Aboriginal health and the Australian Constitution: how do we fix them both?

The monumental legal act of recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian Constitution will instil a real sense of pride and dignity for our First Peoples and be one of the solutions to closing the life expectancy gap, according to Chris Lawrence from The George Institute for Global Health and University of Sydney, in his article in the latest Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

Mr Lawrence, who is from the Noongar people and originally from Perth, says in the paper: "If we change the Constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and include a preamble that describes our important place in Australia, it will start to deliver and address a wide range of human and Indigenous rights issues.

"Health education and funding resources are essential, but recognising one's own value and worth in the framework of this country as a first-class citizen is vital to taking personal responsibility and addressing one's own health needs."

Aboriginal health and the Australian Constitution: how do we fix them both? by Chris Lawrence was published in the 2013 Vol.37 No.2 Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health on 3 April 2013.

Click here for the full article.