"When Governments Show Up, Change Happens": Independent review calls for Action on Closing the Gap
The Coalition of Peaks today welcomes the release of the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander–led Review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. The Review validates what our communities have long said: when governments listen, share power, and act in partnership, change follows.
“Closing the Gap was the game-changer. Our voices were finally locked into a framework that – if honoured – can deliver real results,” a community leader told Review authors.
The Review reaffirms that the National Agreement and its four Priority Reforms remain the right roadmap to change the way governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations. Yet it also shows a stark reality: communities are driving progress towards closing the gap while governments lag behind.
Pat Turner, Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks, said, “Our people have kept their side of the bargain. Governments have been slow to shift power, slow to share control, and slow to transform systems. This Review is both mirror and mandate: the architecture is there. Now governments must get on with the job.”
“When governments show up, change happens,” said Scott Wilson, Acting Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks. “This Review shows that our communities are leading the way – but we can’t do it alone. Governments – Commonwealth, state, territory and local government – need to step up, honour the partnership, and share power if they are serious about closing the gap.”
Where governments have honoured the Agreement, tangible results are emerging.
A 10-year partnership between the Commonwealth and Northern Territory Governments, NT Land Councils and Aboriginal Housing NT is delivering 2,700 new houses and repairs in remote communities, alongside a community-controlled housing model.
A new First Nations Heritage Protection Agreement is progressing co-designed reforms to better protect cultural heritage.
A formal partnership between the Australian Government and SNAICC is helping to expand access to culturally safe early learning, including through Connected Beginnings and targeted investments in early childhood education and care.
Major transitions of out-of-home care services to Aboriginal community-controlled organisations are underway.
Over 30 opportunities have been identified to transfer health services, with 20 scheduled before mid-2027.
While these gains prove the Agreement can deliver, many commitments remain unmet. Governments must now implement the Review’s recommendations alongside the findings of the Productivity Commission, properly resource and fast-track Priority Reform implementation, and properly resource Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and other representative bodies.
Capturing the strength and promise of the National Agreement, Maurice Walker, Chairperson of the democratically-elected ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body, reflected on the new opportunities it has created:
“The ability to bring the voice of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to the decision-making of Government is critical for progress. Our ability to also hold Government accountable on their commitments to the community is a genuine attempt at self-determination by allowing us to emphasise the things that matter most to our people.”
The Coalition of Peaks will continue to press governments to meet their obligations, so the National Agreement realises its promise: better outcomes, shared power and genuine partnership for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.