Tag: indigenous

It’s a shocking record – one that’s devastating lives and tearing communities apart. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are 13 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Indigenous people. Arrente man Des Rogers’s story is an all-too-common one. Imprisoned at the age of fourteen, Des was “thrown back into a world of hopelessness” and […] Read more »

This month marks the 24th anniversary of the tabling of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody report in federal parliament. Next year the report will be a generation old. We should reflect on what has been done to change the landscape of the criminal ­justice system for Aboriginal and Torres Strait ­Islander people. Read more »

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples die 10-17 years younger than non-Indigenous Australians. In 2008 federal, state and territory governments all committed to close the life expectancy gap by 2030. This is a long term target and we are just starting to see results. How will each party ensure continued bipartisanship on this critical issue, […] Read more »

The following letter from Ian Thorpe appeared in The Australian newspaper on Thursday 18th April 2013: Dear state, territory and federal government leaders, I got behind the Close the Gap campaign because I believed it’s totally unacceptable that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples die 10–17 years younger than non-Indigenous Australians. I believed that long-term commitments […] Read more »

Federal, state and territory governments must recommit to crucial Indigenous health funding at this Friday’s Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting, to ensure improvements in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health can continue. Continuing to fund the National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Health should be on the agenda of this Friday’s COAG meeting, as it is […] Read more »

2011 is coming to a close, and we just wanted to take the time to thank you for all your work throughout the year. Through your tireless efforts, we’ve achieved amazing things on a number of fronts. Here’s just a few highlights from 2011: Oxfam Summer Our Victorian Campaigner Clancy and his volunteers started the […] Read more »

The annual National Close the Gap Day held on March 24 serves as a focal point of efforts on the Close the Gap campaign. This year was really successful, with over 850 individual events held across the nation. Read more »

In celebration of National Close the Gap Day we join the Fitzroy Stars, an Aboriginal football club, on their training weekend. Not only is the club helping its players to live healthier lifestyles, it’s also spreading the word in the community about closing the life expectancy gap between Aboriginal men and other Australians. Read more »