Page 1149 - Week 03 - Thursday, 22 March 2012
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clear and specific targets to address issues relating to health, life expectancy, education and learning, and employment outcomes.
While there are many concerning figures and statistics that illustrate these gaps, perhaps the most distressing is that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are still dying 10 to 17 years younger than other Australians. This is not just a statistic. This is a real and raw fact in the Indigenous community and something that, of course, is felt with enormous grief. This is a fact that sees many elders taken from their families and communities well before their time and this is a fact that we all should not and cannot put up with.
I would like to see National Close the Gap Day as an opportunity to reflect and take stock of what it means to live in a country where most, but not all, Australians live long and healthy lives. I would like to see this day as a chance to raise awareness of the systemic social inequity faced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
I would also like to see today celebrated as we see all state and territory governments and the commonwealth recognise that this situation cannot continue and we begin to see some benefits from what a whole-of-government approach can achieve. Finally, I would like to see today as a challenge not to give up and to further drive home the need for continued action.
Reading through the latest report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s closing the gap clearinghouse, it is not surprising to see listed clearly and in plain language what is working nationally to overcome Indigenous disadvantage. In the areas of early childhood, healthy homes, and governance and leadership, the repeated messages are clear. Long-term and flexible program and policy design is vital to achieving the positive outcomes we are all seeking. This recognises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are often dealing with entrenched, systemic and historical barriers to achieving the quality of life that most of Australia takes for granted.
It should come as no surprise to anyone who has worked in community or health services that the other key message to policymakers is the crucial importance of a community development, strength-based approach. Specifically, this translates into a commitment to empower the community that is supporting Indigenous staff and investing the time and resources into ongoing community consultations to ensure that programs are relevant, to ensure that everyone has been part of developing those programs and delivering those programs, that they have a shared vision.
We can also see the inverse of this when looking at the evidence of what does not work. What does not work is short-term or piecemeal programs, programs that are not run long enough to make a significant impact. This is also shown in the design and development of programs and policies as a one-size-fits-all approach that does not allow for particular local cultural, social and environmental circumstances. Again, it simply does not work.
I believe that this is a message that needs to be reviewed by the federal government in terms of the continued rollout of the Northern Territory intervention. As the ACT
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