The Closing the Gap Program
The present study reflects the closing the gap program initiated by the government of Australia in the year 2008 with the aim to resolving the problem of the life expectation, child death, providing early childhood education, obtaining education and the employment result among the indigenous and non- indigenous Australian people. The government made its strategy to reduce the overall inequality with respect to healthcare within the 25years (Karmel et al. 2014). This program was developed as a reaction to the call of the social justice report and the close the gap social justice campaign. For the effectiveness of this program, government set the various targets to reduce the disadvantages among the indigenous and non-indigenous people of Australia. However after the 10-year government review the program and built the effective strategies for strengthening this program (Ring et al. 2016).
Since the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are live less than 10 to 17 years as compare to the Non- Indigenous people of the Australia therefore there is a huge health gap exist in Australia, so the Government of Australia by starting the Close of Gap Program try to reduce the health inequality among the people (Brown et al. 2015).
In the year 2008, the government set the several targets and observing the improvement in the health and safety of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Head, 2008). The primary target of the government is that to close the gap in life expectancy by 2031, split the gap in child mortality by 2018, early child education of at least 95 percent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by 2025, increase in employment and reading, writing skills by the year 2018 and close the gap in school attendance by 2018 (Australian human rights commission, 2018). Each year the government releases the report on this program for identifying the progress of the program.
Until the year 2018, the government achieve the success of the closing the gap program only with respect to the health, respect and education. There is a significant decrease in the indigenous child death rate by 35% from the year 1998 to 2018 along with this smoking rate also fallen by p % between 2002 to 2014-15. Further drinking during the pregnancy also decreases between 2008 to 2014-15 (West, Usher and Foster, 2010). There is also an improvement in the education sector around 14700 Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander children are obtaining the early childhood education by which the literacy and numeracy enhanced as the government initiated several measures to motivating the students to complete their education by which they can participate in the economy and give their contribution for the better community life (Aboriginal, 2015). Moreover, government by indigenous procurement policy and indigenous business sector strategy supports the indigenous business. The government is also providing the employment to the indigenous people and get them involved in the program design, delivery and evaluation and provide the training as required (Reeve et al. 2015).
Need for the Closing the Gap Program
Although the program has been successful and government achieves its objective of the program to the great extent, however, there is still the requirement for addressing the inequalities in the education, employment and the heath. In reality, as per the report by the Australian Institute of health and welfare report, it has been seen that mortality and life expectancy gaps are widening Australian human rights commission, 2018. The government on the basis of the data, the result of the program continues to review the policies which are stated in the program and on the basis of this realign the strategy program. The further government should consider the structural factor such as social determinants, quality of the house, appropriate primary health services to improve and sustain the health of the indigenous people.
In the opinion of the Alford and Muir (2004) stated that education system for the Indigenous student not good and poorly resource which results in the less skill development of the Indigenous student, as well as the problem of unemployment arises. Further, the author described that for the enhancement of this community there is an improvement in the overall socio-economic culture is required. In addition to this, the government participation is also essential for improving this sector by providing better education and training. The author also focuses on the reasons for the inequality in the health outcome among the indigenous and non-indigenous people of Australia. For this author apply the participatory research methodology and grounded theory approach by which they can get to know a more reliable opinion.
On the contrary to above, the study conducted by the Altman (2006) stated that in Australia there is extensively disparity in the power and control over the Indigenous affairs. The government’s commitment towards the close the gap program was highly appreciated as it addresses the health and welfare of the Indigenous people of Australia. Further, the author defines that the program should be monitored and rectified as per the result.
Apart from the above, the study conducted by the Biddle (2011) stated that since the indigenous people experience the health problem at the higher rate as compare to the non-indigenous people along with this, there is also significant inequality in respect of the education and the employment sector. Further, the author specified that involvement of the Indigenous people in the artistic and cultural activities helps in maintain the connection to the country and by which the abuse, neglect, the disparity will be reduced.
The initial target of the government
Since the government achieved only the three targets by the year 2018, which are stated above, therefore for meeting the next target government is using the participatory approach and by working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people revive its policies and focus on the achieving the objective (Fogarty et al. 2018). Apart from the addressing the issues in the health, education, employment sector, the government also focus on the create an environment in which the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people select the lives as they want for themselves along with their family and their community. Moreover, the government also recognized that through the collaboration with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the private sector, and non-government sector effective implementation of the program would be possible.
Conclusion
In the present study, it has been concluded that there is a significant reduction in inequality among the Indigenous people through The Closing the Gap Program. Since the Indigenous Australian is the lower community of the Australia which resides in the rural area, therefore, the health problem, education, employment, child death is the major issue for them. Government for the management of the Indigenous people launch The Closing the Gap Program and put the efforts to mitigate the inequality (Larkins et al. 2016). This program has been a long-term action plan of the government, and on the basis of the outcome of the program, government changes the policy for meeting the current challenges. However the government even after the 10 years of the program not yet succeeded and if the current issues remain to continue then even by the year, 2030 government cannot achieve its target.
References
Aboriginal, A., 2015. Success in Closing the Gap: favourable neonatal outcomes in a metropolitan Aboriginal Maternity Group Practice Program.
Australian human rights commission, 2018. Close The Gap – 10 Year Review (2018). [Online]. Available through < https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-social-justice/publications/close-gap-10-year-review>. [Accessed on 23rd August 2018].
Brown, A., O’Shea, R.L., Mott, K., McBride, Accounting., Lawson, T. and Jennings, G.L., 2015. A strategy for translating evidence into policy and practice to close the gap-developing essential service standards for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cardiovascular care. Heart, Lung and Circulation, 24(2), pp.119-125.
Fogarty, W., Riddle, S., Lovell, M. and Wilson, B., 2017. Indigenous education and literacy policy in Australia: bringing learning back to the debate. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, pp.1-13.
Head, B.W., 2008. Wicked problems in public policy. Public policy, 3(2), p.101.
Karmel, T., Misko, J., Blomberg, D., Bednarz, A. and Atkinson, G., 2014. Improving Labour Market Outcomes through Education and Training. Issues Paper No. 9. Produced for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. GPO Box 570, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
Larkins, S., Woods, C.E., Matthews, V., Thompson, S.C., Schierhout, G., Mitropoulos, M., Patrao, T., Panzera, A. and Bailie, R.S., 2016. responses of aboriginal and Torres strait islander Primary health-care services to continuous Quality improvement initiatives. Frontiers in public health, 3, p.288.
Reeve, C., Humphreys, J., Wakerman, J., Carter, M., Carroll, V. and Reeve, D., 2015. Strengthening primary health care: achieving health gains in a remote region of Australia. The Medical Journal of Australia, 202(9), pp.483-487.
Ring, I.T., Dixon, T., Lovett, R.W. and Al-Yaman, F., 2016. Are Indigenous mortality gaps closing: how to tell, and when. Med J Aust, 205(1), pp.11-12.
West, R., Usher, K. and Foster, K., 2010. Increased numbers of Australian Indigenous nurses would make a significant contribution to ‘closing the gap’in Indigenous health: What is getting in the way?. Contemporary Nurse, 36(1-2), pp.121-130.
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