Representatives from Aboriginal peak organisations (including Tim Ireland, second from right) meet with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
AbSec welcomes partnership approach to close the gap
Thursday 12 December 2018
Together with our colleagues at other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies across Australia, we welcome the announcement of a formal partnership between governments and Aboriginal communities to close the gap.
Today the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to the partnership, which was proposed by Aboriginal peak organisations including AbSec. Our CEO, Tim Ireland, joined representatives from 12 other Aboriginal peak organisations to discuss the proposal with Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week.
Before our peak bodies intervened, COAG was due to settle a new Closing the Gap framework and targets without the full involvement and agreement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through their representatives.
“We will only achieve equity for Aboriginal people through the real, meaningful participation of our communities,” Mr Ireland said.
“Decisions about our lives can’t be made without us at the table. Past approaches have failed because they haven’t realised this.”
The details of formal partnership between COAG and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples will be settled in February 2019, following a determined campaign by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies.
The partnership will include a Ministerial Council on Closing the Gap with expanded membership to include representation from COAG and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through their peak bodies.