CLOSING THE GAP

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Tobacco use is one of the leading causes of preventable disease and premature death in Australia. While smoking rates have continued to decline in Australia, the smoking rates of Indigenous Australians aged 15 and over are significantly higher than the broader population. The Tackling Indigenous Smoking program funds 37 regional grants to deliver best practice tobacco control approaches. Local community activities promote the benefits of not smoking, improve access to support and build capacity of individuals and organisations. National supports include funding to enhance Quitline services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander callers, training in brief interventions and a National Best Practice Unit. The program also funds seven innovation grants, targeting critical smoking behaviours within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, particularly pregnant women and young people in remote communities. These grants deliver intensive smoking prevention and cessation activities, coupled with research and evaluation. Tackling Ice Under the National Ice Action Strategy, we have committed almost $300 million over four years from July 2016 towards a number of measures to reduce the impacts associated with drug and alcohol misuse to individuals, families and communities. This funding will strengthen education, prevention, treatment, support and community engagement. Of this total investment, $78.6 million over four years is being provided for PHNs to commission Indigenousspecific drug and alcohol treatment services. Reducing petrol sniffing In some remote communities, petrol sniffing was having a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals, families and communities. This led to communities and governments working together to develop a solution. Low aromatic fuel (known as Opal at the time) was first made available in communities in Central Australia and Western Australia in 2005 and has been highly successful in reducing rates of petrol sniffing. The availability of the fuel has grown and it is now available in more than 170 fuel outlets in regional and remote parts of Australia. The tenth anniversary of low aromatic fuel being available in fuel outlets in Alice Springs was celebrated in October 2016. Research released in 2016 from the Menzies School of Health Research found that, in communities surveyed since 2005-07, petrol sniffing has reduced by up to 88 per cent since the introduction of low aromatic fuel (d'Abbs & Shaw, 2016). This research also found a 90 per cent reduction in the number of people sniffing at least once week and who are most at risk of potentially irreversible physical harm. BUILDING THE EVIDENCE Tackling Indigenous Smoking program The Tackling Indigenous Smoking program is a targeted investment to reduce smoking rates in the Indigenous population. Innovation grants funded under the program will build evidence on reducing smoking in hard to reach groups, with a focus on intensive interventions for pregnant women, for remote communities, and for youth in remote areas. The program also includes a National Best Practice Unit that facilitates implementation of best practice Indigenous tobacco control by regional grant recipients and promotes research, monitoring and evaluation of evidence-based models for tobacco control, including through the Tackling Indigenous Smoking portal on the Australian Indigenous Alcohol and Other Drugs Centre website. A full program evaluation is underway and is due for completion in mid-2018. School nutrition projects The Menzies School of Health Research is reviewing school nutrition projects to determine their nutritional contribution, measure the extent to which school nutrition projects comply with relevant dietary guidelines and explore the importance of the school nutrition projects in providing for children’s nutrition needs. This review is expected to be completed in June 2017. National Disability Research and Development Agenda The National Disability Research and Development Agenda includes projects with a specific focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability. These research projects, which are currently underway, aim to support Indigenous people to live and stay on country, undertake Indigenous-led disability research, improve education and employment outcomes through digital enterprise, and address legal barriers for Indigenous Australians with a disability. Suicide Prevention Centre of Best Practice A National Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention will be established to provide best practice information and advice, building the capacities of Primary Health Networks and Indigenous communities to take action in response to suicide and self-harm in their immediate region. •88• CLOSING THE GAP: PRIME MINISTER'S REPORT 2017
Young Marra woman from Borroloola, Shadeene Evans, is kicking goals. “When I finish school I want to go to university to study nursing, I want to be able to encourage and show other Indigenous children that gaining a good education is important and will make life better.” Shadeene Evans CLOSING THE GAP: PRIME MINISTER'S REPORT 2017 •89•
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CLOSING THE GAP PRIME MINISTER’S
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CLOSING THE GAP: PRIME MINISTER'S R
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CONTENTS PRIME MINISTER’S INTRODU
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“It is clear that Closing the Gap
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The target to close the gap in life
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“We have to hope, not despair - w
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Ian Trust, founding chairperson Wun
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“In Australia we’re fortunate t
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The importance of land and waters C
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Reconciliation through national ico
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“I am very passionate about cultu
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“There are many ways of knowing a
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Figure 2: Child mortality rates (0-
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Devina Ranger with her children Har
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In 2015, almost all Indigenous chil
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2 Gumala supporting early childhood
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“There is no place in any educati
Page 39 and 40: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island
Page 41 and 42: Another way to assess progress is t
Page 43 and 44: Table 1: NAPLAN measures (on track/
Page 45 and 46: YEAR 12 ATTAINMENT Having literacy
Page 47 and 48: Students of the Saibai Island State
Page 49 and 50: Much work has already been done to
Page 51 and 52: “The Horizons Camp has helped wit
Page 53 and 54: “I now want to begin my studies a
Page 55 and 56: “Through one life-changing job pl
Page 57 and 58: and is therefore, on track. In all
Page 59 and 60: Labour force participation For the
Page 61 and 62: Indigenous youth Daniel McKechnie m
Page 63 and 64: Australians. Participating companie
Page 65 and 66: Parks Australia and Traditional Own
Page 67 and 68: “Stick to it, it’s worth it and
Page 69 and 70: “My long-term aspiration is to be
Page 71 and 72: Truwana Rangers from Cape Barren Is
Page 73 and 74: “Fostering economic development i
Page 75 and 76: “We work closely with our local r
Page 77 and 78: Economic growth on country Indigeno
Page 79 and 80: “By encouraging Indigenous busine
Page 81 and 82: Wik Timber Collect Seed Salvage Har
Page 83 and 84: “It’s time to move away from th
Page 85 and 86: that selected social determinants s
Page 87 and 88: Improving cancer outcomes for Abori
Page 89: Supporting ageing in the community
Page 93 and 94: 2 Holistic approach to health care
Page 95 and 96: 2 3 Kicking goals in Borroloola, NT
Page 97 and 98: “To be the great nation we can be
Page 99 and 100: • National Rental Affordability S
Page 101 and 102: Prisoner Throughcare program suppor
Page 103 and 104: 2 Community construction rebuilds G
Page 105 and 106: “It’s these sorts of actions th
Page 107 and 108: Agency Education and Training Depar
Page 109 and 110: Agency Indigenous Land Corporation
Page 111: Lloyd, N., Lewthwaite, B., Osbourne
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CLOSING THE GAP

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