7 November 2007
No promises on Aboriginal health from big parties
The Greens are calling on the major parties to show they are serious about raising the health status of  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
While both Liberal and Labor parties are throwing big spending promises and money around as if they are going out of fashion, neither party has so far promised a single extra dollar to improve indigenous health.
"I suggest that step one is a significant boost to funding for community controlled health services to realistic levels," says Greens candidate for Eden-Monaro, Keith Hughes.
Mr Hughes says that community controlled services such as Katungul are more than capable of serving the Koori population, but face an uphill battle because of inadequate funding.
"The role of the community controlled sector is even more critical in regions such as this where bulk billing levels for GPs remain among the lowest in Australia."
"Katungul serves a very large population from the Eurobodalla to the Victorian border, but cannot do so adequately if it is starved of funds," he says.
 "If they are really serious about raising the health status of indigenous people, particularly children, then this is an obvious and simple first step," Mr Hughes says.
He says that The Greens want to see increased resources in both community-controlled health services and mainstream services, through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Framework Agreements and Aboriginal Regional Health Plans.  Children's health is a funding priority."
Mr Hughes says that GetUp's new "Promise Watch" website now makes it easy for voters to keep a track of promises and it is clear that both Liberal and Labor parties have so far ignored this critical national issue.