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Understanding the National Agreement

This page includes a number of resources that have been produced to help all Australians to better understand the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement) and how it was developed.

The Partnership on Closing the Gap will develop additional resources to assist communities to engage with the National Agreement as part of developing a joint communication strategy for the National Agreement.

The Coalition of Peaks also have a number of useful resources and reports available.

National Agreement on Closing the Gap

Joint Council Policy Resources

This section contains a set of policy documents and resources endorsed by the Joint Council to progress actions and Priority Reforms identified in the National Agreement.

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This page includes a number of resources that have been produced to help all Australians to better understand the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement) and how it was developed. The Partnership on Closing the Gap will develop additional resources to assist communities to engage with the National Agreement as part of developing a joint communication strategy for the National Agreement.

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Implementation Tracker | Closing the Gap

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The National Agreement on Closing the Gap includes commitments from the Commonwealth government, all State and Territory governments, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) and the Coalition of Peaks to work in partnership towards Closing the Gap.

The Implementation Tracker shows progress for each Party to the National Agreement on delivering against these commitments. Any Joint Council agreed changes to the timeframes for delivery of commitments in the National Agreement are reflected in the comments in the Implementation Tracker.

The chart below is a dynamic representation of progress made in achieving agreed commitments - all commitments are hyperlinked to the corresponding clause in the National Agreement.

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The National Agreement on Closing the Gap includes commitments from the Commonwealth government, all State and Territory governments, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) and the Coalition of Peaks to work in partnership towards Closing the Gap. The Implementation Tracker shows progress for each Party to the National Agreement on delivering against these commitments.

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https://www.closingthegap.gov.au/national-agreement

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At a glance

The objective of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement) is to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and governments to work together to overcome the inequality experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and achieve life outcomes equal to all Australians.

For the first time, the National Agreement has been developed in genuine partnership between Australian governments and the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations (the Coalition of Peaks).

The expertise and experience of the Coalition of Peaks and its membership have been central to the commitments in this National Agreement. So too has the feedback from the extensive engagements in 2019 with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia. A summary of what was heard from the engagements and how it was incorporated into the National Agreement is available.

The views and expertise of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including Elders, Traditional Owners and Native Title holders, communities and organisations will continue to provide central guidance to the Coalition of Peaks and Australian governments as the National Agreement is implemented.

The Partnership is grateful for the assistance of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in developing the National Agreement. The AIHW led a number of workshops to assist the Partnership Working Group to consider and develop the target framework, developed trajectories to inform decisions about the level of ambition for different target areas, and provided technical advice on the targets, indicators and data availability. The ABS provided data and technical advice for targets and indicators.

All parties to the National Agreement acknowledged the need for it to be a flexible, "living" document, working with the best evidence as it becomes available.

This is the current version of the National Agreement, as agreed by Joint Council. The original, signed National Agreement is available on the Resources page.

Any Joint Council agreed changes to the timeframes for delivery of commitments in the National Agreement are reflected in the comments in the Implementation Tracker.

Priority Reforms

At the centre of the National Agreement are four Priority Reforms that focus on changing the way governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Priority Reforms will:

Strengthen and establish formal partnerships and shared decision-making

Build the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector

Transform government organisations so they work better for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Improve and share access to data and information to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities make informed decisions.

See the Priority Reforms here
Outcomes and targets

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement) has 19 national socio-economic targets across 17 socio-economic outcome areas that have an impact on life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Outcomes are the desired result for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Targets are specific and measurable goals that will be monitored to show how progress is being made across each of the outcome areas. Under each of the targets there are indicators that help to provide an understanding of how progress will be tracked.

The National Agreement includes areas for data development actions. These are areas that are important for our understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander outcomes but cannot be measured currently.
See the Targets here
Implementing the National Agreement

An Implementation Tracker has been developed to help track progress for each Party to the National Agreement on delivering against the commitments in the National Agreement. Any Joint Council agreed changes to the timeframes for delivery of commitments in the National Agreement are reflected in the comments in the Implementation Tracker.

Each party to the National Agreement developed their own Implementation Plan, and will report annually on their actions to achieve the outcomes of the Agreement.

Implementation plans have been developed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait partners.

Each implementation plan sets out how policies and programs are aligned to the National Agreement and what actions will be taken to achieve the Priority Reforms. They include information on funding and timeframes for actions.

The Joint Council will review implementation plans and may provide advice on how the parties can better work together to achieve shared outcomes. This includes where progress against the Priority reforms and targets is not on track.
See the Implementation Plans here See the Implementation Tracker here
Accountability and reporting

The Productivity Commission has published a dashboard comprising data and associated supporting materials on progress towards the targets. The dashboard will be updated on a regular basis (at a minimum, annually) and will be maintained for the full term of the National Agreement.

In addition to the dashboard, the Productivity Commission will complete a comprehensive, independent review of progress every three years. This review will provide an analysis of progress towards the Priority Reforms, targets, indicators and trajectories. It will also examine the factors contributing to progress by drawing on evaluations and other evidence.

For the first time, there will be Independent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led reviews within twelve months of each independent review by the Productivity Commission. These reviews are an opportunity to better understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' experiences of change as a result of this National Agreement.

The Joint Council will provide an annual update on progress toward achieving the National Agreement to the parties to the Agreement.

