Continuing the reform agenda for a stronger future

COAG reforms

COAG's reform agenda includes the most significant reforms in decades to service delivery by the Federal, State and Territory governments.

The reforms will improve the quality and effectiveness of government services by focusing on agreed objectives and outcomes, and rewarding high performance.

This new approach is set out in six historic National Agreements aimed at improving government services in the areas of health, education, skills and workforce development, disability services, housing and Indigenous disadvantage.

Key policy priorities include:

• a major funding injection for public hospitals
• improving the quality of school education
• new social housing.

Social Inclusion

Downturn or not, there will always be people in our society who suffer disadvantage. Through National Partnerships, the Government is working to improve the social inclusion of the disadvantaged on a range of fronts, including homelessness, disability services, low socio‑economic status schools and Indigenous outcomes.

Indigenous reform

In December 2007, COAG agreed to six ambitious targets to close the gap between Indigenous and non‑Indigenous Australians across urban, regional and remote areas.

To help achieve these targets, Commonwealth, State and Territory governments committed $4.6 billion in funding across five Indigenous National Partnerships, including:

• early childhood development (ECD)
• health
• remote housing
• economic participation
• remote service delivery.