The first Indigenous person to be elected to the Tamworth Regional Council in North West New South Wales says that grassroot community engagement with Aboriginal people is crucial to closing the gap.
"Aboriginal people have been asking for their voices to be heard on issues that are local and on priorities that are important to them," Tamworth Regional Council councillor and Gomeroi man Marc Sutherland said.
"The voice that is coming from the Aboriginal community is that closing the gap needs to be driven by Aboriginal people and supported by the government, not the other way around."
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Close The Gap aims to address and end the gross inequality that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. This year, the campaign's report highlighted the importance of Aboriginal community-controlled services, which Mr Sutherland said were doing great work in Tamworth.
"The conversation is really looking towards 'what can local government do?'" he said.
"What can Tamworth Regional Council do to really support the work that's already being done, and support the community addressing some of the gaps that still exist, in trying to address those priority areas and some of those targets?"
Mr Sutherland said that while historically local government has not been a major player in "closing the gap", things are beginning to change as councils are the level of government closest to people.
"Closing the Gap is important to be able to put focus on the targets that currently exist in trying to provide some social equality and it's been a space that local government in New South Wales typically hasn't been a major player in," he said.
"But recently local governments have really committed to supporting those target areas."
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In late 2021, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) published an implementation plan which enhances the shared policy development and decision making at the local government level.
The association's president Linda Scott said local government recognises the need to reduce social and economic disadvantage that Indigenous Australians and particularly those living in remote communities experience.
ALGA is calling on the Commonwealth Government to provide $100 million per annum over four years for local governments to support the capacity and capability of Indigenous councils and to implement closing the gap.
"We know if this funding is allocated, it would create 804 jobs across the nation," Ms Scott said.
"It would contribute $117 million to Australia and most importantly, it would fund the work that local governments are proud to do to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians."
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While the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have improved over the years, the disadvantage gap is far from being closed.
"The life expectancy of Aboriginal people in this country is still greater than 10 years difference to non-Aboriginal people," Mr Sutherland said, adding the council was looking at 17 spaces to address this disparity.
"To improve it, we can't just look at health and education. We're now looking at employment, we're now looking at housing, we're looking at justice, we're looking at mental health.
"All of these areas that previously sat outside of the target to close the gap have now been brought in, and so as a community and as a local government closest connected to the communities trying to work out what can we do to best support outcomes in those spaces, to make sure that Aboriginal programs will be delivered by Aboriginal people to get better outcomes for our communities."
Mr Sutherland said it "means a lot" to be the first Gomeroi person elected to serve the community on a local government level in the region.
"If we want to advocate for national change or state change, then it is important that we toe the line and lead the way from our local government perspective and, and that's what I'm really passionate to do."
