Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT)
NT Gap Targets Lag, Community Solutions Urged
The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) has expressed deep concern at the continued failure to meet Closing the Gap targets in the Northern Territory, following the release of the Productivity Commission’s 2025 Annual Data Compilation Report (ADCR).
While AMSANT welcomes improvements in some national indicators, such as healthy birthweight, it says the latest data makes clear that the NT is being left behind — with many critical targets not only off track, but worsening.
“This report serves as a stark reminder that the current approach isn’t working for the Northern Territory, and it is not delivering the change our communities need, particularly for the next generation,” said AMSANT CEO Dr John Paterson.
“The NT is home to some of the highest levels of disadvantage in the country, yet too many targets are going backwards.”
AMSANT welcomes improvement towards targets such as male life expectancy, the proportion of people living in appropriately sized housing, and people aged 20 to 35 who have attained a minimum of Year 12 or equivalent or Certificate level III or above qualification. Pleasingly, the rate of children aged 0 to 17 in out-of-home care has also shown improvement.
However, the report reveals worsening outcomes in several key areas across the NT, including female life expectancy, birth weight, early childhood education and development, youth engagement, employment, and child and adult incarceration rates.
Recent government data shows a spike in prison numbers to a record high since the NT Government came to power in August, with 19 self-harm cases involving young people across four watch houses in the six months to March. All but one of the cases involved an Indigenous teenager.
The 2025 NAPLAN results further showed that NT students have gone backwards in nearly every indicator, with about 70% of Indigenous students requiring extra support compared to about 10% of non-Indigenous students.
Dr Paterson said across the board – whether in health, education, housing, or other critical areas– governments must ensure all action reflects the values of sharing power and giving Aboriginal people a voice, as demanded by the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
“Every Australian deserves access to safe, quality health care and education. We wouldn’t accept these conditions elsewhere, and we should not accept them for Aboriginal people in the NT,” Dr Paterson said.
“We cannot close the gap without strong foundations. That means investing in the things that matter — safe housing, quality education, good jobs, and strong health services — delivered in genuine partnership with Aboriginal organisations.”
AMSANT is calling on the NT Government to:
“The National Agreement serves as a blueprint for change but the outcomes in the latest Productivity Commission data clearly reflect the limited progress of governments in collectively acting on the Priority Reforms,” Dr Paterson said. “Too often, governments aren’t meaningfully consulting with the organisations that have the knowledge and relationships to deliver change. We need genuine power-sharing.”
AMSANT also renewed its call for urgent infrastructure investment across Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) in the NT to improve health and well-being and life expectancy.
“ACCHSs have been central to improving health and wellbeing in our communities — but we cannot do it without the basic tools to deliver care. That means safe buildings, modern medical equipment, and a supported workforce,” Dr Paterson said.
“The National Agreement on Closing the Gap promised shared decision-making and community control. If governments are serious about changing the story, they need to stand beside us — and back it up with action.”