The Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled peak organisations (the Coalition of Peaks) have today launched a website aimed at engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap to be agreed with Australian governments and how it will work in their communities.

The new website tells the story of who the Coalition of Peaks are, why they formed and how its community-controlled members are working with Australian governments to improve life outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The website details the historic Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap between the Coalition of Peaks and Australian governments, it introduces the Coalition of Peaks’ Joint Council members and provides background on the Priority Reforms that will underpin the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

We have been working hard on behalf of our communities to get a new National Agreement in place that will make life much better for our people.

At the heart of the work of the Coalition of Peaks are the voices and priorities of our communities. The Coalition of Peaks is negotiating with Australian governments so that the new National Agreement is built around what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have said for a long time is needed to improve the lives of our people, and is informed by Coalition of Peak led engagements with our communities late last year.

The Coalition of Peaks want Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations across Australia to be fully engaged and take ownership of the new Closing the Gap strategy. This is fundamental to improving the life outcomes of our people; making sure our communities’ priorities are at the centre of Closing the Gap; and holding governments accountable for the actions they commit to.

We built our website so that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations across Australia can be part of the work of the Coalition of Peaks with governments. The website will be updated when the new Agreement is in place with practical resources that can be used by communities to make sure they know and benefit from the Agreement. The new National Agreement on Closing the Gap is expected to be in place before the end of July this year.

In addition to the website, the Coalition of Peaks is also launching social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations are encouraged to engage with and share the work of the Coalition of Peaks.