Just five out of 19 Closing the Gap targets are on track, the Productivity Commission’s Annual Data Compilation Report released on Thursday shows.

The results, based on data first released in February, leave much room for improvement, new Labor Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said.

“These figures are deeply troubling, but I am determined to work in partnership with First Nations Australians, the Coalition of Peaks and state and territory governments to bring about positive change,” she said.

“I will be reaching out to my colleagues across the parliament to seek a bipartisan approach to Indigenous affairs.”

Healthy birth weight, children enrolled in preschool and Indigenous employment were among the targets found to be on track to be met by 2031.

Land mass and sea waters covered under Indigenous legal rights and interests are also improving at a rate required to meet the target, the commission found.

But targets for improvements in early childhood development, fewer Indigenous adults in incarceration, fewer children in out-of-home care and lower suicide rates aren’t on track.

The most recent data for 2022 shows suicide was the leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15–39.

As well, the commission noted that the life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men is 71.9 years and 75.6 years for women.

The gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous people – which is 81.2 years for males and 85.3 years for women – is not on track to close by 2031.

“We know that having ready access to culturally safe and responsive services and systems can make all the difference to socio-economic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” Commissioner Selwyn Button said.

Catherine Liddle, co-convenor of Coalition of Peaks, a representative body of more than 80 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups, said the areas hitting their marks were those where there was community control.

“The saying ‘nothing about us without us’ absolutely applies to getting the best results for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, from birth right through to our elders and how they are cared for,” Ms Liddle said.

“There are still far too many non-Indigenous operated service providers being funded to deliver to our people and they are doing so without consideration for what we really need.”

Senator McCarthy replaced Linda Burney as Minister for Indigenous Australians in a cabinet shake-up in July.

Closing the Gap is a national strategy that aims to reduce Indigenous disadvantage relating to life expectancy, child mortality, and access to education and employment.

The strategy was launched in 2008 and revised in 2020 and aims to close its gaps within a generation.

13YARN 13 92 76

Lifeline 13 11 14