The extent of Indigenous inequality and disadvantage in Australia at a time of record prosperity is a national disgrace.
The Democrats are committed to playing our part in closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and between Indigenous and 'mainstream' communities.
Only a significant and sustained investment by governments to improve the quality of life and the safety, education and health care available to Indigenous people will bring the life expectancy and levels of opportunity closer to those of the non-Indigenous population.
Disadvantages include few assets, low income, limited education, insecure or unsatisfactory employment, poor housing and parenting under difficult conditions.
Australia's shame - indigenous disadvantage
Senator Andrew Bartlett speaks on YouTube
These social and economic disadvantage indicators have a direct relation to health problems and the reality of short life expectancies.
It cannot be disputed that colonisation has had a destructive impact on Aboriginal law, customs and economy. Languages, clan linkages and bonds with the land have been fragmented or destroyed. In the 105 years since Australia became a federated nation, our political system has comprehensively failed to address this damage and disadvantage. In many cases, it has actively contributed to it.
Senator Bartlett with Ruth Hegarty and Tiga Bayless
launching the 'Put Our First Peoples First' campaign
Help the campaign
There are many ways you can support this campaign including:
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TELL THEM WHAT YOU THINK
Write to your MP or Senator telling them what you think and asking them to support achieving equality for Indigenous people (follow these links for all Federal MPs and Senators contact emails).
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VOLUNTEER
To volunteer to assist us with our campaign please send an email to indigenous@democrats.org.au giving your contact details and how you are able to contribute.
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ORDER POSTCARDS - "OPEN YOUR EYES"
As part of our "Putting our First People's First" campaign we are calling on all Australians to acknowledge the essential role that the values, cultures and traditions of Indigenous Australians can and must play in our nation's future.
The Democrats have produced Indigenous postcards as part of the campaign. If you would like to order some of these for your organisation, they are available at no charge. Email indigenous@democrats.org.au with your order.
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SUBSCRIBE TO OUR INDIGENOUS E-NEWS
Receive regular updates on the campaign and Senator Bartlett's work. Send an email to indigenous@democrats.org.au with subscribe e-news in the subject line.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people comprise 2.4% of the Australian population, with the majority of this population (70%) living outside metropolitan areas. The poor levels of health among Indigenous people are directly related to the social, regional and economic disadvantage they experience.
Indigenous people have:
an average life expectancy that is 17 years less than that of the non-Indigenous population; are twice as likely to be hospitalised for infectious diseases;
in parts of the country, infant mortality rates for Indigenous Australians are two to three times that of the non-Indigenous population;
and the proportion of children in need of immediate dental treatment is significantly higher than in non-Indigenous children
The allocation of funding and the direct and appropriate provision of services, particularly health services, to Indigenous people needs to be the primary focus of governmental direction and policy development. As well as increasing funding for the provision of adequate primary health care services and preventative programs, governments need to review the administration of these programs.
A community-based, ground level approach to the provision of health care services in remote areas will provide a system that is more accessible to consumers; administratively more efficient; and ultimately more cost effective.
Health issues that predominate within Indigenous communities are affected by a range of social and economic factors:
lack of infrastructure and housing;
lack of access to education and employment opportunities;
and therefore continuing low incomes and reliance on fixed-income welfare subsidies limit social, economic and health improvements of the Indigenous population.
This is made worse by the fact that Indigenous people are more likely to experience and participate in behaviours that perpetuate 'health risks' - with smoking, obesity, alcohol misuse and exposure to violence more prevalent within the Indigenous population than the non-Indigenous population.
Community-controlled health services recognise the additional social and economic factors involved within these communities and have the capacity to provide opportunities for employment and community development.
The Democrats do not support any move that further removes Indigenous-control from service delivery in this area. Instead of reducing control, we should be increasing the capacity of Aboriginal communities to better manage these services so they can be delivered in the way that is of most benefit and value. To make real improvements to the health of Indigenous people, both federal and state governments need to boost funding to disease prevention and early treatment programs. These programs, targeted with a strong emphasis on health education and prevention and access to comprehensive primary health care could make real improvements. The strategy suggested by the Australian Medical Association to address Indigenous health care involves "the careful targeting of key risk factors with a view to reducing both morbidity and mortality"
Senator Bartlett (at rear) with members of the
Normanton stolen wages group
Infrastructure and Housing
The social and economic disadvantage experienced by Indigenous people limits their access to appropriate housing. Over-crowding, poor maintenance of houses and inadequate basic utilities can also lead to preventable health problems.
