One of the nation’s most esteemed emergency physicians, Stephen Gourley, is backing the Voice to Parliament, saying it is a vital step towards meaningful reconciliation and improving the health outcomes of Indigenous Australians.
Key points:
- Emergency physician Dr Stephen Gourley is urging Indigenous people to support the Voice to Parliament
- He says the Voice is a vital step towards meaningful reconciliation that will improve lives
- Dr Gourley encourages people to educate themselves in what the Voice means
Alice Springs-based Dr Gourley, president elect of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, described the Voice to Parliament as “a once in a lifetime opportunity to take another step down the road to reconciliation, which we desperately need as a country”.
“How can we continue to make decisions about the health and welfare of Indigenous people without their strong voice in the room,” he said.
“I think we have already proven that we have not done this well, so far.”
Dr Gourley published his views in an article, The Voice is an important part of reconciliation for Australia, on ACEM’s yourED online newsletter.
He said Central Australia was the epicentre of where the gap in life expectancy for Indigenous Australians could be seen.
“What you see here is … it strikes you right in the face … what the gap actually means,” he said.
“For example, we don’t see a lot of geriatric patients.
“And the reason for that, sadly, is that people don’t live long enough to become geriatric.”
Archaic illnesses
Dr Gourley said he had seen many avoidable diseases during the 16 years he had worked as an emergency doctor in the region, and most of the 42,000 people who presented to the Alice Springs Hospital each year identified as Indigenous.
“We see the diseases of poverty and overcrowding, such as bronchiectasis, trachoma, rheumatic heart disease and end-stage renal failure in people in their thirties – not in their sixties like you see on the east coast,” he said.
“Much of this is avoidable. It is primarily due to the complications of chronic skin infections in childhood, as well as crowded living conditions and poor access to showers and laundry, with scabies and lice endemic.”
Speaking to the ABC on Friday, Dr Gourley said many of the diseases were not seen in Australia’s modern cities.
“These are all the diseases of poverty. So if you look at the 1800s, in England, they are common in London, for example,” he said.
“But as your general healthcare improves, your general sort of living standards improve, and you’re no longer in crowded, cramped living conditions and those diseases disappear.
“The really sad thing is, we’re still seeing it as a common thing in Central Australia and a lot of other Indigenous communities throughout Australia.”
If not now, when?
He said that the Voice to Parliament was one of the many steps needed towards meaningful reconciliation that would improve Indigenous people’s lives for the better.
“I acknowledge that the Voice isn’t supported by everybody, including [some] Indigenous Australians.
“However, my thoughts on that [are], ‘If not, now, when?’
“This is such an important opportunity, and it’s just too big an opportunity to miss.”
Dr Gourley said the Voice to Parliament wasn’t a panacea and that it would not directly fix health outcomes in the short term.
“But the bigger picture view is that we need to really make some positive moves in reconciliation,” he said.
He said he believed a number of failed policies may have contributed to a sense of cynicism among some Indigenous Australians towards the referendum.
“I can completely understand if people are feeling that this isn’t a genuine attempt, and would walk away and disengage from the process,” he said.
“But I don’t think that’s necessarily a reason to vote no.”
Dr Gourley encouraged people to research the Voice to Parliament ahead of polling day tomorrow.
“Google it, there’s a lot of resources out there,” he said.
“Read — make sure you are educated and make an informed decision of your vote.”
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