The Commonwealth, states and territories, local governments and the Coalition of Peaks share accountability for the implementation of the National Agreement and are jointly accountable for the outcomes and targets under the National Agreement.
See the Productivity Commission Dashboard

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National Agreement on Closing the Gap | Closing the Gap

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The objective of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement) is to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and governments to work together to overcome the inequality experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and achieve life outcomes equal to all Australians.

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National Agreement on Closing the Gap | Closing the Gap

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At a glance

The objective of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement) is to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and governments to work together to overcome the inequality experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and achieve life outcomes equal to all Australians.

For the first time, the National Agreement has been developed in genuine partnership between Australian governments and the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations (the Coalition of Peaks).

The expertise and experience of the Coalition of Peaks and its membership have been central to the commitments in this National Agreement. So too has the feedback from the extensive engagements in 2019 with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia. A summary of what was heard from the engagements and how it was incorporated into the National Agreement is available.

The views and expertise of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including Elders, Traditional Owners and Native Title holders, communities and organisations will continue to provide central guidance to the Coalition of Peaks and Australian governments as the National Agreement is implemented.

The Partnership is grateful for the assistance of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in developing the National Agreement. The AIHW led a number of workshops to assist the Partnership Working Group to consider and develop the target framework, developed trajectories to inform decisions about the level of ambition for different target areas, and provided technical advice on the targets, indicators and data availability. The ABS provided data and technical advice for targets and indicators.

All parties to the National Agreement acknowledged the need for it to be a flexible, "living" document, working with the best evidence as it becomes available.

This is the current version of the National Agreement, as agreed by Joint Council. The original, signed National Agreement is available on the Resources page.

Any Joint Council agreed changes to the timeframes for delivery of commitments in the National Agreement are reflected in the comments in the Implementation Tracker.

Priority Reforms

At the centre of the National Agreement are four Priority Reforms that focus on changing the way governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Priority Reforms will:

Strengthen and establish formal partnerships and shared decision-making

Build the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector

Transform government organisations so they work better for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Improve and share access to data and information to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities make informed decisions.

See the Priority Reforms here
Outcomes and targets

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement) has 19 national socio-economic targets across 17 socio-economic outcome areas that have an impact on life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Outcomes are the desired result for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Targets are specific and measurable goals that will be monitored to show how progress is being made across each of the outcome areas. Under each of the targets there are indicators that help to provide an understanding of how progress will be tracked.

The National Agreement includes areas for data development actions. These are areas that are important for our understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander outcomes but cannot be measured currently.
See the Targets here
Implementing the National Agreement

An Implementation Tracker has been developed to help track progress for each Party to the National Agreement on delivering against the commitments in the National Agreement. Any Joint Council agreed changes to the timeframes for delivery of commitments in the National Agreement are reflected in the comments in the Implementation Tracker.

Each party to the National Agreement developed their own Implementation Plan, and will report annually on their actions to achieve the outcomes of the Agreement.

Implementation plans have been developed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait partners.

Each implementation plan sets out how policies and programs are aligned to the National Agreement and what actions will be taken to achieve the Priority Reforms. They include information on funding and timeframes for actions.

The Joint Council will review implementation plans and may provide advice on how the parties can better work together to achieve shared outcomes. This includes where progress against the Priority reforms and targets is not on track.
See the Implementation Plans here See the Implementation Tracker here
Accountability and reporting

The Productivity Commission has published a dashboard comprising data and associated supporting materials on progress towards the targets. The dashboard will be updated on a regular basis (at a minimum, annually) and will be maintained for the full term of the National Agreement.

In addition to the dashboard, the Productivity Commission will complete a comprehensive, independent review of progress every three years. This review will provide an analysis of progress towards the Priority Reforms, targets, indicators and trajectories. It will also examine the factors contributing to progress by drawing on evaluations and other evidence.

For the first time, there will be Independent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led reviews within twelve months of each independent review by the Productivity Commission. These reviews are an opportunity to better understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' experiences of change as a result of this National Agreement.

The Joint Council will provide an annual update on progress toward achieving the National Agreement to the parties to the Agreement.

The Commonwealth, states and territories, local governments and the Coalition of Peaks share accountability for the implementation of the National Agreement and are jointly accountable for the outcomes and targets under the National Agreement.
See the Productivity Commission Dashboard

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National Agreement on Closing the Gap | Closing the Gap

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The objective of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement) is to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and governments to work together to overcome the inequality experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and achieve life outcomes equal to all Australians.

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A NEW WAY OF WORKING TOGETHER

Closing the Gap acknowledges the ongoing strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in sustaining the world's oldest living cultures.

Closing the Gap is underpinned by the belief that when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a genuine say in the design and delivery of policies, programs and services that affect them, better life outcomes are achieved. It also recognises that structural change in the way governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is needed to close the gap.

All Australian governments are working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their communities, organisations and businesses to implement the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap at the national, state and territory, and local levels.

This is an unprecedented shift in the way governments have previously worked to close the gap. It acknowledges that to close the gap, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must determine, drive and own the desired outcomes, alongside all governments.

This new way of working requires governments to build on the strong foundations Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have, through their deep connection to family, community and culture.

Implementation Plans have been developed and delivered by each party to the National Agreement, in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partners. They set out how policies and programs are aligned to the National Agreement and what actions will be taken to achieve the Priority Reforms and outcomes.

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Closing the Gap acknowledges the ongoing strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in sustaining the world’s oldest living cultures.