CLOSING THE GAP

Supporting ageing in the community
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Flexible Aged Care Program is part of the strategy to
improve access to high quality, culturally appropriate
aged care services for older Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people. There are currently 32 flexible
aged care services operating in rural and remote
locations. Services include a mix of residential,
respite and home-care services based on the needs
of the communities, and are designed to be able to
adapt as the care needs of communities change.
The Remote and Indigenous Aged Care Service
Development Assistance Panel supports aged care
providers to build capacity and improve the quality of
aged care services. The Panel provides expert advice
on quality care, governance and financial matters. It
also assists aged care providers to develop culturally
appropriate local solutions to delivering services in
the remote and very remote areas of Australia.
Supporting healthy lifestyles and choices
School nutrition
School nutrition projects provide meals to around
5,800 school children in 63 Northern Territory
communities every school day. As well as
providing children with nutritious meals, projects
contribute to school attendance and provide
employment opportunities for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people, often enhancing
parental engagement in the school community.
Encouraging sport and active lifestyles
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) provides
funding and support to national sporting organisations
for participation and high performance outcomes,
including providing opportunities for Indigenous
Australians to participate in sport. A number of
national sporting organisations hold Indigenous
sporting carnivals. Indigenous school students also
participate in the ASC’s Sporting Schools program.
The Elite Indigenous Travel and Accommodation
Assistance Program provides funding for athletes
coaches, team managers and umpires attending
national championships or participating as part of
Australian teams. The ASC is currently developing
a sustainable model of remote sport delivery that
aims to embed an Indigenous coach pathway
in remote community secondary schools.
In addition, the Indigenous Advancement Strategy
committed over $13 million in 2015-16 for 82 initiatives
to increase participation of Indigenous Australians
in sport and active recreation. Structured sport,
such as football, cricket and basketball, promotes
positive activities and supports school attendance.
Reducing substance misuse and harm
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples’ Drug Strategy 2014-2019 provides a framework
for action to minimise the harms to individuals,
families and communities from alcohol, tobacco
and other drugs. The Strategy guides governments,
communities, service providers and individuals to
identify key issues and priority areas for action.
As part of the Indigenous Advancement Strategy’s
Safety and Wellbeing Programme, the Australian
Government funds over 80 organisations across the
country to deliver Indigenous-specific alcohol and
other drug treatment services. Providers aim to reduce
substance misuse by providing a range of services
which can include early intervention, treatment and
prevention, residential rehabilitation, transitional
aftercare and outreach support. Elements can include
access to sobering up shelters, advocacy and referral,
counselling, mediation, case management, youth
specific support, education and health promotion,
cultural and capacity building, and life skills support.
Overall funding for alcohol and other drug treatment
services under the Indigenous Advancement Strategy
in 2016-17 is around $69 million. This is in addition to
alcohol and other drug services, including Indigenousspecific
services, funded through the health portfolio.
In recognition of the acute need in the Northern Territory,
the Commonwealth is investing around $91 million
over 7 years to tackle alcohol misuse through the
National Partnership on Northern Territory Remote
Aboriginal Investment (NP NTRAI). This includes
around $13 million for Alcohol Action Initiatives (AAI),
which are community-developed activities to tackle
alcohol misuse and harm. An additional $14 million
is provided under NP NTRAI for an AAI workforce to
engage directly with communities to ensure activities
are evidence based and to strengthen community
capacity and governance to help communities
proactively manage alcohol concerns. In addition,
around $31 million has been provided under NP NTRAI
to support a Remote Alcohol and Other Drug Workforce
to provide alcohol and drug support and education,
interventions, and referrals for community members.
The National Indigenous Alcohol and Other Drug
Centre is an online resource that provides practical
support to the workforce and communities involved
in efforts to reduce the impact of substance misuse.
Reducing smoking
The National Tobacco Strategy 2012-2018 sets
out the national framework to reduce tobaccorelated
harm in Australia and provides a framework
for building the evidence base for tobacco
control and monitoring progress. A key priority of
the Strategy is to reduce smoking rates among
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
CLOSING THE GAP: PRIME MINISTER'S REPORT 2017
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