A Closing the Gap pilot program will be rolled out in the far north-western Queensland community of Doomadgee as part of a broader commitment from the State Government.

The program which puts community-led decision making at the forefront within the mostly Indigenous community has been welcomed by Doomadgee Traditional Owners.

Doomadgee Elder Barry Walden said the opportunity for his community to become self-determined is unprecedented.

"For the first time in the history of Doomadgee the Indigenous people in the community will lead the government," he said.

"We're not sitting back and waiting for government to tell us how, we're dong it ourselves."

"It's going to be mainly led by community, Traditional Owners and larger family group leaders.

"They will discuss between the immediate families and Traditional Owners as to how this will roll out."

Traditional Owners of Doomadgee will lead Queensland's first Closing the Gap pilot program. Image: Allyson Horn

The program will receive $3.1 million over four years to deliver on nationally-agreed Closing the Gap outcomes.

Mr Walden said healthcare would be one of the program's priorities.

He said cultural aspect needs to be incorporated into healthcare systems.

"The cultural aspect has to be added to health," Mr Walden said.

"When I talk about culture I'm talking about the loss of loved ones, the immediate culture input that we have as cultural people and allow our authority to take shape and form and manage in that level of loss or grief."

Mr Walden said the Doomadgee community needed an alternative approach to employment, which he hoped the program would provide.

"We have high rates of unemployment because everybody is on the work for dole scheme," he said.

"That initiative has to stop it and it has to go back to proper wages, proper ethical work, not running programmes that are just basically here one year and gone the next."

https://www.nit.com.au/claim-hundreds-of-indigenous-people-denied-proper-medical-care-amid-queensland-hospital-deaths-probe/

"Years ago Doomadgee was a self-determined community here, we were self-reliant.

"We've got to go back to that structure of educating and employing our young people and allowing them to experience at home before they go out."

Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Craig Crawford said First Nations people were best-placed to achieve the 17 Closing the Gap targets.

"We recognise that a shift in how we develop and implement government policies and programs is needed to ensure significant improvements in life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples," he said.

"This represents a new way of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - together, in partnership."

Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council Mayor Jason Ned said his community looked forward to taking a lead role in government service reform.

"Our communities are best-placed to determine what they need to improve social, health, housing, employment and economic outcomes, so it is sensible that this process is community-led," he said.

"Through this project the people of Doomadgee will benefit from the opportunity to exercise community control through the establishment of a new community company that will soon be launched pending the announcements from both state and commonwealth in regards to place based partnerships under Closing the Gap."

The Queensland government will provide $563,000 in 2022-23 to support the place-based partnership in Doomadgee, with more than $74m currently pledged for initiatives to support outcomes for Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Queensland.