Aboriginal health

National statement of intent

The National statement of intent is a national commitment between the Government of Australia and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia. The National statement of intent received support from non-Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and non-Indigenous health organisations. It outlines the commitment across Australia to close the gap in life expectancy.

The National statement of intent stipulates that Australian governments and Indigenous peoples will ‘work together to achieve equality in health status and life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians by the year 2030’.

The National statement of intent was signed on 20 March 2008 following the National Apology to the Stolen Generations and the National Indigenous Health Equality Summit (March 2008) where the Close the Gap Indigenous health equality targets were presented.

The signatories to the National statement of intent are:

• representatives of the Australian Government
• National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
• Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses
• Australian Indigenous Doctors Association
• Indigenous Dentists Association of Australia
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.