A/HRC/15/37/Add.4 developed for the Government to lease indigenous lands to build housing and for other purposes, discussed in paragraphs 41–44. V. Indigenous disadvantage and Government response A. The Closing the Gap campaign 32. As noted, secure rights to lands and resources are crucial to the cultural survival of indigenous peoples of Australia and their ability to develop economically and reduce the disadvantages they face as a result of a history of racial discrimination against them. Apart from addressing claims over lands and resources, the Government has taken significant steps aimed at addressing these disadvantages and improving the socio-economic conditions of indigenous peoples, through its “Closing the Gap” campaign. Created in 2008 through an agreement of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), the Closing the Gap campaign provides a broad policy framework based on inter-government collaboration as well as identified targeted outcomes for reducing indigenous disadvantage across seven identified “platforms”: early childhood, schooling, health, economic participation, healthy home, safe communities, and governance and leadership.13 B. Health 33. In its National Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap in Indigenous Health Outcomes of 2008, COAG affirmed that “indigenous Australians experience the worst health of any one identifiable cultural group in Australia” (p. 4) and identified an alarming 17-year gap in indigenous life expectancy in comparison to non-indigenous sectors of Australian society. The Closing the Gap campaign aims to eliminate the disparity in life expectancy between indigenous and non-indigenous persons within a generation and halve the gap in mortality rates for indigenous children under 5 within a decade. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the commitment by the Government to establishing clear goals to overcome long-term and extreme indigenous disadvantage in health. 34. However, a lack of adequate cultural adaptation in the delivery of health services continues to represent a barrier to the effective enjoyment of the right to health for indigenous peoples. There is a reported dearth of indigenous physicians, nurses and other health-care workers such as drug and alcohol rehabilitation workers, sex offender counsellors and psychologists, as well as a continuing need to strengthen indigenous control over the design and delivery of health services. While there are several successful healthcare programmes by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, in particular those provided by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (“NACCHO”), further efforts are needed to provide culturally appropriate health services (see paras. 62–65). Increasing support for such successful existing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-controlled programmes, and ensuring that new programmes do not duplicate or undermine these existing ones, are important steps towards this end. 13 10 Australia, Closing the Gap on Indigenous Disadvantage: The challenge for Australia (Minister of Families, Housing, Community Services, and Indigenous Affairs, 2009). GE.10-13887