Released on July 12, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Council of Australian Government (COAG) issued two reports showing that the poor living conditions and lack of proper health care of indigenous peoples in Australia are major factors in disparities of health, reported the Australian Associated Press (AAP). The study commissioned by COAG and the Bureau's The Australian Social Trends report showed that indigenous peoples are still most likely to die young, drop out of school, be incarcerated, are the most impoverished and have higher levels of smoking, obesity, and diabetes. The reports showed that in both remote and urban indigenous communities the life expectancy is 17 years lower than the general population.
The Australian Medical Association has repeated their request for $400 million in funding to target the third world conditions of Indigenous communities, as reported by AAP. The Australian Green Party is calling for Indigenous health to be made a national priority. Senator Rachel Siewert told the AAP that although Australia refers to itself as a first world nation, the life expectancy of the aboriginal population is worse than many third world nations.
