AIM: ASU Indigenous Members

Close the Gap Day 2009 - keep governments accountable on Indigenous health outcomes

The ASU believes that ongoing community support for the Close the Gap campaign is vital if the Government is going to be kept accountable on their commitment to close the gap on life expectancy and health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. In that spirit, and as a formal supporter of the Close the Gap campaign, the ASU participated by staging a staff event today.

Thousands join chorus to CLOSE THE GAP

[This Oxfam media release can also be read here: http://www.oxfam.org.au/media/article.php?id=569 ]

Thousands of Australians will take part in events to mark the third annual National Close the Gap Day on Thursday 2 April, to urge State and Federal Governments to end the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health crisis.

More than 400 events taking place in schools, workplaces, shopping centres, community halls, churches and public spaces throughout the country include bush tucker days, Indigenous music performances, school children spelling out CLOSE THE GAP, preview screenings of the new Indigenous film Samson and Delilah, mural painting and Aboriginal community controlled health service open days.

Chair of the Close the Gap steering committee and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma, whose 2005 Social Justice Report laid the groundwork for the Close the Gap campaign, said the day was about celebrating the achievements of the campaign to close the 17-year gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

"More than 130,000 people throughout the country have signed the pledge that urges action from all levels of government," Mr Calma said.

"The government really came on board in March 2008 when it signed the Statement of Intent, along with the Opposition, Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts and the reconciliation movement, to work together to achieve equality in health status and life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians by the year 2030."

In November, the Council of Australian Governments committed $1.6 billion in new health funding - the biggest ever injection of new funding for Indigenous health. But Mr Calma said the Rudd Government now needed to develop a comprehensive National Action Plan in partnership with Indigenous Australians.

National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) CEO Dr Mick Adams said the statistics on Indigenous health were compelling: around twice as many Indigenous infants died before their first birthday as non-Indigenous infants.

Meanwhile, cardiovascular disease is around 2.5 times higher for Indigenous Australians, respiratory disease is almost four times higher and pneumonia is three times higher. These all contributed to the 17-year life expectancy gap.

"When there is a true collaboration between governments with our organisations in the development and implementation of programs that we believe are needed, that will be the time when the gap in health status will begin to close," Dr Adams said.

Oxfam Australia Executive Director Andrew Hewett said ongoing community support was vital if the Government was going to be kept accountable on their commitment.

"Working in partnership and increasing Indigenous participation in health services and decision-making has proven to be a successful recipe for closing the gap by 12 years for Maoris in New Zealand and nine years for native American Indians in the United States," Mr Hewett said.

To really give rights to Indigenous people we must first Close the Gap

[This Human Rights Commission media release can also be read here: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/about/media/media_releases/2009/19_09.html ]

The historic formal statement of support from the federal government for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples occurring this Friday should be backed immediately with a comprehensive national action plan to Close the Gap in health equality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma said today.

Commissioner Calma, who is also the Chair of the Close the Gap steering committee and whose 2005 Social Justice Report spearheaded the Close the Gap Campaign, said the right to good health was a basic human right which was enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

"The Close the Gap Campaign welcomes the government's commitment to endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples," Commissioner Calma said.

"Formal support for the UN Declaration specifically protects the right of Indigenous peoples to participate in decision making in matters that affect their rights, and protects the right of Indigenous peoples to the highest standards of physical and mental health.

"It is also another milestone in the new partnership forged between Indigenous peoples and governments in February last year with the National Apology to the Stolen Generations.

"The Declaration clearly puts Indigenous Australians in the driving seat in relation to decisions which affect us in all areas of life, but the message is even clearer today on National Close the Gap Day," Commissioner Calma said.

"This Declaration gives us the scaffolding we need for our efforts to reject forever a passive acceptance of the brutal fact that Indigenous Australians are dying on average about 17 years earlier than non-Indigenous Australians.

"This Declaration should compel us to reject forever the conditions that allow twice as many Indigenous infants as non-Indigenous infants to die before their first birthday.

"It should motivate us to reject forever those conditions that allow cardiovascular disease to afflict around two and half times more Indigenous Australians than non-Indigenous and to stamp out an almost 400 per cent higher occurrence of respiratory disease for Indigenous Australians," he said.

Mr Calma said the Close the Gap Campaign partners, including Australia's leading health, human rights and Aboriginal organisations, had already achieved significant outcomes in efforts to close the gap. These included the signing of the Close the Gap Statement of Intent in March last year where the federal government, the Opposition, and the Close the Gap Campaign partners (among others) committed to close the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians by 2030. He also cited the development of the Close the Gap National Indigenous Health Equality targets in July last year; and the establishment of a National Indigenous Health Equality Council as other significant milestones.

"The Close the Gap Campaign welcomed the Council of Australian Government's $1.6 billion funding injection into achieving health equality announced late last year," Mr Calma said.

"But we must use the Declaration to galvanise urgent action to further advance Indigenous health equality now while some key decisions are still to be made.

"The next step is to develop a comprehensive, long-term and properly resourced national action plan to achieve Indigenous health equality and to do it in genuine partnership with Indigenous peoples," he said.

"We cannot afford to squander this opportunity through poor planning or by not ensuring the participation of Indigenous peoples in the planning and implementation stages."

United we stand – Support for United Nations Indigenous Rights Declaration a watershed moment for Australia

[This Human Rights Commission media release can also be read here: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/about/media/media_releases/2009/21_09.html ]

This morning's formal support from the Australian Government for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is likely to go down in history as a watershed moment in Australia's relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma said today.

Commissioner Calma said the statement being made in Canberra this morning by the federal government in support of the Declaration substantially adds to the foundations for a new partnership between the federal government, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the wider community.

"I congratulate the Australian Government for the giant step it is taking today in embracing the fundamental guiding principles of mutual respect and partnership outlined in the Declaration," Commissioner Calma said.

"In making this formal statement of support, the federal government is committing to a framework which fully respects Indigenous peoples' rights and creates the opportunity for all Australians to be truly equal.

"The challenge for government now, is to build understanding of the Declaration among government officials, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the general community, so we can give meaning and content to its provisions."

Commissioner Calma said the strength of the Declaration was that it provided a set of internationally endorsed objective standards to guide the relationship with Indigenous peoples, and to promote actions that respected and protected Indigenous cultures.

"It should be clear that on any measure, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples remain marginalised in Australia and face entrenched poverty and ongoing discrimination on a daily basis.

"The statement of support for the Declaration fills me with hope for Indigenous peoples the world over," he said

"The Declaration could be put to immediate use in Australia by providing guidance and articulating minimum standards to help the government in addressing some of the discriminatory elements remaining in the Northern Territory intervention," Mr Calma said.

While emphasising the significance of today's formal statement of support for the Declaration, Commissioner Calma said it was also important to acknowledge that the statement of support followed other significant steps the government had taken towards resetting its relationship with Indigenous Australians including: making the National Apology; providing substantial funding boosts to close the life expectancy gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; and committing to the establishment of a new national representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

"While substantial challenges remain for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, support for the Declaration can unleash Australia's potential to be a world leader on how it engages with its Indigenous peoples," he said.

"Australia's support for the Declaration will help in the global fight against racism and discrimination and firmly re-establishes Australia's leadership role in the international human rights system."