Closing the Gap Annual Data Compilation Report July 2022
This is the second Annual Data Compilation Report to inform reporting on progress under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
Closing the Gap Agreement: more information is now available, but further time and data are needed to say if lives are improving
The Productivity Commission today released the second Annual Data Compilation Report. It provides a point-in-time snapshot of data for monitoring progress under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, signed in July 2020.
“It is still early days, but monitoring under this Agreement will look to show whether the actions committed to have occurred, and if the life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have improved,” said Romlie Mokak, Commissioner.
The actions focus on governments working differently with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to embed shared decision-making, build the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector, transform mainstream government organisations and improve data sharing with Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander communities.
“While progress has been made toward developing the data we need to see if these actions are happening, we don’t yet have the data,” said Romlie Mokak, Commissioner.
“Developing these data remains an important priority.”
However, new information on the life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are now available. These data relate to the socioeconomic outcome areas in the Agreement and were released via the Closing the Gap Dashboard in March and June 2022. A summary assessment of these data is included in this Report.
“This new information provides some emerging stories, but it is still too early to say if lives are improving under the Agreement, as the most recent available data are for 2021 which is only one year after the Agreement commenced,” said Michael Brennan, Chair of the Productivity Commission.
“While it may be some years before we know for sure whether this most recent Agreement is working to improve people’s lives, progress will become clearer with each year of reporting.”
The Annual Data Compilation Report is available on the Productivity Commission website at www.pc.gov.au/closing-the-gap-data/annual-data-report
Media requests
Michelle Cross, A/g Director – 03 9653 2115 / media@pc.gov.au
Background
Catherine Andersson, Assistant Commissioner – 03 9653 2354 / ctg.data@pc.gov.au
Foreword
The National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the Agreement) is a significant agreement – committing to outcomes that have been developed in partnership between Australian governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak organisations. The Agreement enables new ways of doing things through
its Priority Reforms, including that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now share in the decisions made to close the gap. The Agreement also focuses on the outcomes experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to see if the gap is closing.
The Productivity Commission is pleased to play a role in supporting oversight and accountability of the Agreement, and to provide this second Annual Data Compilation Report to monitor progress under the Agreement.
The Commission would like to acknowledge the ongoing valuable contribution to our work by the Partnership Working Group that supports the Joint Council on Closing the Gap. As we continue this journey we intend to build on our existing relationships and engage with more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people, communities and governments.
Romlie Mokak
Commissioner
Natalie Siegel-Brown
Commissioner
