Key Points
- Despite the agreement, Indigenous people are still facing the same bureaucratic and systemic barriers.
- Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney said that progress had not led to the extent of change needed.
- Coalition of Peaks spokesperson Catherine Liddle called on governments to fulfil their commitments.
The Closing the Gap agreement to improve entrenched inequality faced by First Nations people is set to fail in its current form, a review has found.
The Productivity Commission was scathing in its assessment of federal, state and territory governments' performances so far, stating they weren't fulfilling their commitments, as it released its first three-yearly review on Wednesday.
It found Indigenous organisations and people are still facing the same bureaucratic and systemic barriers the national agreement was supposed to help address.
The review calls for a radical change in approach by all governments including the public service, which it says has failed to fully grasp the nature and scale of change required to meet the obligations they signed.
So how is the government failing and what can it do to get back on track?
What is the National Agreement on Closing the Gap?
In 2020, all Australian governments, along with the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations, signed the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
They committed to mobilising all avenues available to them to "overcome the entrenched inequality faced by too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people so that their life outcomes are equal to those of all Australians".
What failures has the report found?
The heart of the commission's review says Indigenous people, communities and organisations need to be involved at every stage in decisions that affect them.
This includes developing policy and considering data and implementation, warning against a business-as-usual approach of 'government knows best'.
"It's really that power story and the power of knowledge and the power of data," commissioner Romlie Mokak said.
"And there's got to be a change in mindset and culture in this structural change, in this reform approach, otherwise we're not going to get any closer to Closing the Gap."
The review found progress to implement the agreement's reforms was weak, and that "disparate actions and ad hoc changes" had not led to noticeable improvements for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council acting chief executive Paula Arnol said the findings demonstrated governments were not sharing responsibility or using the skills and knowledge of Indigenous community-controlled organisations.
"It's not a 'gap', it's a chasm, we need urgent action now," she said, "Our communities and services live with real inequity."
"Life expectancy targets aren't on trajectory, and suicide rates amongst our people are climbing."
Rob Macfarlane, chief executive of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association, said governments needed a radical mindset shift and accountability mechanisms to make progress in areas like housing.
"The gap will widen for our people if attention is not given to addressing the housing emergency faced by our people," he said.
In Victoria alone, the number of Aboriginal women accessing specialist homelessness services increased 20 per cent over the past five years, while rates decreased by 14 per cent for non-Aboriginal women over the same period.
What recommendations did the report make for the government?
The report makes four recommendations to government:
- share power
- recognise and support Indigenous data sovereignty
- fundamentally rethink mainstream government systems and culture
- implement stronger accountability.
The commission proposes amending the agreement to better emphasise power sharing, and having governments recognise the expertise of Aboriginal community-controlled organisations in what works for their communities.
It received overwhelming support in engagements and submissions to amend the agreement to support Indigenous data sovereignty and also recommends establishing a bureau of Indigenous data.
Government acknowledges more change is needed
Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney agreed that progress had not led to the extent of change needed.
She said the Commonwealth would work with the Coalition of Peaks and state and territory government collees to consider the findings and she would present the 2023 Closing the Gap and 2024 implementation plan to parliament on Tuesday.
"The annual report will take stock of progress made in 2023 and commit to new actions that focus on making a practical difference to the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians," Burney said.
Coalition of Peaks spokesperson Catherine Liddle called on governments to fulfil the commitments they had already made.
"This review involved extensive community consultation, and it confirms what our own countless conversations have told us: that governments still don't understand that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people know what is best for our communities," she said.
"When Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are given ownership over the decisions that affect their lives, the resources they need, and the opportunity to partner with government, we see better outcomes."
