20 March 2025
Every year, on the third Thursday in March, we come together to recognise Close the Gap Day. It is a day for people all over Australia to advocate for change in systems and ways of working to address gaps in health and socio-economic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This is the origin of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, and it is at the heart of our work as the National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People.
We know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people are strong, capable, and have every right to expect happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives. Unfortunately, they are also too often let down by systems that exclude them, harm them, or simply fail them.
Closing the Gap is about addressing these structural barriers and inequities. For children and young people, that means having strong connections to community, Country, and culture; access to quality early learning and education; safe, stable housing; and access to healthcare when they need it. It means growing up with a strong sense of identity and self-worth – believing in their own ability to create the life they choose.
It means supporting their communities to raise them with the love and care that everyone wants to give their children. It is no coincidence that, time and time again, community-led solutions prove to be the most effective ways to help our children and young people thrive.
We also know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people are experts in their own lives. They know what they need to grow up feeling supported, safe, and strong in their culture. This year’s Close the Gap theme is Agency, Leadership, Reform: Ensuring the survival, dignity and wellbeing of First Nations peoples. It reminds us that we must view children and young people not only as the future of their communities, but as emerging leaders who have the right to be involved in decisions that affect them, and whose input leads to better outcomes.
Close the Gap Day is an invitation for all Australians to work together to dismantle systemic barriers and to stand in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities who continue to seek the means to close the gaps, improve outcomes, and – together with their children – build the future that they deserve.
Find out more at closethegap.org.au