Just a few weeks ago I caught up with my brother's aboriginal school friend. He now works for the local aboriginal health service. We had a long chat during which I asked him why, in an area where everyone has access to the same public hospitals and bulk billing GPs, the health outcomes for aboriginal people are lower than those of the non-aboriginal community. This is despite the fact that aboriginal people have access to additional government services specifically addressing their needs.

His answer was that aboriginal people have a cultural problem, plus lack of trust, that makes them reticent to seek medical help. He tells me that he needs to almost coerce them into seeing a doctor, even for basic checkups.

I don't mean to suggest that poor aboriginal health outcomes are not solely due to cultural problems, especially not in the remote communities, but it is an interesting perspective that should be taken onboard by those who wish us to embark on a guilt trip.

Edit: He told me that he is OK with being called aboriginal or indigenous, but he considers "abo" to be derogatory. I only say this because there was a thread along these lines in the past.