Closing the Gap

By Emma Carolan, CRA Justice Research Officer

In July 2020, a new Closing the Gap Agreement was signed. This was developed by the National Federation Reform Council (NFRC) in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies (the Coalition of Peaks), aiming to achieve positive developments in the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

'Closing the Gap' was initially established in 2006, after being advocated for by more than 40 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous health organisations and human rights organisations. On 20 December 2007, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), committed the Australian Government to a sound, evidence-based path to achieving equality between Indigenous Australians and the wider Australian community, with the full participation and support of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector and other representative bodies, in a given timeframe.

This would include reaching measurable targets that focused on:

  • Improving Indigenous life expectancy

  • Reducing childhood mortality

  • Improving access to early childhood education and retaining students until year 12

  • Improving reading, writing and numeracy levels.

  • Improving employment rates

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While there have been a number of positive steps made in improving the health, employment and education status of Indigenous Australians since the inception of Closing the Gap, only two of seven targets were on track to be met in 2018, prompting COAG to review the strategy. In 2018, a Special Gathering of prominent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians released the Report, Closing The Gap: Retrospective Review, to examine the effectiveness and appropriateness of 10 years of Closing the Gap. Whilst acknowledging that Closing the Gap had made a positive contribution to Indigenous Australian lives, they felt that what was missing from the strategy was the inclusion of targets to address disparities in cultural determinants of health and wellbeing, Indigenous designed and led programs, and a relationship of trust, fundamental to building strong partnerships between the government, service providers, communities and individuals.

These elements have been central to the Government's recently renewed Closing the Gap targets, which now number 16, recognising that meeting the cultural determinants of health is imperative to their achievement. The cultural determinants discussed include: cultural expression, connection to country, kinship networks, leadership and self-determination. This is reflected in targets, such as the new target 16 to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages spoken by 2031. The Closing the Gap 2020 Report is also calling for greater empowerment of Indigenous Australians through increased involvement of and partnership with Indigenous organisations, communities and individuals. This is the first time that the peak bodies and governments have been recognised as equal partners working together on Closing the Gap implementation.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison commented, "We told Indigenous Australians what the gap was that we were going to close, and somehow thought they should be thankful for that. That was wrong-headed. That wasn't the way to do it. We needed to understand what the gap was looking through the lens and the eyes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.”

At present, only two targets—early childhood education and Year 12 attainment—are on track to be achieved by 2031. Therefore, governments must commit to the necessary funding and actions to meet the new targets.

You can read another article about the 2020 National Budget and the Indigenous.