Portfolio — 23 March 2026

The Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, joined the Minister for Emergency Management in announcing the deployment of an Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) Field Hospital to East Katherine to sustain critical health services during flooding caused by Ex-Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle across the Top End and Big Rivers Regions [TA-260323-pmc-6b155f47df62].

The Field Hospital operates around the clock with a 20-bed Emergency Department delivering acute care, resuscitation, and primary health services, a one-bed maternity delivery suite, on-site laboratory and portable radiology, and up to 25 clinical and support personnel. A further 20-bed inpatient unit for adult and paediatric patients opened by the evening of 23 March, expanding surge capacity as local hospital operations remain disrupted.

AUSMAT personnel can remain deployed for up to 28 days, providing a sustained response arc through the recovery period.

Senator McCarthy reported the scale of community displacement directly: Numbulwar, Nauiyu, Jilkminggan and Palumpa remain relocated, homelands and outstations in the Nhulunbuy region have been evacuated, and the Katherine region is bracing for additional flooding [TA-260323-pmc-6b155f47df62]. The Minister for Emergency Management, Ms McBain, framed the AUSMAT deployment as part of the government's broader commitment to continuity of care during the Higher Risk Weather Season, identifying the National Emergency Management Agency, the Australian Defence Force, and the Australian Border Force as co-contributors to the response effort [TA-260323-pmc-6b155f47df62].

The deployment draws on standing capability held by the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC), established in 2004 following the Bali Bombings and funded by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, which coordinates AUSMAT for both domestic and international emergencies [TA-260323-pmc-6b155f47df62]. The joint media release positions Senator McCarthy's Indigenous Australians portfolio at the centre of this emergency health response — reflecting the disproportionate impact of the flooding on remote and First Nations communities across the affected regions.