Health Issues of Indigenous Australians - A Modern Day Tragedy

For many years I have been wanting to write about the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in modern Australia and what we, as a society, can, should and have not done to remedy the health problems a modern lifestyle has brought upon the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.

Many of my readers will not be aware that I have Aboriginal ancestry.  I can trace my lineage back to the Drew mob, a very prominent Dhungutti family in the Macleay River region, around what is now Kempsey in New South Wales, from the early 1800’s.  The Drew mob were well-known throughout the majority of the language groups that existed in Australia at the time and through travel and marriage, resulted in the Drew’s having strong connections to the majority of the tribes.

My personal journey of discovery, of my ancestral links and identifying with Dhungutti culture, has exposed the horrifying reality that is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in 21^st Century Australia.  I believe it is up to all of us, Indigenous and Non-Indigenous, to implement the strategies, provide the support and do whatever it is we need to do to reverse the devastation that has been wrought on my people.

Before I take this discussion any further though, I want to make it abundantly clear that this must be a “no blame” process.  Attributing blame and attempting to exact retribution for past wrongs is not the way forward for improving the health of the First Australians.  There is a veritable minefield of political, social and racial issues that must be played out on the National and International stage in order for past, and present, injustices to be resolved but Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health must be absolutely independent of that process.

The major health issues facing Indigenous populations today are diseases of excess and are symptomatic of the modern lifestyle.  They are:

• Obesity
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Stroke

There are dozens more serious and chronic conditions, like glaucoma, that have debilitating impacts on the victim’s health but these four are the big ticket items when it comes to declining health and premature death. 

The most frustrating thing about all of these chronic conditions is the fact that they are all preventable and reversible.  A quality diet, regular exercise and sound mental health are all the ingredients needed to eliminate these killers. 

This is the part where many readers will be thinking to themselves, “yeah, that’s a great idea but the Government has pumped billions of dollars into fixing Indigenous health and nothing has changed.  Why should it change now?”  If you are thinking along these lines, you would be justified in doing so but let’s look at the total picture and put all of this “Aid” into context.

Conventional wisdom, from the late 1800’s onwards, said that Aboriginal people were too primitive to understand contemporary society and needed to be treated and cared for like pets or young children.  I’m not trying to stir up a debate, simply stating what was the reality.  It even came to pass that the Governments of the day appointed Aboriginal Protectors, who were white Public Servants, to “look after” the Aboriginal people and their affairs.  This level of protection also included providing “civilised” food to the Aboriginals in their care.  The 'civilised' food has morphed into Maccas, KFC and other nutritionally bankrupt fast foods.

Today, we do not have the “Chief Protector” making all of our decisions for us and, to a large degree, we are free to go about our business as we please.  In fact, Aboriginal people living in the cities have blended in so well that many Non-Aboriginal people are not even aware they have Aboriginal blood.  Sadly though, there are still a large number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have grown up on Stations and Reserves or in low socio-economic environments where the welfare culture and “protection” of the Boss Fella has not changed in over 100 years, except for the introduction of the fast food outlets.

The keys to breaking out of this centuries old mindset and the belief that “this is my lot, I’ll put up with it”, is for everyone to understand a little about Aboriginal culture, spirituality and the power of the Dreaming and make decisions that take all of these factors into consideration. 

To every Aboriginal, family and country are the beginning and the end when it comes to our identity, wealth and our well-being. The Dreaming, as told to us by our Elders, are the laws and spiritual beliefs that we live by.  If you take us away from our family or our country, our mental health will suffer and our physical health will follow.  We become so disconnected from everything that identifies us and provides substance to our existence, that we become victims of depression and anxiety and will often turn to drugs and/or alcohol as a way to fill the void.  Many young people will fall into crime and once they have been incarcerated, will actively seek to be gaoled again in order to be close to other Aboriginal people, the closest thing to 'family' they have in the city.

Understanding this strong connection to family and country gives us an opportunity to find new ways to deliver education, support, employment and social services.  I’m not talking about welfare that is the last thing Aboriginal Communities need.  What I’m talking about is something that must be tackled at a number of different levels.

1. Government
   The Federal, State and Territory Governments in Australia all have stated policy positions on job creation and attracting business investment into Australia.  Providing incentives to business to establish manufacturing operations in, or near, remote Aboriginal Communities with incentives to employ local labour, will create a solution to two significant problems for Aboriginal people; 1. Employment at home; eliminating the need to leave family and country to find work; and, 2. Eliminating large blocks of idle time that could otherwise be filled with alcohol and/or drugs.  Not only would there be new direct employment opportunities created, there would also be literally hundreds of non-direct jobs created in building roads and infrastructure to support the new venture.
2. Local Government
   The role of Local Government is important in that the Councillors are Community Leaders who live and work amongst their constituents.  These bodies have the opportunity to coordinate and support grassroots level health and fitness initiatives.  I need to define grassroots initiatives as those that are generated from within the Community, run by the Community and take into full consideration all of the cultural issues that will be encountered.  Other non-grassroots level initiatives are usually the brainchild of a well-meaning but misinformed Public Servant sitting in an office somewhere in the capital city and the local Community have not ‘buy in’, no connection to the principles of the idea and consequently, no desire to participate.
3. Local Communities
   I have had fantastic success with introducing a wide range of Indigenous people to exercise, nutrition and enjoying a healthy lifestyle by simply giving them the opportunity to participate, with only peer pressure and the advantage of knowledge.  I met with every Elder in the Community and asked them to support me by encouraging their people to come to my Bootcamps and by attending themselves to set the example.  I also negotiated special deals for a group of Indigenous students and trainees with a local gym and provided them with personal guidance, mentoring and encouragement.  The secret to the success of these two programs were the support of the Elders and the fact the initiative came from within the Community, not an outsider.

I have secured a scholarship for a young Aboriginal man to complete a Double Diploma in Business and Fitness.  One of the conditions of him being awarded this scholarship was that on completion, he would return to the Community and establish a Personal Training and Group Fitness business in the Community, for the Community.  To assist him in doing this, the Elders have made available an established boxing and weights gym and have secured grants to offset the cost of the Trainer’s fees to the individuals.  The physical training and nutritional guidance they need is now accessible and comes from one of their own.

This is only one example of how sustainable changes can be made and how each of us has the power to effect that change.  It is going to take a generational shift for measurable and permanent improvement occurs but if we do nothing that is exactly what will happen; nothing.

 

Copyright © 2014 by Drew Dale

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