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Indigenous Australians miss out

11 May 2005 - Media Release - OXFAM - Once in a generation opportunity missed for Indigenous health
The Federal Government's budget has failed to take advantage of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform the Third World health standards of Indigenous Australians, according to Australian aid agency Oxfam Australia.

"Indigenous Australians have health standards comparable to impoverished countries in which Oxfam works," says James Ensor, Oxfam's Director of Public Policy. "The Government has missed a once-in-a-generation opportunity for reform and failed to invest in eradicating preventable health problems of Indigenous Australians. Instead, our Government has spent the surplus on tax cuts which largely favour Australia's wealthiest and healthiest."

"Our spending on Indigenous health has been too little for too long. We welcome the $42.5 million per year increase in funding for Indigenous health in this year's budget as a small first step. However, this modest increase falls far too short of what is needed to bring the health of Indigenous Australians to a par with the rest of us. Recent research shows that Indigenous health is under-funded by at least $450 million per year, including $400 million in primary health care."

"There is no mystery. We already know what needs to be done to bring about big gains in Indigenous health in a relatively short period of time. One of the critical missing elements is an injection of funding, particularly in primary health care," says James Ensor

"Our low spending in primary health care translates into unnecessarily larger costs for other parts of the health system, particularly our public hospital system. Indigenous Australians use hospitals at about twice the rate of non-Indigenous Australians because they don't have good access to primary health care services which can pick up problems early."

"While Indigenous Australians will continue to suffer poor health outcomes, all Australians will bear some costs in the coming years," says Ensor.

To achieve positive change for Indigenous Australians, Oxfam Australia works with the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia, Yorgum Family Counselling Service, Flipside Circus and Maari Ma Aboriginal Health Corporation. In addition, Oxfam Australia has been contracted by the Department of Health and Ageing to run the Gulf Regional Health Service in North West Queensland.

To arrange an interview with James Ensor please contact Marlene McIntyre on 0407 515 559.

Indigenous Health at a glance:

Life expectancy is 20 years less than for all Australians
Infant mortality rate is more than double that for all Australians
Proportion of low birth weight babies is almost twice as high for Indigenous than for non-Indigenous mothers

Further information: health issues page - includes news index and external links

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