Media Release by The Hon Jenny Macklin MP

Indigenous women’s health strategy welcomed

Joint Media Release with:

  • Warren Snowdon MP, Minister for Indigenous Health

Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin and Minister for Indigenous Health, Warren Snowdon, have welcomed the release of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Health Strategy.

The strategy, developed by the Australian Women’s Health Network (AWHN) Aboriginal Women’s Talking Circle, seeks to address the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women’s health.

The AWHN received $99,450 from the Rudd Government to support the Aboriginal Women’s Talking Circle to consult with more than 400 Indigenous women across Australia on health issues, gaps, and barriers to services for the strategy.

Some of the strategy’s recommendations include:

  • implementing cultural safety accreditation standards and annual audits for women’s health providers; and
  • establishing a biannual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s health conference

The strategy is designed to supplement existing State and Territory documents which identify priorities and needs.

The Rudd Government welcomes the strategy’s findings and will consider them when developing future policy.

The Government is committed to its target of closing the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation, and halving the mortality gap for children under five and the gap in literacy and numeracy achievement within a decade.