1.10 First nations

The 2025-26 Budget includes a record $731.8 million to support First Nations communities in New South Wales and build upon previous spend to improve outcomes.

Closing the Gap

The total Closing the Gap package is now $246.8 million.

This Budget includes a significant further investment in Closing the Gap, with $202.4 million of new funding.

This includes:

• $33.4 million for community-led justice initiatives to reduce recidivism and contact with the justice system including developing Therapeutic Pathways for Children and an Aboriginal Throughcare Strategy
• $31.5 million to improve shared access to data and empower First Nations communities to use data to drive decision-making
• $23.8 million to revitalise First Nations languages through investment in community-led language programs across New South Wales
• $23.1 million for culturally responsive community-led suicide prevention initiatives
• $21.9 million to expand Aboriginal Maternal and Infant Health Services and Building Strong Foundations programs to support families in the first 2,000 days of a child’s life
• $18.4 million for the NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations to support existing partnerships and participate in Closing the Gap governance
• $12.1 million for the Aboriginal Employment Program to enable Aboriginal people in regional communities to work on country and practice sustainable natural resource management
• $11.8 million to continue the Community Connectors program and expand Aboriginal Language and Culture Nests to improve education outcomes for First Nations students.

In addition to the Closing the Gap package, this Budget includes $484.9 million of investment for First Nations communities, including:

• $210.2 million for the Aboriginal Housing Office to deliver social and affordable housing in New South Wales, as part of the new social housing supply announced in the 2024-25 Budget
• $200.9 million to improve access to culturally safe, high-quality early childhood education, including through a refreshed First Steps Strategy and $6.9 million in 2025-26 for culturally responsive support in public preschools
• $5.2 million in 2025-26 to finalise the state’s first Aboriginal Water Strategy
• $3.0 million for a First Nations gallery that will create a unique tourism experience focused on truth-telling
• $2.0 million in 2025-26 to start rolling out a New South Wales Aboriginal Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Plan
• $1.8 million to improve access to identity cards for First Nations people exiting a correctional facility.

Native title

• $61.9 million over four years to support and improve whole-of-government native title claims management, policy and governance, supporting land justice and cultural economic aspirations for native title groups.

These investments reflect the Government’s ongoing commitment to work in partnership to improve outcomes for First Nations communities through shared decision-making, culturally responsive services and community-led initiatives.