The Australian Greens continue to be alarmed at the tragic state of Indigenous health and support calls by doctors for a greater effort to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.
Sadly, the Australian Medical Association's Indigenous Health Report Card 2009 tells a familiar tale, namely that the health of Aboriginal men in particular remains appalling.
It found they can expect to die 11.5 years earlier than non-indigenous men, with indigenous boys almost twice as likely to die in the first year of their lives, than other infants.
"These are more bleak statistics that we simply must address if we're not going to condemn yet another generation of Aboriginal Australians to misery," said Australian Greens Indigenous Spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert.
"Although the AMA doesn't expressly mention the federal government's current handling of these issues, it's pretty clear the report is damning of the path we're on, especially since the so-called Intervention in the northern Territory.
"We've been saying all along this heavy-handed, top down approach, which merely blames Aboriginal men for all the ailments on communities, is ultimately destructive," Senator Siewert said.
The AMA makes a strong link between self esteem, sense of control and empowerment, and health outcomes.
"Surely the way to build the capacity of indigenous people, especially men, to enable them to recapture a sense of purpose and control in their lives which would lead to better health, is by empowering and working with them not by taking power away, as we've seen in the NT.
"This is why we support the AMA's call for an injection of commonwealth funds into Aboriginal health services, to develop real community capacity-building, indigenous-specific medical training, and health promotion.
"It should also include strategies to keep Indigenous males out of prison, and promotion of economic engagement and entrepreneurial opportunities.
"Aboriginal people themselves have been telling us for years that genuine collaborative relationships are the way forward to truly empower their communities. It's about time this federal government listened," Senator Siewert concluded.
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