Campaign for Indigenous Health Equality
The poorer health of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples when compared to the non-Indigenous population is no secret – and something can be done about it. Since 2006, Australia's peak Indigenous and non-Indigenous health bodies, NGOs and human rights organisations have worked together to achieve health and life expectation equality for Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This is known as the Close the Gap Campaign.
The campaign's goal is to close the health and life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation. The campaign is built on evidence that shows that significant improvements in the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can be achieved within short time frames.
By joining our efforts we can make sure that by 2030 any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child born in this country has the same opportunity as other Australian children to live a long, healthy and happy life.
- Who are we?
- What are we asking for? What have we achieved to date?
- The Statement of Intent and commitments yet to be realised
- Find out more
- Summit and workshop reports
- How to participate and show your support
Who are we?
Under the leadership of Dr Tom Calma, then Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, the campaign membership first met
in March 2006 and formed a Steering Committee (see text box). Our patrons,
Catherine Freeman OAM and Ian Thorpe OAM, launched the campaign in April 2007.
The campaign is led by its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members
and funded by the membership, with Oxfam Australia being a major financial
supporter.
Close the Gap Campaign Steering Committee
- Mr Mick Gooda, Co-chair, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission
- Dr Tom Calma, Co-chair, National Coordinator – Tackling Indigenous Smoking (Campaign founder)
- Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association
- Australian Indigenous Psychologists’ Association
- Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses
- Indigenous Allied Health Australia Inc.
- Indigenous Dentists’ Association of Australia
- National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
- National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers’ Association
- Australian General Practice Network
- Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council
- Australian Human Rights Commission (Secretariat)
- Australian Medical Association
- Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation
- Australian Peak Nursing and Midwifery Forum
- Bullana - the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health
- The Fred Hollows Foundation
- Heart Foundation Australia
- Menzies School of Health Research
- National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee
- Oxfam Australia
- Palliative Care Australia
- Royal Australasian College of Physicians
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
- Professor Ian Ring, Wollongong University (expert adviser).
What are we asking for? What have we achieved to date?
We aim
to close the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health gap through the
implementation of a human rights based approach set out in the Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Commissioner’s Social Justice Report 2005. This includes the creation of a generational Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander health equality plan with ambitious yet realistic targets
supported by a partnership between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples, their representatives and Australian governments.
The
campaign’s approach is supported by Australian governments,
namely:
- by the setting of the two COAG ‘Closing the Gap’ targets (achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality within a generation and halving the under-fives mortality rate gap within a decade) in December 2007; and
- by former Prime Minister Rudd and the Opposition Leader’s signing of the Close the Gap Statement of Intent in March 2008 at the Close the Gap Campaign’s National Indigenous Health Equality Summit (see below) (This has since been signed by almost all the governments and oppositions of the States and Territories.)
The Close the Gap Campaign has also provided significant impetus for the seven ‘closing the gap’ National Partnership Agreements (NPA) agreed since Nov 2008. These have brought with them approximately $5bn in additional resources, including the $1.6bn attached to the NPA on Closing the Gap in Indigenous Health Outcomes.
The Statement of Intent and commitments yet to be realised
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Health Minister Nicola Roxon signing the Close the Gap Statement of Intent, March 2008
The Close the Gap Statement of Intent is the touchstone of
the campaign, listing as commitments the main elements of the campaign’s
approach to achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
equality.
When it signed the Statement of Intent the
Australian Government committed to a sound, evidence-based path to achieving
health equality, a path supported by the entire Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander health sector. In particular:
- To developing a comprehensive, long-term plan of action, that is targeted to need, evidence-based and capable of addressing the existing inequalities in health services, in order to achieve equality of health status and life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non- Indigenous Australians by 2030
- To ensure the full participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their representative bodies in all aspects of addressing their health needs.
The Close the Gap Campaign continues to work with
Australian governments to secure the development of these two vital elements in
any overall effort to achieve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
equality.
Find out more
General information
The guide is available in PDF and Word versions and provides an accessible
introduction to the Campaign and its main asks.
You can order copies from: publications@humanrights.gov.au.
First published in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Commissioner’s Social Justice Report 2005, this sets out the
campaign’s human rights based approach to achieving Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander health equality in detail.
You can order copies from publications@humanrights.gov.au.
