Victorian Aboriginal health service board dispute escalates after members re-elect directors facing court action

Members of a major Aboriginal community-controlled health organisation in Victoria’s north have re-elected two directors to its board, even as the organisation continues Supreme Court action seeking to invalidate their earlier election and leadership positions.

Mallee District Aboriginal Services (MDAS), which delivers health and community services across the Mallee region, held a re-run general meeting after its November annual general meeting was deemed invalid. On the weekend, members voted Nikita Hart and Aunty Tanya Smith back onto the board, alongside new directors James “Jock” Peterson and Stephanie Charles and returning director Mark Morgan.

The re-election has sharpened an already bitter governance dispute that has divided the local Aboriginal community and drawn the attention of multiple authorities. MDAS has yet to say whether it will withdraw the civil claim it filed in the Victorian Supreme Court, which seeks to have Ms Hart and Aunty Tanya Smith’s positions as board members (and their previous appointments as chair and deputy chair) declared invalid.

According to court documents cited in ABC reporting, MDAS alleges “ongoing disruptions” at the November meeting meant it could not be conducted properly. The organisation has also alleged that reports by the chair and chief executive could not be read aloud or tabled, and that a recount of votes would have altered the outcome of the board election.

The Supreme Court matter was listed on Friday, with MDAS seeking an adjournment to next month, despite the rescheduled general meeting being held the following day. Ahead of that hearing, Ms Hart told the ABC she had been “quoted between $20,000 and $70,000” to fight MDAS in the Supreme Court.

The dispute has been accompanied by broader calls from members for stronger transparency and accountability within the service, including demands for independent scrutiny of governance and financial management. MDAS has announced it will run separate community and member forums to improve transparency about finances, operations and health services.

MDAS is one of many Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations in Victoria, a sector built on self-determination and local community authority. Advocates warn that prolonged internal conflict can undermine confidence and distract from frontline service delivery, particularly in regional areas where access to culturally safe care is already stretched.

With the board now reconstituted through the re-run election, attention will turn to whether MDAS continues its legal action against directors the membership has again endorsed… and how the organisation repairs relationships and restores stability.