The Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Bodies will meet in Melbourne on Monday 13 May to discuss a new Closing the Gap agreement. It will be the first time the Coalition has come together face to face since they formed last year to negotiate the historic Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap.
About 40 peak organisations are expected to attend from around the country with NACCHO CEO Pat Turner AM giving the opening address.
“The Coalition of Peaks have been hard at work since the Partnership Agreement was announced and we look forward to coming together to discuss what we want to achieve in a new Closing the Gap agreement,” said NACCHO CEO and convener of the Coalition of Peaks, Pat Turner AM.
“It’s clear a new approach is needed and we look forward to lending our collective voices and experiences to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are able to have a greater say in the design, implementation and monitoring of the next phase of Closing the Gap,” Ms Turner said.
“We fought long and hard to have an equal seat at the negotiating table and we’re ready to do our part in finding the most effective ways to close the unacceptable health, educational and wealth gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians,” Ms Turner said.
The Peaks will discuss what they want to achieve in a new Closing the Gap agreement and how their Coalition might fit in with the broader Indigenous policy landscape.
The aim is to have a newly refreshed Closing the Gap agreement, signed by the Coalition of Peaks and the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), in place later this year.
The Coalition of Peaks meeting will take place Monday 13 May at the Bell Mantra in Preston, Victoria.
