This study estimates fatal and nonfatal disease burden among Indigenous Australians in 2011 and compares it with non-Indigenous Australians. Most of the disease burden was from chronic diseases (64%), particularly mental and substance-use disorders, injuries, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and respiratory diseases.

It is well known that the health of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is considerably poorer than that of their non-Indigenous counterparts. Strategies, policies, programs and funding over many years have been targeted toward improving the health of Indigenous Australians and closing the gap in health status between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. In...

If the National Disability Insurance Scheme is to be an effective policy for Indigenous Australians, it needs to take into account their particular needs and aspirations. Overview The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is one of the major policy innovations of the early 21st century in Australia, representing a new way of delivering services to...

This paper provides policy makers with key findings about what works to overcome Indigenous disadvantage and assesses the gaps in the evidence. What works: • Community involvement and engagement. For example, key success factors in Indigenous community-based alcohol and substance-abuse programs were strong leadership, strong community– member engagement, appropriate infrastructure and use of a paid...