Indigenous red herrings
Indigenous Australians are more likely to die young than people in Nigeria, Bangladesh or India, a report by the Fred Hollows Foundation says.
Fair enough.
The fact that indigenous Australians have an income stream most probably has some bearing on the subject. Money and idle time lead to some of indigenous Australian’s health issues. Troubled people in Nigeria, Bangladesh and India have a different sort of problem. They have no money to buy anything, let alone substances to abuse.
ATSIC say the average income for Aborigines is $14,000, 30% less than other Australians, but it sure as hell takes Nigeria, Bangladesh and India out of the formula. Let’s compare apples with apples.
Foundation chief executive Mike Lynskey said the poor health of many of Australia’s indigenous people was an indictment of our society.
I agree wholeheartedly and we have a lot of work to do but the indictment doesn’t read ‘maliciously disadvantaged their health’, it’s more along the lines that money has been wasted on projects by ATSIC, and others, that have more to do with grandiose dreams than practical help.
ATSIC has directed a lot of effort towards home ownership and whereas that has merit, I’m not sure we shouldn’t fix the endemic alcohol and drug dependency that exists in many groups and impacts on poor health, low birth-weights and short life-spans, before we just move the problems into white picquet fenced bungalows.
From Geoff Clark, Chairman of ATSIC. (quoting the last figures I could find)
We acknowledge the Federal Government will outlay about $2.5 billion dollars in the 2002-03 financial year on Indigenous Affairs but less than half is administered by ATSIC.
Three Points.
1. The $2.5 billion dollars does not include mining royalties or individual and business income, so all in all, quite a significant sum for 400,000 plus Australians,
2. The ‘less than half that is administered by ATSIC’ needs auditing – quickly, and
3. $2.5 billion dollars indicate it is not the amount of money that is the problem.
The Fred Hollows Foundation does a good job but we all know on which side Fred’s politics lay and I think it’s disingenuous to keep on bringing up these half arsed facts without raising some coalface issues.
Let?s hope ATSIC’s replacement is better advised and audited than has been the case in the past and that they work at grass roots levels as well as pursuing high and lofty ideals.
Update: A comment from a reader who lives at the coal face states Where I live substance abuse is not the issue…It has everything to do with poor personal hygiene, gambling away welfare payments and a total lack of willingness to take responsibility for their own lives.
I know different problems occur at different communities including those with little or no problems but something needs to be done overall and I don’t think ATSIC is the answer.
