Tamworth Regional Council: councillor Marc Sutherland puts forward Closing the Gap Strategy aimed at reducing Indigenous inequality

The milestone initiative has been put forward by Tamworth Regional Council's first Indigenous councillor, Gomeroi man Marc Sutherland, and focuses on five priority areas of reform that align with national strategies.

"The priorities under the Closing the Gap Strategy have been put together over many years of consultation with the Aboriginal community," Cr Sutherland told the Leader.

"I see myself in a really significant role to be able to align local government as the government closer to the community, with the voice of the Aboriginal community."

Priorities include formal partnerships and shared decision making; building the community-controlled sector; transforming government organisations; shared access to data and information; and employment, business growth and economic development.

The plan is based on reform targets in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, made in partnership with Australian Governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak organisations.

The Indigenous population falls behind in every area, Cr Sutherland said, from life expectancy and mortality, to welfare and employment.

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He will take the strategy to council on Tuesday night, and if approved staff will make the first steps towards implementing it.

"To my knowledge, we would be the first local government in NSW that would have a formal Closing the Gap Strategy and implementation plan," he said.

"I believe it would be a great step forward for Tamworth Regional Council to show some real leadership in making sure that we're supporting better outcomes and the voice of Aboriginal people."

In the report to council, general manager Paul Bennett said if successful, the strategy would "demonstrate a commitment on behalf of the Tamworth Regional community that decision-making at the local government level will fundamentally consider strategies and actions that improve the lives and prospects of First Nations people".

Co-chair of the NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations, Charles Lynch, spoke in absolute favour of the proposal, Cr Sutherland said.

"He has been encouraging local government across NSW to work actively in that space," he added.

"He was really excited to see that as a council we were moving towards that direction."

Cr Sutherland will move a motion asking council to formally commit to actively working with the NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations and NSW government to progress the plan as a trial, once consultation with the community has been finalised.

"I think that as a community the general consensus is that nobody is happy with the status quo, especially if it means that the outcome is a continued disparity of poor health and outcomes across Aboriginal communities," he said.

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