Donna Ah Chee

Indigenous health champion

2025 NT Australian of the Year Nominee

Donna Ah Chee is a proud Bundjalung woman and national advocate for health and social justice for Aboriginal communities. From 2012 she has been the CEO of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress.  

Donna’s work has included life-changing initiatives to support Aboriginal children. Neuropsychologists are made available to young people. Young mothers can access home visiting nurses. And children are helped in preparing for preschool. 

In 2023, Donna advocated for restrictions on alcohol availability and action on social determinants of destructive drinking in Alice Springs. This led to government restrictions on alcohol and $250 million in funding to address alcohol misuse. The restrictions led to a 40 per cent reduction in alcohol related domestic violence incidents in Alice Springs, along with a significant investment in education and remote housing across the Northern Territory. 

In 2022, Donna received an Honorary Doctorate from Charles Darwin University for her contribution to the health of First Nations peoples.