Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament will improve infectious diseases health outcomes
This year Australians will make the historic decision on whether to amend our Constitution to include the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including the formation of a representative body to advise the Australian Parliament on issues relating to Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (the “Voice”).
As the leading professional body representing infectious diseases clinical experts in Australia, the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) supports these changes as the first step to walking with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the path to true self-determination as called for in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.[1] We recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are not one nation but represent more than 200 nations and language groups with continuous connections to country for millennia.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience three times the rate of infectious diseases compared with non-Indigenous people in Australia[2]. These infections lead to devastating consequences, including poor perinatal and neonatal outcomes, stigma, lifelong disability, and shortened life expectancy. The disproportionate burden of infections is largely driven by disparities in social, economic, and environmental conditions, as well as health care access barriers experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
We have observed the power and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership in improving infectious diseases health outcomes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The establishment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led national and jurisdictional advisory groups ensured a rapid response from community leaders and elders that meant infection rates were six-times lower than in the non-Indigenous population in the first year of the pandemic,[3] a remarkable achievement. The pandemic response demonstrates exceptional outcomes can be achieved when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices are listened to, supported, and amplified.
“ASID supports the Voice as a crucial instrument for a sustained, genuine partnership between Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and policy makers.”
The Voice is an essential step to rebuild trust and ensure equitable access to services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led solutions to the health challenges that affect them.
It will allow meaningful progress in addressing the inequity and upstream drivers of ill health that impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Hearing and learning from a culture that has held strong connection to community and country for many thousands of years will enrich the lives and improve health outcomes for all Australians.
[1] https://ulurustatement.org/the-statement/view-the-statement/
[2] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2022) Australian Burden of Disease Study: impact and causes of illness and death in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 2018. Australian Burden of Disease Study series no. 26, catalogue number BOD 32, AIHW, Australian Government: p181.
[3] https://humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/document/publication/ctg_report_2021_final_web.pdf
Media Contact: Alison Sweeney alison@asid.com.au or 0425 221 155.
Learn more about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament:
The Uluru Statement of the Heart https://ulurustatement.org/
Yes23 https://yes23.com.au/
National Indigenous Australians Agency https://voice.gov.au/
Reconciliation Australia https://www.reconciliation.org.au/