Indigenous Health Issues In Australia

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Australia has long been called the lucky country. With beautiful beaches, a life expectancy of 82 years and great benefits, life sounds pretty good.

However, this is not the case for over 700 000 Indigenous Australians today. In all social indicators, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples rate as the most disadvantaged people in Australia, despite “efforts” by the government. The disparity is so great that the life expectancy of Indigenous Australians are ten years less than the corresponding rates for non-Indigenous Australians.
The Australian Government's response to the levels of disadvantage faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has been the "Closing the Gap" strategy. Due to lack of consultation with Aboriginal …show more content…

The housing conditions of Indigenous Australians have received increasing attention both locally and internationally in recent years. The standard of accommodation in Indigenous communities remains lower than that experienced by non-Indigenous Australians.

Overcrowded houses are a major problem in indigenous communities, with small houses and tin sheds being to 10 people on average, sometimes extending to 17 people.

A UN special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing wrote in his report, “The conditions that I saw of overcrowding, up to 30 people living in one house, and the fact that these conditions have existed for 7 decades, it is definitely amongst the worst I’ve seen around the …show more content…

In 2012 the rate of disability for ATSI Australians was a shocking 1.7 times the rate for non-Indigenous Australians.

This extreme disadvantage in health comes from the fact that health services are not accessible to many, especially remote Indigenous areas. By communicating to the elders in the Indigenous community, this enormous problem can be easily fixed, and save many lives.

“….We had organisations in town to help us, but they don’t know who’s hurting. That’s because they’re sitting up there in their office. How would they know?.....” –Des Bowen

However, the disadvantages on the Indigenous community extends to not only physical health but mental health as well.

Professor McDermott calls racism a 'sleeper issue' that is systemic in Australia, citing figures suggesting 97 per cent of Indigenous Australians have reported being on the receiving end of racism in the previous 12 months.

“…..97% of Indigenous Australians have reported being on the receiving end of racism……”

"It can be when you walk into a hospital and don't get the right treatment, or it can be overt; abuse or whatever," he

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