Today is National Close the Gap Day – a time to acknowledge all the work done by communities, the private sector and non-government organisations to help eliminate Indigenous disadvantage.

Today also highlights the continued need to work towards improved health outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

National Close the Gap Day is a timely reminder to us all that there is still more work to be done to deliver positive outcomes for Indigenous Australians and that a collective effort is required to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage.

I am delighted National Close the Gap Day has a following of more than 200,000 Australians who support action to achieve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality by 2030.

Good health is fundamental as it allows for improvement in education, employment and community safety.

The Government is committed to fast-tracking improvements against the Closing the Gap targets through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy, which is focused on the priority areas of getting children to school, adults to work and making communities safe.

These priorities have been proven to make a difference and people who are educated, working and safe, enjoy better health.