Aboriginal Territorians have some of the most significant gaps in Australia

Stark statistics show a huge gap for Territorians in housing, health and education.

WHILE NAIDOC Week calls on people to Get Up, Stand Up, Show Up, new data has revealed Aboriginal communities in the NT are falling further behind in Close the Gap targets.

In 2020, new targets were set across four priority reforms for States and Territories to focus on reducing inequality, but data released in late June shows for many Aboriginal people in the NT, particularly those in remote areas, things are getting worse.

Most Aboriginal women and men in the NT will not live till their 70th birthday compared to non-Indigenous people who live into their early eighties.

Indicators for child development, including antenatal care, show there are still barriers to support for mothers and children.

In the NT, only 67 per cent of Aboriginal pregnant mothers attended an antenatal appointment in the first trimester, while 84 per cent of Aboriginal children commencing school in the NT don’t meet early development milestones.

The data again showed an overwhelming majority of Aboriginal Territorians are living in unsafe and inadequate housing.

The figures released by the Productivity Commission show only 38.4 per cent of Aboriginal Territorians live in appropriate housing compared to 90.2 per cent of non-Indigenous people.

The Indigenous Territorian statistic was also nearly 40 per cent lower than the national average for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In March, Closing the Gap co-chair Pat Turner told The Australian the standard of housing in remote communities underpinned several of the targets in Closing the Gap, particularly in relation to child health.

“Look at Aboriginal health, what’s the biggest issue? Well housing’s the biggest problem, In terms of the lack of adequate sized housing for families who need that housing,” she said.

Education data showed only 37 per cent of Aboriginal people under 24 have completed high-school or a certificate II.

The rate of Aboriginal children incarcerated in the NT has skyrocketed, while the rate for non-Indigenous children was not reported.

Data showed Aboriginal boys aged 10-17 were jailed at a rate of 47.3 per 10,000 in 2020-21, compared to 38.7 per 10,000 in 2019-20.

As previously reported by the NT News it is expected these figures will grow again when data for June 2022 is released.

In the NT, the difference in numbers of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care compared with non-Indigenous children remains stark.

Originally published as Aboriginal Territorians have some of the most significant gaps in Australia