Closing the Gap: It's not just about the end point, but how we get there

Media release: Productivity Commission

The Productivity Commission today released the first Annual Data Compilation Report. It provides a point-in-time snapshot of measurement under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

“Previous National Agreements focussed on monitoring life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” said Romlie Mokak, Commissioner.

“This Agreement goes further to include monitoring of government actions and how they can influence these outcomes”.

The actions centre around key reforms in shared decision-making, building the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Sector, transforming mainstream government organisations and improving data sharing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Targets and indicators for the reform areas were agreed in November 2020.

“We don’t yet have data for reporting on these actions. Our initial focus will be on getting the data we need so we can track results,” said Mr Mokak.

“Monitoring of implementation of these reforms will provide transparency and show whether parties to the Agreement have ‘walked the walk’,” said Michael Brennan, Chair of the Productivity Commission.

Data on the targets for the socioeconomic outcomes in the Agreement were released via the Closing the Gap Dashboard in late June 2021. A summary assessment of these data is included in this Report, along with important caveats on interpretation.

“The Agreement is now 12 months old, but the most recent available data for monitoring these socioeconomic outcomes are only just hitting the commencement date for the Agreement,” said Mr Mokak, “It is likely to be some years before we see the influence of this Agreement on these outcomes.”

The Annual Data Compilation Report is available on the Productivity Commission website.