Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
MENU
Skip Navigation LinksHome Legislative Assembly House Papers Question and Answer Tracking Details

Question and Answer Tracking Details

4325 - INDIGENOUS HEALTH

Hornery, Sonia to the Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Medical Research, Assistant Minister for Health, Minister for Women, and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

Considering the release of the 2016 'Closing the Gap' report, what is the Government doing to improve indigenous health outcomes?
Answer -
  • The Government is firmly committed to closing the gap in health outcomes for Aboriginal people in New South Wales. This is reflected in the NSW Aboriginal Health Plan 2013-2023, developed in partnership with the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW.
  • The Government supports a strong and effective Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service sector. High quality, culturally safe, community controlled health services contribute to closing the significant gap in health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. 
  • In 2016-17, the Government has committed over $23 million to the community controlled sector to fund a wide range of targeted programs to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people. This includes initiatives to address drug and alcohol misuse, chronic care, childhood immunisation, oral health, domestic and family violence, mental health, cardiovascular health and preventive health care. This includes an additional $1.6 million allocated to 20 services from 2016-17, to align distribution of funding across the sector to address the Premier's Priorities and key health priorities for Aboriginal people in New South Wales.
  • NSW Health is also strengthening the health system to make it more culturally appropriate and responsive to the needs of Aboriginal people by:
    • improving the identification of Aboriginal people in New South Wales health data 
    • developing strategies to reduce discharge against medical advice 
    • ensuring the needs and interests of Aboriginal people are embedded into all NSW Health initiatives through the Aboriginal Health Impact Statement
    • implementing workforce initiatives to strengthen cultural competence of health services through Respecting the Difference: An Aboriginal Cultural Training Framework 
    • initiatives to address environmental health issues in Aboriginal communities, including Housing for Health Projects to ensure safe and healthy living environments within Aboriginal homes, and the NSW Aboriginal Communities Water and Sewerage Program
    • increasing recruitment and retention of Aboriginal staff in health care settings o implementing a range of targeted programs to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people, including Aboriginal Maternal and Infant Health Services, which provide accessible, culturally appropriate maternity care programs for Aboriginal families across New South Wales and Quit for New Life, and a smoking cessation support program for Aboriginal mothers with babies.
  • Cardiovascular disease makes the largest contribution to the gap in morbidity and mortality between Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal people. To address this, New South Wales undertakes activities as part of Better Cardiac Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, a national initiative supported by the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council as part of the Australian Government's commitment to closing the gap in life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

  • Better Cardiac Care encompasses a range of initiatives to improve primary and secondary prevention to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease among Aboriginal people.

Question asked on 18 October 2016 (session 56-1) and printed in Questions & Answers Paper No. 94
Answer received on 22 November 2016 and printed in Questions & Answers Paper No. 103

The Parliament of New South Wales acknowledges and respects the traditional lands of all Aboriginal people, and pays respects to all Elders past and present. We acknowledge the Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which the Parliament of New South Wales stands.