The ACT Government is in the process of finalising its funding arrangements with the Commonwealth Government for its commitment to a new Closing the Gap framework.
The Commonwealth Government announced its initial $46.5 million contribution over the next four years to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community groups deliver 16 new targets set out in the agreement.
State and Territory governments will also partner with the Commonwealth to fund community groups, with Victoria the first state to announce its $3.3 million contribution over four years.
An ACT Government spokesperson said details on its contribution would be announced in the coming days.
“The ACT Government is currently working with the Commonwealth Government to formalise funding arrangements,” they said.
“Extra funding is part of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap to support delivery of the Agreement’s Priority Reform Two.”
The new national agreement was signed off last Thursday (30 July), making it the first to be developed in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The original Closing the Gap framework was delivered in 2008 by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), with six main targets and an additional one added in 2014.
COAG decided to refresh the framework in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, after only two of the seven targets were on track by 2018.
Targets within the new framework aim to improve a range of socio-economic areas, including health and wellbeing, education, employment and justice.
The ACT Government spokesperson said the funding would look to build community-controlled sectors and increase the quality of services in the Territory.
“Funding under Priority Reform Two will contribute to building formal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sectors to deliver services to support Closing the Gap,” they said.
“It will support projects to expand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled service delivery, raise the quality of services and build organisational capacity through investment in the sector’s workforce and business planning.”
