Liz,
“my understanding that most Indigenous people in Australia reside in remote communities”
No Liz you are wrong-if your ally wont tell, I will. Most Aborigines live in accessible cities & towns just like everyone else.

“My sister in FNQ had to come to Brisbane to see a specialist for her daughter”
My father had to be taken from regional Nthn NSW to the Mater Hospital in Brisbane -services in our local area weren’t sufficient ( & the govt didn’t pay for it either!)

2 deadly,
“believe me when I say that many of the large regional towns in far north Queensland do not have the health infrastructure to deal with the health of Indigenous Australians”

Do they have sufficient health infrastructure to deal with other Australians?

Hi Liz,
If you look at the ABS stats (says the drowning PhD student), over the past 40 years, there has been a complete reversal of demographic change. In 1970s (first true national census) 70% of Indigenous people lived in isolated, remote and rural locations (meaning town camps, small towns, isolated communities etc) and 30% living in urban and regional locations (towns and cities larger than 20,000). According to the latest stats this has complete reversed.

Reasons:
The literature states that this is due to the need to access things that others take for granted such as, health infrastructure, employment opportunities and better standards of living. Or other more negative means outside their control.

For example, other accounts demonstrate that the 1967 referendum had a detrimental affect in that (like my family) cattle industries pushed traditional owners off their country because with equal rights came equal pay and the redundancy of the sugar, tea and flour payment ration scheme for Aboriginal employees. Therefore removal of whole families to church run communities, Yarrabah and Palm (for my family) was undertaken for many Indigenous families.

Horus,

Of course 'other' Australian are not catered for either in these communities but in many cases they can consider other ways of funding these health emergencies. Although many of the sugar, cattle and other industries in remote, rural Australia are struggling they (many at least) have assets to allow them to meet health (and other) financial needs.

Maybe Pearson and Brough plan for home ownership may help us mob gain some financial stakehold in the future. Will wait and see what they pitch.

2deadly

Thanks 2deadly for that infor.

And thank you for that account of equal pay conditions. I was unaware of that impact on Indigenous families.

Good luck with your PHD. We'll be calling you Dr 2deadly before too long.

Horus

Sorry to hear about your father's health issues and having to travel so far to access health services. People in regional areas certainly are inconvenienced.

It's been nice discussing the issue with you guys.
Catch up with you again another time.
Cheers!