This week is National Reconciliation Week (27 May - 3 June), a time for Australians to take the opportunity to celebrate the rich culture and history of the First Australians.
National Reconciliation Week marks a time for all of us to join the reconciliation conversation and to think about how we can help turn around the disadvantage experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
It is about building the mutually respectful relationships needed to allow us to work together to solve problems, raise awareness and knowledge of Aboriginal history and culture, and most importantly to change the attitudes that are often based on myths and misunderstandings.
The popular phrase 'closing the gap' specifically refers to the gap in health and life expectancy amongst Aboriginal Australians. It is also more generally used to refer to the inequalities that exist between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.
The life of an Aboriginal child is likely to end significantly earlier than a non-Aboriginal child's. Furthermore, Aboriginal baby mortality remains at more than 12 for every 1,000 live births - a rate nearly three times that of non-Aboriginal infants.
In 2009 the Australian Bureau of Statistics released updated figures indicating that the average life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians is around 11 years.
Mission Australia believes these statistics are unacceptable in an affluent country like ours, and hopes that National Reconciliation Week 2010 continues to build the foundations for change.
Today's piece is by Steve Cochrane - National Aboriginal Advisor for Mission Australia.
Read about Steve's work, our Reconciliation Action Plan and the latest Indigenous news and current affairs at our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island resources page.
For more information on National Reconciliation Week, please visit www.reconciliation.org.au
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