Health Gap Analysis: Indigenous Australians and Refugee Groups

This essay provides a critical analysis of the health disparities between Indigenous Australians and refugees, focusing on the historical context, social determinants of health, and the impact of healthcare policies and service provision. The essay explores the historical reasons for the health gap, including the impact of colonization, racism, and discriminatory policies on the Indigenous population. It also examines the social determinants of health, such as education, racism, and economic factors, and their influence on health outcomes. Furthermore, the essay evaluates government policies and regulations aimed at reducing the health gap, including the creation of Indigenous community-controlled health services and the Closing the Gap strategy. The comparison highlights similar and different risk factors, the impact of events on each group, and the influence of healthcare policies on health outcomes, concluding with a general comparison of how these factors shape the health of both groups. The essay draws on various sources to support its arguments and provides a comprehensive overview of the complex issue of health disparity in Australia.

Running Head: HEALTH STATUS BETWEEN INDIGENOUS AND REFUGEES PEOPLE IN
AUSTRALIA
Health Status between Indigenous and Refugees people in Australia
Students Name
University Affiliation
Date

HEALTH STATUS BETWEEN INDIGENOUS AND REFUGEES PEOPLE IN
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Health Status between Indigenous and Refugees people in Australia
Introduction
The population of Australia entail several people who were born overseas, speak different
languages or have one of the parent born overseas, forming culturally and linguistically diverse
population. In this paper refugees will form part of the non-indigenous Australians who have
over the years enjoyed greater status of health relative to aboriginal population. Enhancing the
status of health of the aboriginal people in Australia is a longstanding problem for the Australian
governments. The disparity in health status between the indigenous people and Refugees in the
country continues to be unacceptable. It is key to note that this gap in health status has been
described as a violation of human dignity by the committee of the United Nations as well as
acknowledged by the governments in Australia. Job opportunity and hours worked, attainment of
education, household income and whether an individual smoke have explained the disparity in
health status between the aboriginals and Refugees population in the country. Cultural group is
described as a group of people born into like national origin, gender, class, race or religion. The
aboriginal population in the Australian, on average, have poor health status compared to the
Refugees population (Freemantle et al., 2015). Certain measures have enhanced, for example,
there has been a decrease in death rates of the aboriginals since 1990s as well as a decrease in
smoking in 2000s. However, on numerous measures, great gaps continue in outcomes of health
between the aboriginal and Refugees population.
The degree of the disparity in health has been progressively published (Shepherd, Li &
Zubrick, 2012). Comprehension continues to grow concerning the numerous as well as intricate

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factors which can contribute to and influence the disparity. This paper will critically discuss
health disparity between the aboriginal and Refugees population in Australia. The paper will
analyze the underlying historical reasons for the health gap between this two populations.
Moreover, the paper will evaluate government policies and regulations which have been put
forward to reduce or minimize the health gap status.
Historical reasons for the health gap between the aboriginal and Refugees in Australia
The history of aboriginal population in Australia over the last two centuries been one of
huge suffering. Racism, subjugation, assimilation policies, introduction of illness and disease
reduced the population of the indigenous people by over 91% between 1789 and 1900 (Martin et
al., 2019). The ongoing health disparity between the indigenous as well as Refugees population
in the country is because of historical abandonment, lack of policy framework as well as
inaccessibility of social and economic facilities, and transfer of the mentioned resources to the
local level. In spite suffering from poor health than the Refugees people, the aboriginal
population have less and inaccessible health care resources. Conventionally, the aboriginal
people have had less authority to dictate these underlying challenges as well as public health
policy judgments (Martin et al., 2019).
The poor health status of the indigenous population which is currently being witnessed
today requires thorough scrutiny in the context of historical neglect as well as regulations
towards the indigenous people which were introduced by the territory and states governments.
Starting from colonization era, aboriginals were plagued by the introduction of diseases as well
as loss of ancestral productive. In spite of these made-made problems, the government did little

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to offer socioeconomic assistance like medical aid. In 1837, the policy of protection was created
after many series of frontier conflicts (Martin et al., 2019). The protection policy continued to be
executed throughout the next century and it allowed the segregation of the aboriginal population
on missions and reserved settlements. This was done in part to minimize the spread of
communicable disease to Refugees population. The Refugees people viewed the indigenous
people as inferior to white races as well as would be left to die out without any medical
assistance. In the early twentieth century, laws and regulations were to further separate the mixed
race as well as give more powers to the protectors to socially remove the infants from their
families. In certain states, individuals of mixed races were compelled to leave their reserves and
their families.
Around 1937, the policy of assimilation was enacted replacing the protection policy. The
policy majorly targeted individuals of mixed races in the country (Porter, 2017). Nonetheless,
policies of discrimination still reigned on many and sometimes all aspects of aboriginals’ lives.
They did not equal wages as well as work conditions, and social welfare just like other Refugees
population in the country. in 1953, the government introduced the wards work ordinance in the
regions occupied by the indigenous which made them wards of the state, having minor wards,
thus discriminating them in pay and work conditions. In numerous states in the country, the
indigenous population were given less pay while some of their pay were suspended from them
and put in trust funds which were put into other purposes by the commonwealth government
(Mannix & Hefferan, 2018). The policy of assimilation continued to be practiced until 1960s and
officially recognized in 1961 at the national native welfare meeting. Moreover, in 1965, the

