THE eighth annual Closing the Gap report offered another stark snapshot –indigenous Australians continue to die younger, they are out of work more and are less educated than other Australians.
Political, community and Church leaders, agree there are some reasons to be optimistic – infant mortality rates is decreasing and more students finish Year 12, but a continuing failure in most areas has led to calls for more direct engagement with indigenous communities and their leaders on-the-ground and to heed local advice.
Some indigenous leaders have said the Closing the Gap strategy was doomed and should be scrapped.
Les Malezer, co-chair of the National Congress of Australia’s First People said targets were not being achieved.
“There’s a failure to address the underlying issues,” he said.
“But no government wants to know about it.
“The whole strategy and policy is focused on assimilation to the mainstream.
“You can’t expect health or education to improve if our people don’t fit in to the culture.
“Closing the Gap is a limited policy and what’s needed is a holistic approach.”
The Closing the Gap steering committee published a report which said if a “concerted effort” was made, targets on health outcomes could be met, but not enough effort was being made.
The Close the Gap Progress and Priorities report made a number of recommendations to the federal government.
It specifically urged getting children to school, adults to work and communities safer.
It found that some programs that had been dropped were really successful ,such as a defunded anti-smoking initiative, and without those programs making inroads would be difficult.
Other recommendations to the federal government included revising a decision to defund key health initiatives, clarifying its leadership role, and setting justice targets.
Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge said it was a running sore at the heart of the nation and a failure to deal with it properly or creatively.
“I think in many ways thwarts the nation,” he said.
“It stunts us as a people. It’s our original sin.
“We have to empower communities to do things and no adopt a patronising and colonial approach where we’re doing to them or for them.
“Until something is done to heal the running sore it’s going to be an endless source of distress in the nation for indigenous and non-indigenous so unless there is a healing of this running sore, Australia will never become the place it should be, that we all want it to be.
By Mark Bowling
