Closing the Gap

About Closing the Gap  

Closing the Gap acknowledges the ongoing strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

Closing the gap is underpinned by 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 life outcomes are achieved. It also recognises that structural change in the way governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is needed to close the gap. 

The National Agreement  

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement) was developed in genuine partnership between the Australian Government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak organisations. It is known as the Coalition of Peaks(Opens in a new tab/window). 

The agreement sets out socio-economic targets and priority reforms to change the way governments engage with First Nations people. These will help improve life outcomes experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

Learn more about the National Agreement on Closing the Gap(Opens in a new tab/window). 

Priority reforms 

Under the National Agreement are 4 Priority Reforms to help improve the way we work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. They set out targets and outcomes to help implement and embed the reforms. The 4 priority reforms are: 

• Priority Reform 1: Formal partnerships and shared decision making 
• Priority Reform 2: Building the community-controlled sector 
• Priority Reform 3: Transforming Government organisations 
• Priority Reform 4: Shared access to data and information at a regional level 

Learn more about the 4 Priority Reforms(Opens in a new tab/window). 

Socio-economic targets 

There are 19 national socio-economic Targets(Opens in a new tab/window) agreed under the National Agreement. These focus on education, languages, housing, health, justice, land and waters and wellbeing. 

We are responsible for leading the Commonwealth’s response to 3 targets by 2031.   

Disability cross cutting outcome 

We also lead the Commonwealth’s obligations to embed disability as a cross-cutting outcome(Opens in a new tab/window). This aligns with our portfolio responsibility for disability. 

Learn more about the disability cross-cutting outcomes. 

Monitoring and reporting 

Learn more about how we are measuring and reporting our progress to close the gap.