QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT COMMITTED TO CLOSING THE GAP

The Queensland Government has reaffirmed its commitment to closing the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Queenslanders by developing a comprehensive, whole-of-government policy framework and plan of action.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Health Paul Lucas today attended the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Partnership meeting to formally present ‘Making Tracks’ to stakeholders.

The Making Tracks towards closing the gap in health outcomes for Indigenous Queenslanders by 2033: Policy and Accountability Framework provides a long-term, evidence-based approach to closing the health gap.

Mr Lucas said Australians enjoy one of the highest life expectancies in the world, second only to Japan.

For example, an Australian born in 1909 could expect to live 51 years. A child born now in Australia can expect to live to 81.4.

“What fundamentally concerns me is that the life expectancy for an Indigenous Australian born today is no better than it was for the average Australian born 55 years ago,” Mr Lucas said.

“Australia has just about the best health system in the world – but it can never truly be the best until this gap between Indigenous and non Indigenous life expectancy is closed.

Mr Lucas said the 2007 Council of Australian Governments’ target to close the gap by 2033 is highly ambitious, but something the Queensland Government is determined to achieve.

“We know this is an ambitious target and it’s not one that will be achieved by continuing to do the same things as we’ve always done, that’s one thing we know for sure,” Mr Lucas said.

“So we’re doing something different. Making Tracks will allow us to be more strategic about where money in Indigenous health is spent into the future.

“This policy framework will help guide all future Queensland Government investment in Indigenous health.

“Making Tracks is strongly based in evidence about what interventions have proved successful and are most likely to close the health gap,” he said.

Funding will be directed to areas which account for 80 per cent of the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Queenslanders – cardio-vascular disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases, cancers, mental disorders and injuries.

Making Tracks provides overarching policy directions to guide the Queensland Government’s efforts towards closing the health gap by 2033. It’s a multi-faceted strategy of:
• Increased & sustained effort across entire health system
• Improved care across health continuum - promotion, prevention, improving diagnosis, treatment & management of existing illness
• Interventions across life span
• Addressing risk factors – particularly smoking & obesity
• Targeting main contributors to the health gap in Queensland – such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes which together comprise 44% of health gap in Queensland
• Focussing on needs of urban populations & discrete communities.

Mr Lucas said the Queensland Government is committed to providing health services to close the gap in life expectancy within a generation and to halve the child mortality gap for children under five within a decade.

“As far as I know, Queensland is the first state to develop its own comprehensive, whole-of-government policy framework and plan of action for closing the health gap by 2033,” Mr Lucas said.

“The Queensland Government is committed to working with the Commonwealth Government in partnership with non-government service providers, particularly the community controlled and general practice sectors, and to meaningful engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” he said.

Making Tracks is accompanied by an Implementation Plan for the period 2009-10 to 2011-12 that outlines the immediate initiatives being implemented by the Queensland Government to close the health gap.

The Queensland Government has committed more than $337 million over four years to Indigenous health initiatives.

These include establishing a Centre of Excellence in Indigenous Primary Health Care at the Inala Indigenous Health Service and implementing strategies to tackle smoking rates and improving nutrition, physical activity levels and maternal and child health.

From 2012, the Implementation Plan will be renewed every three years to ensure the initiatives are up-to-date, to provide performance reports on strategies in place and to flag the next steps needed to achieve sustainable health gains for Indigenous Queenslanders.

ENDS

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