The Commonwealth government handed down its 2024-2025 Budget on 14 May. How did First Nations health fare in this year’s budget announcements? Sector Leader investigates.

Communicable disease control in Indigenous communities, mental health support and suicide prevention were the Albanese Government’s core commitments to First Nations health and wellbeing in the 2024-2025 Federal Budget.

But QAIHC Chairman Matthew Cooke said the Budget was a bitter disappointment, as it did not do more for the health and wellbeing of Indigenous people and did not respond to the Australian Productivity Commission’s critical review of the progress of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

“This budget is a missed opportunity following the failed referendum and the continued underperformance of Closing the Gap measures,” QAIHC Chairman Matthew Cooke said.

The centrepiece of the Federal Government’s 2024-2025 Budget commitments to First Nations health was $94.9 million in funding over two years to continue and expand national strategies for First Nations vaccination uptake, sexually transmissible infection testing and culturally safe sexual health services, as well as communicable disease molecular point of care testing.

The Australian Government’s Budget also announced funding commitments of $12 million in suicide prevention; $10 million for Aboriginal community controlled health organisations, via NACCHO to deliver targeted and culturally appropriate mental health support; and $11.1 million over five years to expand coverage of the Closing the Gap Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Co-Payment Program to all PBS medicines.

“The Budget should have provided a watershed moment for the Albanese Government. With a $9 billion budget surplus, the Government could have made real investments to deliver on the promise to close the gap by 2031, a promise which fades further away each day,” Mr Cooke said.

“The Commonwealth must strengthen partnerships with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled
health organisation (ACCHO) sector to drive better outcomes for our people.

“The government should have made concrete investments to significantly increase funding through the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme and respond to the findings of the recent Productivity Commission review on progress of Closing the Gap.

“We need more regional and local place-based investment. While real investment in social and emotional wellbeing is needed, the government’s approach to investment contributes to the confetti shower of inadequate and piecemeal funding.

“Here in Queensland, it’s time to invest in building and strengthening our ACCHOs, and the structures that empower First Nations communities to provide local, culturally safe, health solutions.”

The main measures in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

  • $12.8 million over four years from 2024–25 to extend the Indigenous Youth Connection to Culture program which supports First Nations youth in 12 communities through place-based activities to reduce suicide rates and improve mental health outcomes.
  • $10 million for ACCHOs via NACCHO to deliver targeted and culturally appropriate mental health support.
  • $11.1 million over five years from 2023-24 to expand coverage of the Closing the Gap Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Co-payment Program to all PBS medicines, broadening access to affordable PBS medicines for First Nations people living with, or at risk of, chronic disease.
  • $94.9 million over two years to support management of communicable disease control in First Nations communities.
    • Measures for communicable diseases, including respiratory illnesses, hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections (STIs) ($28.6 million).
    • Measures for transmissible illnesses and culturally safe sexual health services. ($17.5 million).
    • Measures to boost vaccination rates and protect people — especially children — from the effects of diseases like measles, diphtheria and Hepatitis A with funding for the National Immunisation Program and the ACCHO sector ($32.3 million).
    • New MBS items will include point of care testing for detection of Neisseria gonorrhoea, Chlamydia trachomatis and Trichomonas vaginalis for healthcare services located within remote (MM 6) and very remote (MM 7) communities ($16.5 million).
  • $12.5 million over four years to NACCHO to facilitate community led distribution of menstrual products in regional and remote First Nations communities where menstrual products are expensive and hard for First Nations women and girls to access.
  • $4 million over four years from 2024-2025 to the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association to continue to support for First Nations doctors to become medical specialists.
  • $4.7 million over five years from 2023-2024 for the Northern Territory Medical Program to increase the number of First Nations medical practitioners and address recruitment and retention challenges.
  • The Midwife Professional Indemnity Scheme will be expanded to cover privately practising midwives providing low risk homebirths, including Birthing on Country services for First Nations women.
  • $31.4 million for the management of Torres Strait/PNG cross border health issues, funding to Queensland Department of Health for healthcare and disease prevention in the Torres Strait Islands.