Amongst the many profound current social disadvantages and historical abuses that indigenous Australians experience, their health outcomes are also very significant. With far lower life expectancy and significantly higher rates of disease than the general population, it is clear that our past efforts to redress this suffering and inequality have failed.
Contributing to these past failures has been the fact that changing governments of the day have built, and then deconstructed- at great cost – different bodies charged with redressing aboriginal disadvantage.
These issues, coupled with the historically high support from the indigenous population for the Voice to parliament, call us to strongly support this constitutional recognition.
It can provide a long-term focal point which survives the politics of the day and contributes to health equality. All Australians deserve the support of an equal access to and equal outcomes from our healthcare system no matter their race or economic status. We need a stronger focus on indigenous health to close the gap, and a voice to parliament provides new hope for the change that is needed.