4th February, 2015
Australians are being urged to show their support for health equality for the country’s Indigenous peoples by taking part in the National Close the Gap Day on 19th March.
The day, which was launched in 2007, forms part of the Close the Gap campaign, backed by a coalition of Indigenous and non-Indigenous health and human rights organisations. More that 150,000 people took part in almost 1,300 events across Australia on the day last year.
Dr Peter Lewis, Indigenous policy advisor at Oxfam – one of the organisations supporting the campaign, said that despite some gains in child and maternal health and smoking rates among Indigenous Australians after all political parties promised to end Indigenous health equality seven years ago, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders can still expect to live about 10 years less than others – a gap he described as a "disgrace".
"Health equality is everyone’s business, and individuals, organisations, communities and governments must continue to work together to ensure Indigenous health equality," he said.
Dr Lewis said all eyes were now on Prime Minister Tony Abbott, due to present his annual Closing the Gap address to Federal Parliament on 11th February, to ensure last year’s cut of $160 million from Indigenous health in the Federal Budget was not repeated when this year’s budget is handed down in May.
For more information or to register, see www.oxfam.org.au/closethegapday.
– DAVID ADAMS
