CANBERRA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister kevin Rudd on Thursday pledged 58.3 million Australian dollars (37.7 million U.S. dollars) to eradicate chronic eye and ear diseases from indigenous communities.

    In the prime minister's first annual statement to parliament outlining what has been done to close the gap, Rudd said 58.3 million dollars would be spent over four years on an extra 1,000 ear and eye surgical procedures, and at least 10 regional teams to treat and help prevent the disease trachoma, as well as on hearing equipment and health awareness programs.

    Rudd acknowledged in his statement that many challenges lay ahead to achieve the government's goals of improving indigenous people's life, including eliminating the 17-year gap in life expectancy.

    He said the task ahead was difficult, but "change is coming to Indigenous Australia."

    "The transformation of communities and of lives will take many years and there will be many bumps and setbacks along the road. But the alternative is to do nothing. We are determined to have a go," he said.

    In indigenous education, the Rudd Government has set goals of giving all four-year-olds in remote communities access to early childhood education within five years, halving the gap with non-indigenous children in literacy and numeracy in 10 years and doing the same for Year 12 or an equivalent attainment by 2020.

    Rudd also announced a new position of coordinator-general for remote indigenous services will be created to drive the Government's efforts to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. The coordinator-general would have the authority to cut through "bureaucratic blockages" and red tape.