In the News
Tom Calma, the Aboriginal elder who introduced Closing the Gap is urging for a change in strategy.
Professor Calma says community-controlled organisations should not be bolstered at the expense of all else.
Closing the Gap, the national agreement signed in 2020, includes a promise to invest in work in key areas, including Indigenous health, child protection and crime prevention within community-controlled Aboriginal organisations.
“Those community-controlled organisations by and large deliver a great service but we need to look at a move away from just investing in community-controlled Indigenous organisations and work much more with the private and public systems to ensure their services are culturally sound and safe,” Professor Calma said.
The latest Closing the Gap report indicates that of its 17 targets, only four are on track to be met by the deadline in 2031. Alarmingly, the worsening results of another four targets suggests that they are unlikely to be met at all.
Further reading
Source: Calma call to change Closing the Gap strategy | The Australian | by Paige Taylor
If you don’t have a paid account with The Australian, then go to the article – Calma calls for changes to Closing the Gap strategy | Cath News | 7 May 2025