More than 200,000 Australians of all ages and backgrounds support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality on National Close the Gap Day.
National Close the Gap Day is working towards equal access to healthcare.  Access to healthcare is a basic human right, and in Australia, we expect it. So what if we told you that you can expect to live almost 20 years less than your next-door neighbour? You wouldn’t accept it. No-one should.
But in reality, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People can expect to live up to 10—17 years less than non-Indigenous Australians.  Babies born to Aboriginal mothers die at twice the rate of other Australian babies and they experience higher rates of preventable illness such as heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes.  It’s a health crisis you’d associate with an impoverished nation, but it’s happening right here in our own backyard.
Working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is one of the critical success factors of National Close the Gap Day. With continued support from the public, we can ensure the Australian Government continues to work with Indigenous communities, recommit additional funding and invest in real partnerships.
The Close the Gap coalition is calling on governments to take action to achieve Indigenous health equality within 25 years by:-

• Increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders' access to health services
• Promoting real and meaningful partnerships between Indigenous people and organisations, and the government. Partnership agreements should give people influence at all stages of the decision-making process and must be adequately resourced.
• Addressing critical social issues such as poor housing, nutrition, employment and education
• Building Indigenous control and participation in the delivery of health and other services
• Getting governments at state and national level to work in partnership with Indigenous communities and Indigenous health organisations and expert to develop and monitor a plan to tackle the Indigenous health crisis

Together we are changing this picture.