ANTaR is one of the founding members of the Close The Gap Campaign for Indigenous Health Equality, along with the Australian Human Rights Commission, Oxfam Australia, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA), Caritas, and others.

The Healing Hands campaign was ANTaR's campaign on Indigenous health rights before Close The Gap. It was developed in 2004 in response to Indigenous calls for urgent action to address the crisis in Indigenous health.

What is the Close The Gap Campaign?

In the Social Justice Report 2005, former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma, called for Australian governments to commit to achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and life expectation equality within 25 years. From the Social Justice Report, the Close The Gap Campaign for Indigenous Health Equality was born.

The Campaign for Indigenous Health Equality calls on federal, state and territory governments to commit to a national plan of action to close the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation.

The Indigenous led campaign is supported by more than 40 Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations, and more than 135,000 Australians have already pledged support to Close The Gap.

The Close The Gap Campaign for Indigenous Health Equality was launched on 4 April 2007 at Sydney's Telstra Stadium by Olympic champions Catherine Freeman and Ian Thorpe.

What have we achieved?

Together as a coalition we have not only brought the estimated 10 to 17-year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to the forefront of people's minds, but our campaign has also persuaded the federal government to commit to addressing these health discrepancies. The Close the Gap coalition is ensuring the health of Indigenous people is now a national priority. To mark the Prime Minister's 2010 report to parliament, the Coalition released its inaugural Shadow Report on the Australian Government's progress towards closing the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians (pdf 902k)

Tom Calma, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner:

Campaign update

ANTaR has played a critical role in the Close the Gap campaign from its inception. ANTaR's efforts were quick to see the opportunity presented by the findings of the Social Justice Report 2005 and were critical in garnering public support and awareness for the campaign.

The involvement of Ian Thorpe, Jeff McMullen and Catherine Freeman was the result of the efforts of ANTAR National Director Gary Highland and research such as the 'success stories' report and 'racism makes me sick' have kept the campaign and its message of change in the public eye.

-- Tom Calma, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner

At the National Indigenous Health Summit that ANTaR helped organise in late March 2008, the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader signed an historic Statement of Intent with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health leaders signaling a new partnership to closing the life expectancy gap.

COAG announced in late November additional funding for Indigenous health. ANTaR released a public statement congratulating supporters and COAG alike.

While these increases in health and other spending were broadly welcomed, ANTaR remains concerned to ensure these funds are implemented effectively. A business as usual approach from governments was not going to work. Dr David Cooper, former National Director of ANTaR presented a number of ANTaR's concerns in the paper From 'Close The Gap' to the Rudd Government's 'closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage': what gap are we closing?.

This paper marked the launch of ANTaR's social and cultural determinants of health campaign in April 2009.

For detailed commentary on the COAG approach to Indigenous reform, read the Coalition's recently released Shadow Report (pdf 902k)

Appendix 1 gives a comprehensive overview of the policy landscape since 2007.

Since then, ANTaR has continued its work on the Close The Gap Steering Committee urging that all governments honour the key commitments of the 2008 Statement of Intent. The following summary of what is needed is from the 2010 Shadow Report.

Summary of what's needed

National Plan for the achievement of health equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples by 2030

• A comprehensive, long-term plan of action that is targeted to need, evidence-based and capable of addressing the existing inequalities in Indigenous health.

Health care services and health infrastructure for Indigenous Australians

• A five year Capacity Building Plan for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (including governance, capital works and recurrent support) to provide comprehensive primary health care to an accredited standard and to meet the level of need;

• A comprehensive audit of health service needs in Indigenous communities and an inventory of existing services against those needs;

• A strategic address to health infrastructure in communities as a key element of a national plan for Indigenous health equality;

• A well-connected health care system and well-integrated services to ensure that, wherever patients choose to access care, they will be provided with a quality service and receive appropriate continuity of care;

• Culturally appropriate comprehensive primary health care services, at a level commensurate with need;

• A comprehensive plan of action for the training of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce to meet the 2018 target as part of the national plan.

A partnership between Australian governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their representatives

• A genuine and inclusive approach to partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their representatives

• A national partnership agreement for the achievement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality by 2030 touching on all the determinants of inequality.

The social and cultural determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

• As a part of a national plan, an address to all the determinants of health inequality that incorporates a range of social and cultural determinant targets in addition to the existing COAG education and economic participation targets;

• As a part of a national plan, a social and emotional well-being and mental health plan developed in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and representatives.

The use of targets in relation to health outcomes; monitoring and accountability for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

• A wider range of targets and sub-targets incorporated into the national plan for health equality. The Close the Gap Health Equality Targets are intended to be a start to this process and can inform further work in this area;

• Improvement of accuracy, coverage and availability of health data in relation to fixing long-standing data gaps;

• Clear lines of responsibility and evaluation mechanisms, particularly in relation to the meeting of targets. (Hinton, R and the Close the Gap Steering Committee for Indigenous Health Equality. Shadow Report on the Australian Government's progress towards closing the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Close the Gap Steering Committee for Indigenous Health Equality. February, 2010; p 21)

Action

What you can do

ANTaR urges everyone to continue to keep pressure on federal as well as state and territory governments to honour their commitments and urge a partnership approach to ending Indigenous inequality. Particularly important is to urge there be a national plan of action - again - designed, implemented and evaluated in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Close the Gap Steering Committee members

The Close the Gap Steering Committee is led by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and includes the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), the Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association (AIDA), the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Indigenous Dentists' Association of Australia, the Council of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses (CATSIN), Oxfam Australia, the Australian Medical Association (AMA), Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR), the Australian General Practice Network (AGPN), the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health, the Fred Hollows Foundation, the National Heart Foundation, the Menzies School of Health Research, Indigenous Allied Health Australia, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Australian Indigenous Psychologists' Association (AIPA) and Bullana - the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health.