An Aboriginal health service in the isolated town of Ceduna is hoping the Prime Minister's $1 billion Closing the Gap announcement can help it move out of an asbestos-riddled building that is "falling apart".
Yadu Health Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Zell Dodd said the announcement was "music to the corporation's ears", but questioned how much of the funding would make it to Ceduna.
"If we're talking about closing the gap, you have to think about how you'd actually do that in the West Coast," she said.
The clinic leases the building from the state free of charge and provides health services that relieve Ceduna Hospital's workload.
"Plumbing problems happen quite often here because of the old pipe works, the building constantly leaks," Ms Dodd said.
"We've got asbestos and mould, which is inside the building, and our air conditioners are constantly breaking down."
Last week Prime Minister Scott Morrison outlined a $1b "implementation plan" to close the gaps in health, education, justice and employment by 2031.
'Fallen on deaf ears'
Yadu Health's strategic partnerships executive Warren Miller said the corporation had been trying to secure funding for a new clinic for five years.
"We have email trails back to 2016 and 2017 of grants and proposals, trying to get support from different kinds of ministers, the Premier and Prime Minister, but it's just been falling on deaf ears," he said.
"The amount of people that have walked through this building saying, 'Oh my God, I can't believe you guys are still working in this building' — but that's as far as it's gone."
Mr Miller said Mr Morrison's latest announcement on equality should apply to the working conditions within the clinic.
"Scott Morrison says the ultimate test is to enable every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boy or girl the same opportunity as any other Australian child," he said.
"We are the major employer of Aboriginal people in Ceduna, we deliver health outcomes to Aboriginal people here, that's a quote from him — it just doesn't do this place justice."
Mr Miller said the corporation employed about 80 staff.
"The staff work inside this building that's riddled by asbestos and mould," he said.
"The band-aid fixes we have to do to keep going and provide a service for our people is just unreal."
Ms Dodd said she hoped state leaders would advocate for the clinic.
"We want to expand, we want to be able to have the space that's available for our staff, but mainly for the clients that walk through the door," she said.
SA Health has been contacted for comment.
