Introduction
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a lower life expectancy and are more vulnerable to chronic diseases than non indigenous Australians (Australian Institute for Health and Welfare, 2013). Health disparities are significantly more common in rural areas compared to urban settings. It is, therefore, important to address the existing health disparities that exist between the non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal Australians to ensure a useful and mutual benefit in matters health and improve collective participation in nation-building. Additionally, the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islanders have limited and poor (if any) educational facilities that foster academic success (Department of Health and Aging, 2007). However, the health service is devoted to designing and administering health care services which engage the Aboriginal communities to resolve this menace.
The indigenous Australians face a multitude of challenges which are caused by complex underlying factors (Cheng, 2007). Some of these challenges include but are not limited to limited access to education among the indigenous children. In effect, these children face a blurred future with minimal chances of success among the members of their families and the community at large. Secondly, indigenous Australians battle with the burden of unemployment because of their limited access to incentives and right conditions that enhance active participation in social activities. As a result, they fail to actively participate in matters of economic development which affects the quality of their lives (Department of Health and Aging, 2007). Thirdly, the community does not live in safe and healthy homes and surrounding environments which can enable its members to attain their full potential and compete favorably with their peers. The families are denied access to health care and medical attention which predisposes them health-related risks and reduced life expectancy. Moreover, many children suffer from different forms of violence which affect them mentally, socially, and economically.
There is a need to improve these three critical areas and enhance the facilities which support and strengthen both the Aboriginal Australians and organizations’ capabilities (May & Aikman, 2003). Additionally, indigenous Australians need to be part of the solution geared towards resolving the ailing local economy and also in addressing developmental agendas. There is a need to reach out to potential financial aiders that can offer the financial support needed to support children, maternal, and families in educational and healthcare settings. The services should also be flexible in responding to both community and local needs to ensure that they are offering appropriate solutions to the actual problem in question (Rosen-stock et al., 2013).
On the other hand, both the government and private sectors need to collaborate and create programs that finance nurses who visit the indigenous Australians’ homes and give medical training and support to expectant mothers in an effort to improve both the health of the mother and that of the an unborn child (May, & Aikman, 2003). The nurses should also educate mothers and give them esteemed support on how to ensure appropriate development of the baby during their early stages of development. The government and private sectors should also finance trained tutors to give them mandate to teach and enlighten the indigenous Australians about the need and the importance of educating their children. The tutors should also offer teaching services to children from low-income families who cannot afford the cost of education (Rosen-stock et al., 2013). Suggestions and opinions from parents and children from the Aboriginal communities should also be collected and considered before and during the implementation of these programs to ensure the provision of personalized solutions to the affected communities.
The department of social service should also initiate and fund programs which support families and communities, improve the quality of lives and well-being of children, and augment the participation of indigenous Australians and other vulnerable populations in the country to facilitate proper functioning of both the families and the communities (Australian Institute for Health and Welfare, 2013). In particular, these programs should be tailored at supporting children and parents through purchasing of playgrounds for the children, offering parenting courses, school readiness, home visits, and giving appropriate help to peer groups to help alleviate unforeseen challenges such as unemployment (Cheng, 2007).
Secondly, the department of social services should also initiate and fund programs with the mandate to delivering sustainable and positive impacts to the communities with disadvantaged children and families (Department of Health and Aging, 2007). Additionally, the programs should facilitate community approaches that promote both the well-being of children and proper early childhood development right from birth up to and including children of 18 years of age. The programs should offer such services as case management, community events, home visiting services, peer group support, literacy programs, early learning, and parenting support that help to promote and enhance the well-being of children and parents.
Moreover, the department of social services should initiate and uphold a home interaction program which should be aimed at launching and establishing bonds between parents and youngsters (Vos et al., 2009). The program should enable parents to start teaching their children as early as when they are below five years. The department should increase the number of funds allocated to the program to help parents to hire home tutors. The combination of the efforts of both the parents and the tutor will enable parents to undertake educational roles, to read, and play with their children for approximately five days a week for over two years.
