Closing the Gap: 2025 report
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This year marks 20 years since, then Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Professor Tom Calma AO, released his Social Justice Report 2005, leading to the Closing the Gap campaign. Throughout that time, there have been a number of targets set to ensure the survival, wellbeing and dignity of First Nations peoples.
In 2020, the National Agreement on Closing the Gap was agreed to by the First Ministers of all Australian governments, with 19 targets to be met by 2031, including:
- Outcome 3 — children are engaged in high quality, culturally appropriate early childhood education in their early years;
- Outcome 4 — children thrive in their early years;
- Outcome 5 — students achieve their full learning potential;
- Outcome 6 — students reach their full potential through further education pathways;
- Outcome 7 — youth are engaged in employment or education.
Today, a report on the progress of Closing the Gap was launched in Naarm, Melbourne. Sadly, at almost the half-way mark to the 2031 timeline, only 5 of the 19 targets are on track to be met.
Ged Kearney MP, Assistant Minister for Health & Aged Care and Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health said at the launch: “Answers only come by working in partnership”.
Watch Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sharing about the report in Parliament.
The 2025 Close the Gap report has 44 recommendations, including:
- Recommendation 7: Adopt and implement the National Anti-Racism Framework from the Australian Human Rights Commission.
- Recommendations 11 & 12: Advancing Voice, Truth & Treaty Federally and within each State. Do you know what your State is doing to advance Voice, Truth & Treaty?
- Recommendation 30: Implement the recommendations from the National Children’s Commissioner’s report, “Help Way Earlier!”
- Recommendation 37: Implement The Healing Foundation report, “‘Are you waiting for us to die?’ The unfinished business of Bringing Them Home”
- Recommendation 39: Queensland and Western Australian governments to implement reparation schemes for Stolen Generations Survivors.
What can we do?
As a non-Indigenous person—like many of you reading this—I feel the weight of knowing that there is still so much progress to be made in closing the gap. As educators, some aspects are beyond our control, but there is still much we can do.
We can educate ourselves, stay engaged with both the history and ongoing efforts to close the gap, and, most importantly, be genuine and active allies.
How? Start by reading this ReachOut article and watching the video on being a good ally.
Additional Resources
Student Activities
- The Healing Foundation has a great suite of resources for schools to explore the Stolen Generations
- Our new student program, Our Country, is designed for Year 6-12 students to explore the significance and opportunities of living on lands home to the world’s oldest continuing culture. Through discussions and interactive sessions, they develop a deeper awareness of Australia’s rich and complex history and map out positive pathways of respect and reconciliation.
Professional Learning
- Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali platform includes professional learning resources, along with curriculum resources
Further Exploration
About the Author
Andrea (she/her) is a former secondary business education teacher. She was born on Darumbal country in Rockhampton and now lives and works on the land of the Yuggera, Turrbal and Ugarapul people in Ipswich, Queensland.
Copyright
Metadata © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Together for Humanity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Copyright
Metadata © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Together for Humanity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Stage: All
- Curriculum: All
- Topics: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Perspectives