Aborigines have `worst` life expectancy

Australia's Aborigines have the worst life expectancy rates of any indigenous
population in the world, a United Nations report says.
But it's not news to Aboriginal health experts.
They say it simply confirms what Australian health services have known for years.
Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance of the Northern Territory (AMSANT) chief
executive officer John Paterson said the findings of the report, which examined the
indigenous populations of 90 countries, were no surprise.
The UN report - State of the World's Indigenous Peoples - showed indigenous people
in Australia and Nepal fared the worst, dying up to 20 years earlier than their
non-indigenous counterparts.
In Guatemala, the life expectancy gap is 13 years and in New Zealand it is 11.
Mr Paterson said research gathered by AMSANT, notwithstanding progress being made to
improve the health outcomes of Aborigines, mirrored the findings of the UN.
"To improve the status of Aboriginal health, one key measure or approach is for
Aboriginal people to become more involved in decisions around strategies, programs
in primary healthcare," he told AAP.
"It's time for governments to seriously consider handing over that responsibility to
Aboriginal people."
He said positive trends had emerged overseas in areas where indigenous people were
able to contribute to their local healthcare system.
According to the UN report, indigenous peoples experience disproportionately high
levels of maternal and infant mortality, malnutrition, cardiovascular illnesses, HIV
and other infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma said the
report also revealed alarming statistics relating to poverty, education, employment,
human rights and the environment.
"In recent years, as a nation, we have taken some giant steps forward in relation to
our Indigenous peoples," Mr Calma said in a statement.
"However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples remain marginalised in
Australia and face entrenched poverty and ongoing discrimination on a daily basis."
Minister for Indigenous Health Warren Snowdon said the Australian government had,
throughout its term, acknowledged the significant gaps in health outcomes between
indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.
"Sustained action is still required," he said in a statement.
However, Mr Snowdon said latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics
showed the gap was less dramatic than that outlined by the UN.
"The figures, collected from 2005-2007, show that the life expectancy of indigenous
men is 11.5 years lower than for non-indigenous men, while life expectancy of
indigenous women is 9.7 years lower than for non-indigenous women.
"That's why the Australian government is making a historic investment, and allocated
almost $1 billion in the 2009-10 budget to improve indigenous health.
"This (investment) equates to a 57 per cent increase in indigenous health funding
across the portfolio since the 2007-08 budget."
Mr Paterson said AMSANT was very thankful for the increased funding but that it
still wasn't enough.
"We need the prime minister to establish a national Aboriginal health authority,
rather than having numerous levels of government making decisions," he said.
The UN report stated that 370 million people, or about five per cent of the world's
inhabitants, are indigenous.
Indigenous people constitute about one-third of the world's 900 million extremely
poor rural people.