FRIDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2004

USE BUDGET SURPLUS TO FIX INDIGENOUS HEALTH CRISIS – SAYS ANTaR

Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) today called on both major parties to use the increased budget surplus towards fixing the worsening crisis in Indigenous health and disadvantage.

“It would be a tragedy not to use the surplus to solve the biggest crisis facing Australia - the health and well-being of Indigenous Australians”, ANTaR National President, Phil Glendenning said.

A recent report for the AMA by Access Economics* found that Indigenous health is currently under-funded by at least $452.5 million a year, including $400 million in primary health care alone.

“Yet the 2004/05 Commonwealth budget offered only $40 million over four years in additional spending on Indigenous primary health care – or $10 million a year – 2.5% of what is required.

Commonwealth health expenditure on Indigenous Australians is less per capita than for other Australians. It is little wonder things are getting worse.

“Decades of neglect and under-spending by successive governments have left Indigenous Australians dying young and suffering health conditions that are not only the worst in the developed world, but worse than many Third World countries.

“People shouldn’t be fooled by claims that Government spending is at ‘record levels’ – all that means is that we have been a long way behind for a long time, and we are still a long way behind.

“Unless we get serious about putting enough in to meet the real needs, Indigenous health costs are expected to rise exponentially as preventable chronic health conditions see increasing numbers of Indigenous patients requiring expensive tertiary health care.

“Current government under-funding of Indigenous health is both economically and morally indefensible. That is why this budget surplus must be committed towards the Indigenous health crisis”, Mr Glendenning concluded.

* The Access Economics report can be found at: http://www.ama.com.au/web.nsf/doc/WEEN-63Q9J7

Media contact: Phil Glendenning 0419 013758; David Cooper 0418 486310