ANU academics respond to Close the Gap day »

ANU academics have used the national Close the Gap day on 19 March to comment on what needs to be done to improve Indigenous health and life expectancy. Close the Gap day aims to focus on the ongoing campaign to close the health and life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Dr Janet Hunt - Deputy Director - Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research "The gaps won't close while Indigenous people have no real say in determining the policies. The biggest gap we have to address is in the Government's willingness to engage with Indigenous peoples' own representative organisations and community leaders, and work with their solutions. There are many positive ideas out there but they struggle to get consistent support." Dr Bill Fogarty - Research Fellow - National Centre for Indigenous Studies "The framing of the gap must not just position Indigenous people by what they lack in relation to the non-Indigenous population. It must be more nuanced than just deficit and allow for notions of difference." Samia Goudie - Senior Lecturer in Indigenous Health - ANU Medical School "The focus needs to shift back again to what is central for real change to occur across all the areas identified within the initial report and subsequent follow up. However, we have made some improvements.