Indigenous Health Campaign

'It is not credible to suggest that one of the wealthiest nations of the world cannot solve a health crisis affecting less than 3% of its citizens'

- Tom Calma, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner

In April 2007, 40 of Australia’s leading Indigenous and non-Indigenous health peak bodies and human rights organisations joined forces to launch a campaign to ‘Close the Gap’ on health inequality.

The campaign comes in response to a call from the Social Justice Commissioner to achieve health equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within 25 years.

‘Close the Gap’ calls on all levels of Australian government to put in place firm targets, funding and timeframes to address health inequalities, including providing equal access to primary health care for Indigenous Australians within 10 years.

28 July 2008

Indigneous Health Blueprint

Close the Gap: National Indigenous Health Equality Targets

View report
Indigneous Health Blueprint - media release (28 July 2008)

Indigenous Health Summit 2008

Historic signing of Statement of Intent between Australian Government and Indigenous peoples on health equality

HREOC media release

Close the gap coalition media release

Statement of Intent

Opening speech by Tom Calma - Canberra, 18 March 2008

Fact Sheet 1: Introduction

Fact Sheet 2: Backgrounder

Fact Sheet 3: Progress so far

Fact Sheet 4: Success stories

Use this link to show your support for achieving Indigenous health equality within 25-years.

1. The campaign for Indigenous health equality

In the Social Justice Report 2005, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner called for Australian governments to commit to achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and life expectation equality within 25-years. Use the links below to read Achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality within a generation – A human rights approach:

Summary; and
Complete text.
Due to popular demand, Achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality within a generation – A human rights approach has been re-printed as a stand alone publication. You can order copies via the HREOC publications form .

Indigenous Australians’ health inequality is a national shame. Indigenous life expectation is 17-years lower than other Australians; infant mortality is three times higher; and death rates for Indigenous Australians are twice as high across all age groups for all age groups.

Use this link to find out more about Indigenous health inequality.

The good news is that this inequality is preventable. In particular, Indigenous Australians lack the opportunities other Australians enjoy to be healthy. More primary health care is needed to ensure Indigenous Australians can see a doctor when they need to - just like other Australians can; and the standard of housing and sanitation and food supplies in many Indigenous communities needs improving so that Indigenous Australians can make the same healthy life choices as other Australians.

Use this link to find out more about Indigenous peoples’ inequality of opportunity to be as healthy as other Australians.

The Commissioner’s approach – based on the right to health - is two-fold. First, Australian governments work to ensure Indigenous Australians enjoy the same access to primary health care, and the same healthy standard of housing, food, and so on, as other Australians. We place a 10-year limit on this goal. Second, they work to reduce specific diseases, and also to address some of the social determinants of health, impacting negatively on Indigenous Australians.

Use this link to read about the social determinants of Indigenous peoples’ poorer health.

Summary statements of this approach can also be found in the following speeches by the Social Justice Commissioner:

Achieving Indigenous health equality within a generation – a call to action) (April 2007); and
Achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality within a generation – a human rights approach (March 2006).

See also the following speeches by the Commissioner:

Diabetes in Indigenous Communities (November 2006);
Influencing Social Determinants of Mental Health and Well-Being in Rural, Indigenous and Island Peoples, (September 2006); and
Indigenous mental health, (September 2005).

2. The work of the coalition for Indigenous health equality

Over 40 Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations (listed below) are currently working in partnership for Australian governments to commit to the campaign for achieving Indigenous health equality within 25 years.

In December 2006, the coalition published an Open Letter calling for an end to Indigenous health inequality in The Australian. Use the links below to read the Open Letter and some of the accompanying publicity materials.

In April 2007, Olympians Catherine Freeman and Ian Thorpe helped launch the campaign at the Telstra Stadium, Sydney. Use these links to find out more. Click below for the:

We are also working towards hosting a national summit in late 2007 where we will formally call for Australian governments to adopt the campaign to coincide with the 40^th anniversary of the 1967 referendum.

Member organisations have also launched their own initiatives to this end. For example:

Oxfam Australia’s Close the Gap Campaign for Indigenous health equality
Oxfam Australia and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation’s briefing paper Close the Gap - Solutions to the Indigenous Health Crisis facing Australia
ANTaR’s Virtual Sea of Hands website (which is also Australia’s largest public art event).
Reconciliation Australia has invited Australian governments, businesses, peak bodies, non-government and community organisations to develop and pursue individual Reconciliation Action Plans - including for Indigenous health equality. Use this link to find out more.

3. Help us to identify good practice and innovation in addressing Indigenous health inequality.

We are keen to identify good practice and innovation in addressing Indigenous health. Please contact us using the comment box on the support page if you can help.

4. The members of the coalition for Indigenous health equality

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 Nursing Federation

Australian Red Cross

Australian Medical Association