A project designed to deliver "culturally safe, high-quality aged care" for Aboriginal people has been granted development approval, paving the way for the first Indigenous aged care facility in the Boorloo/Perth metropolitan area.
The 100-bed Sister Kate's Health and Aged Care Facility will provide a home for Aboriginal residents from across Western Australia, delivering services including offering dialysis treatment, and health and wellness programs.
It will also provide dedicated education and training opportunities for Aboriginal people seeking careers in the health and aged care sectors.
Located on the Sister Kate's site in Queens Park, the facility is being developed by Hall & Prior Health & Aged Care Group, in partnership with the Sister Kate's Children 1934-1953 Aboriginal Corporation, the organisation founded by former residents of the original Sister Kate's Home - Aboriginal children who were part of the Stolen Generations.
Sister Kate's Children 1934-1953 Aboriginal Corporation chairperson, Dr Sue Gordon AM, lived at Sister Kate's in the 1940s, later becoming Western Australia's the first Aboriginal magistrate in 1988.
"The facility will be the first of its kind in WA - a centre of excellence for how to best provide health and aged care services for the Aboriginal community," she said.
"It will also provide specific training and education programs to Aboriginal people to work in the health and aged care sector, building key partnerships across local Aboriginal organisations and facilitating sustainable career pathways."
Hall & Prior will operate the facility under a long-term lease from the Sister Kate's corporation. Construction is expected to commence in the first half of 2026, with completion targeted for 2028.
"This project is one of Western Australia's most significant Aboriginal health and aged care developments and reflects Hall & Prior's long-standing commitment to providing culturally responsive care," said Hall & Prior chief executive Graeme Prior AM.
"Our partnership with Sister Kate's (Aboriginal Corporation) ensures the care of our residents will be guided by cultural values and community leadership and we are honoured to be working alongside Sister Kate's to bring this vision to life."
The new facility will be built alongside existing seniors' units owned by Sister Kate's Aboriginal Corporation, with the design by Kerry Hill Architects "honouring the site's heritage while delivering best-practice, contemporary aged care amenities", the company said.
Features will include the ground floor as the main hub dedicated to caring for residents and includes 70 rooms with 100 beds, living and dining facilities, wellness centre and hydrotherapy pool; an upper floor which will include four dialysis treatment beds, as well staff and training facilities; and the integration of the heritage-listed chapel which will be an active part of the site.
Hall & Prior said the Sister Kate's project aligns with the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recommendations for Aboriginal-led, culturally safe care, and supports the Commonwealth's Closing the Gap objectives by creating employment, training, and community development opportunities.
It will also provide specific training and education programs to Aboriginal people to work in the health and aged care sector, building key partnerships across local Aboriginal organisations and facilitating sustainable career pathways.
The project has secured $25 million from the federal government through the Capital Assistance Program, and a further $25 million from the Western Australian government via direct grants and concessional loan arrangements.
Mr Prior said the commitment from federal and state governments "has laid a strong foundation".
"Together, we can build something truly transformative for Aboriginal Elders, for WA, and for the aged care sector as a whole; a world class aged care facility, led by Aboriginal voices, underpinned by evidence, and grounded in cultural safety," he said.
