Key Points
- The Closing the Gap report is the first since the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
- Minister Burney will deliver the report to Parliament on Wednesday.
- Worsening targets include rates of adult incarceration, suicide and Indigenous children in out-of-home care.
Warning: this article discusses themes that may be distressing to some readers, including suicide.
The gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is widening in some of the most serious areas, according to the latest annual report.
While some measures have reduced the gap, the percentage of Indigenous adults in prison and also deaths by suicide has risen as compared to the wider population.
Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney will present the findings of the 2022 Closing the Gap report to parliament on Wednesday.
The first post-agreement report
It will be the first report since the national agreement on Closing the Gap took effect and shows many of the targets are not on track.
In 2020, an agreement between the federal government, the Coalition of Peaks, all state and territory governments and the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) was struck, aiming to renew ways of working together to improve outcomes for Indigenous Australians.
The groups agreed to improve 18 socio-economic outcomes across health, education, employment, housing, justice, safety, land and waters, culture, language and connectivity.
'Mixed progress' calls for better collaboration
But two years later only four of the targets are currently on track, while four are getting worse and others have insufficient data to assess their progress.
Worsening targets include the number of children who are school-ready, adult incarcerations, children in out-of-home care and deaths by suicide.
Targets currently on track are the number of babies born at a healthy weight and children enrolled in pre-school.
Ms Burney said the latest annual report told a story of mixed progress, and that it is disappointing to see a lack of progress in a number of areas.
"The Closing the Gap architecture can only work when all parties are invested and there is a coordinated effort from all jurisdictions in partnership with First Nations peoples," she said.
"We have to work more closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to make real and much-needed progress."
More work to be done
Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy spoke on the disappointing targets on the latest Closing the Gap report. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas/AAP Image
"Any single person taking their life is a tragedy, but the rates of suicide in First Nations communities are alarming and a serious indication of the amount of work that needs to be done to support people and their well-being," she said.
"Giving children the best start in life is critical if we want to see more First Nations people achieve their full potential and live longer, healthier and happier lives."
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