The Partnership Agreement
In March 2019, and on our initiative, the historic Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap was agreed.
The Partnership Agreement was made between the then Council of Australian Governments (now National Cabinet) and the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations (the Coalition of Peaks).
The Partnership Agreement means that, for the first time, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, through their community-controlled peak organisations and members, are sharing decisions with governments on Closing the Gap, under a formal arrangement.
The Partnership Agreement sets out how the Australian governments and the Coalition of Peaks work and share decisions together on the design, implementation, and monitoring of Closing the Gap strategies and policies.
The Partnership Agreement will be in place for ten years and includes a commitment to three yearly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led reviews on Closing the Gap.
The Coalition of Peaks believes that shared decision-making between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled representative organisations in the design, implementation, and monitoring of Closing the Gap is essential to improving the life outcomes of our people.
The Partnership Agreement is based on a shared belief of Australian governments and the Coalition of Peaks that:
When Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are included and have a real say in the design and delivery of services that impact on us, the outcomes are far better.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people need to be at the centre of Closing the Gap policy: the gap won’t close without our full involvement.
Australian governments cannot expect our people to be in charge of our own lives or to work constructively with them if we are excluded from decision-making.
