Australia: Indigenous Health in Hands of Leaders Debate

This discussion post presents an affirmative argument for the debate topic: The future of Indigenous Health in Australia is in the hands of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander leaders. The argument emphasizes that Indigenous leaders are crucial for bridging social determinant gaps, providing culturally acceptable healthcare, and acting as a vital link between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. The discussion highlights the impact of factors like living conditions, education, employment, and income on Indigenous health, suggesting that Indigenous leaders can encourage community members to improve their health outcomes by addressing these social determinants. The post also stresses the importance of culturally appropriate healthcare services and the role of Indigenous elders as trusted figures who can influence health behaviors and provide protective factors. Furthermore, it highlights the need for Indigenous staff and healthcare workers to facilitate communication and understanding between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, as past non-Indigenous efforts have sometimes resulted in feelings of inequality and racism. The arguments are supported by references to various research and reports from reputable sources like the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Beyond Blue, and the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Debate topic
Affirmative: The future of Indigenous Health in Australia is in the hands of Aboriginal &
Torres Strait Islander leaders.
Team member
1st affirmative: Adefolake Adedayo-Adegoke SID 480421034
2nd affirmative: Vaibhav Sagar SID 480170855
3rd affirmative: Yixuan Zhang SID 480169055
Definition
Health is not just physical health, but overall wellbeing, including physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual health. And it cannot be ignored that Indigenous people have
their own understanding of health.
Currently, there is a gap between Indigenous health and non-indigenous health
(Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2018). In the future we need indigenous
leaders to ‘close the gap’.
Arguments
1. Indigenous leaders are the connection to protective factors that bridge the
social determinant gaps.
a. Indigenous health is largely affected by several social determinants, such as living condition,
education,employment and income (Beyond Blue, 2019).
b. Thus, to improve Indigenous health, Indigenous leaders can encourage the people to improve
their own health through improving their income, educational levels and employment
status etc., and developing protective factors by engaging with their community, culture,
tradition and spirituality (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2018).
2. Indigenous leaders are crucial in providing culturally acceptable health care
to aboriginal people.
a. Indigenous people attach importance to the interpersonal relationship between healthcare
workers, and they need to trust the healthcare workers to engage in healthcare services
(McBain-Rigg & Veitch, 2011). Currently, Indigenous people have lower rate of accessing
primary healthcare service (Australian Medical Association, 2012). Thus, it is important to
have culturally appropriate healthcare service ran by Indigenous people and serviced by
Indigenous healthcare workers.
b. Traditionally, Indigenous people trust their elders. Elders, as leaders in Indigenous society,
can influence Indigenous individuals to act for their own health, as well as provide
protect factors such as social connection, sense of belonging, and recognition of cultural
identity, country and spirituality (Zubrick, et al., 2010).
3. Indigenous staffs and healthcare workers are the crucial link between
Indigenous and non-indigenous community, and we need to rely on them to
lead the direction when engaging the rest of the society.
a. Knowledge of Indigenous people, community and culture is a must for closing the gap. Also,
Indigenous people have their ways of communication and using the English language,
and it can be hard to understand for non-indigenous people (NSW Department of
Community Services, 2007). Indigenous staffs are very good at communicating with
Indigenous people in their own language (Humanrights.gov.au, 2019).
b. Attempts made by non-indigenous Australians to improve Indigenous health did not make
any major impact; rather, it is sometimes make Indigenous people feel inequality and
racism (Bodkin-Andrews, G., & Carlson, B., 2016).
Reference
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2018). Australia’s health 2018: Size and sources of the
Indigenous health gap. Canberra: Australian Government.
Australian Medical Association. (2012, September 16). Retrieved from
https://ama.com.au/ausmed/removing-barriers-indigenous-health-strategies-improve-access
Beyond Blue. (2019, March 20). Retrieved from
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/who-does-it-affect/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-people/risk-
factors
Bodkin-Andrews, G., & Carlson, B. (2016). The legacy of racism and Indigenous Australian identity within education.
Race, Ethnicity and Education, 19(4), 784-807.

Humanrights.gov.au. (2019). Close the Gap: Indigenous Health Campaign | Australian Human Rights
Commission. [online] Available at: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/aboriginal-and-torres-
strait-islander-social-justice/projects/close-gap-indigenous-health [Accessed 21 Mar. 2019].
McBain-Rigg, K., & Veitch, C. (2011 , April). Cultural barriers to health care for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islanders in Mount Isa. Australian Journal of Rural Health, pp. 9(2):70-4.doi: 10.1111/j.1440-
1584.2011.01186.x.
NSW Department of Community Services, 2007, Use of appropriate language when working with
Aboriginal communities in NSW, Research to Practice Notes, Centre for Parenting and Research,
DoCS. Retrieved from
https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/321743/researchnotes_aboriginal_languag
e.pdf
Zubrick, R., Shepherd, C., Dudgeon, P., Gee, G., Paradies, Y., Scrine, C., & Walker, R. (2010). Social
determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing. In N. Purdie,
P. Dudgeon, & R. Walker, Working Together | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health
and wellbeing principles and practice (pp. 75–90). Canberra:
https://www.telethonkids.org.au/globalassets/media/documents/aboriginal-health/working-
together-second-edition/wt-part-2-chapt-6-final.pdf.