The Barossa Aboriginal Future Fund (BAFF) is investing A$2.9 million to build and operate new laundry facilities for remote and urban Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory in partnership with the Santos Foundation and the Aboriginal Investment Group (AIG).
The investment will enable AIG to convert two transportable shipping containers into reliable laundries for Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory.
The laundries will be located in Wurrumiyanga in the Tiwi Islands and Yarrawonga in Palmerston. The BAFF’s investment will also provide continued operational support to an existing laundry service in Casuarina, Darwin.
This initiative aims to improve access to laundry facilities for communities to help combat preventable diseases in
Aboriginal people in urban and remote Northern Territory communities.
The Community Laundry program will also create jobs in these communities and support up to 21 roles across the
three locations.
Santos Foundation Chair and Santos Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Gallagher said the BAFF, which is a voluntary fund established by Santos and the Barossa joint venture partners, aims to help close the gap for Aboriginal Territorians.
“There is a direct, evidence-based link between access to clean clothes and the prevention of Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease. Regularly washing clothing and bedding is a crucial preventative measure, particularly in communities where limited, or no, access to laundry facilities (hot water and machines) increases the risk of infection,” Mr Gallagher said.
“The incidence of these diseases in remote Aboriginal communities can be tens to hundreds of times higher than in the broader Australian population.
“So, improving access to basic laundry facilities for remote and urban communities is a crucial part of building better health outcomes and helping to close the gap for Aboriginal people across the Top End.”
Santos Foundation Chief Executive Officer Jodie Hatherly said the Foundation was proud to be partnering with Aboriginal communities to deliver reliable, free and culturally safe hygiene services, contributing directly to supporting healthier futures for Aboriginal people.
“Health is central to thriving communities, which is a core part of the Santos Foundation mission. We are providing basic health hardware in the form of laundries to reduce infection risks in remote communities. These are services which most of Australia takes for granted and we’re proud to be bringing them to some of the nation’s most disadvantaged communities,” Ms Hatherly said.
Aboriginal Investment Group Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Morgan-Brett said AIG was delighted to be partnering with the Barossa Aboriginal Future Fund (BAFF) to build and operate more Remote Laundries.
“We know from Traditional Owners and community members where our laundries operate, that people are happier and healthier, kids go to school more and people go to work more with a feeling of pride and dignity, wearing clean clothes and having slept in a clean warm bed,” Ms Morgan-Brett said.
“We are thrilled to be supported by the Barossa Aboriginal Future Fund to deliver these benefits to the communities of Yarrawonga and Wurrumiyanga.”
Capital works for the Yarrawonga facility are expected to commence shortly, supporting an anticipated opening in Q2 2026. Operational funding for the existing Casuarina facility has already commenced.
The new purpose-built laundry facilities will be equipped with industrial washers and dryers, secure doors and an automated chemical management room.
The Barossa Aboriginal Future Fund (BAFF) is supported by the Barossa Joint Venture partners Santos, PRISM Australia and JERA Australia.
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For more information on the BAFF visit Here.
For more information on the Aboriginal Investment Group Remote Laundries visit here.
For more information on Santos Foundation visit here.
