We’ve got something exciting to share!
Back in March 2025, our very own CEO Liz Morgan-Brett and Independent Board Director Lachie Mckenzie, met Amanda Gourley, Product Manager at Roche Diagnostics, at the Heart Foundation’s Catalyst Grant event. After hearing about the impact of AIG’s Remote Laundries Project, Amanda was genuinely moved. She described the work as “powerful, simple, and something that everyone in the room should have been paying attention to”. So much so, she invited our team to present at Roche’s Sydney headquarters on 30th of May 2025.
The timing of this opportunity couldn’t have been more aligned. Roche Diagnostics is currently collaborating with the CSIRO and Professor Ray Mahoney on the development of a new point of care test for Strep-A, the initial bug that can develop into Rheumatic Heart Disease. As fate would have it, Professor Mahoney is also leading the collection of health data for our Remote Laundries Project. It was one of those rare moments when everything just seem to align and we knew we had to follow through.
Roche’s mission is to provide better health outcomes for everyone in Australia. Their development of a point of care Strep-A test could radically shift how diagnosis is handled in remote communities. Point of Care testing refers to diagnostic testing that is performed near or at the patient’s location. If the test is approved, and it doesn’t need to be administered through a health clinic, that could mean faster access, reduced pressure on clinics, and better outcomes for people living remotely. Which is huge news!
Our Remote Laundries are already playing a role in reducing preventable diseases, like scabies. And when scabies leads to secondary infections like Strep-A, the importance of early detection becomes even more critical. Diagnostics is about being informed, getting answers early so people can access care quickly. If you combine that with access points like our laundries, which are already trusted and embedded into community, you start to see a very real, very exciting opportunity for change.
At the presentation, Elizabeth and Lachie shared the journey of the Remote Laundries Project, how it started, where it’s headed, and the effect it’s having across the health and dignity of Aboriginal people in remote regions in the Top End. The response? Amazing. Roche described our laundries as “a masterpiece of simplicity with life-changing impacts”. To hear that from a global biotech leader is a moment will stay with us for a long time.
The room was full of brilliant minds, from Roche leaders to experts in diagnostics and the energy was exciting. There was genuine interest in how this partnership could work in real ways. Being there as a 100% Aboriginal-owned organisation, sharing our story and seeing it land with such significance, was a powerful reminder of how far we’ve come and how far we can go when the right people come together.
Right now, we’re exploring collaboration across the board from co-research and technology integration to rollout support and on-the-ground logistics. If the Strep-A test is approved by regulators, we’re ready. The dream is that the Remote Laundries Project can potentially become community-based hubs for critical point of care tests. Places where people can access health support in a setting that’s familiar, safe, and intertwined into daily life.
This is why we partner with the best of the best, for example, the Heart Foundation, CSIRO, and hopefully now, Roche Diagnostics. Together, we can amplify the work we’re already doing and bring meaningful, measurable improvements to health in communities.
