Year 9 Science · Unit 1 · Lesson 16

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

Foundation Worksheet

Name

Date

Class

Learning Goals

Describe traditional Aboriginal healing practices and their scientific basis.
Explain the historical health impacts of European settlement on Aboriginal peoples.
Identify the key features of the Closing the Gap strategy.

Warm Up

True or False? Fix the false ones

Circle T or F for each statement. If the statement is false, rewrite it correctly on the line below.

Aboriginal Australians had no medicine or healing practices before European contact.

Correct it:

Epidemic diseases affected Aboriginal communities more severely than European settlers because of genetic differences between the two groups.

Correct it:

Closing the Gap is an Australian government strategy aimed at reducing health, education, and employment disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Correct it:

Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) are clinics owned and run by government departments to serve remote communities.

Correct it:

Tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) has scientifically proven antiseptic properties and was used by Aboriginal Australians long before European arrival.

Correct it:

Your Turn

Match each term to its description

Draw a line connecting each term on the left to its correct description on the right. Or write the matching letter next to each term.

Term	Your answer	Description
Emu bush (Eremophila longifolia)		A. A government initiative with 17 targets to reduce inequality in health, education, and employment for Indigenous Australians.
Social determinants of health		B. A skin condition treatment derived from the kangaroo apple plant (Solanum laciniatum), used in traditional Aboriginal medicine.
Smoking ceremony		C. An Aboriginal plant medicine shown by modern science to have antibacterial properties.
Closing the Gap		D. Social and economic conditions, including housing, education, and income, that shape a person's health outcomes.
Cultural safety		E. A traditional Aboriginal practice using burning plants that has antibacterial effects from the smoke.
Bush medicine for skin conditions		F. Healthcare that respects and incorporates a patient's cultural identity, beliefs, and practices.

Show What You Know

1. The 1789 smallpox epidemic killed more than 50% of Aboriginal people living along the coast near Sydney. Explain why Aboriginal people were so much more severely affected than European settlers.

Recall 2 marks

2. Name TWO social determinants of health that contribute to the life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and non-Indigenous Australians. Explain how each one affects health.

Recall 2 marks

Wrap Up

In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?