Close the Gap Day 2025: Call for Renewed Action on Indigenous Inequality

As Australians prepare to mark Close the Gap Day on 20 March 2025, the latest report by the Productivity Commission has highlighted significant progress but also worrying setbacks in the national effort to achieve equality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Released as part of the ongoing national Closing the Gap strategy, the Annual Data Compilation Report reveals mixed outcomes in key areas of health, education, justice and employment. While progress has been recorded in several fields, stark disparities remain evident.

Encouragingly, Indigenous children are increasingly being born at healthier birthweights with 89.6% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies reaching this benchmark in 2021. Early childhood education also recorded promising numbers with enrolments surpassing 100% in 2023 due to reporting from various sources.

Indigenous Australians have also seen improvements in employment rates. Approximately 55.7% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults were employed in 2021, pointing towards potentially achieving the 2031 employment target.

Land and sea rights have shown a positive trajectory as well, with over 4 million square kilometres of land and around 113,000 square kilometres of sea area now subject to Indigenous rights or interests. This suggests the target could be achieved by 2030.

However, the report raises significant concerns about other critical socio-economic areas. Most troubling is the increase in suicide rates within Indigenous communities. Alarmingly, the rate climbed to 29.9 per 100,000 people in 2022, up from 25.1 in 2018. This underscores a pressing need for enhanced mental health support and culturally appropriate interventions.

Justice and incarceration outcomes are also concerning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults being incarcerated at a higher rate—2,265.8 per 100,000 adults in 2023. Youth detention remains high at 29.8 per 10,000 young people in 2022–23, highlighting systemic issues that require significant and sustained attention.

Furthermore, the number of Indigenous children placed in out-of-home care continues to grow, now at a distressing rate of 57.2 per 1,000 children. This rise calls for a more culturally sensitive and effective approach to family and community support services.

This year the Productivity Commission emphasised the critical role of Priority Reforms aimed at transforming government systems and practices to better respond to Indigenous needs. However, ongoing delays in developing indicators and reporting frameworks for these reforms remain an obstacle to achieving transparency and accountability.

The Productivity Commissioners Natalie Siegel-Brown and Selwyn Button stressed that national statistics alone do not fully reflect the diversity of Indigenous experiences across Australia. They cautioned against “the tyranny of the aggregate” and urged policymakers to address not only national targets but also community-specific needs and conditions.

The Commissioners also pointed out that meaningful collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities remains central to progress. Areas demonstrating genuine partnership with Indigenous leadership are reportedly seeing outcomes not just met but exceeded.

Close the Gap Day 2025 represents not only a moment for reflection but also a renewed call to action. Australians are reminded to support culturally responsive policies and partnerships that empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and drive genuine change.

As the nation marks Close the Gap Day this March, the challenge is clear—build upon the successes and urgently address the gaps that remain. The goal of achieving equitable outcomes for Indigenous Australians remains achievable but continued and focused efforts across communities, organisations and governments are crucial.