Politics Now 'Solutions are known, but rarely acted upon': Why are governments failing to Close the Gap? || Insiders: On Background
Aug 1, 2025
Thomas Mayo, Assistant National Secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia and a passionate advocate for Indigenous rights, discusses the disappointing results of the Closing the Gap initiative. He highlights persistent issues faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, emphasizing the need for actionable policy changes. Mayo critiques the negative impact of government policy reversals on Indigenous employment and addresses the failures of punitive crime measures in the Northern Territory. He urges the importance of empowering First Nations voices in policymaking.
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Known Solutions Ignored
- Solutions to Indigenous disadvantage are known but rarely implemented.
- Failure to act on expert recommendations leads to repeated setbacks and wasted lives.
CDEP Program Replaced With CDP
- The CDEP program empowered communities with meaningful work tailored locally.
- It was dismantled and replaced with the punitive CDP, disconnecting work from community needs.
Lack of Indigenous Influence
- Indigenous people lack influence in decisions affecting them due to complex decision-making layers.
- A constitutionally backed Indigenous voice was proposed to fix this, but referendum failure means finding new ways.