- Posted on 23 Jun 2025
- 3-minute read
While the Closing the Gap National Agreement is broadly sound, there is a need for “respectful re-examination” of the nature of the relationship between state and First Peoples according to the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led independent review of the agreement.
Released on 20 June by the Coalition of Peaks, the national representative body of over 80 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled peak bodies, the review was undertaken by UTS’s Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research (Jumbunna Research) from late December 2024 to May 2025.
The Closing the Gap National Agreement, signed by all governments and the Coalition of Peaks in 2020, requires an independent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led review every three years.
This review builds on the Productivity Commission review delivered in 2024, focusing on the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people involved in implementing the National Agreement.
Jumbunna Research engaged with over 500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from across Australia, as well as peak bodies and local community-controlled organisations.
Among the key findings and recommendations in the review report, Jumbunna found that while the architecture of Closing the Gap and the National Agreement is sound and provides a solid framework supported by all parties, implementation challenges persist. This reflects a deeper tension between fundamentally misaligned visions from governments on the one hand, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their organisations on the other.
There was little evidence of the transformative work required on the part of governments at all three levels to support the systemic and structural changes required to underpin successful and sustainable outcomes under the National Agreement.
Director of Jumbunna Research Professor Lindon Coombes said, “We want this review to provide constructive feedback for all parties to the Closing the Gap National Agreement, and to hear the voices of the people it seeks to support.
“What has become apparent is that there needs to be a consideration by all governments and the Coalition of Peaks about the nature of their relationships and how it underpins or hinders implementation of the National Agreement.
“As the independent reviewers, Jumbunna has provided a set of recommendations as levers for reflection and as an invitation to all parties to challenge themselves to rise to the ambition of Closing the Gap and the National Agreement,” said Professor Coombes.
The report authors were Distinguished Professor Larissa Lavarch, Professor Lindon Coombes, Associate Professor Kirsten Gray, Industry Professor Cecilia Anthony and Samantha Nolan-Smith.