Closing the Gap Project Mornington Island

What is Closing the Gap"

In December 2008, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to a partnership between all levels of government to work with Indigenous communities to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage.

In recognition that outcomes for Indigenous Australians remain well below those of non-Indigenous Australians, COAG agreed to six targets:

1. To close the life expectancy gap within a generation
2. To halve the gap in mortality rates for Indigenous children under five within a decade.
3. To ensure access to early childhood education for all Indigenous four-year-olds in remote communities within five years.
4. To halve the gap in reading, writing and numeracy achievements for children within a decade.
5. To halve the gap for Indigenous students in Year 12 attainment or equivalent.
6. To halve the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a decade.

As a result of this commitment, the Commonwealth Government engaged Carolynne to partner with all levels of Government and the Mornington Island community to identify the key community aspirations to achieve the COAG and community targets.