The Wire

The federal government has unveiled a 10-year plan to close the health gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. The plan aims to deliver the policies required to eliminate the indigenous life expectancy gap by 2031. Priority will be placed on social and emotional wellbeing and the issues that impact on it, including alcohol and drugs.

The Coalition has attacked the new plan as lacking substance, saying that just “supports a case for business as usual”. But the plan has been praised by community controlled health organizations. They say that for the first time the health plan will incorporate the social determinants of peoples health, including their economic and social conditions.