Given that 38% of Indigenous people access social housing programs (compared with only 6% of the non-Indigenous population) and a further 25% utilise the private rental market , properly funded and supported housing assistance programs and rent assistance schemes for low-income earners are essential to improving living conditions for Indigenous people.
There is a direct and indisputable correlation between poor housing conditions and poor health outcomes .
In addition to overcrowding and poor maintenance of facilities, lack of access to basic sanitation, dysfunctional sewerage systems and facilities for washing have all been associated with higher rates of infectious and parasitic diseases, such as skin, eye and ear infections, respiratory infections, meningococcal, tuberculosis and rheumatic fever . These illnesses can cause long-term medical problems when left untreated.
One of the main weapons in fighting Indigenous disadvantage, and developing positive social and health outcomes, is increasing access to and participation in educational and employment opportunities.
Although the participation rate among Indigenous Australians in educational programs is slowly increasing, it still substantially trails that of non-Indigenous people. The proportion of Indigenous adults who had completed Year 12 increased from 10% in 1994 to 18% in 2002 and over the same period the proportion of Indigenous adults (aged 25-64 years) with a non-school qualification increased from 20% to 32%
Lack of access to educational services, financial constraints and cultural and language barriers help to explain the lower participation and retention rates of Indigenous people.
However, one of the main factors restricting an improvement in educational outcomes for Indigenous people is chronic health problems, like middle ear infection and nutritional deficiencies, which affect school attendance and results .
However, the rate of Indigenous people continuing on to vocational education has decreased since 2003 and the proportion of Indigenous people enrolled in the higher-education sector has remained at approximately 1% while non-Indigenous adults aged 25-64 were nearly twice as likely as Indigenous people to have a non-school qualification - 57% compared with just 32%.
Senator Bartlett with Murrandoo Yanner in Burketown
Employment, Income and Welfare
The educational experience of Indigenous young people ultimately affects their economic and employment status, which in turn limits access to affordable housing and health resources. More often than not, this results in economic disadvantage and unemployment, which is one reason why Indigenous adults are approximately two and a half times more likely than non-Indigenous adults to be unemployed (13% compared with 5%).
In 2002, the mean gross household income of Indigenous people aged 18 years or over was $394 per week ($474 p/w in cities; $362 p/w regional; and $354 p/w remote). This represented an increase of just $20 per week between 1994 and 2002. The income of Indigenous adults in 2002 was only 59% of the corresponding income of non-Indigenous adults ($665 per week) and yet many live in areas where the cost of a litre of milk is two or three times higher than elsewhere and fresh food is considered a luxury.
The over-representation of Indigenous people within criminal correction systems continues to grow. From 2000-2004, the imprisonment rate of Indigenous women increased by 25% and that of Indigenous men increased by 11%.
Indigenous adults were more than 11 times more likely to be detained that non-Indigenous adults and Indigenous youth were approximately 20 times more likely to be detained than non-Indigenous juveniles (2003 statistics).
The World Health Organisation statistical data previously reported that in addition to direct physical injury, victims of violence experience a greater risk of other possible psychological and behavioural problems.
These problems can include depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviour, and alcohol and substance misuse . Most Indigenous people experience repeated acts of violence in their lives, and there appears to be a strong correlation between economic and social conditions, employment and income, physical and mental health and violence and substance abuse.
Key Indigenous health statistics indicate that from 1999-2004 the incidence of substantiated child protection notices have increased. Indigenous people are six times more likely to be a victim of homicide and twelve times more likely to be hospitalised for assault than members of the non-Indigenous community with the majority of physical assaults occurring as a result of a 'family dispute'. The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody also found that family violence was the main reason for incarceration of Indigenous men within Australia.
QUESTION WITHOUT NOTICE: INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS Questioning the reported comments by the minister for health proposing administrators get wide-ranging powers to run Indigenous communities and 'that a form of paternalism is unavoidable if Aboriginal communities are to be well run'.
SPEECH: 'BEYOND PETROL SNIFFING-RENEWING HOPE FOR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES'
The Democrats support the inquiry's recommendations-we do not need more talk, more tub thumping, more reports, more chest beating or more promises-we don't even need more consultation. What we need is a genuine and lasting commitment to negotiate-and I emphasise the term negotiate - solutions to the problems that lead to petrol sniffing-as recommended by the SA Coroner in 2002.
MOTION: MATTERS OF URGENCY - INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
I move: that, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:
The need for all political parties and all levels of government to make the long term commitment of working constructively together with Indigenous Australians and communities to address the completely unsatisfactory health and housing situations faced by many Indigenous people.
