Professorial Lecture Series: Professor Alex Brown

Overcoming health Inequalities experienced by Aboriginal Australians: Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

Despite significant attention to the inequalities in health and social outcomes experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the stark realities of disadvantage and marginalisation continue to pervade contemporary Australian society. On almost all indicators, Indigenous Australians fare worse than their non-Indigenous counterparts.

This has become one of society’s most enduring divides. Previous policies, investments and approaches have offered glimmers of hope, and not all indicators of disparity are heading in the wrong direction. But progress is painfully slow - almost imperceptible. What will it take to change the course of inequity? What role could science play in reducing the gap experienced by our First Peoples? What role can an institution play in such a grand societal challenge?