First Nations people: Driving their own futures by partnering with governments

The Coalition of Peaks, the collective voice of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector, are today proud to announce the public release of their first Implementation Plan under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. All Parties to the Agreement are responsible for publishing implementation plans that are responsive to the differing needs, priorities and circumstances of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities and organisations across Australia.

“This Implementation Plan sets out the actions the Coalition of Peaks are and will be taking to fulfil our partnership responsibilities under the National Agreement, driving deep change in how governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people so that Closing the Gap outcomes are dramatically improved,” said Pat Turner AM, Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks.

“Our plan prioritises building understanding of the National Agreement and promoting the advantages and opportunities it offers to our people, communities, and organisations, provided we participate fully, and governments are held to account for its implementation.

“Although we speak with a collective voice, we retain our separate identities. We bring together the voices, expertise and experiences of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sectors from across the country to ensure the legitimacy of all our activities, actions and representations. We are accountable to our memberships and our communities we serve across Australia.

“The achievement of outcomes relies on the way in which the National Agreement is implemented, through sustained effort by all Parties working in genuine partnership with shared decision-making to achieve the agreed targets and outcomes over the long haul. All Parties are on a learning curve, and we look forward to strengthening and extending the partnership at national, state/territory and local levels.

“We know there are other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations that are not yet members of the Coalition of Peaks. That is why we will be talking with a broad range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, regional governance bodies, representatives and community members in each state, territory and nationally.”

The Coalition of Peaks 2021 Implementation Plan is now available on the Coalition of Peaks website.