- by Dechlan Brennan
- The Guardian
- Issue #2202
Photo: Tom Pearson (CPA)
Discussions at the recent Garma Festival reinforce the need for governments to focus on implementing the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, rather than creating a new agenda, according to the Coalition of Peaks.
The comments come as Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe slammed the festival for allowing Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, whose government has overseen legislative changes that have sparked outrage among First Nations leaders, to speak.
The 26th annual Garma Festival at the Gulkula ceremonial site on Yolŋu Country in northeast Arnhem Land brought together politicians, community leaders and Elders over the weekend. It was held only days after the release of the Productivity Commission’s 2026 Closing the Gap report, which found that, of the 15 targets assessed, only three are on track to be met: employment, land and sea rights, and legal rights and interests.
In a landmark achievement, a fourth target – preschool enrolment (Target 3) – has already been met, with more than 95 per cent of First Nations children now enrolled, up from 61.3 per cent in 2016.
Five targets – life expectancy, Year 12 or equivalent attainment, tertiary qualifications, youth engagement in employment or education, and appropriately sized housing – are improving but remain off track. Meanwhile, suicide rates, adult imprisonment, children in out-of-home care, and the proportion of children developmentally on track continue to worsen.
CLOSING THE GAP THE PATHWAY
In a recent statement, Coalition of Peaks Lead Convenor Donnella Mills said the Closing the Gap agenda, developed jointly by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak organisations and all Australian governments in 2020, provides a proven roadmap based on genuine partnership, shared decision-making and strengthening community-controlled organisations.
She said the latest Productivity Commission report was clear that “where governments have started sharing power with communities, progress has followed,” but acknowledged concerns raised by Aboriginal leaders about the pace of the Closing the Gap reforms deserved attention.
“When respected Aboriginal leaders express concern about the trajectory of Closing the Gap, those concerns should not be dismissed. They should be examined carefully,” she said.
“We know too many targets are not improving, and in some cases outcomes are going backwards. While responsibility for many service systems rests with states and territories, national leadership is essential if governments are to respond collectively and urgently.
“The question is not what comes after the Voice. The question is whether governments are prepared to deliver the commitments they have already made under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.”
