Closing the indigenous health gap.

On 24 March 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the leader of the Federal Opposition, and health sector leaders signed a pledge to close the indigenous health gap by 2030 and the equity gap in health service provision by 2018. This is a big challenge - Indigenous Australians have a life expectancy 17 years less than non-Indigenous Australians and a burden of disease 2.5 times higher.