Indigenous health funding under threat

Federal government funding to improve Indigenous breastfeeding outcomes has come under attack from a Liberal party aligned think tank in an Elon Musk-style push to cut what it has called ‘wasteful taxpayer spending’.

The Menzies Research Centre released a report that targeted a number of funded studies it said was of “questionable value”.

One study highlighted was the “Decolonising lactation care to support the initiation and maintenance of breastfeeding among First Nations women”.

The $1m grant was to fund a partnership between the Sax Institute snd two Indigenous community health services to research the wellbeing of mothers and their babies.

The reason? Indigenous breastfeeding rates are way lower than the overall Australian average with only 85 per cent of First Nations infants between 0-3 years breastfed, compared to 96 per cent of all Australian infants.

The National Indigenous Australians Agency has also reported that Indigenous children are likely to be breastfed for much shorter periods.

Breastfeeding has been listed as one factor in reducing the risk of Indigenous mortality.

The report has been linked to the Coalition’s plans to cut what is has termed the government’s “wasteful spending spree.”