Closing the Gap: What we want to achieve

There are 17 socio-economic outcome targets under the National Agreement. NSW has also created a fifth reform based on feedback from Aboriginal communities. This is what we are doing to Close the Gap in NSW.

A lcommunity of Aboriginal people of all ages having a photo taken of them, looking at the camera

NSW priority reforms

A panel of speakers on a stage talking at an Aboriginal business conference

Aboriginal buisness growth

The NSW Roadmap for Aboriginal business growth takes what we heard from Aboriginal businesses and stakeholders through extensive consultation and conversations and transforms these ideas into concrete policy responses.

The NSW Data Connector Service

This service gives one place for Aboriginal communities to go to access data. This makes it easier for Aboriginal communities to access Government held information.

National targets

Everyone enjoys long and healthy lives

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people enjoy long and healthy lives.	Close the Gap in life expectancy within a generation, by 2031.	M. 70.9y W. 75.9y²	+ M: 9.3y + W: 7.6y	M: 70.9y W: 75.9y in 2015-2017

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
²Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2018, Life tables for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2015-2017. 2015-2017 data.

Children are born healthy and strong

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are born healthy and strong	By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies with a healthy birthweight to 91 per cent	90.3%³	+ 1.10%	89.9% in 2020

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
³National Perinatal Data Collection, analysis by Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017 data.

Children are engaged in high quality, culturally appropriate early childhood education in their early years

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are engaged in high quality, culturally appropriate early childhood education in their early years.	By 2025, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children enrolled in Year Before Fulltime Schooling (YBFS) early childhood education to 95 per cent.	75.7%⁴	nil	95.8% in 2022

¹Percentages in this column refer to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
⁴Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2018 data.

Children thrive in the early years

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children thrive in their early years.	By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children assessed as developmentally on track in all five domains of the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) to 55 per cent.	42%⁵	+ 16.20%	38.8% (2021)

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
⁵Australian Early Development Census, calculations by National Indigenous Australians Agency, 2018 data.

Students acheive their full learning potential

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students achieve their full learning potential.	By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (age 20-24) attaining year 12 or equivalent qualification to 96 per cent	64.3%⁶	+ 26.70%	69.3% in 2021

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
⁶Australian Census of Population and Housing, 2016 data.

Students reach their full potential through further education pathways

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students reach their full potential through further education pathways.	By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25-34 years who have completed a tertiary qualification (Certificate III and above) to 70 per cent.	48.3%⁷	+ 15.90%	54.1 % in 2021

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
⁷Australian Census of Population and Housing, 2016 data.

Youth are engaged in education and employment

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth are engaged in employment or education.	By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth (15-24 years) who are in employment, education or training to 67 per cent.	61.7%⁸	+ 5.00%	62.0% in 2021

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
⁸Australian Census of Population and Housing, 2016 data.

Strong economic development of people and their communities

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Strong economic participation and development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.	By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25-64 who are employed to 62 per cent	54.6%⁹	+ 2.40%	59.6% in 2021

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
⁹Australian Census of Population and Housing, 2016 data.

People can secure appropriate, affordable housing that is aligned with their priorities and needs

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people secure appropriate, affordable housing that is aligned with their priorities and need.	By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in appropriately sized (not overcrowded) housing to 88 per cent.	85.9%¹⁰	+ 0.50%	87.5% in 2021

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
¹⁰Australian Census of Population and Housing, 2016 data.

Adults are not overrepresentated in the criminal justice system

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are not overrepresented in the criminal justice system.	By 2031, reduce the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults held in incarceration by at least 15 per cent.	1,868.9 per 100,000 population¹¹	-15.4% (-289 per 100,000 population)	1,878 per 100,000 people in June 2022 (target less than 1588.6 in 2031)

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
¹¹Australian Bureau of Statistics Prisoners in Australia, 2019 data.

Young peopel are not overrepresentated in the criminal justice system

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people are not overrepresented in the criminal justice system.	By 2031, reduce the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people (10-17 years) in detention by 30 per cent.	22.4 per 10,000 population¹²	nil	15.7 per 10,000 young people in 2021-2022 (Target 15.7 per 10,000 population in 2031)

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
¹²Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Youth Justice National Minimum Data Set. 2018-19 data.

Children are not overrepresented in the child protection system

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are not overrepresented in the child protection system.	By 2031, reduce the rate of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45 per cent.	60.2 per 1,000 population¹³	- 42.2% (-24.2 per 1,000 population)	57.3 per 1,000 in June 2022 (target less than 33.1 in 2031)

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
¹³Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Child Protection Collections, 2018-19 data.

Families and households are safe

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and households are safe.	A significant and sustained reduction in violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children towards zero.	10%¹⁴	- 50% (5 percentage points)	Data work in development

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
¹⁴This figure is approximate only, as it has a relative standard error of 21.3%, and margin of error of 4.2%. Australian Bureau of Statistics National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, 2018-19 data.

People enjoy high levels of social and emotional wellbeing

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people enjoy high levels of social and emotional wellbeing.	Significant and sustained reduction in suicide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people towards zero.	17.5 per 100,000 population¹⁵	- 100% (20.8 per 100,000 population)	20.8 per 100,000 overall M: 33.0 per 100,000 W: 9.3 per 100,000 2017-2021

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
¹⁵Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2014-18 data.

People maintain a distinctive cultural, spiritual, physical and economic relationship with their land and water

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people maintain a distinctive cultural, spiritual, physical and economic relationship with their land and waters.	a) By 2030, a 15 per cent increase in Australia’s landmass subject to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s legal rights or interests. b) By 2030, a 15 per cent increase in areas covered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s legal rights or interests in the sea.	a) 6,382 sq km (2020)¹⁶ b) 20sq km (2020)¹⁷	a) +13.9 % (+896.3 sq km) b) + 15% (+3 sq km)	a) 6,443 sq km16 (Target 7339.3 sq km in 2031) b) 20 sq km in 2020

Outcome

Target

NSW Baseline

Change required to reach target¹

Current status

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people maintain a distinctive cultural, spiritual, physical and economic relationship with their land and waters.

a) By 2030, a 15 per cent increase in Australia’s landmass subject to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s legal rights or interests.

b) By 2030, a 15 per cent increase in areas covered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s legal rights or interests in the sea.

a) 6,382 sq km (2020)¹⁶

b) 20sq km (2020)¹⁷

a) +13.9 % (+896.3 sq km)

b) + 15% (+3 sq km)

a) 6,443 sq km16 (Target 7339.3 sq km in 2031)

b) 20 sq km in 2020

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
¹⁶This figure covers land subject to the following: Aboriginal Land Councils granted under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act since 1983; Indigenous Land Use Agreements as at October 2020; National Parks Act Joint Management Agreements as at October 2020; and Native Title determinations as at June 2021. Figures have been taken from internal data sources within the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
¹⁷This figure covers Native Title only. National Native Title Tribunal, data as at June 2020.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and languages are strong, supported and flourshing

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and languages are strong, supported and flourishing.	By 2031, there is a sustained increase in number and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages being spoken.	Data not currently collected.	A sustained increase	Data currently unavailable

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.

By 2026, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will have equal levels of digital inclusion

Outcome	Target	NSW Baseline	Change required to reach target¹	Current status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have access to information and services enabling participation in informed decision-making regarding their own lives.	By 2026, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have equal levels of digital inclusion	79.9% ¹⁸	Data currently unavailable	Data currently unavailable

¹This refers to the percentage point change required to reach the target.
¹⁸National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, Customised Data Report, 2014-15 data.