The China Mail - Australian PM urges action on Indigenous welfare

Living in one of the world's wealthiest countries, the descendants of Australia's original inhabitants -- comprising nearly four percent of the 27 million-strong population -- fare worse than their compatriots in multiple areas from life expectancy to education, housing, health and rates of imprisonment.

Of 19 long-standing targets for improving Indigenous people's lives, 11 show progress but only five are on track to be met, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament as he presented the annual Closing the Gap report.

Indigenous and other Australians' stories are "intertwined", the prime minister said.

"But as the Closing the Gap report lays bare, there are still too many areas in which we are not together."

Among the disparities, official data show Indigenous people's life expectancy is about eight years shorter than that of other Australians, incarceration rates are more than 10 times higher, and more children are living in care.

The prime minister cited the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease -- a result of untreated strep infections -- "a third world disease that has all but faded from living memory in most of our nation but retains its grip on Indigenous Australia".

"We are delivering real results, but we're clear-eyed about the truth that there is so much more that we need to do," Albanese said.

"The road ahead is not easy, but crucially there is a road, and we keep adding to it. To close the gap would ultimately erase the gulf that lies between us and our true potential as a nation."

In the run-up to national elections that must be held by May 17, Albanese pointed to his government's efforts, including a recent promise to invest Aus$843 million (US$530 million) over six years to improve essential services in remote Indigenous communities of the Northern Territory.

And he vowed to ensure that the price of 30 essential goods in remote stores relied upon by Indigenous people would be no higher than they are in city shops.

Albanese suffered a setback in October 2023 when voters ignored his pleas and heavily rejected a constitutional referendum on Indigenous rights reforms.

W.Cheng--ThChM