Terms of Reference

(1) That a select committee, to be known as the Select Committee on Measuring Outcomes for First Nations Communities, be established to inquire into, document and report on the current regression of the Closing the Gap targets on the rates of suicide, the number of children in out-of-home care, adult incarceration and the number of children commencing school who are developmentally on track, with particular reference to:

a. the ways in which the targets are funded;
b. the ways in which the targets are measured and evaluated;
c. the priority of the targets in the National Partnership Agreement and progress under the National Priority reforms;
d. the degree to which current measurements and targets reflect the strengths of First Nations cultures, as opposed to an emphasis on deficit and lack;
e. the possibility of incorporating broad ideas about wellness into measurements, with a view to promoting mental, physical, and spiritual health and wellbeing;
f. the incorporation of alternative measurements as a complement to existing measurements;
g. opportunities for building on and expanding the current Closing the Gap framework; and
h. any other related matters.

(2) That the committee present its final report by 30 May 2025.

The resolution establishing the Committee is available in the Journals of the Senate No. 146 – 28 November 2024.

Committee Secretariat contact:

Select Committee on Measuring Outcomes for First Nations Communities
Department of the Senate
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Phone: +61 2 6277 3022
measuringFNoutcomes.sen@aph.gov.au