Health

Protocols for the delivery of social and emotional wellbeing and mental health services in Indigenous communities
Melissa Haswell, and others North Queensland Health Equalities Promotion Unit November 2009
These guidelines have been written to fill a significant gap in resources available to Primary Health Care and Mental Health services.

Is ‘Close the Gap’ a useful approach to improving the health and well-being of Indigenous Australians?
Kerryn Pholi and Dan Black Craig Richards from University of Newcastle There is widespread enthusiasm for the Australian government’s commitment to ‘Close the Gap’ in Indigenous disadvantage, health status and life expectancy. Yet despite the rhetoric, the pursuit of statistical equality for Indigenous Australians is not a novel or particularly promising approach.

Bridges and barriers - addressing Indigenous incarceration and health
National Indigenous Alcohol and Drug Committee Australian National Council on Drugs 24 July 2009
Indigenous Australians make up almost one-quarter of Australia’s prison population. In the past 20 years, Indigenous Australians have continued to fill our country’s prisons at alarmingly disproportionate rates. The issues experienced by Indigenous offenders are significant and complex.

Indigenous Health and Wellbeing: The Importance of Country
Cynthia Ganesharajah Native Title Research Unit, Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies April 2009
A key aspect to improving Indigenous wellbeing is exploring the relationship between land and wellbeing. Evidence exists which suggests there are positive physical health outcomes from living or working on country.

Protecting Human Rights in Australia - A community Education Kit: Health
In Australia there is legal protection against discrimination in the health system, however, many Indigenous people are treated unfairly when they seek medical services. Indigenous people suffer higher levels of ill health and often experience difficulties in accessing health services, such as affordability, distance, availability and transport. Health services may not always be culturally appropriate.

Prof. Fiona Stanley On Aboriginal Health
21 November 2008 15:00
Former Australian of the year Professor Fiona Stanley has devoted much of her career to trying to improve the health of Aboriginal people, especially children. Delivering the annual Hawke Lecture in Adelaide recently, she discussed some of the causes of poor indigenous health, and outlined some strategies for improving it.