Latest Closing the Gap report brings more bad news

The general public begins to arrive at the 2024 Garma Festival in the Northern Territory. Source: AAP / MICK TSIKAS/AAPIMAGE

On the eve of the nation’s biggest Indigenous cultural festival, the Garma festival, new Closing the Gap figures show key quality of measures for Indigenous Australians have deteriorated since the defeat of the Voice to Parliament referendum last October.

The latest Closing the Gap data shows just five of the 19 targets are on track to be met - and four are worsening.
Of particular concern is an increase to the suicide rate, with it being the leading cause of death for Indigenous people aged 15-39 in 2022.
The new Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, says incarceration rates are also worsening and there has been no improvement in the rates of young people in detention.