Sustainable development goals (SDGs): The role of social work in remote Indigenous communities in Australia

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a common vision for peace and prosperity for all human beings and the planet. It consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which call for global partnership by all developed and developing countries (United Nations [UN], 2023). Social work can lead the implementation of interventions in remote Indigenous communities in Australia where historical injustices and imbalances persist. Rural poverty is misperceived while 'rural 'peripheries' are isolated and neglected' (Chambers, 2013, p. 2). The article addresses such issues as poverty and inequality, health and wellbeing, education and employment, and proffers actions that can be taken by social workers to advance the SDGs agenda, even beyond 2030. This treatise is based on field observations and existing literature and challenges social work education to pay more attention to conditions in remote communities.

Poverty and inequality

Australia is one of the world's richest nation-states but is also a country in which thousands of Indigenous Australians are trapped in absolute poverty. Altman 2007 noted the 'many similarities in the development problems' (p. 1) facing poor Indigenous Australians and those in developing nations. Poverty is reportedly higher among Australians living in remote areas. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lower incomes and net household worth compared to their urban counterparts; they are also at a heightened risk of poverty. For instance, the National Rural Health Alliance (2017) found that 65 per cent of Indigenous peoples in remote areas were disproportionately affected by poverty. A 2018 study had similar findings (Davidson, Bradbury, & Wong, 2020). Median household incomes were also strictly lowest in remote areas, where the cost of energy, food, and petrol were also reportedly higher than in metropolitan areas (National Rural Health Alliance, 2017). In line with SDGs 1 and 10 which aim at eradicating poverty in its various forms and reducing inequality within and among countries, respectively, social workers need to advocate vigorously for pro-poor growth strategies or the livelihoods approach as the free market or sale of labour and operation of commercial business has been notoriously unsuccessful in eradicating poverty in remote Indigenous communities (Altman, 2007). Poverty and inequality affect health and wellbeing to which I now turn.

Health and wellbeing

Indigenous Australians in remote communities have worse health than people living in cities, poorer access to health services, and higher rates of risky behaviours, including smoking (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2014). In some parts of the Northern Territory, for example, the author has become morbidly aware of the most severe of skin infections, including scabies, impetigo, and the risk of rheumatic heart disease that Aboriginal children are confronted with. Strikingly similar findings were reported in Canada where Indigenous Canadians experienced higher mortality and poorer health than non-Indigenous peoples and received discriminatory, insensitive, and poor-quality care at higher rates compared to non-Indigenous Canadians (The Lancet, 2021). To meet SDG 3 which focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing for people of all ages (UN, 2023), social workers can promote access to holistic, culturally safe, and appropriate healthcare services by remote Indigenous Australians. They can take leadership positions in community-based, Aboriginal-controlled health organisations where they will work towards tackling the social determinants of health, including discrimination, social exclusion, and poverty. Social workers might also address barriers to education and employment as discussed below.

Access to education and employment opportunities

Education is one of the most fundamental instruments required to reduce poverty and inequality, due to the significant contributions it makes towards sustainable economic development (Young & Guenther, 2008). Education is integral to the sociocultural, physical, and economic wellbeing of all peoples, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (Griffiths, 2011). Aboriginal peoples were confronted with serious disadvantages across individual indicators of social and economic wellbeing and across all sectors of education, when compared with non-Aboriginal Australians (Young & Guenther, 2008). Despite Indigenous students making up most of the student populations in remote communities, their schools were rarely considered and funded in the same manner that the so-called mainstream schools were. Resultantly, students in these remote school communities often experienced serious educational disadvantages. Their numeracy and literacy skills were reportedly lower than those of other Australian students, and their employment outcomes were also inherently negative (NT Independent, 2022). Poor quality education is largely blamed for dropouts in primary and secondary school years. Aboriginal peoples' pass rates and qualification outcomes were reportedly below those of non-Aboriginal Australians (Young & Guenther, 2008). To address this, social work approaches need to advocate for inclusive, accessible, and equitable quality education and encourage learning opportunities and skills development for all, consistent with SDG 4. Social workers can innovatively address learning barriers and actively support children's education in remote communities by working to improve such initiatives as the remote school attendance strategy (National Indigenous Australians Agency, 2023). Some learning barriers might, ipso facto, be related to housing conditions and infrastructure which are addressed in the subsequent section.