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policy of assimilation provided that the indigenous population would choose to attain the same
standard of living and manner to that of Refugees population so that they can live as groups of a
single community in Australia, enjoying similar privileges and rights, observing same cultural
customs, accepting similar responsibilities, as well as influenced by similar loyalties, hopes and
beliefs of Refugees population. Territory and state governments started to abolish discriminatory
laws, however, in New South Wales, for instance, the new law was introduced in 1969 to replace
to the protection policy of 1909 (Sullivan et al., 2019).
Currently, the aboriginal people continue to experience institutional as well as
interpersonal racism that establishes and sustains their poor social and economic status by
excluding them from land ownership and social opportunities like equal access to health care just
like the Refugees people. Furthermore, aboriginal women and men usually is expected to live 9.6
and 10.7 years less than Refugees women and men respectively (Fisher, Battams, Mcdermott,
Baum & Macdougall, 2019). An increasing growing body of research constantly attributes
racism as vital health determinant among the indigenous population (Bradshaw, Hellwig, Peate
& Wilson, 2015). Nevertheless, one of the greatest problems of the current discourse concerning
racism is the complete denial of its existence. It should be noted that a review of discursive as
well as linguistic patterns of the current speech in both formal and informal environment in the
country concluded that the cultural taboo against talking about racism has resulted to the
establishment of strategies which present adverse views of minority population as justified and
acceptable while absolving speakers from claims of racism.
Social determinants of health in Australia between the indigenous and Refugees population

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The health determinants are described as the settings in which individuals are born, age,
work, live as well as grow. These factors are defined by the resources and power distributions at
the local, national and global levels. Empirical research and evidence-based studies have shown
a direct correlation between a person’s economic and social status and his or her health. The
social determinant theory identifies that disparity and population welbeing is influenced by
several interrelated socioeconomic and political, and geographical factors (Delany et al., 2018)..
Indigenous population in Australia experience social and economic disadvantage on every major
indicator relative to the Refugeess (Fisher et al., 2019). The status of health of indigenous
population in country is impacted by a host of factors and intricate association of environmental
factors, biological factors behaviors, as well as cultural and social context which defines their
lives. The factors are collectively referred to as health determinants and can also be called as
enablers or barriers of wellbeing and health.
The poor status of wellbeing and health results faced by the aboriginals in Australia
involving high rates of mortality and premature death rates, has to be considered within the
social context of previous dispossession, colonization, entrenched discrimination and racism,
poverty and economic exclusion, inherited trauma and grief, as well as the loss of status, culture
and traditional roles (Möller et al., 2016). Education has been considered to provide the
foundation for a healthy and quality life. It has been established that there is a firm empirical
evidence which highlight gradual growth and poor cognitive health in children and increased risk
of poor mental and physical health as an adult (Delany et al., 2018). The aboriginal population
have no equal access to education relative to the Refugees people in the country. Since most of

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the aboriginal people reside in remote and inaccessible areas, accessing education is difficult
making them become unaware of some of the dangerous behaviors leading to increase in various
diseases. Racism has been suggested as one of the health determinants among the aboriginal
population (Shute, 2017). Moreover, racism has been described to have a negative and adverse
effect and impact on wellbeing and health of aboriginal people in the country. Europeans
promoted discrimination among the indigenous people through enactment of policies such as
protection policy, assimilation policy.
These policies ensured that those who did not wish to be assimilated were pushed
towards the state reserve settlements where access to health care resources were restricted and
limited. On the other hand, Refugees population were enjoying full access to health care
resources and improved educational facilities. Up to date state and territory governments have
not fully addressed the challenges facing the aboriginal population in Australia. Lateral violence
among the indigenous population has also been identified as one of the health determinants in the
country (Cocks, Thomson, Thoresen, Parsons & Rosenwax, 2016). Lateral violence is described
as antisocial behaviors like family feuding, shaming, bullying, organizational conflict, as well as
extreme sexual and physical abuse and violence. Violence experienced by the indigenous people
especially from the government and white supremist in the country has promoted deterioration of
the physical and mental wellbeing and health of the aboriginal people as compared to Refugees.
Most of the indigenous due to their economic exclusion by the government live in poor houses
while most of them are normally homeless. It should be noted that economic factors like poor
pay and working conditions leads to poor housing which has a direct correlation with the poor

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health and wellbeing. On the other hand, Refugees people live in proper and well-maintained
houses which are near social factors like educational and health facilities.
Policies to bridge the health gap between aboriginal and Refugees people
To address social problems of poor among the indigenous people and also minimize
disparity between the aboriginal and Refugees, indigenous community-controlled health services
were created in 1970s (Mellor, McCabe, Ricciardelli, Mussap & Tyler, 2016). The created
groups were managed aboriginal board which was elected from the local people to offer health
services for the local community within the holistic model of health which encourages health,
enhances development of community, treats illness, provides educational services and support
services for the health care professionals. The government has striven to provide health care
services which are respectful, ethical and which are culturally safe. Both governments have also
come up with closing the gap strategy which has the of reducing disadvantages among the
indigenous people with respect child death rates, life expectancy, access to education,
employment and educational achievement. Close gap strategy is a formal commitment pledged
by every government in Australia to realize health equality of the indigenous people within
twenty-five years (Keast & Dragon, 2015). The strategy was created due to 2005 report of social
justice as well as campaign on close the gap. Thus, the governments of Australia and the
indigenous people agreed to operate mutually to realize parity in social sectors like wellbeing,
employment opportunities and educational services.

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Conclusion
The aboriginal people in Australia have for a very long time had worse health as
compared to other populations in the country. The aboriginals are one of the poorest in the
country while the equality gap has been described by World Health Organization as the worst in
the globe. There are various underlying factors which have contributed to the equality gap
between the indigenous and Refugeess like racism, education, historical colonization,
retrogressive policies and environmental factors. The government has introduced various policies
like close the gap to minimize the health gap in the country and it is upon the people to realize
that promoting discriminatory practices are a breach to human rights and human dignity.

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