PEWSEY, United Kingdom – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have lived on mainland Australia for more than 60,000 years, making them the oldest humans living outside of Africa. Harboring respect for the land and the community, Australia’s First Nation People have a deep connection to the country and its history. Despite this, since British settlers began colonizing in 1788, First Nation People have been amongst the poorest in Australia, facing discrimination, displacement and limited legislative protection.
Unable to place a vote until 1965, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to fight for recognition within Australian law and in October 2023, the people of Australia voted 60% against a referendum to enshrine indigenous people constitutionally, according to National Geographic.
In 2021, 43% of Indigenous Australians have experienced discrimination, with a 2021 BMC Public Health study showing that 75% of people “unconsciously hold a negative prejudice against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”
Direct Link to Physical and Mental Health
Collecting data from 8,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait People between 2018 and 2020, the Australian National University found that racial discrimination has a direct link to poor mental and physical health. The study discovered that discrimination was “linked to all negative outcomes” such as pain, psychological distress, depression, heart disease and diabetes.
A 2021 BMC Public Health study associated racism with “a negative overall mental health component in 100% of the studies.” The study also found that in comparison with other non-Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait people were twice as likely to die by suicide.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait people’s life expectancy is 17 years lower than non-Indigenous Australians. Since 1991, cardiovascular disease deaths in Australia’s general population dropped by 30%, but for Indigenous Australians, cardiovascular disease rates remain the same and are a leading cause of death in their First Nation communities.
Experiencing Higher Levels of Poverty
Aboriginal and Torres Strait people experience higher levels of poverty, having a direct impact on their health and well-being, with 30% living below the poverty line. Poverty makes accessing health care services and paying for medicine more difficult, with Indigenous Australians in non-remote areas being 1.5 times more likely to have a long-term illness or disability.
The effects of poverty in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people communities affect the emotional and physical health of children, according to the Australian Human Rights Commission. Overcrowded houses and inadequate sanitation causes diseases to spread, contributing to a poorer quality of life and risk to health and well-being.
Unemployment and Education
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have faced challenges in finding and retaining employment. According to the Australian Human Rights Commission report, in 2012-2013, 52.2% of Indigenous Australians between the ages of 15 and 65 were unemployed. In comparison, the rate of non-indigenous people facing unemployment in 2012-2013 was 24.4%.
The 2015 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS), found that when looking for employment, 32% of Indigenous people struggled to find transportation, 31% lacked a driving license and 30% of people didn’t have enough education or work skills.
Education is fundamental to gaining employment, getting out of poverty and maintaining good health. In the 2021 Census, 68% of Indigenous Australians, aged between 20 and 24 had achieved a Year 12 qualification. The rate for Non-Indigenous Australians was 91%.
Indigenous Australian children are more vulnerable to developmental delays with 42% not meeting the government goals. Children living in cities were twice as likely to be on target than children living in very remote areas.
Closing The Gap
Although further steps are necessary to address the effects of discrimination on the health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, in 2020 the government developed the National Agreement on Closing the Gap highlighting that improvements are being actioned and prioritized. The government took steps to address issues around health, racial inequalities and educational gap for Indigenous people.
In 2020, the government took steps to address issues around health, racial inequalities and educational gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
In this development, the coalition set key targets to improve the education of Indigenous children, focusing on culturally appropriate environments, improvements in early years education and creating opportunities for Indigenous Australians through education.
Despite historic hardship and mistreatment, the indigenous people of Australia are resilient and intrinsically linked to its history and to its future. With continuing developments in education, health care and employment, Australia can improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
– Isabel R. Burnside
Photo: Flickr