Remote Laundries announcement

Media release: Monday 10 February 2025

Clean bedding, healthy hearts: Aboriginal Investment Group and Heart Foundation thrilled with Remote Laundries announcement

Twelve new or upgraded Remote Laundries will help First Nations communities drive down Rheumatic Heart Disease and Close the Gap

The Aboriginal Investment Group and the Heart Foundation congratulate Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his announcement today of funding for 12 remote laundries in the Northern Territory and Central Australia, as part of the Prime Minister’s Closing the Gap speech in Parliament.

The funding is a vital initiative that will help reduce the prevalence of scabies infections that contribute to a form of heart disease, Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD), that can be fatal to young people in First Nations communities if left untreated.

Funding for a rollout of Remote Laundries was a key ask in the Aboriginal Investment Group and the Heart Foundation’s joint 2025-26 Federal Budget submission.

RHD is entirely preventable yet remains a significant cause of illness and death among First Nations people. Scabies infections are a key trigger for rheumatic fever, which can lead to RHD.

Scabies forms and can be easily spread in close-quartered living conditions. A working laundry allows bedding and clothing to be regularly washed, thereby preventing scabies infections.

How can scabies lead to Rheumatic Heart Disease?

• Scabies mites burrow into people’s skin.
• This can form itchy lesions on the skin that when scratched can damage the skin and allow Strep A bacteria to infect the body.
• A Strep A infection can cause Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF), an inflammatory condition that can cause damage to the heart.
• In some cases, ARF causes permanent damage to the heart. This permanent damage is called Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD).

How does a Remote Laundry help?

• A Remote Laundry ensures that everyone living in that community has access to a washer and dryer to keep clothes and bed linen clean, reducing the risk of scabies.
• The by-product of limiting scabies is that it reduces the likelihood of people developing a Strep A infection which therefore reduces their risk of ARF and RHD.
• This is a powerful way that a Remote Laundry, in conjunction with addressing the other social determinants of ill health in remote communities, such as improving housing, will lead to a better quality of life for First Nations people.

Comments attributable to Aboriginal Investment Group CEO, Elizabeth Morgan-Brett

“The Aboriginal Investment Group’s Remote Laundries Project welcomes the Prime Minister’s announcement today, committing to fund the build of 12 new or refurbished Remote Community Laundries in the Northern Territory.

“The Aboriginal Investment Group in conjunction with our key partner, the Heart Foundation has a shared vision of eradicating the diseases that lead to acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in remote Aboriginal communities.

“Our AIG Remote Laundries Project is an Indigenous led, proven solution to improving the health of Aboriginal Australians, whilst driving employment, and we look forward to expanding our Remote Laundries Project across the NT.”

Comments attributable to Heart Foundation CEO, David Lloyd

“The Heart Foundation is thrilled that more First Nations communities will be able to access a Remote Laundry to significantly drive down scabies infections that lead to Rheumatic Heart Disease.

“Ensuring that First Nations communities have access to clean clothes and bedding is a simple yet powerful step in breaking the cycle of infection and reducing the burden of RHD.

“This funding commitment is an important recognition that social determinants of health—like hygiene and housing—are directly linked to life-threatening heart disease.”

For more information on Rheumatic Heart Disease visit: heartfoundation.org.au/blog/history-of-rheumatic-heart-disease.

For more information on AIG’s Remote Laundries Project visit here: remotelaundries.org.au.