The objectives of the Children and Schooling program are to get children to school, particularly in remote Indigenous communities, improving education outcomes and supporting families to give children a good start in life. This program includes measures to improve access to further education. The objectives of the Safety and Wellbeing program are to ensure that the ordinary law of the land applies in Indigenous communities, and ensure that Indigenous people enjoy similar levels of physical, emotional and social wellbeing enjoyed by other Australians.

Key Findings/ Recommendations:

• The National Indigenous Australians Agency’s (NIAA) administration of the Children and Schooling and Safety and Wellbeing programs has been largely effective.
• The report recommends that NIAA ensures that up-to-date information about grant funding available for the Children and Schooling and Safety and Wellbeing programs is publicly available.
• The objectives of the Children and Schooling program align with Australian Government policy objectives for improved educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians. The objectives of the Safety and Wellbeing program broadly align with Australian Government policy objectives of healthy homes and safe communities for Indigenous Australians. The development of a policy and investment framework in 2019 has the potential to strengthen the coordination and strategic direction of the IAS, including the Children and Schooling and the Safety and Wellbeing programs.
• The report also looks at the shortcomings and progress in the Closing the Gap targets, particularly closing the life expectancy gap within a generation and halving the gap in mortality rates for indigenous children under five within a decade.