CANBERRA – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has tabled the 2025 Closing the Gap Annual Report, revealing that four of the nineteen agreed priority targets are on track, four are moving in the wrong direction entirely, and the remainder are progressing – a category government officials describe as “not failing” which is also not succeeding.
“Failure is a word for those who have stopped trying – or given up listening” Mr Albanese told parliament, confirming he had not stopped trying and had definitely been listening, just not, it seems, to the data.
The four targets moving backwards include First Nations imprisonment rates, children being removed from families, early childhood development, and suicide rates – described by the report as “areas of ongoing focus,” which is one way to put it.
The Coalition of Peaks, whose entire purpose is to hold government to account on this agreement, noted in their accompanying review that racism “in its myriad forms” remained the core barrier to progress and that “no systemic steps have been taken” to address it despite it being a named commitment.
“We are beginning to shift the course” the Prime Minister added, citing the 82-page report’s appendices as evidence. Independent observers noted the appendices were where progress actually lived, having been moved there from the executive summary sometime around 2023.
The 2026 Implementation Plan outlines commitments for the year ahead. A 2027 report will assess those commitments. A 2028 report will assess that one. Community Elders have been advised to stay hydrated.
Discover more from I-News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
