closing the gap...?!

 

Richard McEncroe July 2013 Naidoc Week Indigenous recognition

 

The debate over Indigenous recognition has been revived today by the 50th anniversary of the Yirrkala bark petitions, which paved the way for the Indigenous land rights movement.  That’s a good thing. 

 

Never one to miss an opportunity to say nice stuff, our born again leader’s Ruddmentum has to propel him all the way to Arnhem Land to get involved in the “celebration”.  I’m sure the locals will be wrapped to see him, because, you know, white men making promises has always worked out well for the folks there.  And he has good news to announce too – the Government he leads will think about doing something about remedying the glaring omission of Indigenous recognition in Australia’s Constitution.  Great!

 

Meanwhile, back in the world, the “gap” between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians remains depressingly and shamefully wide.  Being the policy nerd that I am, I like to keep an eye on just how the “closing the gap” endeavours of governments are working out.  I consider myself an IMBY – In My Back Yard – when it comes to this stuff.   So, while we all cheer the PM for being a good bloke and agreeing to revisit the Constitutional recognition issue, keep in mind that right now, in NAIDOC week 2013:

• the life expectancy at birth of Indigenous people is estimated to be 67.2 years for males and 72.9 years for females. This represents a gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous life expectancy at birth of 11.5 years for males and 9.7 years for females

• the Indigenous infant mortality rate is 9.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. This represents a big improvement from 20 years ago but still remains more than twice the non-Indigenous infant mortality rate

• in 2012, the proportion of Indigenous 19 year olds who had completed Year 12 (or equivalent) was half that of non-Indigenous 19 year olds (36% compared with 74%)

• results from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Child Protection Notifications, Investigations and Substantiations collection indicate that in 2012, approximately 35 per 1,000 Indigenous children aged 0-16 years were victims of substantiated child abuse and neglect. This was an increase from 16 per 1,000 children in 2000-01. During the same period, the rate of substantiated child abuse and neglect among non-Indigenous children aged 0-16 years remained relatively constant (increasing from 5 to 6 children per 1,000)

• data from the ABS Prisoners in Australia collection show that Indigenous people aged 18 years and over (17 years and over in Queensland) are 13 times as likely as non-Indigenous people of the same age to be in prison. In 2012, Indigenous juveniles aged 10-17 years were 28 times as likely as non-Indigenous juveniles to have been detained (403 per 100,000), compared with 14 per 100,000 (Taylor 2009). Indigenous people continue to be over-represented in the criminal justice system, as both young people and adults.

 

So, hooray, Constitutional debate! Next.....