Dr Tamara Mackean, Vice President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association (AIDA) today welcomed the statement from the Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa - Maori Medical Practitioners Association (Te ORA), which calls for well resourced, consistent and sustained long term strategies in addressing Aboriginal health and social outcomes in the Northern Territory.

"As an Indigenous organisation, we have received overwhelming support from our international counterparts who, like us, are interested in the long term outcomes for our peoples," said Dr Mackean.

Te ORA has delivered the following statement in response to the Australian Government's "Emergency Response" to protect Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory: Improvements in Aboriginal health and social outcomes require well resourced, consistent and sustained long term strategies.

Te ORA is aware of the enormous burden of illness and socio-economic disadvantage that has been carried by Aboriginal communities in Australia for many decades. Substantial improvements in Aboriginal health and social outcomes require well resourced, consistent and sustained long term strategies. The involvement of Aboriginal people in the development, implementation and evaluation of these strategies is essential.

Te ORA welcomes the Australian Federal Government's stated intention to improve child health in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. However we are concerned about the narrow scope of the measures, the nature of the measures being implemented and the processes used to implement them.

A meaningful commitment to improving Aboriginal health cannot focus on one age group alone. Nor can it focus on a single or limited number of issues. The health and well-being of population subgroups such as children, young people, adults and the elderly are linked with each other. Furthermore the health and well-being of an individual person is inextricably linked with the wider determinants of health. These determinants include, but are not limited to, the adequacy of housing, sanitation, supply of safe water, socio-economic factors, the availability of high quality education and employment, the safety of environments in which people live, and the expression of individual and community empowerment and self-determination.

The programme being implemented must address the wider determinants of health and well-being in addition to the provision of high quality, effective, comprehensive and timely health services. Health services provided to Aboriginal communities must focus on the identification and treatment of the diseases and illnesses that are prevalent in Aboriginal communities. Some of these conditions, for example substance use and mental health issues, arise in part as a consequence of Aboriginal people's experience of marginalisation, dispossession, and past Government programmes which resulted in the 'Stolen Generation'. The successful elimination of the health and social problems arising from these experiences requires programmes that focus on healing and the resolution of the emotional, psychological and spiritual harm that has resulted in mental health disorders and substance abuse. Te ORA urges the Government to implement the whole range of services to address all these issues.

While applauding the Federal Government's measures to quantify the health status of children we believe that this activity cannot be limited to single issues such as child abuse. Child health and well-being in its entirety must be included in the Federal Government's programme. Furthermore, attempts to address child health without consideration of the health and social issues that affect the whole community will be doomed to fail. Te ORA urges the Federal Government to expand the scope and nature of its programme in order to ensure the programme's success.

Te ORA believes that the programme will identify a wide range health and social issues that need to be addressed. The identification of health and social issues without adequate, appropriate and long term interventions to eliminate the causes is unethical and will harm children and the communities in which they live.

Te ORA is concerned about the processes being used to implement the Government's programme. We urge the Government to take advantage of the expertise of Aboriginal people working in health and related areas at national and regional levels. We also urge the Government to involve community leaders in the planning and implementation of the programme in individual communities. We believe that an inclusive approach is required to ensure the full participation by communities, and to ensure that the programme does not inflict further harm on fragile and vulnerable individuals and communities.

Te ORA is concerned about the manner in which Aboriginal parents, in particular Aboriginal men, are being represented by the political and media discourse. We note that people who abuse vulnerable children are not uncommonly outsiders to the community, and may even be working with communities in 'helping' or professional roles. We urge the government to consider this as it moves to address the abuse of children in communities, and as it deploys workers into these communities.

Finally Te ORA questions the need for the Government to assume control of Aboriginal communities and land and asks how the assumption of control over land resources will contribute to improving health and well-being in Aboriginal communities.

Te ORA media contact:
Dr David Jansen
Phone: (+64) 9 6236 430
Email: teora [at] teora.maori.nz

AIDA media contact:
Mary Guthrie
Phone: 02 6273 5013
Email: mary [at] aida.org.au