Packs to give indigenous infants a good start
21.07.2008

EVERY child born in a Queensland indigenous community would receive food, clothing and basic pharmaceuticals -- either free or at token cost -- until the age of four under a scheme beingconsidered by the state Government.
The proposal of ``baby packs'' -- made available to new mothers at regular intervals -- is contained in an extensive reform document prepared by two doctors who work among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in north Queensland.
The document proposes solutions to the health problems of indigenous infants as part of a plan to end childhood malnutrition and neglect.
The doctors argue that by ensuring children have the best start in life they have a reasonable chance of coping with education and the challenges they will face in adulthood.
Written by pediatric surgeon Richard Heazlewood and general practitioner Lara Wieland, it has been presented to the Senate inquiry into indigenous communities, with copies sent to Kevin Rudd and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh.
Late on Friday, Ms Bligh met Dr Heazlewood and Dr Wieland to discuss their paper. She was shown a video presentation compiled by Dr Heazlewood and drawn on his more than two decades of experience working in northern communities.
The images of distressed young mothers and children suffering the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome, violence and physical neglect so affected Ms Bligh that she said yesterday she would insist that Dr Heazlewood give the presentation to cabinet and to senior Health Department officials.
``As well, I asked Dr Heazlewood if he would ring or meet with me every month and report on progress of the initiatives we will be introducing,'' she said.
``If a person like Richard with his experience on the ground is not convinced that progress is being made, I will take the appropriate action. He pointed out the cost of baby milk formula in community stores (is) $10 to $15 more than it is in Cairns and how unfair that is on women on a supporting mother's benefit.
``What we have to work out is whether these baby packs should be provided at a cost of say $5 or whether they should be free, what they should contain, and how regularly they are provided.
``The key will be that they are available at the clinic when mothers bring their children in to be health-checked.
``The cost is a drop in the bucket for the positive outcomes that will be achieved through having healthy young children.''
A recent medical conference in Cairns was told the average cost of rearing a child in a Cape Yorkcommunity was about $100a week. About 350 babies were born in Cape York and Torres Strait communities in the past year.
``The baby bonus has been extremely damaging for dysfunctional Cape York communities in anecdotally increasing the number of teenage pregnancies, increasing substance abuse in young parents and increasing domestic violence with some men assaulting their partners to force them into going off contraception or handing over their baby bonus,'' the doctors' paper states.
``One option is that rather than lump sums of cash, the baby bonus could provide for baskets of baby goodies for different stages thatconsist of things like nappies, blankets, bottles, formula where not breastfeeding, vouchers for baby-related items, wipes, soap etc.
``These packs could be provided as a condition of attending for various milestone checkups with the child health nurse and healthcare worker.
``Related models in Latin America -- called conditional cash transfers -- have shown increase in growth, cognitive developmental language, literacy, school achievement and even maternal outcomes for families who received cash or goods conditional on attending regular child health checkups with advice.''
The doctors' document -- ``Addressing Indigenous Disadvantage in Cape York: Fight for Life'' -- sets out that the issues to be urgently addressed are: child abuse and neglect; domestic violence; alcohol and drug abuse; poor nutrition; poor school attendance and housing.
It says children suffer diseases of social disadvantage that are rarely seen in mainstream Australia including: malnutrition; anaemia in childhood; chronic ear disease and resultant deafness; fetal alcohol syndrome; kidney disease from skin sores and scabies; and rheumatic fever.
``So much of the damage done and that is being done is intergenerational and potentially permanent, and we are faced with a time in history where we believe we have one last opportunity to provide the platforms needed to give Cape York people the choices they are entitled to as human beings,'' the document states.
The doctors say that each community should have an early childhood/community centre as the hub for health education andgeneral primary health careas well as other community activities.
They also propose that in many communities there should be a total alcohol ban -- at least in the short term -- and the relationship between council revenue and canteens selling alcohol should be broken.
As well, there was a need to rebuild social, cultural, spiritual and legal intolerance of alcohol, drugs and gambling.
The doctors suggest that adopting the UN convention on the rights of the child in state and commonwealth law would address many of the issues around child protection and health in indigenous communities.
Read the report at www.theaustralian.com.au