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Unhealthy Aborigines must help themselves, says Nicola Roxon
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by sweet east pearl | July 10, 2008 at 12:09 am
346 views | 0 Recommendations | 4 comments
Breaking bad habits should be among our top priorities to get the most out of our life. If we do it right, and we are on our way to make significant improvements in our life.
ABORIGINES must recognise the risks of alcohol and smoking and take responsibility for their health, Health Minister Nicola Roxon said in Adelaide today.
The Federal Government is committed to closing the 17-year life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, which will require partnerships and lifting the numbers of Aboriginal people working in health, she said.
"Most old approaches are not working - we need a new beginning," Ms Roxon said today as she released a blueprint for action on pathways to health and workforce for indigenous people.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 10:06 on July 10th, 2008
Not said is how these "old approaches" are what government pushed for past 30 years, whilst obstructing ability to chose alternatives.
Problem is peddled Luddite policies which promote refusal to change with changing environment around us...
Closest thing to new approach in politics and government came with attempt to end the "welfare class" mentality approach so dominated by government and government funded organizations.
Attempts to have these service providers actually service clients using proven conventional wider world accepted terms and conditions Ms Roxon's team busily condemned.
Few substance addicts appreciate at time anyone arguing to limit their access to their abuse substance.
at 23:43 on July 10th, 2008
I couldn't agree more, with Anonymous. ...but it would be good to know who this 'Anonymous' person is.
Not all of us feel we need to hide our identity on Now Public.
at 19:16 on November 12th, 2008
Nicola Roxon is right of course, but that probably won't stop a whole lot of elitists and Aboriginal 'intellectuals' jumping up and down screaming about racism and discrimination.
Unhealthy Aborigines are by far the majority of Indigenous communities.
How can we expect to close the life gap when parents are still feeding their children chips, lollies and Coca Cola when they're barely one year old? When a kid is smoking by the time they're thirteen, drinking each weekend and taking any drugs they can get their hands on? Their role model=their parents, who did the exact same thing as they are now doing.
It is a vicious cycle and no white person is ever going to change anything. Aborigines are some of the most racism people in our society, and it's near-impossible to permeate the victim-mentality that has protected them from accountability and individual responsibility for so long.
Of course, you're fat because you're Aboriginal and the whites are out to get you. The fact that you eat McDonalds every night or haven't had a piece of fresh fruit for six months would have nothing to do with it.
Of course, the heart disease and chronic diabetes you suffer from is all to do with inadequate care from the government you are so quick to label 'paternalistic' and 'racist'.
Aborigines need to grow up and learn to look at themselves in the mirror, rather than sit around waiting for someone else to pick up the fight for them. Until they do, they will also die younger and be unhealthier than their non-Indigenous counterparts. Nobody has more power than they themselves.
at 20:26 on March 17th, 2009
We all need to be responsible for what we do and how we live.Most of us can cry victim for some reason and have sad happenings in our past lives or the lives of our ancestors.While we need to act with compassion we also do no good with paternalistic policies and continually agreeing to play the role of victimiser.Part of the problem is that anyone who puts forward frank and unpalatable views is labelled a racist in this PC world.