Summit and workshop reports
The campaign has hosted three national workshops. To each were invited key representatives from the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector, the mainstream health services as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health experts and other stakeholders. Senior representatives from key departments in the Australian Government and representatives from the majority of the State and Territory governments also attended.
Close the Gap - National Indigenous Health Equality Summit,
March 2008
The Summit was the first and most important national event hosted by the campaign. The Close the Gap National Indigenous Health Equality Targets, published in June 2008, was the main outcome of the workshop itself. The targets were developed to support the achievement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality over many areas. This Summit report contains the targets and a record of the Summit proceedings, including photographs of the event.
The Summit closed with the signing of the Close the Gap Statement of Intent
Partnership in Action Workshop, November 2008
The workshop’s focus was on partnership in the context of achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality. It was attended by a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous stakeholders, as well as senior Australian Government representatives. The Partnership in Action - Workshop Report was later distilled into a Close the Gap Campaign Partnership Position Paper (June 2010). Find them both here:
Close the Gap – Making it Happen Workshop, June 2010
The workshop’s focus was on planning in the context of achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality. It was attended by a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous stakeholders, as well as senior Australian Government representatives. The Making it Happen - Workshop Report was later distilled into a Close the Gap –Making it Happen Workshop Key Messages Community Guide Find them both here:
Shadow reports
Former Prime Minister Rudd committed to making an annual report to Parliament on progress on closing the gap, with the first delivered in February 2009 and the second in March 2010. Each year since 2010 we have provided a ‘shadow’ report that is our assessment of the Australian Government's progress, including against its implementation of the Statement of Intent commitments.
How to participate and show your support
To be successful the Close the Gap Campaign will need support from all
corners of the Australian community. You can get involved and play a part in
consigning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health inequality to the
history books.
National Close the Gap Day
National Close the Gap Day commemorates the launch of the campaign on 2 April 2007, and is held each year around that time. The day gives people the opportunity to show their support for closing the 17-year life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and other Australians.
Subscribe
Join the ‘Indigenous Social Justice’ electronic mailing list and keep up to date with the latest news: www.humanrights.gov.au/about/mailing_lists/
Contribute
Share examples of success stories in Indigenous health – and be
inspired by others:
www.antar.org.au/issues_and_campaigns/health/success_stories
Participate
- Join with over 150,000 other Australians and pledge your support to the ‘close the gap’: www.oxfam.org.au/campaigns/indigenous-health/
- Hold an event on National Close the Gap Day or write to the Minister or your local MP
Visit
- National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation; www.naccho.org.au
- Oxfam Australia; www.oxfam.org.au
- Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation; www.antar.org.au
Our supporters
What follows is a list of the names of member organisations of the coalition for Indigenous health equality. If the member has a website, their name is a link to it.
Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory
Amnesty International Australia
Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
Australian Council of Social Services
Australian Council for International Development
Australian General Practice Network
Australian Indigenous Doctors Association and Australian Indigenous Dentists Association
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
Australian Medical Association
Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation
Clinical Nurse Consultants Association of NSW
Congress of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Nurses
Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health
Diplomacy Training Program, University of New South Wales
Gnibi the College of Indigenous Australian Peoples, Southern Cross University
Human Rights Law Resource Centre
Professor Ernst Hunter, Department of Social and Preventative Medicine, University of Queensland
Ian Thorpe’s Fountain for Youth
Indigenous Law Centre, University of New South Wales
Jumbunna, University of Technology Sydney
Make Indigenous Poverty History campaign
Menzies School of Health Research
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Council
National Association of Community Legal Centres
National Children’s and Youth Law Centre
National Rural Health Alliance
Public Health Association of Australia
Professor Ian Ring, Centre for Health Service Development, University of Wollongong
Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Rural Doctors Association of Australia
Sisters of Mercy Aboriginal Network NSW
Sisters of Mercy Justice Network Asia Pacific
Professor Daniel Tarantola, Chair of Health and Human Rights, University of New South Wales Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
Uniya Jesuit Social Justice Centre
Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Contact us
Australian Human Rights Commission
Phone: +61 2 9284 9600, 1300 369
711
Fax: +61 2 9284 9611
Website: www.humanrights.gov.au
Email: communications@humanrights.gov.au
