Essay

Indentifying priority health issues
Social Justice
Social justice is about making sure that every Australian, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, has choices about how they live and the means to make those choices.
Social justice is grounded in the practical, dayto day realities of life. It’s about waking up in a house with running water and proper sanitation, offering one’s children an education that helps them develop their potential and respect their culture. It is the prospect of satisfying employment and good health.
Social justice also means recognising the distinctive rights that Indigenous Australians hold as the original peoples of this land, including:
the right to a distinct status and culture, which helps maintain and strengthen the identity and spiritual and cultural practices of Indigenous communities
the right to self-determination, which is a process where Indigenous communities take control of their future and decide how they will address the issues facing them the right to land, which provides the spiritual and cultural basis of Indigenous communities.The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner advocates for the recognition of the rights of Indigenous Australians and seeks to promote respect and understanding of these rights among the broader Australian community.
For Indigenous people to participate in Australian society as equals requires that we be able to live our lives free from assumptions by others about what is best for us. It requires recognition of our values, culture and traditions so that they can coexist with those of mainstream society. It requires respecting our differences and celebrating it within the diversity of the nation.

Prevelance of condition
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have higher prevalence rates of many health conditions than other Australians, particularly circulatory diseases (including heart disease), diabetes, respiratory diseases, kidney disease and eye and ear...