General News
15 December, 2025
Helping close the gap
A long-awaited $3.3 million Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-focused health service project will shortly begin construction in Oakey.
Goondir Health Services, along with several other not-for-profit Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations received funding from the Federal Government in the 2024/25 financial year to build a purpose-built clinic in order to help improve services and address health needs of their local Indigenous Communities.
The $3.3 million Federal Government project with a contribution from Goondir of $300,000 plus the land on Bridge Street, is planned to start in January 2026.
A Goondir spokesperson acknowledged the funding approved by the Government for the Goondir Oakey Clinic under the Indigenous Australians Health Program through its Capital Works Program.
The long-awaited announcement came as a relief to local stakeholders, as there had been several previous failed attempts to fund a larger clinic in Oakey.
Goondir said it also acknowledges the role of its National Peak Body, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations Board, and Executives for their advocacy role in securing the funds for the much needed project.
Goondir CEO Floyd Leedie said the new building will have all the modern conveniences of a modern-day primary health care clinic.
“(This building will allow) Oakey Clinic Staff, Program Staff and External Service Providers the ability to deliver better care in a purpose-built clinic, inclusive of a culturally appropriate and sensitive service,” he said.
Oakey has a large Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, with 12.2% of people in Oakey identifying as Indigenous in the 2021 Census, a proportion four times greater than the average Australian locality.
The town also has higher rates of long-term health conditions across all the major categories, including arthritis, asthma and mental health.
Goondir Health Services says it serves 71% of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community across the Dalby, Oakey, Chinchilla and St. George regions, and also looks after just under 700 non-Indigenous patients.
In Oakey, it has 725 total clients, of which 580 are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and conducted 1262 health screenings last year.
Outside of primary care, Goondir also partners with external agencies to deliver education, food distribution and community services.
Some of the community services programs it provides are the Wunna Yarn Wunna Cut mobile barbershop and the Big Buddy youth inclusion program.
Goondir is one of 148 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) across Australia, all aimed at bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes in line with the national standards.
Out of the 17 targets in the national Closing the Gap program, there are some still well short of being met, most notably life expectancy.
Closing the Gap statistics show that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males and females born in 2020–2022 are expected to live 8.8 years and 8.1 years shorter lives respectively than their non-Indigenous peers
Factors that affect the life expectancy and quality of life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are interconnected and span their life course.
These factors can include:
- Cultural identity and community practices held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Social factors, such as inadequate housing, low education and income levels, unemployment and lack of access to, and use of, healthcare services. (These social factors are important as they then influence personal risk factors such as alcohol consumption and smoking, leading to an increase in chronic diseases)
- Access and utilisation of healthcare services that are culturally safe and accessible, which involves the availability of well-resourced ACCHOs, which deliver care in an holistic way that meets the unique cultural and health needs of the community. Another key factor is improving the availability of high quality healthcare services, such as specialist services, for people who live in rural, regional and remote areas.
