Everybody’s Business – Remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Community Stores
Everybody’s Business – Remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Community Stores Report
- Author(s): House of Representatives Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Committee
- Published: 2009
Abstract: Across Australia there are approximately 1 112 discrete remote or very remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Of these, 947 communities have a population of less than 100. At the time of the 2006 census, there were around 175 stores operating in remote Indigenous communities in Australia. Often a community store is the primary source of food and other goods. Food is transported across great distances and in extreme temperatures which adds to the complexity and cost of delivery, in particular for perishable foods. Over the last few decades lifestyle conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, have become more prevalent in remote Indigenous communities. In addition Indigenous children up to the age of four are 30 times more likely to suffer from nutritional anaemia or malnutrition than non-Indigenous children. The local store has the potential to play a pivotal role in improving the social, economic and health outcomes of remote Indigenous communities. While community stores represent an opportunity to lead change and there are positive examples of stores that provide a wealth of services, training and health benefits, these successes are scattered. Given the importance of the local community store, more can and must be done to ensure these stores meet the needs of the communities they serve. It is the Government’s role to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people along with non-Indigenous Australians living in remote areas of Australia have access to a secure food supply and services that are adequate to support their health and well-being.
- Urls: http://www.aph.gov.au/binaries/house/committee/atsia/communitystores/report/everybody%27s%20business%20report.pdf Available from, http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Committees_Exposed/atsia/~/link.aspx?_id=85B6997169FB4021B8E3ED03598E45CB&_z=z Download site
- Publisher Location: Canberra