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Beyond Closing the Gap: Self-Determination, Structural Equality & Policy Change

  • Hawa Yussuf
  • Apr 8
  • 4 min read

Self-determination is at the heart of economic justice and expansion. Prior to

colonisation, First Peoples in Australia were thriving with complex economies grounded in their deep knowledge of Country. With large-scale trade networks and “sustainable land and resource management practices” (Yoorrook Justice Commission, 2015) rooted in community, First Peoples were far from underdeveloped. Rather, they were highly sophisticated, managing and

sustaining societies for thousands of years. The real rupture of First Nations communities came not from a lack of economic skill, but from the dispossession and dismantling of their systems by colonial powers. The challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples remain deeply rooted in settler colonialism and its ongoing impacts. This piece aims to discuss the ways in which the Closing the Gap policy may have prevented economic, social, and political growth within Indigenous communities rather than providing them with the equity once promised.


Part I: Closing the Gap or ...?

With the initial Closing the Gap framework introduced in 2008 through the National Indigenous Reform Agreement (SNAICC, 2024), the policy aimed at improving outcomes for First Nations people across a variety of sectors. With an understanding that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been and continue to be excluded from political decision-making, the policy was renewed in 2020 following “extensive agreement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations across the country.” (SNAICC, 2024) This agreement began in early 2019 when the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations (the Coalition of Peaks) formed a collective of community-controlled bodies to negotiate a new partnership with the government regarding the Closing the Gap policy. The purpose of this suggested framework was to embed shared decision-making between Indigenous communities and the government, ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals play an active role in creating and delivering policy. This shared decision-making authority marked a significant shift in the reform as it was the first time the Australian government committed to working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives in developing and improving the policy.


Part II: The Statistics Don’t Lie

“Our challenge for the future is to embrace a new partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The core of this partnership for the future is closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians on life expectancy, educational achievement and employment opportunities...and, within a generation, to close the equally appalling 17-year life gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous when it comes to overall life expectancy.”

– Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples, 13

February 2008


It was just over 18 years ago when the Rudd government originally pledged to close the life-expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2012). Fast forward 18 years later, the question of: Has the gap been closed? is prompted. Data released by the Productivity Commission in 2023

showed that there is still a significant gap that is yet to be closed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the nation, with only 4 of the 19 Closing the Gap targets being on track (Burney & McCarthy, 2023). While the gap may be closing in some areas, it is simply not closing fast enough. With the first generation raised under the policy reaching adulthood, the effectiveness of the policy may now be assessed. According to the data from the federal Closing

the Gap goals released in March of 2026, First Nations males and females have a life-expectancy gap of 8.8 years and 8.1 years respectively compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts born at the same time (Collard, 2026).


While educational attainment has improved, with 47% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth completing tertiary qualifications, this still falls short of the 70% target set for 2031. A similar trend is seen in youth engagement in employment, education or training, with current figures standing at 58%. Again, below the target of 67% by 2031. Additionally, in four of the target areas – rates of juvenile detention, removal through child protection, adult incarceration, and deaths due to suicide – are worsening rather than improving (Collard, 2026).


Considering the above data, we must understand that although the Albanese Government has invested and continues to invest in key areas to improve the Closing the Gap outcomes this year, both partnership and actionable steps must be taken to ensure equity for First Nations communities. Whilst the Albanese Government is “working alongside First Nations people, backing community-led solutions, and building on proven successes” (New Investments Build on Progress in Closing the Gap, 2026), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals continue to understand that they must take steps of their own in order to better their communities and provide their children with greater opportunities than the ones presented to them. 


“The terms ‘sovereignty’, ‘self-government’ and ‘self-determination’ are often used interchangeably to describe the political aspiration of Indigenous people to have more control and say in the issues that affect their lives.”

– Larissa Behrendt, First Australians


The self-determination of Indigenous communities has acted as a form of resilience against the ongoing structural marginalisation faced. Therefore, First Nations people call for “structural change to reshape the relationships between governments and First Nations people, grounded in human rights, shared power and self-determination” (Collard, 2026). Ultimately, without genuine self-determination embedded at the core of policy design and implementation, the Closing the Gap policy risks failing those it intends to support.


References:


Australian Human Rights Commission. (2012). Close the Gap: Indigenous Health

Equality Summit - Statement of Intent | Australian Human Rights Commission.


Australian Indigenous Governance Institute. (2024). Self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. AIGI. https://aigi.org.au/toolkit/self-determination-for-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples


Burney, L., & McCarthy, M. (2023, June 15). New data shows the gap is not closing |


Collard, S. (2026, March 27). The first children born after Australia pledged to close the gap for First Nations people are now entering adulthood. What has changed? The Guardian; The Guardian.

australia-first-nations-aboriginal-indigenous-ntwnfb


New investments build on progress in Closing the Gap. (2026, February 11). Prime


SNAICC. (2024). Closing the Gap | The National Agreement | SNAICC. SNAICC –


Yoorrook Justice Commission. (2015). Economic Prosperity | Yoorrook Justice

 
 
 

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