Urapuntja Splash Park

Challenge

Remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory face some of the highest global rates of preventable illness, including Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) and Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD). Overcrowded housing and limited access to wash facilities increase risks for ear, eye and skin infections in children. Engagement with the health system can also be intimidating or traumatic, creating further barriers to preventative care.

The challenge was to develop an evidence-based case that translated these urgent health issues into a compelling investment proposal — demonstrating how a relatively low-cost intervention, a community splash park, could deliver meaningful health, social and economic benefits, while meeting the assessment criteria of a highly competitive national funding program.

Approach

We undertook targeted research to quantify the burden of disease and economic costs of inaction, strengthening the anecdotal evidence provided by health service staff. The business case demonstrated how the splash park would reduce infection risks, support family hygiene, and provide mental health benefits through safe intergenerational interaction. We then prepared a funding application that positioned the project as a preventative health measure as much as a recreation facility, aligning it with policy objectives around Closing the Gap in health outcomes.

Outcomes

Secured $1.09m in Commonwealth funding (out of a total $1.21m project cost), making it one of only two Northern Territory projects awarded under the Growing Regions Program Round Two. Delivered a compelling, evidence-based business case that reframed a community amenity as a preventative health and wellbeing initiative, strengthening Urapuntja Health Service’s position with a model for linking infrastructure investment to long-term health and social outcomes.