Indigenous health, through ‘Closing the Gap’ (CTG), largely remains the Indigenous policy focus of governments. How long and how much more investment is needed for a recognisable change and health parity with mainstream Australia for the Prime Minister to deliver in his annual report to Parliament that we have achieved a milestone? What are the systemic barriers to improving the required data set for the Productivity Commission to demonstrate improvement and success; and what role do First Nations peoples and their organisations play in any of this change?
Government health interventions do not start from the concept of wellbeing as it is understood by Indigenous people. Much like the broader Australian mindset, the approach to Indigenous people denies Indigenous people the agency to express their own priorities and manage their own risk.
The Yawuru Peoples concept of liyan (like other Indigenous communities around the country) is both instrumental to and an outcome of wellbeing. Liyan conceives of wellbeing as broader than the physical and mental manifestation of health to individuals, the connectedness to family, community and country, the social and spiritual wellbeing underpin the notion of self-determination and material wellbeing of communities.
The legacy of government policy and action have worked against the healthy life and contrary to the notion of mabu liyan for First Nation communities and our relationship with the nation state. Improving mabu liyan requires healing the systemic trauma in the decolonising environment we continue to raise our children in. The continuing widespread poor mental and physical health and continuing youth suicide rate are the ongoing key indicators for everything that is wrong in our policy framework and delivery mechanism.
Perhaps the national CTG agreement between the Morrison Government and the Coalition of Peak Aboriginal Organisations offers a different dimension for change and success, but what other areas are worthy of equal attention?