Aboriginal people who were near British nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s will finally receive improved health care, the Federal Government has revealed.
Britain tested atomic weapons at Maralinga and Emu Fields in South Australia and around Western Australia’s Monte Bello Islands.
Many Indigenous people were moved away before the tests in South Australia’s far north.
But some remained and were subjected to extreme levels of radiation, which a royal commission linked to significant injuries and disabilities.
Veterans’ Affairs Minister Dan Tehan last night said those people would now receive improved health care from the Commonwealth.
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Government budgets for veterans’ health
The funding is part of a $133-million federal budget package for military personnel who survived the British tests and veterans who served in Japan after World War II.
Today’s budget will also boost veterans’ mental health care by more than $50 million, including through psychological services and suicide prevention trials.
More than $150 million will also go towards improving the Department of Veterans’ Affairs ageing computer systems.
South Australia’s Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement (ALRM) welcomed the announcement.
But ALRM chief executive Cheryl Axleby said people were still seeking compensation for both immediate and intergenerational health issues caused by the radiation.
Read more at Federal budget 2017: Aboriginal people exposed to British nuclear testing to receive improved health care
