One of the key developments in closing the First Nations health gap in Australia over the last year has come from a scheme to support rural and remote grocery stores.
A commonwealth-driven initiative to boost food security in remote Indigenous communities has lowered the cost of essential items like tinned vegetables, canned fruit and rice, with the scheme set to expand in 2026.
The Low-cost Essentials Subsidy Scheme, which supports grocery stores in rural and remote Australia to lower the retail price of 30 essential products by up to 50%, kicked off in 2025.
Around 113 grocery stores across the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia are already participating.
This year’s Closing the Gap report, released last week, earmarked another $27.4 million in funding to expand access to the scheme.
The public health initiative was credited by the report as giving rural and remote First Nations Australians greater access to healthy food.
“For the remote communities, it’s actually great,” Cape York store manager Soum Saha was quoted as saying.
“If we can provide a bit of relief on the food, that’s a big difference to make. People will save a bit of money, this is helping them. I can see people buying more.”
Food security will be a continued focus for Closing the Gap, with plans to expand the remote First Nations nutrition and health promotion workforce from 21 positions to 106 by 2028 and to secure formal endorsement of the National Strategy for Food Security in Remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities from all states and territories.
In the primary healthcare space, there will be $2.6 million going toward 30 additional First Nations health worker training positions, and another $1.8 million over three years to continue a hepatitis B program in the Northern Territory.
“Continued funding will support the expansion of workforce training to over 90 primary health care teams across the NT, ensuring access to culturally safe chronic hepatitis B care and improved liver cancer survival outcomes for First Nations people,” the Closing the Gap report said.
The biggest block of healthcare Closing the Gap funding, though, is $390 million for major capital works to deliver modern, culturally safe clinics and housing for health professionals across every state and territory bar SA and the ACT.
Other developments in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health space include a dedicated schedule in the National Health Reform Agreement, which is set to come into effect this year.
“Health Ministers acknowledged the leadership of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector in shaping the NHRA Addendum, ensuring the schedule reflects key reform priorities and strengthens accountability for equitable, culturally safe and responsive care,” a communique from the most recent Health Ministers Meeting read.
“All governments have committed a joint $450 million to fund priorities aligned to the schedule and developed in partnership with the sector through a new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reform Fund.
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“Priorities are likely to include better discharge pathways, anti‑racism strategies, cultural safety teams in hospitals, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector navigation models, and stronger First Nations data governance. Investment in these priorities can drive real system improvements.”
The RACGP said that elevating First Nations-led health solutions would be “key” to eliminating racism in the system.
“The RACGP is taking action to support the elimination of racism within our organisation, in general practice, general practice training, and across healthcare as a whole,” college president Dr Michael Wright said.
“This includes acknowledging the ongoing impact of colonisation, listening to those who experience racism, and fostering a culture of truth-telling.
“It also includes challenging structural barriers and unequal power dynamics and doing better when it comes to combatting racism.
“We are committed to co-creating a health system that is entirely free from racism and discrimination, and we hope to see the same commitment reflected in efforts from all levels of government in 2026.”
