Kevin Rudd, Brendan Nelson add their signatures to the 55,000 GetUp members' in support of closing the Indigenous health gap in Canberra
Posted on the campaign blog ,
March 20th, 2008
Campaign Update: Support for the Close the Gap campaign is making progress, a year has passed since the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition added their signatures in support of the Close the Gap Coalition's plan to end the 17-year life expectancy gap.
However the Government's recent report card has left many discontented with its progress and fundamental concerns remain due to the continuing suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act.
The Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition have signed their names in support of the Close the Gap Coalition's plan to end the 17-year life expectancy gap today in Parliament House's Great Hall. GetUp joined both leaders, Indigenous representatives, health officials and campaign partners in signing the statement at today's historic event.
Dozens of ACT GetUp members were there in support as politicians and Indigenous health representatives agreed on a plan to address these shocking inequalities that have third-world health conditions pervading Aboriginal communities. The pledges came at the end of a three-day Indigenous Health Equality summit organised by the HREOC.
Kevin Rudd and Brendan Nelson's signatures came soon after 10,000 GetUp members added their names to the Close the Gap petition - bringing the total number of GetUp signatures to over 50,000, and the total number of Australians to over 100,000.
Cathy Freeman, Ian Thorpe and many others joined the event in support of this campaign, which saw the Prime Minister outline several policy commitments. These included $14.5 million for anti-smoking initiatives, $19 million to strengthen the Indigenous health workforce, and the creation of an Indigenous Health Equality Council to partner with the Government in meeting the targets set to achieve health equality.
This was an important test for the Government, to see how the momentum for positive practical change created by last month's apology would manifest into real steps towards equality that were promised in the apology's delivery. That test was made all the more easier to pass by the impressive mandate your support for this campaign has created.
Health equality is now firmly within our grasp. The public, the politicians and the professionals are all now on board, in large part thanks to you, and Indigenous equality and reconciliation are becoming tangible goals we expect, and demand, to see actively realised.
88 comments
March 21st, 2008
Well done!