Close the Gap facts for kids

Close the Gap (often called CTG) is a special campaign in Australia. It's all about making sure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have the same health opportunities as everyone else. Many different groups, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous health organisations, charities, and human rights groups, work together on this. The main goal is to achieve health equality across Australia. The campaign officially started in April 2007. There's also a special day called National Close the Gap Day (NCTGD), which has been celebrated every year since 2009.

How the Close the Gap Campaign Started

The Close the Gap campaign began because of a report written by Professor Tom Calma in 2005. This report showed that there were big differences in health between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians. For example, Aboriginal babies were dying more often, and Aboriginal people generally lived shorter lives and got sick more frequently. Professor Calma challenged the government to fix these differences within one generation.

Key Moments in the Campaign's History

• 2006: A special committee met to start planning the campaign.
• 2007: The campaign was officially launched in April. Famous athletes Catherine Freeman and Ian Thorpe helped kick it off. The goal was clear: to achieve health equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by 2030.
• 2007: The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) set important goals. These included reaching health equality within a generation and cutting the death rate for Indigenous children under five in half within ten years.
• 2008: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a national apology to Indigenous Australians. He promised that the government would work to close the gaps in health, education, and living conditions. He also said this work would respect Indigenous people's right to make their own decisions.
• 2008: On March 20, Prime Minister Rudd and the Opposition Leader at the time, Brendan Nelson, signed the Close the Gap Statement of Intent. This statement was a promise from the government to:

* Create a detailed, long-term plan to improve health services and achieve health equality by 2030. * Make sure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their groups are fully involved in all decisions about their health needs.

This Statement of Intent became a very important guide for the Close the Gap campaign.

Leaders of the Campaign

Over the years, many important Indigenous leaders have helped lead the Close the Gap campaign. These leaders include:

• Jody Broun and Mick Gooda (in 2013)
• Kirstie Parker and Mick Gooda (in 2014)
• Jackie Huggins and Pat Turner (in 2017)

Who is Involved in Close the Gap

As of 2020, the main leaders of the Close the Gap campaign are June Oscar, who is the Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice, and Rod Little.

Many different organisations are part of the Close the Gap campaign. They all work together to achieve the campaign's goals. Some of these groups include:

• Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association
• ANTaR
• Australian College of Midwives
• Australian College of Nursing
• Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
• Australian Human Rights Commission (which helps organise the campaign)
• Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association
• Australian Medical Association
• Australian Physiotherapy Association
• beyondblue
• Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives
• First Peoples Disability Network
• Healing Foundation
• Heart Foundation
• Indigenous Allied Health Australia
• Kidney Health Australia
• Menzies School of Health Research
• Oxfam Australia
• Public Health Association of Australia
• Reconciliation Australia
• Royal Australasian College of Physicians
• Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
• Fred Hollows Foundation
• Lowitja Institute
• Pharmacy Guild of Australia
• Torres Strait Regional Authority

By March 2020, almost 200,000 Australians had shown their support for the campaign.

Closing the Gap: Government's Role

The Australian government officially adopted the goals of the Close the Gap campaign in 2008. This government plan is known as Closing the Gap. Since 2009, the government has promised to report to Parliament every year on how well they are doing with this strategy.

In 2020, the way the Closing the Gap plan worked was significantly updated. There is now a much stronger focus on governments working in true partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Each year, the Close the Gap Steering Committee also publishes its own report. This report explains how much progress the government has made towards reaching its health equality goals.