Most Australians enjoy one of the highest life expectancies of any country in the world — but this is not true for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Today, we held a morning tea to recognise this inequality, as part of Oxfam’s Close The Gap campaign. For a gold coin donation, guests enjoyed a morning tea with traditional aboriginal music and Close The Gap trivia. Attendees were also invited to sign a petition which calls on governments to provide adequate health services to Aboriginal peoples.
Miss out on the trivia this morning? Get the conversation started at your Close The Gap event with these questions and answers.
What is the life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and other Australians?
A recent report, shows Indigenous males born between 2010 and 2012 have a life expectancy of 69.1 years, a decade less than their non-Indigenous counterparts. In some areas, including the Northern Territory this is much higher.
What is the median age of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Peoples?
The median age of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is 22 years. This compares with 26 years for people living in Bandladesh and 38 years for non-indigenous people.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have the worlds oldest living human culture. True or false?
True. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have a cultural heritage between 50,000 and 65,000 years old.
What percentage of Australians identity as Aboriginal?
Three percent of Australians identified as Aboriginal in the latest census.
There was around a dozen community spoken Aboriginal languages prior to European settlement. True or false?
False. It is estimated that in 1788, there were approximately 200-250 separate Aboriginal languages spoken across Australia.
Can you list factors which contribute to the indigenous health crisis?
Wildly recongised factors include a lack of access to culturally appropriate health services, dispossession from land, suppression of traditional culture, poor access to education, removal of indigenous children from their families and racism.
How much higher is the rate of death for Aboriginal people between the ages of 25 and 44 than for other Australians?
4 times higher! The death rate for Aboriginal people in 2011-2015 was 378 per 1000, versus 98 per 1000 for other Australians.
What historic milestone in working towards reconciliation with our indigenous communities will celebrate its 10 year anniversary in 2018?
The 13th of February, 2018, marks a decade since then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, made his apology speech to the stolen generations on behalf of the Australian Parliament.
For more information visit www.oxfam.org.au/what-we-do/indigenous-australia/close-the-gap/