PUBH6000: Social, Behavioural and Cultural Factors in Public

Running head: INDIGENOUS HEALTH INEQUALITIES 1
Indigenous Health Inequalities
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INDIGENOUS HEALTH INEQUALITIES 2
Part 1
The history of closing the gap strategy
The history of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from an estimated 65,000
years shows their resilience and strength to life. There have been significant events in Australia's
modern history such modern history that has succeeded in uniting people. Both the Mabo High
Court decision and the 1967 referendum made the non-indigenous and indigenous Australians
campaign or what they believe is right. This includes the fact that the for many years, the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have cared for their country and that the songs they
composed have been sung and have helped to pass on their traditions and customs Australian
Government (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Indigenous Australians, 2017). In 2008,
Australia enacted the Closing the Gap framework to recommit, recommit and renew their
collective efforts and focus on improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people (Australian Human Right Commission, Close the Gap – Progress & Priorities
Report 2017, 2017).
The social justice report was introduced in 2005 and aimed at ensuring that the
government of Australia commits to ensuring that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people obtain quality health care and increased life expectancy. The close the Gap campaign is a
social justice campaign that was started in March 2006 as the National Indigenous Health
Equality that is keen on ensuring that there is health equality for the Indigenous people. About 40
non-indigenous health and Aboriginal Strait Islander organizations took part in the campaign.
(Australian Human Right Commission, Close the Gap – Progress & Priorities Report 2017,
2017).

INDIGENOUS HEALTH INEQUALITIES 3
The close the Gap campaign is considered as the public face of the National Indigenous
Health Equality campaign. It was implemented in April 2007 in Sydney and is led by
organizations such as Oxfam Australia, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health
Organization and Human (Commonwealth of Australia, Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet (Closing the Gap Prime Minister’s Report 2017, 2017). In December 2007, the Council
of Australian Governments committed to ensuring that the goal of closing the gap in health and
life expectancy in the non-indigenous Australians and Aboriginal Torres Islander Australians is
achieved. The statement of intent of the close to Gap targets was signed in March 2008
(Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, 2015).
There have been improvements in the employment, health, and education of the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people since closing the Gap strategy was implemented.
However, only seven of the goals are yet to be met. The Government indicated in early 2018 that
it would revive the strategy by ensuring that it changed the way it works with the Aboriginal
Torres Strait Islander people to help in closing the gaps. There has been a decline in the mortality
rates by around 35% and the gap has narrowed by 32%. There have also been improvements in
the maternal and child health (Commonwealth of Australia, Department of the Prime Minister
and Cabinet, Closing the Gap Prime Minister’s Report 2017, 2017).
There has been an increased enrollment of children to schools. In 2016 an estimated
14,700 indigenous children were allowed into childhood programs. In 2017, the attendance rate
of non-indigenous students is higher than for the indigenous students at 93.0% and 83.2%
respectively. There has been an increase in the number of indigenous people aged 20-24 who
have reached year 12 to approximately 65.3% in 2016 from 47.4% in 2006. There has been
increased employment among the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people. There has also been an