Tangentyere Council Aboriginal Corporation (TCAC) is an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation delivering culturally grounded services across the Alice Springs Town Camps in Central Australia. Guided by principles of self-determination, cultural authority, and strong community leadership, TCAC ensures older Aboriginal people are supported in ways that uphold cultural identity, connection to country, and personal autonomy.
This presentation explores the critical importance of cultural safety in aged care service delivery for Town Camp and urban Aboriginal clients, with a focus on the work of Tangentyere Aged Care. Aboriginal Elders often experience multiple and compounding challenges, including overcrowded housing, racism, poverty, domestic and family violence, and intergenerational trauma. These realities require care responses that are flexible, culturally informed, and led by local knowledge and relationships.
While the Aged Care Quality Standards provide an important national framework for safety and quality, their rigid or universal application can unintentionally create harm in remote Aboriginal contexts. When implemented without cultural understanding, these Standards may conflict with kinship systems, community authority, and culturally embedded decision-making processes, potentially undermining trust and engagement.
Western service delivery models often assume stable housing, individualised care structures, and consistent access to transport and technology—conditions that do not reflect the lived realities of many Town Camp residents. This can result in Elders and providers being unfairly labelled as non-compliant due to systemic disadvantage rather than service quality.
This presentation highlights the strengths of Town Camp communities, outlines the challenges of delivering aged care in highly disadvantaged settings, and offers recommendations for policy and program reform that uphold cultural safety as a core pillar of quality care, not an optional add-on. By centring culture, strengthening community leadership, and prioritising dignity and wellbeing over compliance, aged care systems can better support Aboriginal Elders and honour their vital role within community.

Tangentyere Council Aboriginal Corporation (TCAC) is an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation delivering culturally grounded services across the Alice Springs Town Camps in Central Australia. Guided by principles of self-determination, cultural authority, and strong community leadership, TCAC ensures older Aboriginal people are supported in ways that uphold cultural identity, connection to country, and personal autonomy.
This presentation explores the critical importance of cultural safety in aged care service delivery for Town Camp and urban Aboriginal clients, with a focus on the work of Tangentyere Aged Care. Aboriginal Elders often experience multiple and compounding challenges, including overcrowded housing, racism, poverty, domestic and family violence, and intergenerational trauma. These realities require care responses that are flexible, culturally informed, and led by local knowledge and relationships.
While the Aged Care Quality Standards provide an important national framework for safety and quality, their rigid or universal application can unintentionally create harm in remote Aboriginal contexts. When implemented without cultural understanding, these Standards may conflict with kinship systems, community authority, and culturally embedded decision-making processes, potentially undermining trust and engagement.
Western service delivery models often assume stable housing, individualised care structures, and consistent access to transport and technology—conditions that do not reflect the lived realities of many Town Camp residents. This can result in Elders and providers being unfairly labelled as non-compliant due to systemic disadvantage rather than service quality.
This presentation highlights the strengths of Town Camp communities, outlines the challenges of delivering aged care in highly disadvantaged settings, and offers recommendations for policy and program reform that uphold cultural safety as a core pillar of quality care, not an optional add-on. By centring culture, strengthening community leadership, and prioritising dignity and wellbeing over compliance, aged care systems can better support Aboriginal Elders and honour their vital role within community.