We Are Still Closing the Gap
Flags outside Australian Parliament House (2016)
History of the Gap
After a report from The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Professor Tom Calma AO, [1] the Close the Gap campaign ran its first year in 2007 with aims of closing key gaps between Indigenous Australians and their non-Indigenous counterparts in areas such as life expectancy, mortality rates, and numeracy and literacy rates. In the same year, the Northern Territory Intervention was introduced, which included controversial measures of alcohol restriction, compulsory acquisition of townships, control and quarantine of welfare payments and the removal of customary law and cultural practice in bail and sentencing processes.
With non-consultive approaches proving ineffective and only three of the seven targets on track to be achieved within the nominated decade of the mid-2010’s, the framework was refreshed in 2018 where it was declared the campaign should be ‘guided by principles of empowerment and self-determination and deliver a community-led, strengths-based strategy that enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to move beyond surviving, to thriving’. [2] It is only in recent years where differing local and jurisdictional contexts between communities was more heavily considered, and even then meaningful change presents itself inconsistently.
National Agreement and Coalition of Peaks
The Prime Minister, Minister for Indigenous Australians, and Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks announced the creation of the ‘National Agreement on Closing the Gap’ in 2020; the agreement serving as an independent mechanism to support, monitor, and report on the governments’ commitments to closing the socioeconomic gap across the country. In addition to the creation of the Agreement, the Coalition of Peaks represents more than 80 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and provides criticism and commentary on the government’s approach towards achieving the aims of the Close the Gap campaign. Essentially, ‘The National Agreement sets a road map’, [3] ensuring that indigenous voices are considered in governmental decisions that impact individual and unique communities.
This Year’s Report
In this year’s report, the Commission found that at a national level, governments' have not fulfilled their obligations under the National Agreement. Linda Burney, Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians commented that the report ‘reveals limited progress on the four Priority Reforms’. This year’s report recommends amending the agreement to better include power sharing, as well as better government recognition of the potential that Community Controlled Organisations have in implementing real change in their communities and in knowing what works for their communities.
After more than 16 years of the ‘Close the Gap’ campaign, 6 years longer than it was expected to run, key goals remain unmet and so calls are now being made for a fund dedicated to Closing the Gap. Not only is it recommended that a fund be established, but that it also be enshrined in legislation and ‘directed to Aboriginal community-controlled organisations to support [our] self-determination’. [4] Additionally, an ‘evidence-based transformation strategy’ is being requested, reducing tokenistic approaches by governments to enact real change. Only when meaningful action toward minimising the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is undertaken will the gap actually be closed.
[1] Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Social Justice Report (Report No 3, November 2005).
[2] The Australian Government, ‘History of Closing the Gap’, Closing the Gap (Web Page) <https://www.closingthegap.gov.au/resources/history>
[3] Giovanni Torre ‘Governments ‘Continue to Waste’ National Agreement on Closing the Gap, Productivity Commission Reports’, National Indigenous Times (News Article, 6 February 2024) <https://nit.com.au/06-02-2024/9618/the-national-agreement-on-closing-the-gap-is-an-opportunity-governments-cannot-continue-to-waste>
[4] Dan Holmes ‘More Community Buy in Needed to Close the Gap, Says Productivity Commission’, The Mandarin (News Article, 8 February 2024) <https://www.themandarin.com.au/239014-more-community-buy-in-needed-to-close-the-gap-says-productivity-commission/>