Centre for Better Health Futures in the Territory

Charles Darwin University’s (CDU) NT Centre for Better Health Futures (Centre) is set to expand capacity in health education and training in the Territory.

CDU Vice-Chancellor Scott Bowman joined Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Minister for Northern Australia David Littleproud in Darwin today to announce the investment in the $22 million Centre, with $10 million committed from the Federal Government and $12.5 million from CDU.

The Centre will be built at CDU’s Casuarina campus as a three-storey building and will house simulated spaces that will be augmented with VR and mobile technologies that can be used by students from across the Territory from Nhulunbuy to Alice Springs.

Charles Darwin University (CDU) Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement that it will support Charles Darwin University’s (CDU) NT Centre for Better Health Futures (Centre) as a part of the investment.

“The Centre will fill a vital gap in infrastructure to expand capacity in health education and training in the Northern Territory,” Professor Bowman said.

“It will provide a platform to meet the health needs of the Territory by offering a contemporary, leading-edge health teaching and learning centre in the NT."

The Centre will be designed to house a combination of clinical and preclinical simulation environments, laboratory environments and research infrastructure.

The Centre will include simulation suites and immersive tools that replicate technology available in modern health facilities to help train and prepare work-ready graduands to meet the workforce challenges faced by the NT and its regions. 

“The Centre will contribute to better health outcomes and improved workforce productivity, by being able to grow the health services sector through an increased pipeline of Territory based health graduates equipped to work across the health care sector in Australia,” he said.

“The challenge for the Northern Territory is that there is an inequity in training facilities that are urgently needed, and CDU is ready to fill that gap to offer high quality clinical simulation training, to support workforce demands.”

Construction is anticipated to be complete by early 2024.