TACAMS (Tharwal Aboriginal Corporation Aboriginal Medical Service) is located in the suburb of Airds in the Macarthur region of South Western Sydney. South Western Sydney covers a broad geographical region comprising seven local government areas (Bankstown, Liverpool, Fairfield, Campbelltown, Camden, Wollondilly and Wingecarribee LGAs) covering 6241 km2.
The population is nearing 900,000 people with the region comprising one of the most ethnically diverse populations in NSW with over 100 different countries represented and more than 70 different languages spoken (Sydney Growth Profile, 2013). Additionally, NSW has nearly 1/3 of the Australian population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and in the South Western Sydney region the highest proportion reside in the Liverpool and Campbelltown LGAs.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people comprise approximately 5% of the South Western Sydney region (~5192 people), which is notable for its high levels of disadvantage where many suburbs are ranked as amongst the most disadvantaged regions in NSW according to the SEIFA Index. Much of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is clustered and tend to be over-represented in these disadvantaged suburbs. In the Macarthur region there are particularly high concentrations of low SEIFA.
The population of Airds, where Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation/Aboriginal Medical Service is located, comprises approximately 13% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people followed by Macquarie Fields, Minto, Ambarvale, Campbelltown, Bradbury, Rosemeadow, Ingleburn, and Claymore.
The South Western Sydney region is a proportionately young population with nearly 90% of the non-Indigenous population aged between 0-64 years, and nearly 85% of the Indigenous population aged between 0-49 years. Additionally there is a high proportion of children aged between 0-14 years residing in the region, comprising more than 21% of the population, with a greater proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children again (ML Profile Report, 2012).