Housing conditions and infrastructure

Several communities in the Northern Territory, for instance, are in extremely remote locations where access to goods and support services is limited. In Tennant Creek, for example, Indigenous Australians live in tin sheds, without any access to power and water and where conditions become especially unbearable in winter and summer (Bardon, 2022). Residents living in tin sheds often rely on the generosity of their neighbours who allow them to use their bathrooms and showers when convenient to do so. With a long public housing list in these remote communities, it takes several years for Indigenous Australians to access suitable housing (Bardon, 2022, Jonscher & Breen, 2020). Where Indigenous peoples have access to housing, such as places like Gunbalanya, there have been reports of residents paying excessive rental payments despite the housing being dilapidated, unsafe, and uninhabitable; and many also complain about unlawful racial discrimination (NT Independent, 2022).

Despite the notable achievements Australia has made in absolute and per capita terms, Indigenous Australians are confronted with illiteracy, disease, foetid dwellings, and low life expectancy, all of which are beneath any form of human decency. Reducing inequality within Australia (SDG 10) remains urgent. Social workers must, now and beyond 2030, advocate for increased investments and promote private and public partnerships in remote communities so that human settlements like Tennant Creek become truly safe, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, in line with SDG 11. Further, social workers need to be leaders in advocating for access to justice and development of accountable, effective, and inclusive institutions at all levels of society (SDG 16). By so doing, social workers will also have to pay particular attention to issues of gender and women empowerment which are tackled below.

Gender equality and empowerment of women and girls

SDG 5 aims at realising gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls. Social workers are well-positioned to take a leading role in this sector. This is particularly true in remote Indigenous communities in Australia where domestic and family violence rates are reportedly higher (Keel, 2004). Several factors account for higher domestic and family violence rates in remote communities: including geographic remoteness, culture, lack of financial and human resources, and low reporting rates. A study by Campo and Tayton (2015) found that domestic and family violence was largely shunned in remote communities as family problems were not discussed publicly. As a result, women were silenced and deterred from disclosing their experiences of violence and abuse. Further, the study found that women were also prevented from seeking help and succour as they feared community gossip and lack of perpetrator accountability. The experiences of women in these communities were further exacerbated by limited transport options and lack of income when women sought help and support. As a human rights and social justice profession, social work can ensure the realisation of gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls by promoting their access to education and economic opportunities such as employment. Social workers can also tackle gender-based violence and discrimination and harmful cultural practices, all of which keep women and girls in a subordinate position to their male counterparts. In the next and final section of this paper, the author addresses the issue of environmental sustainability which has far wider application and implications for Australia as a whole.

Environmental sustainability

As noted above, social work also has an important role to play not only in realising SDGs 14 and 15, but also being a leader in this field. Sustainable development is intricately linked to conservation and responsible use of seas, oceans, and marine resources, in accordance with SDG 14. Thus, the need to protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, forest management, combating desertification, and halting and reversing land degradation, as outlined in SDG 15, are roles that social workers should begin taking seriously. As Gray (2020) observed, sustainable development needs to be environmentally friendly and move from its narrow focus on growth and production and include matters of social and ecological justice. For Gray (2020), therefore, sustainable development only makes sense to the extent that it is inherently connected to environmental sustainability, with a clear focus on human and economic development outcomes. Environmental sustainability needs to plug the gap between ecology and economics. Beyond 2030, social workers will still advocate for sustainable production and consumption practices, promote the use of renewable energy, and address environmental issues such as desertification and land degradation.

Conclusion

Social workers have a stupendous role to play now and beyond 2030 in protecting the most vulnerable of people living in remote Indigenous communities in Australia. They have the opportunity and time to work with individuals, families, groups, communities, government, and nongovernment agencies to address such injustices as poverty and inequality, poor access to quality education and livelihood opportunities, and healthcare services by Indigenous Australians in remote communities. Social workers can also advocate for culturally safe, sensitive, and appropriate policies and programs that promote economic empowerment and social protection of vulnerable groups, especially women, children, and people with disabilities. Social work education is also expected to be typically immersed in conditions affecting remote communities. As Abraham Maslow observed, '[w]e already have a start, we already have capacities, talents, directions, missions, [and] callings' (Maslow, 1965, p. 118).

References

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