Closing the gap: Negotiating indigenous power and the council of Australian governments

This chapter provides an overview of the negotiations led by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) on the renewal of a set of agreements, first struck in 2008, referred to as the “Close the Gap” agenda. It covers three years of negotiations from 2017 to 2020. In the second phase of these negotiations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter also referred to as Indigenous) organizations were included as decision-making partners. This made a significant difference to the policy reforms and accountabilities outlined in the final agreement. The chapter provides an insight into how Indigenous Peoples can negotiate power in the context of liberal governmentality.