and it’s crucial that my colleagues and I ensure that we are as well informed about Indigenous Australians’ unique health challenges as we can be. I’m thankful my elective in the Cook Islands gave me the opportunity to see how treating Indigenous populations can be done well. It was a great example of how we can learn lessons from all over the world, particularly from smaller countries. Our ancestors’ wrongs aren’t our fault, but it’s our obligation to amend this relationship and help Indigenous Australians enjoy the same health and prosperity as the rest of our nation.
Even if it’s only 3%, Aboriginals still make up a significant part of our population and deserve greater recognition of their poorer health outcomes. One of the issues we discussed in takayna was how Australia’s health system is changing to improve health outcomes for Indigenous Australians. This was a great opportunity to learn more about the Close the Gap initiative and the perspective that Indigenous Australians have on it.
Volume 13
Issue 1
June 2019
The Close the Gap campaign is an initiative aimed at decreasing the discrepancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous life expectancy and overall health in Australia. In 2018, Close the Gap had its 10-year review, which looked at the likelihood of attaining its targets by 2030. Unfortunately, the campaign has thus far been markedly unsuccessful. The life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians has sadly increased and its goals are unlikely to be met by 2030. The Riawunna staff that I met in takayna believed that the reason for Close the Gap’s underperformance was due to a blanket approach whereby the same goals were expected nationwide and the same tools were used to achieve them. Additionally, the political climate of the last decade hasn’t fostered an environment in which governments can effectively work together to make Closing the Gap a priority.[4] The 10-year review did however birth some promising changes with a state-by-state approach to be adopted so as to address the unique health concerns of smaller areas. The initiative is expected to receive improved backing at all levels of government.
Alex Johnson is a fifth year student at UTAS. He hopes to take his career overseas and is passionate about social justice, health promotion and climate change. Conflict of Interest None declared Correspondence gerardj@utas.edu.au
References 1. Maguire G, Robson B. Aboriginal – Māori: how Indigenous health suffers on both sides of the ditch [Internet]. The Conversation. 2016 [cited 31 March 2019]. Available from: https://theconversation.com/aboriginal-maori-how-indigenoushealth-suffers-on-both-sides-of-the-ditch-48238 2. Major ethnic groups in New Zealand | Stats NZ [Internet]. Stats NZ. 2015 [cited 31 March 2019]. Available from: https://www.stats.govt.nz/infographics/major-ethnic-groups-in-new-zealand 3. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2016 Census shows growing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population [Internet]. 2017. Available from: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/ MediaRealesesByCatalogue/02D50FAA9987D6B7CA25814800087E03 4. Close the Gap - 10 Year Review (2018) [Internet]. Australian Human Rights Commission. 2018 [cited 31 March 2019]. Available from: https://www. humanrights.gov.au/our-work/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-social-justice/publications/ close-gap-10-year-review 5. Supporting Language Reclamation [Internet]. Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. 2019 [cited 31 March 2019]. Available from: http://www.vaeai.org.au/support/dsp-default.cfm?loadref=144
The conversation in takayna further revealed to me that Australia’s education system must change to ensure that all Australians, Indigenous or not, have a sound understanding of the history and culture of our land’s original custodians. The Victorian Koorie Languages in Schools Program is currently being delivered in eleven schools across the state, with seven Victorian languages and one Northern Territory language being taught. The classes are offered in both primary school and high school with the language taught depending on the land the school is situated on.[5] Similar projects are also underway in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. It appears that these programs are going well, and their reported success so far has many Aboriginal people confident that it may only be a matter of time before this is the norm in schools across the country. Perhaps the improvement in primary and secondary education is an indication that some positive changes are just around the corner for Australian medical schools. Indigenous health has become a passion of mine, 73