In Australia's diverse charity sector, there are thousands of fantastic stories about the impact charities have on their communities.
We recently spoke with Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH) about advocacy, the challenges they face and the rewarding nature of charity work
What does your charity do?
SARRAH advocates on the behalf of rural and remote Australian communities, in order for them to have greater access to allied health services. SARRAH carries out its mission by developing policy, advocating for healthcare reform and collaborating with organisations from across the rural health sector.
What is the most rewarding part?
Allied health professionals play a vital role in reducing the healthcare gap and contribute to the ongoing health and wellbeing of people across the country. The most rewarding part of SARRAH’s work is being able to contribute to increasing the availability of allied health services and collaborating with the sector to improve rural and remote health outcomes.
What is the biggest challenge faced by your charity?
Bringing together the diverse views of allied health professionals from across a vast geographic landscape and effectively representing those views is the biggest challenge faced by SARRAH. Our organisation continually works to improve the way it engages its members, the sector and community more broadly.
Registered charities are not able to promote of oppose a political party of candidate. How does your charity ensure it advocates for change within the rules?
SARRAH abides by the rules governing Australian charities and not-for-profits by remaining apolitical in its position papers and working with politicians from across the political spectrum. In addition, SARRAH focuses on the specific issues impacting rural and remote communities and not on the individual policy positions of each political party.
Find out more about SARRAH on their website, or via their social media channels:
Interested in sharing your charity’s story? Email us at charitychat@acnc.gov.au