A target to close the life expectancy gap for indigenous Australians by 2031 is "unrealistic", Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion has told parliament.
"This target, let's be frank, was ambitious and unrealistic in such a short time frame," he said, hours after the prime minister handed down the ninth annual Closing the Gap report on Tuesday.
The report found a target to halve the gap in mortality rates between indigenous and non-indigenous children by 2018 was not on track, nor was another to close the overall gap in life expectancy by 2031.
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