Articles

The Hon Warren Snowdon MP

Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services delivery

The Australian Government is committed to a collaborative approach to reducing the harms associated with substance abuse and disadvantaged among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Complementary Action Plan to the National Drug Strategy 2005-09 currently provides a national policy framework which enables communities, non-government organisations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations and all levels of government to pursue strategies that are specifically relevant to boriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Government looks forward to further integrating partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities into the National Drug Strategy when it is renewed in 2010.

The National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee (NIDAC) provides expert advice to all levels of government helping to ensure the continuing relevance of policy and programs to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The Australian Government greatly values the advice and advocacy of NIDAC as we continue our efforts, with our Council of Australian Governments and Indigenous Community Partnerships, to ‘close the gap’ on the health disparity between Indigenous an non-Indigenous Australians.

I would like to commend NIDAC on its commitment to improve health outcomes for Indigenous Australians and look forward to continuing our partnership on this important work.

Yours sincerely

WARREN SNOWDON