Indigenous mental health experts say “serious action” is needed after the latest Closing the Gap data showed suicide, child protection and incarceration rates are all worsening.
The Productivity Commission’s annual report released this week found only five of the 19 measures monitored are considered to be on track, with the number of Indigenous Australians imprisoned, taking their own life and losing children to out-of-home care all increasing in the first Closing the Gap report since the voice to parliament was defeated in the referendum.
Gayaa Dhuwi Australia – a group of the nation’s leading Indigenous health and mental health professionals – said the trend will continue to worsen unless something is done.
“Our people deserve to live long and happy lives, enjoying high levels of social and emotional wellbeing,” said Gayaa Dhuwi chair, Prof Helen Milroy.
Prof Milroy said governments were not undertaking partnership actions “in the spirit in which they were drafted”.
“Wide scale systemic changes are needed – including genuinely sharing decision making with and building up the community-controlled sector, addressing institutional racism and providing access to locally-relevant data,” Prof Milroy said.
There was no available data on some targets including access to clean drinking water, sewerage treatment, electricity, and the proportion of women and children experiencing family violence, according to NACCHO, the peak body for Aboriginal health.
“This data gap stresses the necessity for comprehensive and transparent reporting to ensure all aspects of community well-being are addressed,” a NACCHO statement said.
Indigenous domestic and family violence organisations also expressed frustration and disappointment at the worsening figures.
The CEO of Djirra, a family violence support organisation for Aboriginal women, Antoinette Braybrook, said family violence is “the single biggest driver” of the vast over-representation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care.
“If you are an Aboriginal woman in Victoria, you are 45 times more likely to experience family violence – perpetrated by men from all backgrounds – than other women,” Braybrook said.
“Yet again, the Closing the Gap report does not provide an update on progress towards a 50% reduction by 2031 of all forms of family violence and abuse against First Nations women and children.
“This is completely outrageous. You cannot manage what you don’t measure,” she said.
CEO of First Nations advocates against family violence, Kerry Staines, agreed current measures to assess domestic and family violence are inadequate.
“The only current indicator used to capture domestic and family violence data is based on the rates of hospitalisation for family violence assaults of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children, which as a data source is a skewed observation as physical injuries are just one way of observing the impacts of violence,” Staines said.
Data should capture the prevalence of murdered and missing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, she said, adding they “have some of the highest homicide/missing persons rates, which are not currently captured in the progress report.”
Long and healthy lives
Improving, but not on track
71.9 years was the life expectancy for males born in 2020-22, while for females it was 75.6
Early childhood education
On track
101.8% of children were enrolled in preschool in 2023
Criminal justice
Worsening
2,265.8 per 100,000 adults in prison in 2023
Youth justice
No change
29,8 per 10,000 young people were in detention 2022 - 23
Child protection
Worsening
57.2 per 1,000 children were in out-of-home care in 2023
Social and emotional wellbeing
Worsening
29.9 per 100,000 people took their own life in 2022
Land
On track
4,213,978km2 were subject to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's rights or interests in 2023
Waters
On track
113,461km2 were subjected to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's rights or interests in 2023
Children thriving
Worsening
34.3% of children commencing school were developmentally on track in 2021
Student learning potential
Improvement, but not on track
68.1% of people ages 20-24 years had attained year 12 of equivalent in 2021
Further education pathways
Improvement, but not on track
47% of people ages 25-34 years had completed a tertiary qualification in 2021
Youth engagement
Improvement, but not on track
58% of people aged 15-24 years were fully engaged in employment, education or training in 2021
Economic participation
On track
55.7% of people aged 25-64 years were employed in 2021
Housing
Improvement, but not on track
81.4% of people were living in appropriately sized housing in 2021
Coalition of Peaks co-convener Catherine Liddle said the targets that were being met were ones where community control was in place.
“It’s clear that when we control our services we get better outcomes for our people,” she said.
The minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, described some of the data as “deeply troubling”.
“I am determined to work in partnership with First Nations Australians, the Coalition of Peaks and state and territory governments to bring about positive change,” McCarthy said on Wednesday.
“I will be reaching out to my colleagues across the parliament to seek a bipartisan approach to Indigenous affairs.”
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said his government was “committed to closing the gap and working with Indigenous communities” and defended the government’s funding record, including the $4bn spend in remote housing for Northern Territory communities.
“Quite clearly governments of all persuasions at all levels have not done well enough in the past but we are committed to working with those communities and also, of course, working with the private sector as well to make a difference,” Albanese said.
