Submission to Australian National Audit Office Performance Audit: Closing the Gap in early childhood development and schooling

The Australian National Audit Office is undertaking a performance audit of the effectiveness of government’s policies with respect to Closing the Gap on early childhood development and schooling, part of a national agreement to address Indigenous disadvantage. This submission is primarily concerned with the measurement of progress. It considers that there are significant weaknesses which have been underpinned by inadequate attention to the use and development of additional indicators and data sources. This can be seen as a result of a wider policy environment with a lack of commitment to achieving the goals.