The Research Alliance for Urban Community Controlled Health Services (RAUCCHS) met on 4–5 November at Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services in Canberra, bringing together CEOs, researchers, and leaders from major urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health services. The meeting was co-chaired by Professor James Ward, Director of the UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, and Wayne Ah Boo, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health, and focused on practical ways to strengthen advocacy, collaboration, and research capacity across the urban health sector.
At the annual gathering, RAUCCHS members progressed the Terms of Reference, discussed advancing engagement with NACCHO and government ministers, and shared feedback on the forthcoming Urban Health Equity Dashboard led by AIHW. Participants also endorsed the Urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing Research Framework, which will be publicly available soon.
Future priorities of the group include pursuing collaborative grant opportunities, organising a 2027 Urban Indigenous Health Conference, and coordinating advocacy to improve policy influence and funding for urban community-controlled health services.
Thank you to Winnunga Nimmityjah for hosting and to all RAUCCHS members and collaborators.
