Environmental Health Needs of Aboriginal Communities in Western Australia - 1
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Environmental Health Needs Environmental Health Needs of Aboriginal Communities of Aboriginal Communities in Western Australia in Western Australia THE 2008 SURVEY AND ITS FINDINGS THE 2008 SURVEY AND ITS FINDINGS The colours of the Aboriginal flag flow through three pairs of circulating arrows. This indicates Regional, State and National levels of Government sharing information, improving coordination, and working together with Aboriginal people to achieve improvements in environmental health conditions in Aboriginal communities Environmental Health Needs Coordinating Committee Contributing members: Department of Health Department of Indigenous Affairs Department of Housing Department of Local Government Western Australian Local Government Association Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing Australian Government Department of Family, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs © Artwork Norma McDonald 2005 Electronic copies available at: http://www.public.health.wa.gov.au/2/121/1/reports.pm http://www.dia.wa.gov.au/Publications Table of contents Page no. Foreword ..............................................................................1 Acknowledgements.............................................................2 1. Executive Summary ......................................................4 1.1. Overview.................................................................................... 4 1.2. Changes in Aboriginal Communities since 1997....................... 5 1.3. Environmental Health Needs Core Indicators ........................... 7 1.4. Community Needs and Services ............................................... 9 2. The 2008 Environmental Health Needs Survey ........11 2.1. Introduction.............................................................................. 11 2.2. Background ............................................................................. 11 2.3. Methodology and Survey Instrument....................................... 14 2.4. Definitions and Limitations ...................................................... 15 2.5. Population and Languages...................................................... 19 3. Core Indicators of Environmental Health Needs ......24 3.1. Water ....................................................................................... 24 3.2. Electricity ................................................................................. 39 3.3. Housing.................................................................................... 47 3.4. Solid Waste Disposal............................................................... 53 3.5. Sanitation/Sewerage ............................................................... 62 3.6. Dust ......................................................................................... 72 3.7. Dog Programs ......................................................................... 79 3.8. Emergency Management ........................................................ 83 4. Environmental Health Needs by Region Group........90 4.1. Wyndham-East Kimberley....................................................... 90 4.2. Halls Creek Region................................................................ 101 4.3. Derby - West Kimberley Region ............................................ 115 4.4. Broome Region...................................................................... 129 4.5. West Pilbara Region.............................................................. 144 4.6. East Pilbara Region............................................................... 157 4.7. Ngaanyatjarraku Region........................................................ 171 4.8. Goldfields-Esperance Region................................................ 183 4.9. West Coast Region................................................................ 195 5. Community Needs and Services..............................205 5.1. Health Issues......................................................................... 205 5.2. Community Needs and Planning........................................... 215 5.3. Provision of Community Services.......................................... 218 6. Trends between the 1997, 2004 and 2008 Environmental Health Needs Surveys.....................239 6.1. Trend Data Overview............................................................. 239 6.2. Water ..................................................................................... 242 6.3. Electricity ............................................................................... 245 6.4. Housing.................................................................................. 248 6.5. Solid Waste Disposal............................................................. 251 6.6. Sanitation/Sewerage ............................................................. 254 6.7. Dust ....................................................................................... 257 6.8. Dog Program ......................................................................... 260 6.9. Emergency Management ...................................................... 261 APPENDIX 1: Calculation of core indicator priorities APPENDIX 2: Participating communities and alternative names APPENDIX 3: Communities with essential services managed by RAESP Foreword The conditions in which many Aboriginal people live are issues with which the governments of Western Australia and Australia have grappled over many years. The availability of adequate and functional housing, access to safe drinking water and nutritious food, a consistent electricity supply and an organised waste disposal system are basic elements that preserve and protect life. For most of the mainstream Australian population, these are taken for granted. This is not the case in many regional and remote Aboriginal communities, where the resultant poor living conditions contribute to the higher prevalence of disease, injury and premature death. The Environmental Health Needs Survey, conducted over 2007 and 2008, is the third in a series surveying housing, services, utilities, community infrastructure and the immediate living environment in discrete Aboriginal communities in Western Australia. This report presents the findings of this survey, as well as comparison with the findings of the 1997 and 2004 reports. It provides an evidence base demonstrating the continued existence of substandard living conditions in many of these communities. I am pleased to note that there have been a number of significant improvements in environmental health outcomes leading to improved daily lives for many people living in Aboriginal communities. Notwithstanding these gains, however, more work and coordinated effort is required. The survey was coordinated by the Environmental Health Needs Coordinating Committee and conducted by environmental health practitioners who work with, and in, discrete Aboriginal communities. Each of the participating communities was visited by environmental health practitioners in order to survey the infrastructure and collect information from community members. This information included levels of community satisfaction and concern with the provision of essential, municipal and allied services influencing and affecting environmental health. Since the collection of the data in this report, there has been a more concerted and collaborative effort across government in addressing the determinants of Aboriginal health disparity. Western Australia is committed to the Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) agenda of Closing the Gap on Indigenous Disadvantage. This report can inform the collective of government agencies responsible for service provision in their efforts to improve the challenging environmental health conditions typically found in discrete Aboriginal communities. I congratulate and thank those who participated in the data collection and analysis, coordination of community participation, and preparation of this report for publication. Dr Kim Hames MLA Deputy Premier Minister for Health and Indigenous Affairs ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA - 1 - Acknowledgements Member agencies of the Environmental Health Needs Coordinating Committee (EHNCC) wish to thank all of the Aboriginal communities who participated in this survey for sharing their time and knowledge. Similarly, gratitude is expressed to the Environmental Health Officers (EHOs), Field Support Officers (FSOs), Aboriginal Environmental Health Workers (AEHWs) and others listed below for their efforts in administering the survey instruments in these communities. Owen Ashby (Manager Aboriginal Environmental Health) - Department of Health Paul Mitchell (AEHW) - Bundiyarra Aboriginal Corporation Paul Todd (EHO) - City of Canning Kenan Bender (EHO) and Troy McKrill (FSO) - City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Clayton Bell (FSO) & Paul Binbusu (AEHW) - Kimberley Population Health Patrick Tittums (AEHW) - Mid West Population Health Unit, Department of Health Apisalome Waqa (AEHW) & Michael Jones (AEHW) - Ngaanganawilli Aboriginal Medical Service Allan O'Shaughnessy (FSO) - Ngaanyatjarra Health Service Chicky Clements (FSO), Geoff Wright, Ken Lowth & John Perry - Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation Paul Brown and Robert Mullane - Office of Aboriginal Health, Department of Health Sarah Curnow (Environmental Officer) - Pilbara Population Health Unit Stephen Goodridge (EHO) - Shire of Ashburton Mort Wignall (EHO) - Shire of Carnarvon Ken O’Donnell (FSO), Gordon Pickering (FSO) & Warren Fryer