Appendix A: Background to the development of the Health Plan
Development of the 2013–2023 Health and Implementation Plans
The 2021–2031 Health Plan replaced the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013–2023 (Department of Health 2013). To support the Health Plan 2013-2023, in 2015 the Australian Government released the Implementation Plan for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013–2023 (Department of Health 2015). The 2013–2023 Implementation Plan outlined the actions to be taken by the Australian Government, the Aboriginal community controlled health sector, and other key stakeholders, to give effect to the vision, principles, priorities, and strategies of the Health Plan.
The 2013–2023 Implementation Plan included 20 goals for monitoring progress in achieving the Health Plan’s priorities. These goals, designed to complement the former COAG Closing the Gap targets, focused on prevention and early intervention across the life course (e.g. antenatal care, immunisation, health checks, tobacco smoking, and management of chronic disease). The AIHW tracked progress against these 20 goals from 2017 to 2021 (AIHW 2021).
Some other indicators were proposed for inclusion in the 2013–2023 Implementation Plan, but were either not measurable using existing data, or would have required further refinement or investigation. The 2013–2023 Implementation Plan included a commitment to future revisions, with the inclusion of more content on cultural determinants and social determinants. Consultations were held in 2017 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and leaders, government, and the non-government and private sectors to shape the next Implementation Plan. This resulted in the report My Life My Lead - Opportunities for strengthening approaches to the social determinants and cultural determinants of Indigenous health (Department of Health and Aged Care 2018).
Development of the 2021–2031 Health Plan
A decision was made to revise the 2012–2023 Health Plan to align with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap by addressing its priority reforms:
- Priority Reform 1 – Formal partnerships and shared decision-making
- Priority Reform 2 – Building the community controlled sector
- Priority Reform 3 – Transforming government organisations
- Priority Reform 4 – Shared access to data and information at a regional level
and to drive progress on the 3 health targets of the National Agreement:
- Close the gap in life expectancy within a generation by 2031
- Increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies with a healthy birthweight to 91% by 2031
- Achieve a significant and sustained reduction in suicide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people towards zero.
References
Department of Health (2013) National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013–2023, Department of Health, Australian Government, accessed 16 October 2024.
Department of Health (2015) Implementation Plan for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013–2023, Department of Health, Australian Government, accessed 16 October 2024.
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2021) Tracking progress against the Implementation Plan goals for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013–2023, AIHW, accessed 16 October 2024.
Department of Health (2018) My Life My Lead - Opportunities for strengthening approaches to the social determinants and cultural determinants of Indigenous health: Report on the national consultations December 2017 (2018).