April 2007

"It is inconceivable that a country as wealthy as Australia cannot solve a health crisis affecting less than 3% of its population."

- from "Close The Gap: Solutions to the Indigenous Health Crisis facing Australia", April 2007

The NACCHO/Oxfam Australia joint report on the state of indigenous health in this country makes for heartbreaking reading. Just one small extract from the executive summary makes for a depressing introduction:

It must be the first time in these more tsunami-conscious times that the Bureau of Meteorology has issued a tsunami alert for the NSW coast.

An 8.1 earthquake off the Solomons at around 6.40 this morning is known to have caused 15cm waves in the outlying Solomon Islands.

It seems low risk at this time, but links for more information are here:

• NSW alert (BOM)