Productivity Commission calls for stronger government action on Closing the Gap
The latest update of the Productivity Commission’s Closing the Gap Dashboard shows encouraging progress in several key areas across all states and territories, particularly in land and sea rights and internet access. Yet, critical challenges remain, requiring urgent government action, particularly in incarceration, child removal, and suicide prevention.
The Productivity Commission has reiterated its call for all governments to fully implement their commitments to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, which are essential to driving long-term, systemic improvements.
Key areas of progress:
Land and Sea Rights (Targets 15A & 15B): The recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights and interests over land and sea continues to grow, remaining on track.
Internet access (Target 17): Data shows that 88.3% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 and over have used the internet in the past three months, reflecting increasing digital access.
Health and wellbeing: Some states and territories have reported gains in key health indicators, which highlight where genuine partnership and shared-decision making have occurred.
Critical areas requiring urgent change:
Incarceration (Target 10): The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in prisons increased by 15% between 2023 and 2024 – a 30% increase since 2019 (the baseline year).
Child protection (Target 12): The rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care has risen from 47.3 per 1,000 in 2019 to 50.3 per 1,000 in 2024.
Suicide (Target 14): The rate of suicide among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people reached 30.8 per 100,000 in 2023, the highest recorded since 2018.
However, changes in data collection methods require caution in interpretation. State and territory trends: Each jurisdiction has seen some improvements, but major challenges persist:
NSW: Positive trends in multiple targets, though challenges remain in child development and imprisonment.
Victoria: Steady progress in many areas, with child removal rates still requiring urgent attention.
Queensland: Improvements in several targets, despite concerns in incarceration, youth detention, and child removal rates.
Western Australia: Gains in some areas, though birthweight, child development, and incarceration require further focus.
South Australia: Encouraging trends in key areas, while youth engagement, imprisonment, and child removal remain concerns.
Tasmania: Broad improvements, but housing, imprisonment, and child removal rates need addressing.
ACT: Some gains recorded, with housing and youth detention remaining priorities.
Northern Territory: Progress in half of the targets, but setbacks in areas such as life expectancy, birthweight, and child development.
The data highlights that positive change is achievable when governments work in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. To accelerate progress, stronger action is needed on the four Priority Reforms:
Formal partnerships and shared decision-making;
Building the Community-Controlled Sector;
Transforming government agencies and institutions;
Shared access to data and information
Pat Turner AM, Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks, said:
“There is real progress in some areas, and we know that when governments genuinely partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, we see positive outcomes. The growing recognition of our land and sea rights and increased digital access show what is possible when the right policies and investments are made.
“But in critical areas like incarceration, child protection, and suicide prevention, we are seeing setbacks. Governments must step up and fully implement the Priority Reforms of the Closing the Gap Agreement. Too often, we see delay, half-measures, and a failure to empower our communities with real decision-making power. If we are to achieve lasting change, the solutions must be led by us, not imposed upon us.
“Genuine partnership requires deep understanding – where different perspectives and ways of knowing come together to create solutions that are truly effective. The more united we are, the more we can navigate challenges with a shared vision.
“If we fail to work in an interconnected way, policies risk sounding good in theory but failing in practice. Collaboration and a genuine commitment to real partnerships aren’t just ideals – they are essential to Closing the Gap. This is a lifelong journey that requires mature leadership from all of us, particularly from governments.”
Commissioner Selwyn Button reinforced this urgency, stating:
“In our review of progress towards the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, we found that governments had not taken enough meaningful action to meet their commitments under the Agreement. The continued worsening of outcomes we’ve seen in some Closing the Gap target areas shows the importance of governments taking their commitments to the National Agreement seriously and taking meaningful actions to fully implement the priority reforms.”
The data confirms that progress is possible when governments work in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. To Close the Gap, governments must move beyond words and commit to meaningful, long-term reforms that empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.