Any cuts to Aboriginal health and welfare funding could have dire consequences, Indigenous leaders have warned on the 10th anniversary of the Close the Gap campaign.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda has called for election commitments from both major parties to maintain funding levels.
Mr Gooda teamed up with co-chair of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples Jackie Huggins to host a Sydney event on the Close the Gap campaign, which was originally created to improve health outcomes for Indigenous Australians.
About 1,500 events have been registered around the country today to mark the anniversary.
Speaking at the Redfern Community Centre today, Mr Gooda said the country was “heading in the right direction”, citing decreased infant mortality rates and the reduced prevalence of smoking within the Indigenous community.
Both Mr Gooda and Dr Huggins said the day should be used to recognise and celebrate the continued work focused on equality for Aboriginal people.
In the spirit of celebration, a group of primary school children performed a Jarjum dance alongside music and singing from community members.
However, Mr Gooda stressed the need for a continued commitment to long-term funding that addresses Indigenous health disadvantage.
“We know Australia’s going through a hard time with budgetary matters,” he said.
“But I’ll say this to government, you can’t cut your way towards closing the gap.
“If you think you’re going to cut resources and maintain the commitment to meet the closing the gap target by 2030, we’re all kidding ourselves.”
Dr Huggins asked all governments to consider the full implementation and funding of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan which provides a framework for achieving healthcare targets.
“We know, in our communities, there’s a very, very long road ahead,” she said.
“The expend on Aboriginal affairs in this country needs to be higher and needs to be at a level where we can fully see marked improvements with our people and to bring it back to parity with the rest of Australia.”
Ten years on, Dr Huggins said the Close the Gap campaign still represented an opportunity to secure “a better and just society for all”.
Calls for governments to increase Indigenous consultation
Both Mr Gooda and Dr Huggins emphasised the need for an improved relationship with government at all levels, highlighting the importance of increased consultation with Indigenous communities.
“The only way we’re going to make any difference, real difference, here is when the government decides to engage with us because we have the answers in our communities,” Mr Gooda said.
Dr Huggins added leadership in pushing for change needed to come from within Indigenous communities around the country first and foremost.
“But it needs government to listen, to take on board and to really engage and to do something about this terrible crisis,” she said in relation to the recent suicide of a 10-year-old girl in the West Kimberly.
“We’ve got to do something about it. The leadership has to come from the government without any question.”
Despite these calls for improved communication and consultation, Dr Huggins said the Close the Gap campaign was “one of the positives, one of the good initiatives” occurring in Australia.
“We have people working with us, alongside us,” she said.
“Not for us, or to us anymore, but with us.
“We hope that we can progress this within our generation because it’s incumbent upon all of us to do something.”