Honouring Pat Turner AM's legacy in her retirement

The RACP acknowledges the extraordinary leadership and contribution of Ms Pat Turner AM following her announcement that she will retire from her roles leading First Nations peak organisations.

An Arrernte and Gurdanji woman, Ms Turner has dedicated decades to advancing the rights, health, and self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Her leadership across the public service and the community-controlled sector has shaped national policy and strengthened the systems that support the health and wellbeing of First Nations communities.

Ms Turner has achieved significant contribution as Chief Executive Officer of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and as Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks. Through these roles, she has been instrumental in advocating for a health system that recognises and respects the expertise, authority, and leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

In particular, Ms Turner’s work in strengthening the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) sector has been vital. Under her leadership, NACCHO continued to champion culturally safe, community-led primary healthcare, ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are empowered to design and deliver services that meet their own health priorities. Her advocacy helped secure greater recognition of the importance of sustained investment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led solutions and highlighted the critical funding gap that must be addressed to achieve health equity.

Ms Turner also played a pivotal role in the negotiation and implementation of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, helping to establish a new model of shared decision-making between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives. This work has been fundamental in shifting the national approach toward partnership, accountability, and community leadership.

Through NACCHO, Ms Turner championed initiatives aimed at eliminating preventable diseases such as Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease and strengthened the evidence base for policy reform through rigorous data and analysis. She also prioritised the development of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce, recognising that sustainable improvements in health outcomes require a strong workforce grounded in community knowledge and leadership.

These priorities strongly align with the Indigenous Object of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, which commits the College to improving the health and wellbeing of peoples and to supporting their leadership in health policy, research, and service delivery. The College recognises that community-controlled health services are central to achieving equitable and culturally safe care.

Ms Turner’s career has been marked by determination, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to holding governments to account while building constructive partnerships that advance the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Her leadership has helped strengthen the foundations of a health system that better respects and supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

On behalf of the College and our members, we thank Ms Turner for her extraordinary service and enduring impact. Her work has helped shape a stronger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector and has advanced the national effort to close the gap in health outcomes.

We wish Ms Turner every success in the next chapter and acknowledges with deep respect the legacy she leaves for future generations of leaders in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.