Canberra spends more to reduce Indigenous inequalities

Significance

The government admitted that earlier efforts to improve Indigenous livelihoods had been an “enormous failure”, with many goals set out in the Closing the Gap programme still unmet. The new funding will primarily go to providing clean water and better housing.

Impacts

• Government efforts to end inequalities in living standards have so far had only limited impact, with few targets achieved.
• Political rifts and legal barriers could derail plans for an Indigenous consultative body.
• Corporate cultural insensitivity has clouded the future of some mining projects on Indigenous land.