An Indigenous child born today is three times more likely to die than a non-Indigenous child.

If a child grows to adulthood, he or she runs a much higher risk than non-Indigenous Australians of suffering – and dying – from kidney disease, diabetes, respiratory illness and cancer.

You can help close the 17 year life expectancy gap.

Please donate today to help ANTaR lobby and campaign against Indigenous inequality and injustice.

Where your money goes

ANTaR’s focus is to persuade the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to pro-actively engage with Indigenous leaders in drafting a comprehensive National Action Plan that abolishes the shameful 17 year life expectancy gap each Indigenous mother, father, brother, sister and child faces.

A plan ...

• that is comprehensive
  charting solutions to improve the key contributors to the unacceptably low health and living standards of Indigenous peoples. It is vital that contributors such as education, employment and housing are tackled in a manner that respects the local community and its culture.

• that is transparent
  setting clear and measurable short, mid and long-term targets, which can be monitored by organisations such as ANTaR.

• that is inclusive
  drafted in collaboration with Indigenous people, building on the many successful grassroots health and community programs, which are just ready to be rolled-out. One such program is the Sunrise Health Service started in 2002 to improve the health and wellbeing of the people in the remote region east of Katherine in the Northern Territory.

Sunrise Health Service

The Sunrise Health Service is run by the community, using a holistic approach that includes a high standard of medical care and the promotion of social justice. With a strong emphasis on self-governance outstanding results have been achieved to improve the health and well being of its residents.

Sunrise Health Service’s approach involves and encourages the community to control their own health, working for and with the community, making allowance for cultural differences, mixing traditional Indigenous culture with the best of mainstream medicine.

An Indigenous child born today is 3 times more likely to die than a non-Indigenous child.

Sunrise Health Service has implemented successful programs to reduce infant mortality:

• 58% of pregnant women known to the service attended 5 antenatal visits during their pregnancy, compared to 30% in 2007.
• 95% of children under 6 were immunised.
• 87% of children under 5 were weighed to check whether they are underweight.

Diabetes death rates are eight times higher and respiratory deaths four times higher than the general Australian population.

Sunrise Health Service has introduced health checks to foster the early identification of health issues that are often quite preventable.

• 77% of all 15-54 Indigenous clients had a full health check in 2008 compared to 30% in 2007.
• 12% of the Indigenous adult population was diagnosed with type 11 Diabetes and / or Coronary Heart Disease. A chronic disease Management Plan was implemented for most of these adults.

Sunrise Health Service has implemented an early health check program to identify health issues early in life.

The effects of early life last a lifetime, with the important foundations of adult health being laid before birth and in early childhood. Poor social and economic circumstances, poor nutrition and physical development affect mental development. Combined with poverty an Indigenous child’s chance to achieve a good education is severely limited. Thus the basis is created for a higher risk of unemployment or work in low-status, low-control jobs throughout their adult life.

• 98% of the children in the region have received a health check by Sunrise Health Service.