Australian of the Year, Fiona Stanley, says it is time for the nation to acknowledge and apologise for the impact on today's Indigenous Australians for decades of discrimination and neglect.

Professor Stanley says a huge amount of data exists to show that if communities are developed in partnership with Aboriginal people, they thrive.

Speaking from Tasmania, where she is attending a physicians conference, Professor Stanley says the issue of Aboriginal health, education and welfare is not going to go away.

"These people are survivors, they are here to stay, they are going to be potentially future wonderful participants in Australian life," she said.

"We've just got to make sure that they're healthy enough, and capable enough and educated enough to be able to do that."