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The Forum > Article Comments > Aboriginal health restored to its proper priority > Comments

Aboriginal health restored to its proper priority : Comments

By Jacqueline Phillips, published 17/9/2010

The initial omission of the Indigenous health portfolio could have just been a clumsy oversight

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It is one thing to have a good Minister but also needed is a Department that is responsive to the needs of Indigenous health. A "snow" job is too easy for bureaucrats if challenged to extend their thinking beyond the parameters of a program previously agreed upon through COAG. Flexibility is needed and the present DoHA structure and organisation is not geared to that.
This article is correct in its assertion that health services are "not enough". The role that overcrowded housing, poor employment and training opportunites and the flow on effect each of these has to poor school attendance needs far more attention in my view than increased health expenditure. As Prof Fran Baum said to a conference in Darwin last year "what good does it do to treat people's illnesses then give them no choice (but) to go back to or no control over the conditions that made them sick?"
Posted by Rollo, Friday, 17 September 2010 10:15:13 AM
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If the World Health Organisation can dramatically lift the health of people in underdeveloped countries through a very simple, available program what prevents it from being applied in Australia?

Many of the serious diseases and health problems affecting Aboriginals come from poor basic hygiene practices which are well catered for by the WHO program. Implementing that, particularly through educating young mothers doesn't take another bureaucratic structure with a gaggle of bureaucrats, consultants and advocates black and white, dedicated to siphoning off the allocated monies while the drunken, lawless, thieves, vandals and bullies in communities take the remainder.

What should concern taxpayers and the young Aboriginal women and children who are the real victims of the endemic corruption and violence is that the recommendations of the government's own auditor and other major reports over the years are once again being forgotten as the emotional spin gets going again.

It is the vested interest of bureaucrats, professionals and other hangers-on who make their daily bread from the indigenous 'industry' who prevent simple, practical solutions and that is obvious through their demands for separate, poorly accountable (or unaccountable) bodies to 'represent' Aboriginals. Once again there will be the argument that indigenous organisations and people cannot be expected to accountable for monies - well isn't it somehow racist (sic) to be monitoring outcomes against performance indicators? As for transparency of decisions and audit trails, that is always too much to expect, right?
Posted by Cornflower, Friday, 17 September 2010 12:20:25 PM
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Cornflour,

There are already around five thousand Indigenous organisations in Australia, employing perhaps tens of thousands of relatives and friends, with a combined budget into the billions. The main purpose of many organisations appears to be to maintain the current income stream and employment make-up of the organisations. Period.

I'd take a wild guess and say that the majority of Indigenous people have no desire to come within cooee of these organisations: they prefer to try to get by without them and, on the whole, are succeeding.

It's called self-determination.
Posted by Loudmouth, Friday, 17 September 2010 5:23:41 PM
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Whether there is or is not a minister with the title of Aboriginal health is unimportant if it is just window dressing. If the health minister could make some real ground in this area instead of making another grand announcement that ultimately leads to nothing we would not have to worry if there was a special minister or not.
Posted by nairbe, Friday, 17 September 2010 6:50:15 PM
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After 30 years working in the health system, including in Aboriginal Health, I find myself rather cynical about allocating a minister just for Indigenous health.
This position has apparently been in place since 2008- but what good has it done? Indigenous health is still in an appalling state.

We need to provide the same health care for all Australians, and provided by medical staff from all walks of life.

Many Indigenous health workers that I have worked with tend to deal with their own family groups or tribal areas. I have often been told that they can't possibly see that sick person from another family group- even though they are all Indigenous.

Any money allocated to some so-called elders in some Aboriginal communities for health care are often squandered on non-health items.
This money is continued to be provided for years- despite many Government departments knowing what is going on - in order to avoid looking like racists for stopping the supply.

Provide these people with the same health care workers and professionals as every other Australian. If we stop the political correctness and blatant racism displayed by some health providers and some Indigenous people, we may start to see some headway into improving Indigenous health.

If some Indigenous babies or children are obviously ill and neglected continually by their parents, then they need to be removed from that situation- just as children from other races are removed for the same reason.
Posted by suzeonline, Friday, 17 September 2010 10:24:25 PM
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Suzeonline, the problem with your removal policy is that entire remote aboriginal communities would be close to without children, while the kids are fostered out, fed properly, get correct medical attention, are educated about the wider community and are trained to serve the wider community. A modern version of this would also incorporate whitey coming in and forcing his education onto aboriginal parents as a condition to get their children back. Kinda sounds to me like a re-visit of the stolen generations all over again.

The medical, social and cultural needs of aboriginal people, especially those in remote communities, are completely different to the medical, social and cultural needs of the wider community.

The only solution to the health crisis of the aboriginal population is a broad approach covering all aspects of culture,health and history, and it must be done on an "inclusive" basis. Whitey coming in and saying "tut, tut, that's not how you do it, THIS is how you do it" is doomed to failure, as history shows.
Posted by Transki, Friday, 17 September 2010 11:43:03 PM
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