are desperately trying to get both the state and federal governments to step in. No one state or Commonwealth governments take responsibility for Aboriginal infrastructure. They are suffering. This area is home to one of the fastest growing indigenous populations in the country. That way for the elders to go if they want to go in for respite, and I think it’s a bit appalling. The local federal MP, Julian Hill, has told ABC News the situation is unacceptable. The current facility is without doubt the worst in Victoria. The building should have been condemned and torn down years ago. State and Commonwealth agencies point at each other. It falls between the cracks. The service says it needs about $24,000,000 to buy new land to rebuild. To care for families who urgently need support.