We can turn it around
New Zealand, Canada and the USA have all made headway in closing the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous citizens. In the last 20 years, the gap in life expectancy for Indigenous Canadians has been closed by 50 percent – in Australia, the gap has shown no improvement.
International experience shows that making a difference doesn’t need to take generations. Real, measurable change can be achieved in a generation if efforts are broad.
Closing the life expectancy gap requires bold health solutions, including an attack on preventable diseases. But research shows that education, employment, housing and access to services that non-Indigenous Australians take for granted are a big part of the answer.
There’s evidence that simply improving the wider community’s understanding of Indigenous peoples improves life expectancy.
In all of these areas, closing the gap involves Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians working together to identify local problems and come up with solutions.
For more information on closing the gap in life expectancy go to: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/sj_report/sjreport05/index.html
Understanding some of the background to problems faced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people helps non-Indigenous Australians see beyond the simplistic media headlines on today’s high profile issues.
Photo by Wayne Quilliam
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