The latest data released by the Productivity Commission on Closing the Gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has shown that progress on health outcomes are not on track to be met by the report’s aim of 2031. 

Concerningly, the report found suicide rates in First Nations communities have continued to worsen since the report National Agreement on Closing the Gap was agreed to in 2020. 

It also found the percentage of children being developmentally on track has gone backwards over the same period. 

Additionally, while other target areas in health saw some improvement, they were not on track to be met by 2031. These included improvements to life expectancy, health birthweights, and appropriately sized housing.  

In an article published in the Conversation, Madeleine Pugin and Bartholomew Stanford remarked the data showed that the Closing the Gap reporting offered “little hope for meaningful change.” 

“There is little evidence to suggest governments are being impelled to act on the transformational changes required,” the researchers wrote. 

Productivity Commissioner Selwyn Button, whose department released the report, said the results reflected the “limited progress of governments in collectively acting on priority reforms.” 

“The outcomes are all connected, each reflecting aspects of a broader system and the experiences of the people who have shared their stories,” he said.  

Despite the damning statistics, the report did find that governments were on track to meet four target areas: preschool enrolment, employment, and land and water rights.  

You can find the latest progress report on Closing the Gap on the Productivity Commission’s website.