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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-10-28 Daily Xml
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ABORIGINAL HEALTH PLAN

Mrs GERAGHTY (Torrens) (14:11): My question is to the Minister for Health. How is the state government working to ensure that Aboriginal communities get the best access to health care?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:12): I thank the member for Torrens for the question; I know she has a very strong interest in Aboriginal health issues.

I am pleased to advise the house that the state government has released the Aboriginal Health Care Plan for 2010-16 and next week I will join with the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia to officially launch this very important plan. The Aboriginal Health Council represents the various Aboriginal-controlled health organisations across South Australia and provides very good advice to government and, of course, their own constituents.

This is a document that will guide the way health services are provided to Aboriginal communities in our state and provide a strong framework for better access to services and, ultimately, better health outcomes. The plan aims to do three particular things:

reduce ill health in Aboriginal communities;

establish a health system that is culturally sensitive; and

promote health and wellbeing in Aboriginal communities.

As we know, Aboriginal people make up about 1.8 per cent of our state's population but, sadly, are disproportionately represented in our healthcare system (as they are in many other institutions, including the prison system).

SA Health data on potentially preventable hospitalisations shows Aboriginal rates to be over five times higher for adult Aboriginal adults compared with non-Aboriginal adults. In Aboriginal children aged 0 to four, it is 50 per cent higher than for non-Aboriginal children. South Australia's Aboriginal population is hospitalised at at least twice the rate of non-Aboriginal people.

Chronic and serious conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disease and chronic renal disease take a high toll on Aboriginal communities. The plan has been developed by our department (SA Health) and provides a framework for the COAG Closing the Gap strategy, and South Australia's State Strategic Plan Aboriginal health targets in targeting positive outcomes for Aboriginal people. It will focus on priority areas, including: child health (A Healthy Start to Life); youth health and safety; chronic disease; oral, ear and eye health; social and emotional health and mental illness; and preventable injuries.

One of the things that we particularly want to do, of course, is focus on smoking rates in the Aboriginal population. They are still at very high levels, and we know if we can bring down smoking rates to similar to that of the broader community we will go a long way towards reducing the gap in health outcomes for Aboriginal people.

The plan has a strong focus on promoting good health and preventing illness through better targeted information and the creation of healthier homes and communities for Aboriginal people and families. The plan will provide guidance on the types of health services and programs that need to be readily accessible, with promotion of their use.

Planning for health services will be tailored to each region to ensure that the most appropriate services are provided for those communities. The plan is reliant on collaboration between SA Health, the Aboriginal Health Council, Aboriginal community controlled health services, the commonwealth government, divisions of general practice, other clinical leaders and other state government agencies. So it brings together a whole range of people.

A monitoring committee will be established to ensure that the report is being effectively rolled out and to report back to the health department and the Health Performance Council on progress. I would like to thank all those involved in the development of the plan for the work they have done.

Can I also say, Madam Speaker, that I was very pleased earlier today because the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation met with a group of senior people from the APY lands to talk to us about the role that arts and the arts centres play in the advancement of health outcomes on the APY lands. The minister and I were very pleased to meet with them and to promise them that we would advance their interests in relation to those matters.

Ms CHAPMAN: I rise on a point of order, Madam Speaker. I ask that the minister table the plan if it's so damn good.

The SPEAKER: I am not sure what point of order that was.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Can I say that, for the benefit of the honourable member, the plan is now on the SA Health website, so I direct her in that direction.

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