New approach starting to 'close the gap' in Western Australian (WA) Indigenous health

Health Minister, Kim Hames, has released results of the Council of Australian Government's (COAG) Closing the Gap National Partnership Agreement with the State Government, which provided $117.43 million to ‘close the gap' between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health.

The Agreement, now in its final year, has so far resulted in:

• more than 400 new positions in Aboriginal health
• more than 60% of the new positions in regional and remote areas
• employment of 314 Aboriginal people in WA health sector at February 2012.

Dr Hames said approximately $80 million to date had been directed into new programs and services to improve smoking rates, primary health care and a healthy transition to adulthood for Aboriginal people: 'There are 98 new Aboriginal services and more than 100 new Aboriginal health employees.'

The Minister said the initiative had also provided WA Health with an opportunity to decentralise its approach to developing and implementing health services for Aboriginal West Australians.

'The State Government has established nine metropolitan and regional Aboriginal health planning forums to foster partnerships between government, non-government and Aboriginal communities at a local level,' he said.

Source: Government of Western Australia

Links

• View information: What are the National partnership agreements and how do they fit in?
• View media release: New approach starting to ‘close the gap’