The latest closing the gap report card on targets shows the disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people is far from being reduced. Four of the targets are worsening, including the representation of first nations children in out-of-home care and adults in the prison system.
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00:00 Preparing for baby number two.
00:05 I often come in when I don't feel like my day is going okay.
00:11 Gugangi woman Ainsley trusts her Aboriginal run medical centre for her antenatal care.
00:18 Because it's my second pregnancy I'm used to it. The team at Gurune are very supportive.
00:26 First Nations women are more likely to have smaller babies which can lead to health problems later.
00:32 We are sitting above the national 2031 target so that's really good news for Yarraba.
00:37 And you know you put that down to Gurune-Yilamaka Health Service.
00:41 Healthy, strong First Nations babies is a closing the gap target.
00:45 The latest report card shows baby weight is on track, as is legal rights over land and sea.
00:51 But there's been no improvement on life expectancy. Suicide rates, adults in incarceration and kids in out of home care are worsening.
00:59 Overall only five out of 19 targets are on track.
01:03 These are unsettling statistics but it doesn't provide the full picture.
01:08 The collection of data is inconsistent across jurisdictions. A concern for Aboriginal run organisations.
01:14 We need timely data, not waiting for reports to come out.
01:20 We are very aware of the data issue. Decisions have to be based on evidence.
01:26 We are talking about real people, real families, real communities, mothers, fathers, grandparents.
01:34 A reminder of the lives behind the statistics.
01:37 Statistics.
01:37 [BLANK_AUDIO]