Russell Matheson (Macarthur, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the Close the Gap Indigenous health campaign and to promote the importance of Indigenous health equality in Macarthur. As the proud representative and advocate for the Macarthur region, it is my job to represent and invest equally in each and every constituents' health and wellbeing. It is my wish that every member of my community has the same opportunity to live a long, healthy and happy life.

Sadly, that is not necessarily the case. Statistics show that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience higher rates of preventable illnesses, such as heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes, and a far lower life expectancy than other Australians—up to twenty years less in some cases, according to Oxfam. Improving the health and life expectancy of Indigenous Australians is critical across this country and in my very own electorate. As the member for Macarthur, I would like to see an end to the existing disparity between the health and wellbeing of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in my electorate by 2030. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Macarthur are working towards this target by complementing national campaigns such as Close the Gap with local community initiatives.

In Macarthur we have an Indigenous population that is proud of its culture and heritage. The suburb of Campbelltown is home to one of the largest populations in New South Wales of people identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. I have been very proud of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in my electorate and of the great work they are doing to maintain their strong ties to the land and to close the gap between the many cultures in Macarthur.

Nationally, peak Indigenous and non-Indigenous bodies, NGOs and the federal government are taking important steps towards closing the gap. More specifically, I am proud to acknowledge the variety of community programs, individual projects and council initiatives in the Macarthur community that aim to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. One program in particular is the Young Spirit Mentoring Program in Airds. The program is for children of all different backgrounds and encourages social inclusion, hard work, fitness, wellbeing and respect. At 5am, three days a week, cars are deployed all over Campbelltown to pick up 50 children and take them to Airds. From 6am these children are put through their paces by local mentors and fitness instructors. At 7am a healthy breakfast is provided by parents and at 8am the kids are all off to school. This program is teaching young children of all cultures the importance of good health and wellbeing from a young age. Spirit stands for 'special, potential, integrity, respectful, inspiration and together'. It is all part of a fitness and wellbeing plan that has been running in my electorate for three years and has helped over 150 kids. This program is run by Uncle Dave Bell and a team of dedicated mentors who aim to help children concentrate on their schooling and inspire a healthier lifestyle by leading them in fitness routines and boxing drills. It has had a profound impact on the lives of many young people. The kids who take part in the program are more focused at school, are losing weight, exercising more, eating healthily, and developing important social skills.

Another important program in my electorate is called Murrubin, a KU Macarthur parent program. This is a supported playgroup program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families with young children in my electorate. The play based program provides children with opportunities to play together while developing their individual skills and interests. The highly qualified and experienced staff at KU also offer support for parents, including information about the wide range of community services and resources available to children and their families. The parents also regularly engage in cooking activities and read stories with the children.

Aboriginal parents and carers also attend family meetings at KU and are involved in the decision-making about their children's progress, development and educational outcomes. Having an interest in their children's learning encourages their participation in the program. KU Macarthur has seen positive outcomes from these projects. There has been an increase in children attending the KU Macquarie Fields Preschool program, and both the preschool and the playgroup have become a referral pathway for other agencies.

We have many support groups, clinics, health and counselling services in Macarthur that support Indigenous Australians in my community. Another is the Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation which has a women's health program, hearing program, eye health program, paediatric clinic, a dental service, diabetes education and many more services for local Indigenous people.

Individual members of the Macarthur community have also shown a serious commitment to closing the gap. Last year, Dr Michael Bonning took part in the Gold Coast half marathon to raise money for the Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service in Airds. His passion to help close the gap in Indigenous health spurred Michael Bonning to complete the marathon. Dr Bonning was joined by more than 100 medical students from across Australia who raised thousands of dollars for the medical service. The students, who connected through the Run for a Reason initiative, decided money raised through last year's marathon should help improve Aboriginal health care in Campbelltown.

Dr Bonning, who treats patients at the centre two days a week, said the money raised would support an Indigenous children's health project to boost health outcomes in the community. This includes improving vaccination levels, promoting school attendance and encouraging regular health checks for children just to make sure everything is okay. Dr Bonning said the foundations for a healthy lifestyle are laid in childhood, and motivating families to encourage regular school attendance and medical check-ups was vital. These foundations work together to produce happy, healthy adolescents and young people.

The NRL also plays a role in closing the gap in my electorate. Last year the NRL backed a very successful Learn Earn Legend school-to-work program in Macarthur. The program was assisted by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, and by NRL clubs, including the Wests Tigers. It aims to provide employment and further education pathways for Indigenous students after high school.

Our local councils are also doing their bit to close the gap. Feeling Alive and Looking Deadly is the title of a workout DVD developed specifically for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Campbelltown. The DVD aims to make exercise convenient, fun and easy to do, and help close the gap in life expectancy for the Indigenous population. The DVD has been filmed with members of the local Aboriginal community to demonstrate how to exercise at home every day. It includes a three-level strength program, cardiovascular exercise and other useful information to help Aboriginal people in our community achieve their fitness and health goals.

The DVD has been produced by members of the local Aboriginal community along with the Campbelltown City Council in partnership with NSW Health; health promotion of South West Sydney and Sydney local health districts, the Local Government and Shires Association of New South Wales, the Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation, and Short Black Films. The DVD was launched at local Close the Gap Day celebrations in 2012 and was sent out to local Indigenous groups to promote the benefits of active and healthy lifestyles.

I believe it is important that these local initiatives work in union with national strategies. That is why I will continue to support the federal government's commitment to work with the Close the Cap campaign to achieve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality.

To achieve significant improvements in the health status of Indigenous Australians by 2030, we need to work together as a nation to meet important targets, such as reducing the gap in life expectancy, preventable diseases, unemployment and education standards, halving the child mortality rate, enrolling 95 per cent of remote Indigenous children in preschool and assisting as many Indigenous youth as possible to reach year 12.

In a country that proudly promotes benchmarks of equality and a 'fair go', the campaign to close the gap is vital to addressing the health needs of the most vulnerable members of our community. I am proud of the work my community is doing to close the gap in Macarthur, and I encourage those involved to keep up the good work. That is why I stand here today to encourage all residents in Macarthur and across Australia to support these vital programs and join this country's largest campaign to improve Indigenous health at both a local and a national level. For the sake of our future generations of Indigenous Australians, we must all play our part in closing the gap. We all know that we need to do more.

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