-----Original Message----- From: Webcentral <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thursday, May 11, 2000 8:36 AM Subject: [atsic] Speech by Commissioner Jenny Pryor at the opening of the new Joyce Palmer Health Service, Palm Island, Qld >Speech > >by > >Commissioner Jenny Pryor > >at the opening of the new Joyce Palmer Health Service, > >Palm Island, Qld > >Tuesday 09 May 2000 > > > >Respected elders and traditional owners, The Honourable Wendy Edmond. MLA, >Robert Blakely, Chairperson of the Palm Island Council and your council >members > >To my fellow ATSIC regional councillors, to the many brothers and sisters >from the community, both our elders and the young, to the hospital staff and >workers, ladies and gentlemen. > >I must begin with paying my respect to the traditional owners of the land we >are on today. > >And to thank the Minister, Wendy Edmond , for the invitation to be part of >the occasion and to share this event with the community on this very >special day. > >Unfortunately, a major meeting of indigenous leaders in Brisbane prevents >me from being here with you today. Such is the lot of an ATSIC Commissioner. > >But that is what I was elected to do - take up and push the issues and >concerns of our people in this region, to ensure we are heard by and get >action from governments. > >But this is such an important occasion for the community I could not just >send my apologies. > >Instead, I have asked my son Leon Pryor to be here for me and say what I >want to say. > >Firstly, it is pleasing to see State government Ministers here again today. > >It shows the growing priority they, their departments and their government >are attempting to give to Palm Island and to the pressing concerns and >circumstances of indigenous people generally. > >I want to warmly commend the Ministers for that support and commitment by >being here today. And for helping make possible the reason why we are here >today. > >There is no-one here who is not aware of the dire health of indigenous >people across Australia. > >Indigenous people have the poorest health status of any group in Australia. > >We die at three times the rate of other Australians. Life expectancy for our >men is about 17 years less than for other Australian males. > >And slightly more for our women. > >In some age groups our people, like those of us in our late 30's and early >40's are dying at rates that are 6 to 8 times higher than non-Aboriginal >Australians. > >We are 10 times more likely to suffer from blindness, especially from >Trachoma and blindness as a complication of diabetes. > >Only this week, the heart foundation released figures showing that >indigenous Australians are dying at up to 9 times the rate of other >Australians. > >Yet all of those conditions are preventable. These shocking statistics are >preventable. > >But despite the booming economy, despite this being a wealthy, prosperous >stable country, despite the marvels of medicine and technology of the 21 st >century; our health status remains third world. > >As the heart foundation said our death rate figures are "unacceptable." > >Make no mistake - health remains a life and death matter for us. > >After the old wood and asbestos structure that many of us remember this >newly built hospital, the Joyce Palmer Health Service, is really important, >and will help make a difference to the health and lives of this community. > >There will be many health spin-offs, no question about that. And on that >score I am pleased to say that the Townsville ATSIC Regional council is >proud to have contributed $700,000 to the cost of the hospital. > >While health has not been an ATSIC responsibility since 1994, there should >be no doubt it anyone one's mind, the level of concern about the lack of >progress in indigenous health outcomes or its priority in the Commission. > >ATSIC also welcomes the contribution of the State government in playing it s >part in delivering a hospital of quality to the community here on Palm >Island. > >I think few Australians realise just how important a new hospital centre >is to our mob in remote areas. > >We also strongly commend the naming of the hospital after Joyce Palmer. It >is a great honour and tribute to that fine woman. It will be tremendously >well received by everyone here. > >There is also a lesson from Joyce Palmer's story and life. > >She had no formal qualifications, but she learnt her skills as a midwife by >watching and by delivering. > >She delivered many babies, many by herself, she knew her stuff and had the >full confidence of staff and patients alike. > >The lesson is: just like Joyce Palmer had no formal qualifications, and >there is no doubt about her knowledge and expertise. > >So to with the running of this hospital. The same lesson applies. > > We do not need to be formally trained health bureaucrats to make informed >decisions and to have a major role on the running of this hospital. > >So the next step, after today's opening of this marvellous new Joyce Palmer >Health service, is to move towards greater community control and direction. > >It is time there is local board of community representatives who set the >priorities and directions for this hospital. > >Now that we have the infrastructure in place, the skilled staff here, more >community control, or self-determination, is I believe, part of the way >forward. > >Not just in terms of health, as important as that is. > >It is about the future of Palm Island. It is the future in Indigenous >affairs. > >I want to remind the bureaucrats and the government ministers here of this: >you are on notice that indigenous people, like the wider community, want to >start seeing results. > >We want to see the shameful health figures dropping , our health and life >expectancy increasing. > >We want to live as long as you and your families