Incorporating Indigenous Culture in Australian Social Policy

This article explores the importance of incorporating Indigenous culture in Australian social policy and its impact on Indigenous health and well-being. It discusses the challenges and opportunities of integrating Indigenous knowledge and values into policy frameworks, as well as the need for informed consideration of Indigenous culture in public policy. The article also highlights the role of the 'Close the Gap' initiative and the significance of cultural patterns and values in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Overall, it emphasizes the need for the Australian government and policymakers to give Indigenous Australians a significant position in policy development and to respect and incorporate their cultural perspectives.

Running head: AUSTRALIAN SOCIAL POLICY
AUSTRALIAN SOCIAL POLICY
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Parter, Wilson and Hartz (2019) of the article “The Closing the Gap (CTG) Refresh:
Should Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture be incorporated in the CTG framework?
How?” hold a view regarding the incorporation and development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander culture. The authors further identify the need of incorporating values of Australian
Indeginous into National public health policies as well as frameworks as a vital prerequisite for
the health and welfare of Indigenous Australians. However, Parter, Wilson and Hartz (2019)
begin with a skepticism regarding significant evidence breach related to the implication of
Indigenous traditions to these frameworks despite of the emergence and incorporation of the
Indigenous culture within public policies. Article has been completely unbiased in exploring
these areas of challenges by throwing light on the way Indigenous knowledge has been intrinsic
to Indigenous culture and vice versa.
Moreover, Parter, Wilson and Hartz (2019) have efficiently highlighted the importance of
consideration of the association between Indigenous knowledge as well as Indigenous culture
which could arise substantial level of significance to traditions when integrated into public
strategies or frameworks. Parter, Wilson and Hartz (2019) have efficiently introduced the policy
workers in the article who have been highly stimulated to formulate a cultural amalgamation by
opening the resources for Indigenous Australians in order to establish their cultural perspective
towards the policy growth. Furthermore the article focuses on a significant campaign which has
intended to close the gap between the Indigenous Australians’ culture and policy development
framework. Authors have efficiently shed light on Close the gap people's movement initiative
introduced in 2007 which has drawn in the agreement of the declaration of objective between the
Australian government as well as communities.

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It is important to note the way this article has provided important insights regarding the
fact sheet about the NIRA. The extract offered by authors reveals that NIRA implies the
importance of all governments to understand the significant role of Indigenous culture in the
policy development. However, one of the important parts of the article is the mention of culture
and national Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander health plan. This health arrangement has
explicitly explained underlying factors which represents the Aboriginal cultural patterns and
values.
Parter, Wilson and Hartz (2019) have noted that importance of Indigenous values and
culture has been strengthened in the 2017 published ‘My Life My Lead National” Consultation
report which dealt with the social as well as cultural determinants of Indigenous health. These
determinants according to authors have argued that cultural patterns values and standards of the
Indigenous Australians must be integrated into services in order to add towards thriving health
developments and increase the resilience level among the individuals. Furthermore the authors
have cited the example of the utilization of Ngangkari traditional healers in South Australia
which has been efficiently incorporated into the primary services. However the authors have
stated that regardless of such an incorporation in the health plan it has been claimed that the
cultures representation of the Indigenous Australians have observed certain kind of gap in the
public policy milieu and exclusive of an informed consideration of Indigenous culture in these
contacts no development will be acknowledged.
The article provides and informative style which has proficiently focused on the various
aspects of the cultural significance of Indigenous Australians. Drawing relevance to Lawless et
al. (2017), Parter, Wilson and Hartz (2019) have been highly proficient in indulging into further
exploration for addressing the evidence gap between the Indigenous Australians’ culture and

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policy development (Parter, Wilson and Hartz 2019). It has been noted that while Australia
Indigenous health policy makers have been distinct regarding the inclusion of Indigenous culture
in the health plan, such an integrated Association with the Indigenous knowledge has not been
regarded as a National public policy dialogue. Even though Indigenous knowledge has been
receiving substantial attention in the academic domain since 1986 it is really acknowledged in
the formation of policy development framework thus showing a significant level of disregard
towards the knowledge understanding and culture of the Indigenous Australians (Toomey 2016).
Article is highly informative and specifically focuses on the importance for Australian
government and policy makers to provide the Australian Indigenous significant position in the
process of policy development and facilitate them to incorporate their significant cultural
perspectives and patterns in policy and Framework development (Parter, Wilson and Hartz
(2019). Furthermore, it sheds light on lack of theoretical and conceptual framework which still
pertain even after the introduction of a range of initiatives. In addition to this article has focused
on on the importance of of investment and research methods supported by an Indigenous
perspective in order to mitigate this critical evidence gap and inefficiency of the closing the gap
as well as health initiatives. Lastly article sheds light on the importance of governments as well
as policymakers to be vocal as well as respectful towards Indigenous standpoints, views,
perspectives and show high sensitivity to the meanings of Indigenous cultures as well as their
knowledge.

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References
Lawless, A., Lane, A., Lewis, F.A., Baum, F. and Harris, P., 2017. Social determinants of health
and local government: Understanding and uptake of ideas in two Australian states. Australian
and New Zealand journal of public health, 41(2), pp.204-209.
Parter, C., Wilson, S. and Hartz, D.L., 2019. The Closing the Gap (CTG) Refresh: Should
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture be incorporated in the CTG framework?
How?. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 43(1), pp.5-7.
Toomey, A., 2016. What happens at the gap between knowledge and practice? Spaces of
encounter and misencounter between environmental scientists and local people. Ecology and
Society, 21(2).