NSW Launches Closing the Gap Toolkit Featuring Bold New Innovation: “A Template”

SYDNEY – The NSW Government has released a new toolkit to help councils Close the Gap, confirming it contains practical resources including templates, case studies and a self-assessment tool capable of generating a result of either “progressing well” or “opportunity for improvement”.

A spokesperson said the toolkit will empower councils to work in genuine partnership with Aboriginal communities, particularly by providing official language for key moments such as:

1. “We acknowledge your feedback,=” and
2. “That’s outside the scope of this budget.”

Councils welcomed the toolkit, noting they previously had no guidance on how to engage with community beyond the traditional approach of inviting everyone to a Tuesday meeting at 2:00pm and acting surprised when mob are working.

The self-assessment tool asks councils to rate themselves across critical areas like “shared decision-making” and “accountability”, and includes a helpful autofill feature that replaces any answer with “Developing”.

A council spokesperson confirmed implementation will begin immediately, starting with a ceremonial printing of the toolkit, followed by a launch event, followed by a second launch event “for stakeholders who couldn’t make the first one”, followed by a third launch event “to reaffirm momentum”.

The toolkit also encourages alignment with priorities, which councils say is great because they already have 19 priorities, 14 strategies and one person in the community team who does everything.

“We’re committed to tangible outcomes” the spokesperson said. “That’s why we’ve booked a four-hour workshop called From Commitment To Commitment.”