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Living longer and healthier.

Governments are working with Indigenous people to:

  • look after children’s health
  • expand primary health care services in partnership with Indigenous health organisations
  • train more local health workers and employ more doctors and other health professionals
  • tackle chronic disease and its causes, like smoking
  • target health problems, like eye and ear disease
  • help people who abuse alcohol or other substances
  • stop-petrol sniffing, including rolling-out Opal fuel
  • provide more mental health services
  • make sure there is healthy food in remote community stores.

Tennant Creek: Finding your voice

Students from Barkly College enjoying the fun at the Vibe 3on3 in Tennant Creek: (from left) Marie Holt, Tammy McNamara, Tiffany Albert, Tarazita Johnson and Corey McDowell.

Students from Barkly College enjoying the fun at the Vibe 3on3 in Tennant Creek: (from left) Marie Holt, Tammy McNamara, Tiffany Albert, Tarazita Johnson and Corey McDowell.

Until three years ago, the boys in the Barkly region of the Northern Territory had lots of opportunities but the girls had little support. Then a teacher at Barkly Senior College started the Stronger Sisters Program. The girls now have structured support and skills training in many areas. Join singer Shellie Morris, the Stronger Sisters and other students at Barkly Senior College as they prepare for a big performance at the Vibe 3on3 Festival in Tennant Creek.

Broadcast date: 9 June 2011


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Published: 15 June 2011
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Health is one of the building blocks in the Closing the Gap strategy, agreed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). It recognises the importance of good health, both in itself and to help people achieve in all areas of life.

Two of the Closing the Gap targets set by COAG in 2008 relate to health:

  • to close the life-expectancy gap within a generation
  • to halve the gap in mortality rates for Indigenous children under five within a decade.

The National Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap in Indigenous Health Outcomes is tackling chronic disease in the Indigenous community by targeting risk factors, expanding primary health care and building the capacity of the Indigenous health workforce.

Closing the Gap in Indigenous health involves partnerships across sectors, including the Indigenous community-controlled health network:

Alcohol abuse is also being addressed as part of the Australian Government’s Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory legislation.

The Australian Government’s Health Heroes campaign aims to attract more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to jobs in Indigenous health. 

The Australian Government’s Break the Chain campaign supports smokers in their attempts to quit and promotes strategies to help them stay nonsmokers.

Through the Petrol Sniffing Prevention Program the Australian Government is working closely with regional and remote communities to prevent petrol sniffing and volatile substance abuse.

A book on social and emotional wellbeing Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice can be dowloaded from the Kulunga Research Network’s website.External site link The resource was developed by the Australian Council for Educational ResearchExternal site link and the Kulunga Research Network, with funding through the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health.

For more information on Indigenous health, go to:

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