The Closing the Gap strategy was envisioned as a transformative initiative to address the profound disparities between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians in key areas such as health, education, and economic opportunity. Yet, nearly two decades since its inception, the strategy stands as a sobering testament to missed opportunities, bureaucratic inertia, and a failure to confront systemic inequalities at their core.
Stagnant vision, rotting reality
The oft-quoted adage, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time," was perhaps the implicit mindset behind the Closing the Gap initiative. However, the greater tragedy is not just the slow progress but the fundamental failure to recognize the sheer scale of the problem and the deep-seated structures that sustain it.
The architects of the strategy seem to have bitten off more than they can chew—or perhaps, more accurately, they have failed to chew fast enough. After 17 years, the metaphorical elephant is no longer a challenge to be tackled, but rather a decaying carcass, leaving policymakers grasping at ways to repackage their efforts as palatable progress.
Systemic racism: the core obstacle
It is impossible to discuss Closing the Gap without acknowledging the role of systemic racism.
The failure to confront and dismantle entrenched power structures has rendered many policy measures ineffective.
Addressing symptoms without tackling the root causes—structural inequality, institutional bias, and cultural erasure—has led to a cycle of superficial interventions rather than substantive reform.
While service provision remains an important mechanism for change, it cannot serve as the sole solution when access to those services is still marred by discrimination and exclusion.
True progress demands a decolonial approach—one that prioritises Indigenous agency, self-determination, and a radical reimagining of policy frameworks.
The targets: lofty ambitions, meagre results
In 2008, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) set ambitious targets, aiming to improve the well-being of Indigenous Australians within a specified timeline:
- Close the life expectancy gap by 2031
- Halve the gap in child mortality by 2018
- Ensure 95% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are enrolled in early childhood education by 2025
- Halve the gap in literacy and numeracy by 2018
- Halve the gap in Year 12 attainment by 2020
- Halve the gap in employment by 2018
- Close the gap in school attendance by 2018 (added in 2014)
Yet, as of 2025, only five of the 17 indicators show improvement, while most targets have regressed. Life expectancy gaps persist, child mortality remains unacceptably high, and Indigenous incarceration rates continue to climb. Despite substantial public funding, meaningful outcomes remain elusive.
Bureaucracy vs. Indigenous Empowerment
One of the key failings of the strategy is its top-down approach.
The 2024 Closing the Gap report acknowledged that:
- Governments still retain power over decision-making in partnerships.
- Indigenous communities have limited control over the speed and direction of reform.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are expected to conform to mainstream frameworks.
- Major systemic institutions have yet to undergo meaningful reform.
- Data collection and sharing remain inadequate, with no clear accountability for oversight.
This failure of governance underscores a fundamental truth: government-led initiatives, constrained by political cycles and bureaucratic inefficiencies, are ill-equipped to drive the transformative change needed.
Bureaucracy vs. Indigenous Empowerment
One of the key failings of the strategy is its top-down approach.
The 2024 Closing the Gap report acknowledged that:
- Governments still retain power over decision-making in partnerships.
- Indigenous communities have limited control over the speed and direction of reform.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are expected to conform to mainstream frameworks.
- Major systemic institutions have yet to undergo meaningful reform.
- Data collection and sharing remain inadequate, with no clear accountability for oversight.
This failure of governance underscores a fundamental truth: government-led initiatives, constrained by political cycles and bureaucratic inefficiencies, are ill-equipped to drive the transformative change needed.
A call for structural change
If Closing the Gap were a private enterprise, it would be in administration—facing insolvency, requiring a complete overhaul of leadership, and demanding an urgent shift in strategy. The persistence of a failing model suggests a lack of political will, a reluctance to relinquish power, and an entrenched preference for performative action over substantive reform.
Real change will not come from the halls of government but from the communities who live these realities daily. Indigenous leaders have long articulated what is needed: self-determined, culturally informed solutions that place Indigenous voices at the heart of decision-making.
Rather than persist with a failing strategy, Australia must adopt an approach that prioritises Indigenous-led governance, genuine community engagement, and sustained investment in grassroots initiatives. Structural reform must move beyond tokenistic consultations and towards meaningful partnerships that empower Indigenous Australians to drive their own futures.
The unfinished task
The failures of Closing the Gap are not mere bureaucratic inefficiencies—they are a national disgrace, a persistent human rights crisis, and a stain on Australia's moral and social fabric. If genuine progress is to be made, it will require a radical departure from the status quo. The challenge is not just about closing statistical gaps but about dismantling a system that continues to disadvantage Indigenous Australians.
The path forward lies not in rhetorical commitments but in tangible, Indigenous-led action. Only then can Australia move beyond a cycle of failure and towards a future of equity and justice.
About the author
This article conveys the views of Bond University Assistant Professor Clement Nhunzvi on Australia's Closing the Gap strategy. He holds a PhD (Occupational Therapy) from the University of Cape Town, reading in mental health, substance use disorders, HIV and the social inclusion realities among adolescents and young adults in Zimbabwe. Assistant Professor Nhunzvi is interested in critical social science research around mental health, psychosocial rehabilitation, social determinants of mental health and occupational science, with special interest to indigenous knowledges, decolonial science, marginalised and disadvantaged population groups.
Published on Wednesday, 7 May, 2025.
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