Today, 20 March, marks 17 years since then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson signed the Close the Gap Statement of Intent at the Close the Gap Campaign’s National Indigenous Health Equality Summit.
The signing was the culmination of the Close the Gap campaign, spearheaded from Professor Tom Calma’s 2005 Social Justice Report, which outlined the health and wellbeing inequities faced by First Nations people.
Over the past two decades, Close the Gap initiatives and reporting have expanded to education, economic participation, housing, youth engagement, criminal and youth justice, housing, child protection, family safety and cultures and language.
On its 17th anniversary it is an opportune time to reflect on the past, to acknowledge that health equality, education and due process are fundamental rights, and to consider the role the legal profession has in closing the gap for the future.
Health
While Australia has one of the highest life expectancies of any country in the world, despite these targets, First Nations people on average, live up to eight years less than non-Indigenous Australians.1
First Nations people experience higher rates of preventable illnesses from heart disease to diabetes. The Closing the Gap Annual Data Compilation Report July 20242 showed the gap between the life expectancy of First Nations people and non-indigenous people was not on track to close by the target year (2031), with the life expectancy of a First Nations men being 71.9 years and 75.6 years for women.
The 2024 data demonstrated the need for further government action and commitments to make changes to improve health and living outcomes for the First Nations community. It also highlighted the importance of the role of First Nations solicitors and health lawyers in policy making to improve access and uptake in health services, particularly for regional and remote communities.
Since the report, the Commonwealth has committed to:
- identify and establish up to 21 additional regional and remote sites for a renal dialysis clinic to facilitate treatment for First Nations patients;
- invest $15.4 million over three years to detect, treat and prevent rheumatic heart disease in high-risk communities; and
- invest $11.4 million over four years to extinguish or upgrade 12 community laundries and maintain and operate them in remote First Nations communities across northern and central Australia to reduce skins infections, which can lead to serious secondary illnesses.
Criminal justice and due process
First Nations people are significantly over-represented in the criminal justice system, with the Productivity Commission’s Closing the Gap – data update reporting that at 30 June 2023, the age-standardised rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners was 2,265.8 per 100,000 adult population.
The rate in Queensland is slightly lower than the national average at 2,232.4 per 100,000, which is in stark contrast to the non-indigenous rate of prisoners in Queensland which sits at 174.7 per 100,000.
Queensland has one of the highest rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners in the country, with Tasmania having one of the lowest rates at 768.4 per 100 000.
The Closing the Gap 2024 Annual Report, tabled on 10 February 2025 by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, shows that community-led approaches are beneficial in reducing contact with the criminal justice system for First Nations people.
Commitments included delivering the remaining $6.78 million in funding support for four additional justice reinvestment initiatives in Central Australian First Nations communities, and investing $3.9 billion over five years to support frontline legal assistance services delivered through the National Access to Justice Partnership, which includes $738 million for all parts of the legal assistance sector and $231 million dedicated to First Nations specific legal assistance services.
Close the Gap and Harmony Week
This year’s National Close the Gap Day overlaps with Harmony Week (17 to 23 March 2025) which highlights Australia’s cultural diversity and promotes inclusiveness, respect, and belonging for all Australians. The highlight of Harmony Week is Harmony Day, which is observed on 21 March 2025 and also happens to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
While Harmony Week is celebrated world-wide, it started as an Australian celebration following the “study of strife” in 1998, in which the Federal Government commissioned a study into the nature of racism in Australia.
With the motto of Everyone Belongs, Harmony Week is a reminder that we need to be conscientious citizens in our multicultural society, and by embracing what makes us different, we build a society that allows us all to benefit.
When we embrace and celebrate diversity, our communities are healthier and more prosperous. However, that can only occur if citizens unite and promote belonging, and we have the framework and systems that accurately and respectfully assist marginalised people.
In terms of Closing the Gap, we know that strategic approaches to remove barriers, explore and support creative stakeholder led options, and partnerships across government, industry and communities do lead to successful outcomes. However, there is more work to be done to make health equality accessible for First Nations People.
Footnotes
1 1.19 Life expectancy at birth – AIHW Indigenous HPF accessed 28 February 2024.
2 Annual data report | Closing the Gap Information Repository – Productivity Commission accessed 28 February 2024.
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