ABSTRACT
It is possible to argue with considerable justification that the ‘solution’ to Aboriginal health problems does not lie in simply spending more money. In spite of the substantial differences in health status between Aboriginal people and other Australians, there are generally few policy provisions specifically for Aboriginality in the funding and delivery of mainstream health services. The development of community-controlled health services can be seen largely as a response to the failure of mainstream services to cater appropriately for the health needs of the Aboriginal population. The best way to determine what the level of spending on Aboriginal health services should be is to argue from a basis of equity: that is, about what a fair share of total health care resources might be. In Aboriginal health care, budgetary problems are inevitably greater than in the case of mainstream services alone.
