Building a home for Aboriginal Elders in Ballarat

14/10/2024

A courtyard containing small native bushes in brown tanbark can be seen in the foreground, with a wooden hanging plant stand visible in the centre of the frame. In the background are two red cabins with a blue cabin between them. A veranda with a silver handrail stretches around the courtyard, linking to the cabins.

Aboriginal Elders in Ballarat now have a safe and culturally vibrant living community to help them enjoy their advanced years in comfort and dignity, thanks to the opening of the Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-Operative’s (BADAC) new Elders’ Independent Living Community.

Backed by a $2.6 million Government investment via Regional Development Victoria, the Community will provide a home for up to 16 Elders.

Designed in consultation with Elders, the facility takes the form of a small village that offers 8 self-contained living units, divided evenly with either a one-bedroom or two-bedroom set-up. There is also a central hall for shared meals, on-site managers’ quarters, medical treatment rooms and a vegetable garden.

This set-up will ensure Elders can continue living independently, whilst still receiving any care they require. It will also safeguard them from the experiences of homelessness, loneliness and poverty that can be a risk for vulnerable Elders.

Established in 1979, BADAC delivers health, social, welfare and community development programs to local Aboriginal people. This includes more than 700 people aged 45 and over in the Ballarat and Central Highlands region who will require culturally sensitive support as they age.

Construction of the Elders’ Independent Living Community created 160 jobs, with another six ongoing jobs created with the opening of the village.

Importantly, the completed facilities will help to sustain BADAC programs across Ballarat and the Central Highlands region, as well as the jobs of over 200 BADAC staff.

Delivery of the BADAC Elders’ Independent Living Community forms part of our record investment of $45 billion across rural and regional Victoria over the past decade.

This funding reflects our ongoing commitment to making regional and rural Victorian cities and towns even better places to live, work, stay and play.