Closing the Gap

What is the National Agreement on Closing the Gap?

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap is an agreement between the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations and all Australian governments on how government work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The National Agreement was officially formed on July 27, 2020, when the Coalition of Peaks, all Australian governments and the Australian Local Government Association signed the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. It has been built around what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have said is essential for improving our lives and includes four Priority Reforms to change the way governments work with our people, as well as new government accountability measures and shared monitoring and implementation arrangements.

All Australian governments are working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their communities, organisations and businesses to implement the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap at the national, state and territory, and local levels. The new way of working requires governments to build on the strong foundations Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have, through their deep connection to family, community and culture.

Implementation Plans have been developed and delivered by each party to the National Agreement, in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partners and set out how policies and programs are aligned to the National Agreement and what actions will be taken to achieve the Priority Reforms and outcomes.

Closing the Gap is underpinned by the belief that when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a genuine say in the design and delivery of policies, programs and services that affect them, better life outcomes are achieved.

The Priority Reforms

The National Agreement is built around four Priority Reforms to change the way government work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, organisations and people to accelerate improvements in Closing the Gap.

The Priority Reforms arose from the partnership between Australian governments and the Coalition of Peaks and respond to the voices and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Background on the National Agreement on Closing the Gap

The original Closing the Gap policy was agreed upon in 2008 as a positive step forward in a nationally coordinated effort to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. However, progress was slow and many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations were excluded from policy priorities and actions.

In 2016, the Australian government wanted to update the Closing the Gap strategy. SNAICC was one of the original 14 organisations concerned that governments would make decisions about us, without us. Consequently, the Coalition of Peaks was formed to collaborate with governments on a new approach to Closing the Gap. It took a lot of discussion and work, but the National Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap was born.

Under the Partnership Agreement, the Coalition of Peaks met with Australian governments to assess what had and hadn’t worked on Closing the Gap over the previous ten years, what could be strengthened and what needed to be changed. The Coalition of Peaks and Governments agreed that the National Indigenous Reform Agreement – an agreement signed by Australian governments in 2008 that set out the original Closing the Gap strategy – needed to be replaced by a new National Agreement built around what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have said is needed to improve our lives; and to be signed off by the Coalition of Peaks and Governments.

In late 2019, the Coalition of Peaks led a comprehensive engagement process that informed the National Agreement. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from across Australia were consulted to determine what should be included. The Joint Council met on July 3, 2020, to discuss the final draft of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. It is the first National Agreement of its kind, developed in true collaboration between the Coalition of Peaks and the Australian Governments.

The National Agreement lays out a strategy for closing the gap that is heavily based on and supported by the priorities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.