The release of the Closing the Gap report today reinforces the Tasmanian Government’s resolve to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
The report highlights that as a nation we still have a long way to go to ensure Indigenous Australians have the same opportunities in education, health and employment.
The report highlighted mixed results, though found some improvements, particularly in life expectancy across the country and education here in Tasmania.
Closing the gap in life expectancy must be a priority. It is utterly unacceptable that an Indigenous Australian lives almost a decade less than a non-Indigenous Australian.
Importantly, some progress has been made, with the Indigenous mortality rate declining by 16 per cent and the gap closing by 13 per cent. We must as a country, state and community do everything possible to close this gap for generations to come.
The report also notes that Tasmania is one of only three jurisdictions, along with Victoria and the ACT, which is on track to reach the target for closing the gap on school attendance. Improving student attendance is a priority. Regular attendance is critical in improving educational retention, attainment and in turn, opportunities to gain a job.
However the report highlighted a decline in reading standards for Grade 5 and a significant decline in reading standards for Year 9 students.
While Tasmanian has the smallest gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students across the country for NAPLAN results, we will maintain a strong focus on ensuring that the performance gaps are closed.
As a state we are already working through the National commitment to Closing the Gap, and are committed to doing everything we can to take action to complement this at the state level.
As a government we are continuing to work with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community to create the greatest opportunities to achieve recognition, reconciliation and reducing the gap.