Released last week, the federal government's review of its five-year
National Aboriginal Health Strategy has added more detail to the picture
emerging from various state studies of a permanent and deepening Aboriginal
health crisis.
Alarmed by the report's findings, which place Aborigines worse off than many
Third World peoples in their access to and use of health facilities and
services, the government's immediate response has been to seek a scapegoat.
Federal health minister Carmen Lawrence has led a charge to take back
control of Aboriginal health administration from the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), while Brian Howe and others have sought
to defend ATSIC's role.
Greens (WA) Senator Christabel Chamarette argues that no lasting improvement
to Aboriginal health is likely until real community control of health
administration is in place.
On Commonwealth control of Aboriginal health care, Chamarette points out:
``... this move must include major increases in funding as well as
cooperation between the Commonwealth, the states and the community. This
must be a partnership committed to the importance of local Aboriginal
community control and participation.''
In the Australian of February 9, NSW Magistrate and former head of the state
Department of Aboriginal Affairs, Pat O'Shane argued that simply throwing
more money at the problem is inadequate: ``Millions of dollars have been
expended on Aboriginal health affairs. A good deal has been wasted for
various reasons including: an excess of bureaucratic requirements, yet the
lack of real accountability procedures, an excess of personnel, yet a lack
of proper training ... a proliferation of programs, yet a lack of
co-ordinated, integrated plans.''
O'Shane called for the National Aboriginal Health Strategy to adopt specific
goals, for example: ``eliminate trachoma within five years; 95 per cent
child immunisation within three years; elimination of tuberculosis within
ten years; provision of sanitary facilities in all Aboriginal communities
within twelve months; sex education programs in all schools' curricula
within two years; 85 per cent reduction in sexually transmitted diseases
within five years and so on.
``Such programs need to be integrated with housing programs, tree planting
programs, implementation of innovative water technologies, literacy programs
(especially for women) and the like ... The one major factor militating
against achieving such goals is the lack of political will within government
and bureaucratic ranks.''
In the Australian of February 13, Noel Pearson of the Cape York Land Council
agreed with O'Shane on the lack of community control, citing the situation
in Cape York where most services are located in Cairns and Townsville, well
away from the Aboriginal community centres.
He went on to stress the need for coordinated planning, saying, ``Improved
Aboriginal health outcomes require a holistic approach which addresses
primary care needs, improves housing and other infrastructure, works towards
the restoration of land and repairing the spirit, gets on top of the alcohol
problem and gets the community development going''.
Pearson argues that ATSIC is the first step on the road to autonomy,
self-determination and self management, while agreeing that it can succeed
only if it wins the support of local Aboriginal organisations working
directly with the community.
First posted on the Pegasus conference greenleft.news by
Green Left Weekly. Correspondence and hard copy subsciption
inquiries: greenleft@peg.apc.org