The Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm is set to move towards Aboriginal community control, more than two decades after Ngunnawal Elders first called for a culturally grounded residential healing centre on Country.
The ACT Government will work with Aboriginal organisation Yeddung Mura to develop a pathway for the future management of the service.
The transition is intended to help deliver the original vision for the Healing Farm as a place where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can heal while strengthening their connections to culture, family, community and Country.
Ngunnawal Elders and other First Nations community members from Canberra and surrounding areas began advocating for the facility in 2002.
The ACT Government purchased the Miowera property in 2008 and later established a day program at the site.
However, the original plan for a community-controlled residential healing service has not yet been achieved.
The government will continue to operate the existing day program in the short term while working with Yeddung Mura on the transition.
A timeframe for the completion of the process has not been announced.
ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the announcement recognised the long campaign led by the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
"For 24 years, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community has carried this vision with resilience and persistence," she said.
"The Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm recognises what Community has always known - healing works best when it is led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, grounded in culture, guided by Elders and shaped by Community.
"This is about self-determination - it is about returning decision-making to Community and ensuring the Healing Farm brings the vision of a holistic and culturally grounded residential healing facility on Ngunnawal Country to life."
The Healing Farm currently provides programs for First Nations people aged 18 and over who are seeking to make meaningful changes in their lives.
Its approach combines cultural programs, traditional healing concepts, life skills training and therapeutic support to address social and emotional issues, including the impact of alcohol and other drug use.
Programs are delivered at the Healing Farm and at local places of cultural significance, with participants provided transport, meals and equipment.
The service also works with health, education, community and government organisations to provide culturally appropriate care.
ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Minister Suzanne Orr said community leadership would be central to achieving the vision held by Elders.
"With the right support and resourcing, this transition provides an opportunity to realise the original vision - comprehensive, wraparound, and Community-led healing that responds to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the ACT and surrounding regions," she said.
The move follows an ACT Government commitment made during the 2024 election to transition the Healing Farm to community control.
