Dear [firstname,fallback=friend],
racism makes me sick campaign
ANTaR launched a new national campaign yesterday calling on Australians to take action against racism and tackle the Indigenous health crisis. The Body Shop will promote the campaign in their stores for the next three weeks as part of their commitment to promoting reconciliation in Australia.
Racism, as a direct influence on health, helps explain in part the Australian Indigenous health crisis. Three out of four Indigenous Australians experience racism in their everyday lives. Heart disease, premature births, hypertension and mental illness can all result from personal experiences of racism.
YOU can do something to help overcome the Indigenous health crisis in Australia: stand up to racist attitudes in workplaces, schools and in your family.
Launch of SeaChange magazine
ANTaR recently launched the first issue of SeaChange, a national quarterly magazine.
Our vision for SeaChange is to create a meeting space for Indigenous and non-Indigenous voices to exchange news, views, arts and issues.
In our Autumn issue, editor Rob O'Brien looks at people's reactions to the apology on February 13. In Your Say readers share their thoughts and feelings from the day. We also pose a focus question and invite you to respond for inclusion in our next edition. We review Andrew Gunstone's book Unfinished Business, and feature the stand against racism taken by Koori Mail columnist Stephen Hagan in his new film, Nigger Lovers.
SeaChange magazine will be available on our website from next week.
Closing the Gap in life expectancy
ANTaR helped organise the Close The Gap summit which was held in Canberra a few weeks ago. More than 100 experts met to develop targets to be used to close the 17-year gap in Indigenous life expectancy by 2030.
At the summit, the Prime Minister announced $19 million over three years for a National Indigenous Health Workforce Training Plan and $14.5 million over four years to tackle high smoking rates in Indigenous communities. This is in addition to the $261 million in new Indigenous health initiatives already promised.
The Prime Minister has since announced he will report to the Parliament on progress in closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians on the first working day of every parliamentary year. ANTaR will monitor the Prime Minister's commitment to make sure this is followed with action.
Close The Gap was launched by ANTaR and a range of other health and human rights organisations in March 2007. A year later, Close The Gap has become one of the key policy priorities of the new federal government.
Find out more about the Close The Gap campaign.
