Family Matters reports examine what governments are doing to turn the tide on over-representation and the outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. They also highlight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led solutions, and call on governments to support and invest in the strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to lead on child wellbeing, development and safety responses for their children.

This year’s Family Matters report is the third to be published following the development of the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement), which was entered into in July 2020. Under the National Agreement, governments across the country committed to make decisions in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations; to invest in our community-controlled services; to transform government agencies and non-Indigenous services into culturally safe organisations; and to develop data and monitor outcomes in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The National Agreement also committed specifically to reducing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s over-representation in out-of-home care by 45% by the year 2031, a target well aligned to the Family Matters campaign’s call to eliminate overrepresentation by 2040.