The federal government will seek bipartisan support to close the gap in socioeconomic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples after a new scorecard found most targets aren’t being met.
Just five out of 19 Closing the Gap targets are on track, the Productivity Commission’s Annual Data Compilation Report released on Thursday shows.
The new federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy is sworn in by Governor-General Sam Mostyn in Canberra on July 29.Credit: AAPIMAGE
The results, based on data first released in February, leave much room for improvement, new Labor Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said.
“These figures are deeply troubling, but I am determined to work in partnership with First Nations Australians, the Coalition of Peaks, and state and territory governments to bring about positive change,” she said.
“I will be reaching out to my colleagues across the parliament to seek a bipartisan approach to Indigenous affairs.”
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Healthy birth weight, children enrolled in preschool, and Indigenous employment were among the targets found to be on track to be met by 2031. Land mass and sea waters covered under Indigenous legal rights and interests are also improving at a rate required to meet the target, the commission found.
But targets for improvements in early childhood development, fewer Indigenous adults in incarceration, fewer children in out-of-home care, and lower suicide rates aren’t on track.
The most recent data for 2022 shows suicide was the leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 to 39.
The commission also noted that the life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women is 71.9 years and 75.6 years respectively. The gap with non-Indigenous men and women – who have a life expectancy of 81.2 years and 85.3 years respectively – is not on track to close by 2031.
“We know that having ready access to culturally safe and responsive services and systems can make all the difference to socioeconomic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” Commissioner Selwyn Button said.
AAP
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