Social Determinants of Health in Australia

Running head: SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH IN AUSTRALIA 1
Social determinants of health in Australia
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SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH IN AUSTRALIA 2
The Social determinants of health in Australia.
It is over one decade since closing the gap campaign was launched in 2007. From this
time the media in Australia has been revealing a lot of statics which depicts the health
incongruity between the indigenous and non-indigenous communities. Based on the historical
information, different groups, as well as the organisation, have utilised the mass media to
facilitate health campaigns which are directed at increasing the levels of awareness and changing
people's behaviour while ignoring the social determinants of health. Many of the health
improvement witnessed in the past is associated with the advances made in the environmental,
economic and social factors. Contrary to what many may think, the new and improved medical
approaches have had a minimal role to play in ensuring better health for all people. This
fundamental truth helps different people to acknowledge how important the social determinants
of health care rather than paying all the attention to biomedical approaches and behaviour. The
health of the indigenous communities living in Australia is determined by a wide range of social
determinants of health such as discrimination, education, racism, employment and housing.
These determinants are linked to the after month effects of colonisation. This paper attempts to
critically analyse four articles that are focused on the living and housing conditions, among the
Australian indigenous communities and how social factors discussed the influence the health of
indigenous communities.
Inadequate infrastructure, overcrowding, contaminated sources of water and poor
sanitation services are some of the many factors influencing the living conditions of people in
Australia. Services and the housing infrastructure among the Australian indigenous communities
have not supported the essential elements of promoting quality of life by providing some of the
vital commodities such as clean drinking water, fresh air and safe housing (Altman, & Jackson,

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH IN AUSTRALIA 3
2014). According to some studies and research, one in every four indigenous people lives in full
houses all over Australia. This overcrowding leads to poor health standards due to low hygiene
and other concerns associated with health mainly how some of the infectious diseases such as
trachoma are spread. Also, the aura, thors of these articles state the living conditions of an area
are determined by the government and government policies (Escobar, 2015).
Media article one
It's a fallacy that all Australians have access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (Lansbury
Hall, Shannon, Jagals, 2016)
https://theconversation.com/its-a-fallacy-that-all-australians-have-access-to-clean-
watersanitation-and-hygiene-61436
main issues
The author of the article aims to assess and articulate the progress made in achieving the
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the Australian government. The report was
written when different nations were discussing the UN (SDGs) in New York. The SDGs were
formulated to facilitate the improving the well-being and the health of the people both in the
developed and developing countries.
Many people tend to assume that developed countries such as Australia have achieved the
SDGs. Ensuring sustainable management of sanitation and water is among the prioritised goals
of UN. (White, 2013). The Australian government committed itself to achieve the SDGs in 2015
and revealed they were very keen on the developing the indo-pacific areas. Although all these
efforts have been put to meet the UN goals, it is unfortunate that many indigenous communities
in Australia do not have access to clean drinking water and proper safe sanitation. (Garcia-

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH IN AUSTRALIA 4
Garcia, & Jha, 2015). The goals have not been achieved in the country since the required water
standards are not met among many remote communities. The author is concerned about its
dedication to delivering equally in every part of the country.
Clean drinking water is an essential requirement for achieving the needed standards of
health and well-being. There are some areas in Australia which do not have clean and safe
drinking water. An example is the Western Australia where some the communities living there
receive contaminated water with high levels of uranium, nitrates and faecal bacteria making it
very unsafe for human consumption. (Choy et al. 2014)
Lack of proper hygiene, overcrowded conditions and water contamination among the
communities are the primary causes of health problems such trachoma which is associated with
water. The author claims that the persistent of such diseases in Australia is a clear indicator of
the government's failure to achieve water and sanitation standard. There is a need for more
attention to be given to preventing the health problems associated with water among the remote
communities (Dyall et al. 2013)
Link to the covered topics
Based on what has been discussed in different issues, the government and other
healthcare organisations should recognise that majority of the health problems among the
indigenous communities are as a result of challenges in public health which are caused by lack of
hygiene in poor living conditions. All the issues addressed in this article just but a sample of how
the western style of housing, water and sanitation has been affecting and influencing the health
of the indigenous communities for long. The affected communities have been consistent in
advocating for their rights to have better living conditions for more than forty years now. Despite