Edmund Rice Justice Bulletin

While most women in Australia can expect to live to an average age of 82 years, an Indigenous Australian woman can expect to live to only 64.8 years. The situation is even worse for Indigenous men whose life expectancy is only 59.4 years. From injury, to road trauma, to diabetes, to cancer, to respiratory disease and infant mortality, Indigenous health lags behind that of most Australians and is often comparable to that of the world's poorest nations including Mozambique and Bangladesh.

In response to this shameful situation Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) and Oxfam Australia have commenced a campaign called Close the Gap which calls on Australian governments to take action to achieve health equality for Indigenous Australians within 25 years through :-
- increasing annual Indigenous health funding by $450 million to enable equal access to health services
- increasing Indigenous control and participation in the delivery of health services
- addressing critical social issues such as housing, education and self-determination which contribute to the Indigenous health crisis

You can support the campaign by signing the online pledge at the websites of the respective organizations (see links above)