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The Forum > Article Comments > Close the gap > Comments

Close the gap : Comments

By Tom Calma, published 18/4/2007

Australians must close the gap in Indigenous and non-Indigenous health: it should be a national priority for all governments.

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There seems to be two kinds of people ....... those who believe that not enough is being done about indigenous health, and those who are not paying attention. But Indigenous Issues seem to be the same today as they were in the 1950's. It should baffle all of us why this is so. Various governments have applied sometimes impressive resources to meet compelling needs, using all kinds of delivery and management methods, apparently to little avail.
What if the real problem is a target group whose collective characteristics make them almost too difficult to deal with ? What aboriginal people need is a Moses, and a firm booking in a promised land (read better tomorrow). And the will to use their own energy to get there. Then all the rest of us would "help" willingly, with stunning results .......
Posted by DRW, Monday, 23 April 2007 11:48:25 AM
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"And the will to use their own energy to get there"

Yes, agree strongly with this statement. But responsibility must also be coupled with rights, so many want us to take responsibility without inherent rights to develop our own economic, health, and legal rights. Rights that are fundamental to anyone taking 'responsibility'.

Remote communities were not born out of the same economic or legal rights as small white towns.

No was access and rights to health services.
Posted by Rainier, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 3:18:12 PM
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Read this fantastic little book on line, it explain a lot very powerfully in terms of what Tom and other Aboriginal leaders have been saying for decades...but alas they (governments) listen but don't hear..they watch but don't see..empathise but don't care..

http://www.survival-international.org/thereyougoenter.ph
Posted by Rainier, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 10:12:25 PM
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Rainer, I'm not sure what happened but I got a file not found error at the link you posted.

Do you have any more detail to help search for the book.

R0bert
Posted by R0bert, Thursday, 26 April 2007 9:08:55 AM
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Rainer, I found it - the posted link was missing a "p".

http://survival-international.org./thereyougoenter.php

The cartoon story is effective, the main failure seems to be that it forgot to mention the important role missionaries have played in improving the lives of people everywhere (he says somewhat tongue in cheek).

R0bert
Posted by R0bert, Thursday, 26 April 2007 10:08:03 AM
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RoBert,

Yes the missionaries end up intervening and mop up the mess that the greedy mineral hungry corporations leave behind,
the book illustrates initial strategies of takeover..
Posted by Rainier, Thursday, 26 April 2007 6:51:13 PM
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