Yatdjuligin Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nursing and Midwifery Care

This chapter discusses the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare, from pre-invasion to contemporary healthcare systems. The chapter begins by discussing the social determinants of health and how these contribute to health inequities. It then uses historical journals and evidence from early Australian explorers to consider the health status and health system of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders prior to 1788, demonstrating that Indigenous Australians had health systems in place pre-invasion. The chapter then discusses how Indigenous Australians’ health changed once Australia was established as a convict colony, through the introduction of diseases, dietary changes and the movement of Indigenous Australians into reserves and lock hospitals. The chapter continues to look at Indigenous health along the timeline post-colonisation, and considers the contemporary increase of community controlled health systems in Indigenous communities and the Closing the Gap initiative, which aims to eliminate the differences in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.