What is the National Agreement on Closing the Gap?

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap is Australia’s national effort to accelerate genuine improvements in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by fundamentally changing how governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, families and organisations.

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap is a landmark agreement between the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations and all Australian governments at Commonwealth, state, territory and local levels that sets a new way of working together to improve life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It was formally agreed and signed on 27 July 2020 after extensive engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations.

Under the National Agreement, all governments have committed to:

• Four Priority Reforms that transform how they work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, shifting to genuine shared decision making.
• 19 socio-economic targets across areas such as early childhood, education, health, justice, safety, housing and wellbeing to work towards equitable life outcomes.

The National Agreement is built on what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have identified as essential for improving lives and reshaping how governments partner with communities, and includes accountability and shared monitoring systems to track progress.

Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership

SNAICC is the co-chair of the Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership, a shared decision-making mechanism established under Priority Reform One of the National Agreement. Through the Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership, SNAICC works directly with the Australian Government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders to shape early childhood policy, drive reform and improve outcomes for children in their early years.

Priority Reforms

Closing the Gap is based on the belief that when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a genuine say in the design and delivery of policies, programs and services that affect them, better outcomes are achieved. To support this, the National Agreement’s Priority Reforms include:

• Priority Reform One: Formal partnerships and genuine shared decision-making so Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives have real authority alongside government.
• Priority Reform Two: Strengthening the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector to lead and deliver services.
• Priority Reform Three: Transforming government organisations to be more responsive, culturally safe and accountable.
• Priority Reform Four: Shared access to data and information at a regional level so communities can make informed decisions about Closing the Gap in their own contexts.

Each party to the Natioal Agreement, including governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partners, develops Implementation Plans that outline how policies and programs align with the National Agreement, and what actions will be taken to achieve the Priority Reforms and target outcomes.

Background on the National Agreement on Closing the Gap

In 2008, the original Closing the Gap framework, which was formally the National Indigenous Reform Agreement, was established to improve life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through a set of targets across health, education and economic participation. While it represented a nationally coordinated effort, progress in closing disparities was slow, and many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations were excluded from meaningful influence over policy priorities and implementation. By 2018, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and peak organisations, including SNAICC, were clear that a different approach was needed. They were concerned that governments would continue to make decisions about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples without their full participation. This concern sparked formal discussions with the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).

Formation of the Coalition of Peaks

In early 2019, the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations (the Coalition of Peaks), of which SNAICC is a founding member, formed as a collective of community-controlled peak bodies to negotiate a new national partnership on Closing the Gap. Its purpose was to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had shared decision-making authority, and were not just consultation, in crafting and implementing policy.  In March 2019, the Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap was signed between the Commonwealth, state and territory governments, the Australian Local Government Association and the Coalition of Peaks, formally recognising shared decision making as central to the refresh process. This was the first time Australian governments formally agreed to work in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representative organisations to shape the national framework.

Developing the National Agreement

Throughout late 2019, a comprehensive engagement process led by the Coalition of Peaks gathered input from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country about what needed to be included in the new Agreement. Communities, Elders, organisations and families shared their perspectives on priorities, barriers, cultural strengths and solutions. On 3 July 2020, the Joint Council on Closing the Gap, a decision-making body established through the Partnership, agreed on the final draft of the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap. This Agreement was then signed on 27 July 2020 by all Australian governments, the Coalition of Peaks and the Australian Local Government Association. It is the first national agreement of its kind developed in genuine partnership with shared accountability and joint responsibility for outcomes.

What changed?

The National Agreement marks a fundamental change in how Closing the Gap works:

• shared decision making between Australian governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives replaces top-down policy approaches,
• governments are now jointly accountable with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations for achieving targets and reforms,
• four Priority Reforms focus on transforming how governments work with communities, building community-controlled sector strength, improving data access, and embedding formal partnerships, and
• 17 socio-economic targets, co-designed with communities, focus on priorities identified by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This new way of working is underpinned by the principle that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples must have a genuine, ongoing say in policies, programs and services and that this shared authority is essential for real, sustainable improvements in outcomes.

Accountability and long-term change

SNAICC continues to work closely with the Coalition of Peaks and all governments to implement the National Agreement, advocate for culturally safe policy reform and hold all parties accountable for measurable progress. Through shared decision-making mechanisms, including cross-sector working groups and implementation planning, we are committed to improving structural inequities, closing educational and opportunity gaps and reducing over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in systems like child protection.