Recommendation 112

Intensify efforts in enhancing the rights of Indigenous Australians: by addressing the underlying causes of their plight, by providing opportunities in health, education, housing and employment; and addressing the high rate of their incarceration in prison

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State
Kenya
Issue
Improving Indigenous life outcomes
Equal access to services
Health
Education
Employment
Housing
Criminal justice
Population group
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Australian Government Agency and/or Jurisdiction
• Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
• States and territories
Australia's Response
Accepts
Australia's Position

Australian governments are working together to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in health, education, employment and housing, and addressing the issues that contribute to high rates of incarceration.

In 2008, all Australian governments agreed to address the disadvantage faced by Indigenous Australians through the Closing the Gap framework. Work towards achieving the Closing the Gap targets, which include life expectancy, child mortality, early childhood education, literacy and numeracy, educational attainment and employment, continues. The Prime Minister’s 2017 Closing the Gap Report can be found on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.

Some targets are due to expire in 2018. Through the Council Of Australian Governments, all governments have reaffirmed that improving the lives of Indigenous Australians is a strategic priority for the nation, and have agreed to consider a refreshed framework, targets and implementation principles for the Closing the Gap agenda.

Australian governments fund and deliver a range of programmes aimed at improving access to services and addressing the inequalities faced by Indigenous people, including through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy. Information on the strategy and current programmes can be found on the Indigenous Advancement Strategy page on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.

The Indigenous affairs page on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website includes information on a range of Australian Government policies and programmes.
The Australian Law Reform Commission has conducted an inquiry into the incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and tabled the resulting report Pathways to Justice in March 2018. The Australian Government is considering the report’s recommendations.

For information on state and territory policies and programmes relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, visit: