News

MDAS welcomes Mildura expansion funding

Tue, 29 Apr 2014 10:27:00

Mallee District Aboriginal Services says a half-million dollar upgrade of its Mildura facilities will allow it to continue improving the services it provides to the local Koori community.

Funding of $500,000 from the Victorian Coalition Government’s $1 billion Regional Growth Fund was announced by the Member for Mildura Peter Crisp this morning.
The redevelopment comes after the opening of the new MDAS Medical Centre in Orange Avenue last year.
This infrastructure development will move MDAS’s main reception area into Tenth Street and link the family services and administrative operations more closely with the medical centre.  The grassed area between the two buildings will be landscaped to provide a culturally-appropriate community space.
Internally, the development will include client intake and consultation rooms for MDAS’s Family Services, as well as a community hall with training facilities.
“These are improvements we have had on the table for some time and are needed fairly urgently,” MDAS Chief Executive Rudolph Kirby said.
“Some of the internal areas that will upgraded in this work, such as the community hall, haven’t been touched for more than 20 years, so they really need work to improve their functionality and appearance,” he said.
“And the outdoor developments we are planning will turn the grassed area between our two buildings into a culturally-relevant community space that the whole community will appreciate.
“The project will also allow us to finally re-join our administrative operations and service delivery areas.  Currently administration and corporate staff are separated from the rest of the organisation, across the road in Madden Avenue, so that will be one of the most positive and constructive benefits of the work.”
The Mildura site is the head office for MDAS services in Mildura, Swan Hill and Kerang.  The organisation has about 150 staff across the three centres and provides health and family services to a potential client base of nearly 5000 people.
The redevelopment work is due to be finished by the end of the year.