Australia failing to improve lives of indigenous people, says annual report
SOCIAL
By Zhu Mei

2017-02-19 21:10:32

Australia is failing to close the gap between its indigenous and non-indigenous population, with respect to child mortality and life expectancy especially, according to the government’s annual "Closing the Gap" report.
The report released this week found that government and community efforts were only able to meet one of seven targets aiming to improve the lives of its indigenous population. 
Apart from lifting high school completion rates, all other targets including child mortality, education and employment were failed to be met, the report said.
Protesters march during a rally protesting against the forced closure of Aboriginal Communities in Australia on June 26, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. /CFP Photo
As the death rate of cancer increased, the government's target to close a 10-year-gap in life expectancy between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians by 2031 was behind schedule. The government also missed its target in 2016 to halve the child mortality rate by 2018. Indigenous unemployment rates in the remote areas of the country are in excess of 40 percent.
‍Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, making up just three percent of the country's population of 23 million people, are among the most disadvantaged Australians who have been victims of constant abuse and discrimination since their colonization.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the parliament that "even with successive commonwealth and state governments investing more resources, and even with tens of thousands of dedicated Australians seeking to contribute and engage, we are still not making enough progress." He added that the annual report was "a political disaster for the government of the day, for governments of whichever political persuasion."

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