Latest Data on Closing the Gap Shows Critical Areas Lagging
21 March 2025
The grim picture of closing the gap - the same old approaches are failing and continue to fail. So what is the answer? Self-determined solutions for communities. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people know the solutions for their communities best.
The Productivity Commission's latest data update on the Closing the Gap initiative reveals that multiple targets are still not being met, highlighting the urgent need for accelerated progress in critical areas including child protection and incarceration rates.
The Productivity Commission has reiterated its call for all governments to fully implement their commitments to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, which are essential to driving long-term, systemic improvements.
Pat Turner AM, Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks, expressed concern over the data trends and called for genuine partnerships with Government to drive meaningful action.
"There is real progress in some areas, and we know that when governments genuinely partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, we see positive outcomes…
…Governments must step up and fully implement the Priority Reforms of the Closing the Gap Agreement. Too often, we see delay, half-measures, and a failure to empower our communities with real decision-making power. If we are to achieve lasting change, the solutions must be led by us, not imposed upon us."
- Pat Turner AM, Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks
Commissioner Selwyn Button echoed this concern, stating that the review of progress towards the National Agreement on Closing the Gap found that governments had not taken enough meaningful action to meet their commitments under the Agreement. Allies for Children support calls by SNAICC and others for a unified, bipartisan approach from Government to drive real change.
The latest data also underscores the critical need for strong leadership within the child protection sector. Allies for Children reaffirms our commitment to enabling self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and will continue to strive to reduce the number of Aboriginal children coming into care in non-Indigenous organisations, supporting and strengthening community controlled organisations and committing to transition children in our care to community controlled organisations.
With Government, community and the sector working together, we can advance change and ensure lasting improvements in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“We can close the gap, but we can’t do it alone. It’s time Australian governments uphold their commitments and work with us.”