Indigenous health inequality should be consigned to the history books

Health Statistics

The health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples1

Life expectation

Over 1996–2001, there was an estimated difference of approximately 17 years between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous life expectation.2

Life expectancy at birth for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians was estimated to be 59.4 years for males and 64.8 years for females, compared with 76.6 years for non - Indigenous males and 82.0 years for non - Indigenous females for the period 1998-2000.3

Death age and rate

Over 1999-2003, in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, 75% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males and 65% of females died before the age of 65 years compared to 26% of males and 16% of females in the non-Indigenous population.4

For all age groups below 65 years, the age-specific death rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians were at least twice those experienced by the non-Indigenous population.5

Infant and child health

In 2000-02, babies with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mother were twice as likely to be of a low birthweight (those weighing less than 2,500 grams at birth) compared to babies born to a non-Indigenous mother.6

In 1999-2003, the infant mortality rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants was three times that of non-Indigenous infants.7

Chronic diseases

In 1999–2003, cancer and chronic diseases of the circulatory system, comprised two out of the three leading causes of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.8

Hospitalisation for ischaemic heart disease for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males was double the rate of the non Indigenous population and the rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females was four times that of the non Indigenous population. Hospitalisations for hypertensive disease were also substantially higher.9

Communicable diseases

In 2003, notification rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians for the majority of communicable diseases were higher than among non – Indigenous Australians. Rates of chlamydia, gonococcal infection and syphilis infection among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were up to 93 times the rates of non – Indigenous Australians. Rates of bacteriological intestinal disease and tuberculosis were also significantly higher.10

The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey reported that 18% of Aboriginal children had recurring ear infections, 12% had recurring chest infections, 9% had recurring skin infections and 6% had recurring gastrointestinal infections.

Oral health

In 2003-04 there were approximately 2,000 hospitalisations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for diseases of the oral cavity, salivary glands and jaw. The majority of these hospitalisations were for dental caries (54%), followed by diseases of the pulp and periapical tissues (16%) and embedded and impacted teeth (9%). In 2001, The Child Dental HealthSurvey conducted in New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory reported that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 4-10 years had higher rates of decayed, missing or filled baby (deciduous) and adult (permanent) teeth than non-Indigenous children; the difference being particularly high among those aged less than seven years.11

Mental health

In 2003-04, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males had a hospitalisation rate for psychological and behavioural disorders 2.1 times higher than non – Indigenous males whilst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females were 1.5 times more likely to be hospitalised for psychological and behavioural disorders than non – Indigenous females.

Hospitalisation rates for assault or self-harm may also be indicative of mental illness and distress. In 2003–04 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males were 7 times more likely, and females 31 times more likely to be hospitalised for assault as for males and females in the general population; hospitalisation rates for self-harm were twice as high as rates for the general population.12

Disability

In 2002, just over one third of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years or older reported a disability or long term health problem in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey,13spread relatively evenly over remote and non-remote areas.14Overall, 7 % of respondents reported an intellectual disability; 23.6% a physical disability and 13.7% a disability in relation to hearing, speech or sight (with many respondents reporting more than one type of disability).15

Endnotes

[1] This information is a summary of the key trends in Indigenous health status. For more detail about particular indicators see: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, A statistical overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, available online at: www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/statistics/index.html. See also Australian Bureau of Statistics and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, The Health and Welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, 2005, ABS cat. no. 4704.0, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, 2005.
[2] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Australian Bureau of Statistics, op.cit., p148.
[3] ibid.
[4] ibid.
[5]ibid., p151.
[6] ibid., p79.
[7] ibid., p150.
[8]ibid., p152.
[9]ibid., p101.
[10] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Australian Bureau of Statistics, op.cit., p120-121, Table 7.34.
[11] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Australian Bureau of Statistics, op.cit., p127.
[12] Australian Bureau of Statistics and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, The Health and Welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, 2005, ABS cat. no. 4704.0, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, 2005, p131.
[13] Australian Bureau of Statistics, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, ABS cat.no. 4714.0, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, 2004, pp7-8.
[14]ibid., p41, Table 13.
[15] ibid.

Indigenous health inequality should be consigned to the history books

'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

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
Complete text
Due to popular demand, Achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality within a generation – A human rights approach is being re-printed as a stand alone publication. You can pre-order copies through this link

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 must 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 must work to reduce specific diseases, and 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:

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)
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 to encourage 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 media.

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 to access:

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 40th anniversary of the 1967 referendum.

Member organisations have also launched their own initiatives to this end, see:

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.