Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation Docker Street

The history leading to the establishment of Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation’s (RivMed) current service provision is bound in the history of the Aboriginal Family Resettlement Scheme which commenced in 1974. This scheme was a NSW state government initiative to relocate Aboriginal families from rural remote communities. Prior to that there were seven identified Aboriginal families living in the local Wagga Wagga community. The scheme was funded to relocate Aboriginal families to Wagga Wagga to access better housing, education, health and employment opportunities, for the resettled families. Consequently, there was a dramatic increase in the Aboriginal population in Wagga Wagga at this time, there were more than 500 Aboriginal people in 1982. Unfortunately this program did little to address the health outcomes of Aboriginal people. The reality was something different and the experience of many people was of isolation from mainstream services in Wagga Wagga. The Aboriginal Family Resettlement Scheme was, in its effect, little more than a continuation of past policies that dictated where Aboriginal people should live. The scheme highlighted the problems associated with many similar relocation schemes in the past. With the best intentions, schemes of this nature do not necessarily take into account the particular culturally sensitive needs of Aboriginal people and their families. The NSW Aboriginal Family Resettlement Scheme (AFRS) ultimately highlighted the poor access to culturally appropriate services, in particular health services for Aboriginal families.