Acknowledgement of Country

Aboriginal Affairs NSW and the NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations (NSW CAPO) acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands where we work and the places in which we live.
We pay respect to Ancestors and Elders, past, present and future.
We recognise the unique cultural and spiritual relationship and celebrate the contributions of First Nations peoples to Australia.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film, audio recordings or printed material.
Some material may contain terms that reflect authors’ views, or those of the period in which the item was written or recorded, but may not be considered appropriate today.


Closing the Gap brings together governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and communities. It is a commitment to a new way of working in partnership to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Two young aboriginal girls smiling

NSW commitment to Closing the Gap

The NSW Premier signed the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap on behalf of NSW in July 2020, along with the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations, the Australian government, state and territory governments, the Australian Local Government Association.

In this National Agreement, governments agreed to do things differently - to work in partnership and share decision making with Aboriginal organisations and communities to improve life outcomes for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The NSW Government and NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations (NSW CAPO), in consultation with Aboriginal communities, have developed the NSW Implementation Plan. This plan identifies focus areas and existing work underway while acknowledging there is a lot more to do.

The NSW Government and NSW CAPO are now partnering with communities to design new policies and programs that will make a difference. We want to hear from you on what will make a difference in your community.  

Reports on progress will be made publicly available.