In the early days of Covid-19, Indigenous leaders used their voice and averted a catastrophe | Fiona Stanley and Marcia Langton
Despite underfunded services, early Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership saved hundreds of lives – this is what is possible when we are listened to
Consultation is not a new concept. Neither is the wisdom and insight that comes from listening. Lived experience counts. Most people would agree. Yet when it comes to a simple request from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have a voice, suddenly these things are open to debate.
“Show us the evidence,” critics say. “Will it do anything to close our nation’s disgraceful gap in outcomes?”
Prof Fiona Stanley AC is a patron and founding director of the Telethon Kids Institute
Prof Marcia Langton is a Redmond Barry distinguished professor at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne
Read the original article at The Guardian