The Overburden Report: Contracting for Indigenous Health Services, Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health, Darwin

In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community health organisations play a signifi cant role as providers of essential primary health care (PHC) in rural, remote and urban settings. Australian governments have developed policies and funding programs to support this growing health sector. But the current arrangements for funding are much criticised. Providers
complain about fragmented funding programs, with too many reports required.
Government staff also experience problems with administering these funds, with high workloads in processing and managing a multitude of programs and grants, and some lack of compliance by providers, particularly with activity reporting requirements.
This project aims to expand our understanding of these problems and find
better ways of funding and regulating PHC for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.