do. > >But to do this , we also want to see you listen to our suggestions and >ideas, and do something with them. > >We want to see you help us put them into action, help us make a difference >to our lives. > >To how long we live and how we live. > >That will be the test of whether this is the old 'consultation' and policy >making we are used to. > >This will be the test of your government's new 10 year , whole of government >strategy, you are developing. > >This will be one of the tests as to whether this is a new partnership , a >new way , with ongoing community involvement. Or not. > >Initiatives like the 10 year 'whole of government' strategy, and the >framework document and the period of six months community consultation do >have some merit, albeit a very long way to go. > >There are I think some encouraging, albeit somewhat mixed signs. > >On the one hand , I believe that public policy and indigenous affairs is >finally showing some signs of going, where it ought to have been going for a >long time. > >There is I think emerging recognition and some serious thinking underway >about how things are done and not just in indigenous health. But across >all-indigenous concerns and issues. > >That this must be done at the community level. > >Community control is the way forward. > >It is, in my view, the only way forward. > >But on the other hand, I have to say there are still some major concerns and >reservations about the approach taken by governments and bureaucracies. > >The Queensland government's response to the Bonnie Robertson report and the >work of the indigenous women's task force on domestic violence released >last Friday, is a case in point. > >I won't say to much more on that issue here other than to say that Bonnie >Robertson was absolutely spot on . > >And that indigenous people's original fears were also confirmed, as they >have by just about every report that has ever been to government. > >That the answers to the issues we face do not reside in governments and >their agencies. > >Nevertheless, I think we are seeing governments and their bureaucrats >finally beginning to admit that their way has failed - and that includes >ATSIC programs as well. > >It has - and the evidence is clear. > >So what we're seeing emerging, albeit haltingly, is a new direction is >emerging. > >One that holds some hope of getting some sorely needed changes in the >shockingly disadvantaged circumstances that the indigenous people of this >country live under. > >A direction which is seeing agencies, including ATSIC, no longer telling you >what you need. > >Instead it is you the community telling them. > >Not just what the issues and our needs are - but also what the priorities >are. > >And how they should be dealt with. > >How that can be done in a user-friendly way in our own communities. > >This is not a new idea, this is self- determination. Self-determination is a >very basic proposition: > >That it is you, the community who know best what your needs are. > >It means that we as indigenous people know what's best for us. > >That we do know better than government, better than their department's, the >ministers and their bureaucrats. > >It means that Palm Island has a far better idea of what the issues and >problems are. > >It means that Palm Island has a much better chance of getting the answers >and solutions under way than bureaucracies in Brisbane, in Canberra or in >Townsville. > >Not only is it important. > >It is vital that this comes to pass in all our communities , including here >on Palm. > >It is time to put self-determination, to put community control into >practice. > >Time for policy, program and service delivery responses to begin being ' >built up' from the community . > >Which you drive, from here in Palm Island, and which should be accountable >to you. > >If things are to become really different from the stop start, band-aid >approach of the past. > >If there are to be improving results and outcomes , this has to be the next >step. > >Governments here in Australia are starting to mouth those words. > >But it is a two way street. And our governments are net yet ready or >willing to allow that to happen in practice. > >ATSIC strongly supports the concept of community-controlled Aboriginal >health organisations. > >Community controlled Aboriginal medical services are one of the bright >spots in the overall indigenous health picture. > >Independent research has established that they are cost-effective. That this >works. > >It is also popular with Indigenous people. > >Most importantly, they allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to take >control over our own health care. > >Something which is recognised by the World Health Organisation as important >in raising health care standards. > >ATSIC collectively and I personally strongly support Aboriginal Medical >Services, and the extension of community control of health decisions and >resource allocation. > >And we have the strong support of the community firmly behind us on that. > >Here on Palm, we now have a wonderful, modern facility in place, which will >help to make a difference. > >Let's start getting the next part of the equation right as well. > >Let's have a local indigenous board set up and in place, to start delivering >the goods. > >After all Joyce Palmer was delivering the goods at the old grass and timber >hospitals in the 50's and 60's. > >Nearly 50 years on surely its time for the new Joyce Palmers to be making >some of those decisions. > >Thankyou > >Craig Sproule >A/g Administration Manager >Office of Public Affairs - ATSIC >Ph: 02 6121 4952 >Fax: 02 6282 2854 >E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > ------------------------------------------------------ RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." 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