Topical Issues: Indigenous Australians

Last updated February 13, 2008 - Subscribe to updates of this page.

2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the Commonwealth referendum which acknowledged Indigenous Australians as full citizens of this nation. Forty years later, however, although some progress has been made in improving health and wellbeing, many Indigenous Australians are still unable to access the same living standards as non-Indigenous Australians. The first Australians are disadvantaged across a range of areas, with lower incomes, higher rates of unemployment, lower levels of education and lower rates of home ownership than the non-Indigenous population. Indigenous Australians have less access to health services, a shorter life expectancy and a greater burden of disease than the non-Indigenous population.

Please see the Indigenous Australians page on the PhilanthropyWiki for an outline of some key issues in Indigenous funding.

Recent Resources

Recent Resources
Date	Title & Summary of Resource	Download/Access

13 Feb, 2008	Prime Minister's Apology to Indigenous People You can listen or download audio or video, or read full text of the Prime Minister's speech via the ABC's website.	www.abc.net.au/news/events/apology/
18 Sept 2007	Reconciliation Action Plan Reconciliation Australia is inviting government, business, peak bodies, NGOs and community organisations to identify and develop business practices that contribute to the wellbeing and quality of life of Indigenous Australians. They can do this by developing and pursuing individual Reconciliation Action Plans as part of a National Program of Action.	Philanthropy Australia's Reconciliation Action Plan
5 July 2007	National Indigenous Times The National Indigenous Times is running a number of featured articles on the recent Little Children are Sacred report and subsequent issues, including pieces that challenge the Government's actions.	NIT Website
29 June 2007	Little Children are Sacred report This report reveals widespread abuse of indigenous women and children in the Northern Territory. Following its release earlier this week, the Federal Government declared it a national emergency. A media release from the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Mal Brough, outlined the action plan, which some journalists have labelled "draconian". The media coverage of this issue has been extensive, with analysis from both supporters and protesters of the government's plan. Members can view a summary of the analysis that has appeared in Australian newspapers through their PRESSing Matters subscription.	Little Children are Sacred report (PDF) Media release from Mal Brough
15 June 2007	Kanyini Kanyini is a story told by an Aboriginal man, Bob Randall, who lives beside Uluru in Central Australia. Based on Bob's own personal journey and the wisdom he learnt from the old people living in the bush, Bob tells the tale of why Indigenous people are now struggling in a modern world and what needs to be done for Indigenous people to move forward. A tale of Indigenous wisdom clashing against materialist notions of progress, this is not only a story of one man and his people but the story of the human race. The Kanyini website includes a "what can you do?" section and a study guide for schools.	Kanyini Website Review by Philanthropy Australia's Grant Hooper
18 April 2007	An outline of some key issues in Indigenous funding Philanthropy Australia's Resource Centre has provided brief outlines of key issues in Indigenous funding. Scroll down or click the link on your right to read.	Jump Down
3 May 2007	Preventing Child Abuse: A Way Forward by Professor Dorothy Scott “Preventing Child Abuse: A Way Forward” was the topic of a presentation given to Philanthropy Australia Full Members in Sydney by Prof. Dorothy Scott OAM, the Foundation Chair in Child Protection and the Director of the Australian Centre for Child Protection (ACCP) at the University of South Australia. This presentation is particularly relevant to funders interested in early intervention or Indigenous issues.	Download Presentation (PDF) Download Notes (PDF)
19 April 2007	Reconciliation: What role can philanthropy play? By Barbara Livesey, Chief Executive of Reconciliation Australia Reconciliation Australia is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation with a focus on closing the 17-year gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. This article appeared on page 4 of Issue 64.	Download (PDF)
18 April 2007	Challenges in Indigenous philanthropy: Reporting Australian grantmakers’ perspectives by Dr Wendy Scaife This is an article by Dr. Wendy Scaife which was published in the Australian Journal of Social Issues, 41(4), 437-452, an abridged version of which appears on page 6 of Issue 64.	Read Online
Added 18 April 2007	The Health and Welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, 2005 Major indicators of Indigenous health and wellbeing are recorded in this ABS publication.	Read Online
Added 18 April 2007	Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage 2005 This is the latest edition of a regular report against key indicators of Indigenous disadvantage. The next edition of the report is due for release in mid-2007.	Read Online
Added 18 April 2007	Western Australian Child Health Survey Realeased by the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, an extremely detailed study of many aspects of the wellbeing of Indigenous children in WA.	Read Online
Added 18 April 2007	Indigenous Australians page on the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website This page provides many useful links to indicators of Indigenous wellbeing and also explains the quality of available Indigenous statistics.	Visit Website
Added 18 April 2007	The Indigenous Protected Areas Programme - 2006 Evaluation	Read Online

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Topical Issues: Indigenous Australians

Recent Resources