End national scandal in Indigenous health, urges open letter to Prime Minister, State Premiers, parliamentarians as well as the public in The Australian newspaper
Australia's leading health, human rights, aid and development organisations publish a full-page open letter to Prime Minister John Howard, State Premiers and Territory Chief Ministers, parliamentarians as well as the general public in today's (December 11) The Australian urging them to commit to a plan to achieve health equality for Indigenous peoples within 25 years.
'It is a national scandal that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live 17 years less than other Australians and that their babies die at almost three times the rate of non-Indigenous children,' said Tom Calma, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Social Justice Commissioner, a spokesperson for the group.
'In the country of 'the fair go' addressing the status of Indigenous health is one of the greatest challenges to this nation's sense of decency and fairness.'
The group is so concerned about the deepening health crisis in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities that they took the unusual step of placing an advertisement in the nation's national newspaper. This has enabled the group to speak with one unified voice, as well as send a powerful message to all Australians that Indigenous Australians continue to needlessly suffer and die early - not from a lack of solutions or government commitments but from a lack of political will and action.
'It is not acceptable for governments to continually state the situation is tragic and ought to be treated with urgency and then fail to put in place targets,
funding and timeframes to address the issue,' said Mr Calma.
Addressing inequality in health status can be overcome. But it will require long-term action and a focused commitment. All around Australia, Indigenous
communities and organisations are taking action to improve the health of their people. Their successes show that with a concerted national effort we can
end Australia's Indigenous health crisis within a generation.
'Rapid improvements can be achieved in the health of Indigenous peoples by comprehensive, targeted and well resourced government action as well as through partnerships with Indigenous peoples.'
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality within 25 years will require at a minimum:
- measures to ensure equal access for Indigenous peoples to primary health care and health infrastructure
- increased support for developing the Indigenous health workforce
- a commitment to support and nurture Indigenous community controlled health services
- a focus on improving the accessibility of mainstream health services for Indigenous peoples
- an urgent focus on early childhood development, maternal health, chronic illness and diseases
- supporting the building blocks of good health, such as awareness and availability of nutrition, physical activity,
fresh food, healthy lifestyles, adequate housing and the other social determinants of health.
'Addressing Australia's Indigenous health crisis should be a commitment shared by all sides of politics and all sections of Australian society. Make no mistake,
the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is a national shame and we stand diminished as a nation as well as individuals by ignoring the
plight of our fellow Australians,' said Mr Calma.
The list of agencies signed up to the campaign include:
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
Congress of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Nurses
Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory
Australian Indigenous Doctors Association
Amnesty International Australia
Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
Australian Council of Social Service
Australian Council for International Development
Australian General Practice Network
Australian Nursing Federation
Australian Red Cross
Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation
Caritas Australia
Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health
Diplomacy Training Program
Fred Hollows Foundation
Gnibi the College of Indigenous Australian Peoples, Southern Cross University
Human Rights Law Resource Centre
Ian Thorpe's Fountain for Youth
Indigenous Law Centre
Make Indigenous Poverty History campaign
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
Oxfam Australia
Professor Daniel Tarantola, Chair of Health and Human Rights, University of New South
Public Health Association of Australia
Quaker Services Australia
Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Rural Doctors Association of Australia
Save the Children Australia
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
UNICEF Australia
Uniya Jesuit Social Justice Centre