Besides, the Cabinet and the Department of the Prime Minister should increase the number of funds allocated to the indigenous advancement strategy to support nurturing and education of indigenous Australians children, improvement of pathways to excellency, youths, and adults, and to better the wellbeing of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders from $222.3 million in 2015-2016 to $500 million in 2018-2019. The funds help to support the indigenous Australians in administering early childhood development, parenting support, school education, care and education, higher education, and adolescents’ engagement and transition. The program is particularly crucial because it helps in focusing on improved educational results and augmented school attendance which, in effect, lead to the creation of employment opportunities (Vos et al., 2009).
The programs should also strengthen the foundation of children in the disadvantaged communities of the indigenous Australians by initiating a flexible plan that incorporates the roles of the ten Northern Territories in remote communities (Chavajay, & Barbara, 2002). The program signifies a critical step to find out and implement the local, international integrated activities and services that create a positive and a safe environment for the children and families in the vulnerable communities. Creation of an all-inclusive program that serves as an umbrella for all societies of the indigenous Australians helps to ensure an even distribution of developmental resources that in turn, go a long way to increasing mutual and active participation of both the indigenous Australians and the non-indigenous Australians in matters health and education (Vos et al., 2009).
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet should also establish incentives that help to entice children of the indigenous Australians to increase their levels of school attendance (Cheng, 2007). The remote communities are known for registering relatively low rates of school attendance compared to the cities in the urban settings. The remote school attendance strategy (RSAS) is an all-inclusive community-based program that helps to improve participation of the indigenous Australians in educational matters (Rogoff, Najafi, & Mejía-Arauz, 2014). The initiative does this through the employment of members of the community as officers that help communities and families to take their children to school on a day-to-day basis. The foundation also creates employment posts for the members of the city such as that of School Attendance Supervisors who have the responsibility to oversee the progress of school attendance.
However, the remote school attendance strategy offers limiting job opportunities to the indigenous Australians, which, in itself, halts their efforts to take an active role in education (Australian Institute for Health and Welfare, 2013). The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet should ensure that schools offer job opportunities by merit. Hitherto, many Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islanders have different professional qualifications which can enable them to work in various fields. As thus, improving active participation of the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islanders in communal activities such as education and health should include employing qualified professionals from the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islanders as doctors, nurses, and tutors in the health centers and schools without discrimination (Rogoff, Najafi, & Mejía-Arauz, 2014).
Furthermore, the National Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy should provide an appropriate framework that enables the jurisdiction to establish localized actions and policies that better the outcomes of Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander individuals (May, & Aikman, 2003). The educational strategy should also establish criteria that bring together the collaborative roles and activities of the seven priority areas in a more inclusive manner. The approach should also appreciate and encompass different functions that the government and the ministers of education play in complementing the struggles of each jurisdiction.
The advent of the Students First foundation is a remarkable move by the government towards the improvement of educational outcomes in all schools in Australia. The Government’s intention to collaborate with both the territory and states governments will go a long way to enhancing increased parental engagement in education, effective curriculum programs, quality teachers and teaching practices, and improving school autonomy. Effective implementation of this approach ensures that all students, irrespective of their regional origin, mutually benefit from education (Chavajay, & Barbara, 2002). Eradication of health care and educational disparities that exist between the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander and the non-indigenous Australians by ensuring an even distribution of resources, equitable allocation of social amenities, and lack of discrimination in both the job market will help to incorporate the participation of indigenous Australians in the communal activities.
Conclusion
The absolute levels of poverty, exclusion, and limited access of the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander to basic utilities such as national health and education predispose this vulnerable community to low life expectancy and attacks from chronic diseases (May, & Aikman, 2003). Additionally, making decisions which directly affect the lives of the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander without seeking their consent goes a long way to tarnish their spirited potentials to handle their plights. The government should, therefore, create a mutual atmosphere for all Australians that can enable both the indigenous and non-indigenous Australians to thrive (Chavajay, & Barbara, 2002).
References
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