Australia's peak Aboriginal health body has slammed the Federal Government's "business as usual" budget for "failing" to address the health gap for First Nations people.
The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation on Wednesday welcomed a renewed four-year agreement for the sector, but warned structural reform must be favoured over singular announcements if the health gap is going to be closed.
Some $43.3 million was promised for the COVID-19 response to protect vulnerable rural, remote and Indigenous communities, but the only new funding specifically for Indigenous health outlined outside of COVID-19 was a $2.1m program and review into sepsis' impact on First Nations people.
While support given to mental health, flood response among other elements was warmly received by NACCHO chief executive Pat Turner, concerns for bigger-picture issues remained.
"I am disappointed that the core funding for our services has remained much the same," Ms Turner said.
"I am also worried that the budget has assumed that ACCHOs' expenditure will contract
significantly after COVID.
"This may be a significant flaw in their modelling."
NACCHO said in a statement the last three big-spending budgets provided the perfect opportunity to for substantial investment, but had failed to act on each occasion.
According to NACCHO-commissioned calculations and government data, the current funding gap is $4.4 billion, or more than $5,000 per Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person.
NACCHO chairwoman Donnella Mills said a review was needed to address the eight-to-nine year difference in life expectancy.
"Dangerous myths prevail that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is over-funded," she said.
"How can we seriously expect as a nation to ever close the health gap if
the funding gap is so large?"
Aboriginal controlled health services provide care to 410,000 clients across 144 member organisations annually, with more than one million individual episodes of care delivered in remote communities.
The organisation said the failure to provide financial stimulus had failed the 550 local economies NACCHO operates in.
Ms Turner said the budget was another lost opportunity.
NACCHO has continually called upon the Government to close the funding gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
