Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage Report Supports AMA's Indigenous Health Report Card Analysis of Last Four Years
AMA President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, today welcomed the Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage Report as confirmation of the AMA's long-held view that not enough is being done by Governments to improve the poor living conditions and health standards of Indigenous Australians.
The Australian Government-funded Report is the work of the Steering Committee for the review of Government Service Provision (SCRGSP) and was commissioned by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).
Dr Haikerwal said the Report confirms the AMA view - set out in Indigenous Health Report Cards in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 - that we need a whole-of-government and whole-of-governments approach to turning a national tragedy into a national success story.
"We have been saying for years that improving Indigenous health relies on a broad approach to fixing not just health funding, workforce, service and programs, but also housing, sanitation, education, clean water supplies, and things like general hygiene," Dr Haikerwal said.
"While the Report shows some slight improvements in areas such as education, employment and home ownership, the most telling statistic remains life expectancy, which is 17 years less for Indigenous Australians than the rest of the population.
"This is unacceptable in 21st century Australia.
"Another concern is the rate of imprisonment of Indigenous Australians, especially youngsters.
"With Indigenous Australians 20 times more likely to be detained than other young Australians, the life-long effect on their own mental and physical health is enormous - the impact this will have on their families and communities is significant and potentially devastating.
"The SCRGSP Report shows that as a nation we have progressed little in addressing Indigenous disadvantage since the Group's first Key Indicators Report in 2003, and we have actually gone backwards with imprisonment rates.
"At a time when all the talk is about aspirational Australians, it is a national shame that many Indigenous Australians are being left to aspire to a lesser degree of disadvantage," Dr Haikerwal said.
Dr Haikerwal said a good start for Governments would be to increase primary health care spending on Indigenous Health by at least $400 million a year, as spelt out in the AMA's most recent Indigenous Health Report Card.
"I urge the Australian and State and Federal Governments to examine the facts and figures and practical solutions set out in our research to find the ways to improve the health and quality of life of Indigenous Australians.
"If they don't, the next Key Indicators Report will paint a much bleaker picture than the one we have been presented with today," Dr Haikerwal said.
The AMA Indigenous Health Report Cards are available on the AMA website at under the following headings:
2002 - No More Excuses: an overarching study that illustrated in simple and stark terms how big the problem of Indigenous Health is, and how poorly Australia was addressing it compared to Canada, the USA and New Zealand with their Indigenous populations.
2003 - Time For Action: another comprehensive analysis that revealed the miserly level of Government funding for Indigenous Health, and the sad truth that nothing had improved since 2002.
2004 - Healing Hands: the AMA showed that the shortage of funding for Indigenous Health was matched by a serious shortage of Indigenous doctors and nurses and other health workers, and the AMA set out a plan to turn this workforce crisis around.
2005 - Lifting The Weight: creating awareness of the problem of low birth weight and premature Indigenous babies.
Dr Haikerwal will visit the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service in Narrabundah, ACT, this Thursday, 14 July 2005, to see first hand how the challenges of improving Indigenous health are being addressed at the local level.