Our role
Health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
Aboriginal people experience much poorer health and die at a much younger age than non-Aboriginal Australians. For almost every health status indicator where information is available, the Aboriginal level is worse than that among non-Aboriginal Australians (ABS & AIHW, 2003).
In Western Australia, respiratory, gastrointestinal, infectious and parasitic diseases are disproportionately higher among Aboriginal people, especially the young. Factors that put Aboriginal people, especially those residing in rural and remote areas at a higher risk of poor health are related to inadequate housing or harmful levels of community or personal hygiene. A survey of communities in Western Australia reported large problems with water supply and sanitation problems, overcrowding and substandard housing, waste-water disposal problems and the absence of rubbish disposal that resulted in a high prevalence of vermin and pests and a lack of hygiene (ABS & AIHW, 2003). Other factors include poor nutrition, obesity, substance abuse and exposure to violence.
While comparison to non-Aboriginal health is important in quantifying the potential health gains that can be made within the Aboriginal population, it may mask significant changes in Aboriginal health status. There are limitations to measuring the health status of Aboriginal people due to incomplete identification of Aboriginal status in administrative data collections and the scarcity of survey data. In addition, the quality of Aboriginal population estimates is affected by the uncertainty associated with the propensity to identify as Aboriginal and the accuracy of birth and death data.
Reconciliation
WA Health is committed to a health system that respects and works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
WA Aboriginal Cultural Security Implementation Framework
The Western Australian Aboriginal Cultural Respect - Implementation Framework (PDF 146KB) and the Western Australian Health Impact Statement and Guidelines (PDF 113KB) are now available online.
Western Australian Framework Agreement on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
The WA framework agreement underpins the way in which Aboriginal health strategies, programs and services are developed and delivered.
Most fundamentally, it establishes the four way partnership between the State department, the Australian Government department, the Aboriginal community controlled health sector and Aboriginal communities.
This partnership operates through regular interagency briefings and associated Regional Aboriginal Health Planning Forums in WA’s six Aboriginal health regions.