Closing the Gap on Aboriginal health

National Close the Gap Day, recognised on 19 March, 2020, calls on all Australians to work together to take action in improving the health and wellbeing of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Randwick Hospitals Campus collated an inspiring photo exhibition of Aboriginal health workers with descriptions of their important roles and passion to close the gap.

Linda Boney, Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer, Prince of Wales Hospital, said there are between eight and 10,000 Aboriginal people living in the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District area.

“On the ground we are seeing strong partnerships between our health workers and the Aboriginal community, creating services that are making a real difference to the health of our Aboriginal community. This photo exhibition describes some of this work,” Ms Boney said.

The Close the Gap campaign was launched in 2006 by Tom Calma, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner. The ‘gap’ refers to the differences in health, wellbeing and life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians. On average, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people die more than 10 years younger than other Australians.

Since 2008, the Australian Government has been reporting on seven target areas to close the gap: child mortality, early childhood education, school attendance, reading and numeracy, year 12 or equivalent attainment and employment and life expectancy.

Despite the efforts of many organisations, the latest report has found improvements in early childhood enrolments and year 12 attainment, however poor results have been reported in the areas of health and employment. You can watch this short video to learn more about closing the gaps in Aboriginal health. 

The exhibition is online and you are invited to also read their moving statements. Take a moment to look through the photos, be inspired by the passion and commitment of our Aboriginal staff and think about your role in helping to Close the Gap.