News
Reporting by Noah Secomb for Powerd
The peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is confident the tide will turn on First Nations disadvantage. The federal government has handed down the latest Closing the Gap report for 2025 on the 18th anniversary of the apology to the stolen generations. The latest report shows four of the 19 Closing the Gap targets are on track to be met by 2031.
One of these was achieved last year.
The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children enrolled in early childhood education has reached 95%.
Development outcomes for First Nations children in their first years of life, however, has deteriorated in the latest data.
SNAICC, the peak representative for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, has called for ‘wrap-around services’ in recent years and has welcomed the government’s Thriving Kids program.
SNAICC CEO, Catherine Liddle, says Thriving Kids offers a ‘Medicare moment’ for First Nations children.
We need Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to be ready for school because if they start preschool with a gap already in their learning development, we know that gap gets bigger and bigger
Catherine Liddle
Ms Liddle says self-determined, grass-roots Indigenous programs are the answer to addressing disadvantage.
“[Thriving Kids] will be an incredible investment into ensuring children get the support they need, when they need it, in an environment that suits them.”
There are concerns the remaining 15 Closing the Gap targets won’t be reached by the 2031 deadline due to the states and territories falling short of their commitments.
In his Closing the Gap speech to parliament, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a number of new funding commitments for First Nations communities.
In health, this includes $144m in upgrades to dozens of Aboriginal community-controlled health services and $450m from the recent hospitals agreement approved by National Cabinet last month to go to Indigenous Health.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Malarndirri McCarthy says she is hopeful the leadership on Closing the Gap at a federal level will carry through the system.
I can only do what I can do in the remit I have. But the states and territories can do a hell of a lot as well. And I hope by our leadership at the commonwealth level… that we are sending a really firm example that this is possible. We can achieve this
Malarndirri McCarthy