Close the Gap
CLOSETHEGAP
Indigenous Health Equality Summit
STATEMENT OF INTENT
CANBERRA, MARCH, 2008
PREAMBLE
Our challenge for the future is to embrace a new partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The core of this partnership for the future is closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians on life expectancy, educational achievement and employment opportunities. The new partnership on closing the gap will set concrete targets for the future: within a decade to halve the widening gap in literacy, numeracy and employment outcomes and opportunities for Indigenous children, within a decade to halve the appalling gap in infant mortality rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children and, within a generation to close the equally appalling 17-year life gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous when it comes to overall life expectancy.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples, 13 February 2008
Ian Thorpe’s Fountain for youth strongly supports Australia’s campaign for Indigenous health and equality, ‘Close the Gap’.
Ian Thorpe and fellow Olympian Catherine Freeman were together at the launch of the campaign at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium in April 2007
In March 2008 they joined the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, at Parliament House in Canberra, as he committed the Australian Government to a comprehensive, long term plan of action to bridge the gap in life expectancy and health standards.
The Prime Minister agreed to improve primary health care, evidence based health programs, expand community controlled health services and to monitor benchmarks and targets.
Ian Thorpe’s Fountain for youth has presented international evidence that Indigenous control and genuine empowerment is essential to close the gaps in health, housing, education and employment.
To ensure that these words are not an empty promise we work closely with Indigenous communities to empower individuals from the youngest age.
Find out more about the CLOSETHEGAP Campaign:
