Pilbara Aboriginal Health Alliance - PAHA

What Pilbara Aboriginal Health Alliance - PAHA does

Pilbara Aboriginal Health Alliance (PAHA) is a Western Australian non-profit Public Benevolent Institution founded in June 2019 as the formal partnership of three Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs): Mawarnkarra Health Service (Roebourne), Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation (South Hedland), and Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service (East Pilbara). PAHA operates as a representative and coordinating body, not a direct service provider, with a headcount of 1-10 staff based in South Hedland and coverage extending across more than 20 Aboriginal communities and 1,100+ kilometres of the Pilbara.

PAHA's core programs include Caring on Country (a five-year AUD 5M Rio Tinto partnership focused on innovation and reform), the Tom Price Kidney Dialysis Unit (a four-chair facility under construction with Purple House and Commonwealth funding, opening first half 2027), Culture Care Connect (a community-controlled suicide prevention network), Our Story Our Way (an Aboriginal community-controlled health and social data ecosystem), the Australian Family Partnership Program (nurse-led maternal and child home visiting), and the Pilbara Aboriginal Health Research Advisory Panel (PAHRA, a research oversight body). There is no proprietary technology platform; the product surface consists of coordinated health programs and advocacy rather than software.

PAHA's revenue model is grant and partnership-funded, with primary inflows from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (Indigenous Australians' Health Programme, Better Renal Services for First Nations Peoples), the National Indigenous Australians Agency, Rio Tinto, BHP, Chevron, and Lotterywest. A modest AUD 1,500 research application fee applies to PAHRA submissions. Customer concentration on a small number of major funders is high, though end-user demand across Pilbara Aboriginal communities is broad.

Name

Pilbara Aboriginal Health Alliance - PAHA

Legal name

Pilbara Aboriginal Health Alliance

Website

https://paha.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pilbara Aboriginal Health Alliance (PAHA) is a Western Australian non-profit coordinating body that represents three Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations delivering health programs to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across more than 20 Pilbara communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Tribal/Indigenous Public Health Authorities (HLAJAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Census, Demographic & Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) (HLAJAJAH), Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) Partnerships (HLAJAOAG), Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)

Keywords

• Aboriginal health services
• Community controlled health
• Suicide prevention programs
• Renal dialysis services
• Maternal child health

Headquarters

HQ city

South Hedland, WA

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: PAHA receives government funding from Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, Commonwealth government, and state government bodies to support health programs and services for Aboriginal communities in the Pilbara.
2. Lotterywest Grants: PAHA receives grants from Lotterywest to support organisational capacity and foundational work that enables community-led health outcomes.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Rio Tinto has committed $5 million over five years through the Caring on Country partnership to support Aboriginal-led health initiatives.
4. BHP Core Funding: BHP provides ongoing core funding support for PAHA's operational activities and programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PAHA is a representative alliance of three Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (Mawarnkarra Health Service, Wirraka Maya Health Service, and Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service) that coordinates, advocates for, and builds capacity across member services in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It delivers and supports programs including the Caring on Country health initiative, Culture Care Connect suicide prevention, the Australian Family Partnership Program (maternal and child health), the Tom Price Kidney Dialysis Unit, and the Our Story Our Way data ecosystem, while representing Aboriginal health priorities to government and corporate funders.

Product overview

PAHA operates as a partnership between three Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (Mawarnkarra Health Service, Wirraka Maya Health Service, and Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service) providing a coordinated suite of health programs and services across the Pilbara region. The core programs include: Caring on Country (health initiative with Rio Tinto partnership), the Tom Price Kidney Dialysis Unit (dialysis facility project with Purple House), Culture Care Connect (suicide prevention and aftercare), Our Story Our Way (community-controlled data ecosystem), the Australian Family Partnership Program (maternal and child health home visiting), and PAHRA (research advisory panel). PAHA functions as a representative body that coordinates, advocates, and builds capacity across member services rather than operating a single unified product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Culture Care Connect: A community-controlled suicide prevention network that empowers and supports communities to be suicide safer through the development of holistic, supportive, and preventative initiatives.
• Our Story Our Way (OSOW)
• Caring on Country
• Pilbara Aboriginal Health Research Advisory Panel (PAHRA)

