Closing the Gap
Why Focus on Closing The Gap?
Closing the Gap is a national strategy that aims to reduce Indigenous disadvantage with respect to life expectancy, child mortality, access to early childhood education, educational achievement and employment outcomes. Closing the gap is a formal commitment developed in response, to achieve Aboriginal health equality within 25 years. Current statistics clearly demonstrate the inequity that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians experience.
All Australian governments are responsible for actively contributing to improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples face disadvantage and poorer outcomes across most physical, social and emotional aspects of life compared to the general Australian population. These outcome differences are commonly referred to as the 'gap'. As a government health service, HNE Health has a responsibility to contribute to closing the gap in health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Closing the Gap is everyone's business. Our District is standing by its strong commitment to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people and recognises the discrepancy between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal health outcomes.
- Hunter New England Local Health District Closing the Gap Strategy and Performance Report 2018 - 2019
To find out about the services and programs in your area, please contact staff via the contact details below or email: HNELHD-AboriginalHealth@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au
HNE Close the Gap Model
The diagram below highlights the organisation's approach to Closing the Gap.
National Agreement on Closing the Gap
On the 3rd of July 2020, the Joint Council met to discuss the final draft of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. It is the first National Agreement of its kind; it has been developed in genuine partnership between the Coalition of Peaks and Australian Governments.
The National Agreement was informed by a comprehensive engagement process, led by the Coalition of Peaks, in late 2019 with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country on what should be included.
The National Agreement sets out a strategy to close the gap that is strongly based on, and underpinned by, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ priorities. It is built around four new Priority Reforms about transforming the way governments work with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to improve outcomes. The Priority Reforms were overwhelmingly supported during the engagements.
Health will be responsible for;