Products and services

• Caring on Country A five-year Aboriginal-led health initiative delivered in partnership between PAHA and Rio Tinto, focused on innovation, coordination, and strategic reform to improve the social and economic wellbeing of Aboriginal people across the Pilbara. Currently focused on the Tom Price Dialysis Unit wraparound services and Shire of Ashburton preventative health programs.
• Tom Price Kidney Dialysis Unit (TPKDU) A four-chair community dialysis unit being built in Tom Price under the Better Renal Services for First Nations Peoples program, operated in partnership with Purple House. Designed to allow patients to access dialysis treatment while remaining connected to family and Country, replacing travel of 1,452 km to Perth or 404 km to South Hedland.
• Culture Care Connect A community-controlled suicide prevention network and aftercare service that empowers and supports Aboriginal communities through holistic, culturally safe, and preventative initiatives to reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviours among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Trained 117 individuals in suicide alert skills.
• Our Story Our Way (OSOW) An Aboriginal community-controlled data ecosystem creating an accessible data warehouse for capturing, organizing, and curating Pilbara health and social data to inform health services planning, service improvement, and research led by Aboriginal people. Aligns with Priority Reform 4 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and examines health needs for more than 20 Aboriginal communities.
• Pilbara Aboriginal Health Research Advisory Panel (PAHRA) A research advisory panel that assesses health-related research proposals for cultural security, regional benefit, and community impact, supporting local Aboriginal people to be actively involved in research and promoting research aligned with Pilbara health priorities. Charges a $1,500 non-refundable application review fee plus $400 per amendment or variation.
• Australian Family Partnership Program (AFPP) A nurse-led home visiting program supporting women pregnant with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child, offering guidance from early pregnancy through the child's second birthday based on the Nurse-Family Partnership model.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly $10 million of new health projects brought into the Pilbara
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• Mawarnkarra Health ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember ACCHO providing health services to families of Roebourne and surrounding communities. Operates fully functional accredited clinic with 3 full-time doctors, visiting specialists, allied health services, outreach programs, and social health programs. Also a NDIS provider. Part of the alliance since June 2019.
• Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service (PAMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember ACCHO delivering comprehensive health services to Martu Nyiyaparli people in four communities of Newman, Jigalong, Parnngurr, Punmu and Kunawarritji in the East Pilbara region (Great Sandy, Little Sandy and Gibson Deserts). Services supported by visiting clinicians and allied health practitioners.
• Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember ACCHO ensuring clients' health system journey meets medical, health, social and cultural needs. Offers comprehensive counselling and mental health services. Registered NDIS provider and Registered Training Organisation delivering Certificate IV in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care.
• Purple House (Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAboriginal community-controlled organisation operating dialysis services in remote communities. Partnered with PAHA to operate the Tom Price Kidney Dialysis Unit. Has 20+ years experience helping people with kidney disease return home to remote communities across NT, WA and SA with 20 remote dialysis clinics and mobile Purple Truck.
• Shire of AshburtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government authority that has finalised land lease agreement for the Tom Price Kidney Dialysis Unit site and is processing development approval for the facility.
• KPMG (NIPF team)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject management support for the Tom Price Kidney Dialysis Unit initiative, managing the big picture aspects of the dialysis facility development.
• Office of Digital Government (WA Department Premier and Cabinet)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with PAHA on return of data collected about Aboriginal people under Priority Reform 4 of National Agreement on Closing the Gap through the Our Story Our Way initiative.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia (AHCWA): State-level peak body for ACCHOs in Western Australia. PAHA's Chief Investigator for Our Story Our Way (June Councillor) sits on the AHCWA board, and the organisations serve directly comparable functions at different geographic levels within WA.
• Central Australian Aboriginal Congress: One of Australia's largest Aboriginal community-controlled primary health care services, delivering comprehensive primary care to Aboriginal people in Central Australia. Comparable in operating an integrated ACCHO model with extensive community programs and partnerships.
• Purple House (Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation): Aboriginal community-controlled organisation operating 20+ remote dialysis clinics across WA, NT, and SA. PAHA has partnered with Purple House to operate the Tom Price Kidney Dialysis Unit, and both organisations share a culturally-grounded, community-led model of remote health service delivery.
• Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC): Aboriginal community-controlled organisation providing health, social, and cultural services to Aboriginal people in Tasmania. Operates a similar integrated community-controlled model with primary health care, advocacy, and cultural programs.
• Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO): State peak body for Aboriginal health in Victoria. VACCHO performs an equivalent member-ACCHO coordination, advocacy, and capacity-building role for the Victorian Aboriginal community, making it a direct functional peer to PAHA.
• National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO): National peak body for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations in Australia. PAHA participates in NACCHO conferences and operates as a regional affiliate under the same ACCHO sector umbrella, serving an analogous coordination and advocacy role at the national level.
• Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW: Peak body for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in New South Wales. Provides member support, advocacy, and policy leadership for ACCHOs, comparable in function to PAHA's role in the Pilbara.
• Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC): State peak body representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Organisations in Queensland. Performs the same regional coordination, advocacy, and member-support role as PAHA but at a larger geographic scale.

Others

• Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association (AIDA): Peak body supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors and medical students. While not a direct service-delivery peer, AIDA sits within the same sector ecosystem and shares PAHA's focus on building Aboriginal workforce capability, including Wirraka Maya's Certificate IV delivery.

Regional players

• Northern Territory Aboriginal Health Forum: Multi-stakeholder forum coordinating Aboriginal health policy and funding in the Northern Territory. Performs a regional coordination function similar to PAHA but at a jurisdictional scale and through a different governance model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PilbaraAboriginalHealthAlliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pilbara-aboriginal-health-alliance-paha

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pilbara Aboriginal Health Alliance - PAHA